Why I Have a Motorcycle Lift Table

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Traditionally, this blog goes on vacation between Christmas and New Year's Day. For that reason I let David off the hook this week, but I wanted to write something because I've made an effort to write more often since November, and also because we just haven't had many posts this year due to Real Life problems with our other writers. 

Anyway, this Christmas I bought a Lift Table using gift cards. 

https://amzn.to/3Ccr3RH

Now, you're probably wondering why I bought a table capable of pneumatically lifting a 300 pound motorcycle, especially since you know I don't own a motorcycle in the first place. This is a fair question, and the short answer is "I need to lift heavy things and I have arthritis in my lower back." Because I'm going to be "over the hill" next year, I thought it would be prudent to have a piece of equipment that can hoist most anything I would need to lift, because I'm only going to get older and my arthritis will never get better. My mother is in her 80s now, and while she can currently move without assistance, in the future she may need help getting up like my father did a few years ago. She weighs much less than 300 lbs, but I like to say that there's no such thing as overkill, just increasingly greater chances of success. 

The longer answer, and I can practically hear the record needle scratch as I say this, is I bought it to lift my Bug Out and Get Home Bags. "But Erin," you are saying right now, "if you need a lift table for your BOB and GHB then they're too heavy!"

They're actually not too heavy for me to lift, and they're definitely not too heavy for me to carry because I'm already regularly walking a mile while wearing them. My goal is to work up to walking two miles, and the reason I need to work up to that is because I'm overweight and out of shape. I stop because I'm tired and out of breath, not because the pack is too heavy. When I get it cinched down, my hips carry most of the weight. 

No, the problem is that the arthritis in my lower back is a stone-cold bastard, and sometimes just picking up a heavier-than-usual grocery bag makes me hurt, and I don't see the point in hurting myself if it's not necessary. Furthermore, this lift table actually makes it more convenient for me to put my bag on and off, meaning that I'm more likely to put it on for exercise. 

So now I have a lift table that will easily raise my bag to waist level so I can easily put on it for walks, and then when I'm done smoothly lower it for storage or bag access/maintenance. 

https://amzn.to/3Ccr3RH

I haven't used it long enough to give a long-term evaluation of it, but here's what I've noticed so far:

• The wheels easily move on residential carpet. 
• ... which is good, because it weighs 70.5 lbs. I'm not picking that sucker up unless I absolutely have to. 
• The table is wide enough for my needs without getting in the way, although the hole in the surface is a bit annoying. 
• Weights up to 150 lbs rise with no extra effort. I just push the foot pedal down. (I haven't seen a need to put on more weight than that.)
• The lift pedal seems to raise it about one inch per pedal pump, so I have to pump it about 30-some times. 
• The lift pedal swings a bit from side to side. This is awkward but doesn't interfere with its function. 
• The table lowers smoothly and swiftly. 
• I can easily fit all of my packs onto it. 

So, I have a lift table now. It was expensive, but I'm glad to have it. I'm certain I will find other uses for it; if you read the Amazon reviews you'll see stories of people using it for other purposes, such as installing window sill air conditioners or raising generators to truck bed level. If you find your back constantly hurting from having to lift heavy things, then perhaps the Extreme Max Hydraulic Motorcycle Lift Table is right for you, too. 

https://amzn.to/3Ccr3RH