Sidewinder sled lift - What do you guys like?

[budman 1000]

I have had the Princess Auto one for years, lift my Vector Mountain, Nytro's, Apex's and my 137 Sidewinder Le with ease. I have never had the knob break off, but I do suspect how they broke off is by placing the sled to far forward on the stand and the knob is then pointed at the front of your skid plate (this is in the lowest position of the stand) and you have have to put your crank in at an angle prying the knob with sideways pressure which likely could break the knob. if the stand is placed with the cross bar under the bulk head there is lots of clearance for the knob. my stand has the wheels on it and it does seem a bit precarious moving a lifted sled around the shop, so all I do is lower it down to where the sled is just off the floor and the I can move it around and not worry about the stand tipping the sled over. I don't think it would tip lifted all the way up, but its like hey its an jack stand that can be easily lowered and lifted back up, so for the half a minute it takes to lower and raise I play it safe. as like "Pstn head" said in his post I also use a wood block on the rear pegs to raise the rear of the sled higher.
I think which ever stand one chooses to buy will likely work great, they all look to be built with just slight differences, but overall designs look much the same.
Personally I'd be hesitant on the air jack model unless I could see it was a high quality air jack and manufacturer, as I have experienced low end air jacks in my maintenance shop I run and the couple I tried were pretty much junk after a few uses.

 

[allyammies]

I have one like the PA one the crank sucks really hard to crank the boat winch ones seem easier to crank.

 

[**sj**]

Agree the winch looks durable.... but might the cable get on the way and or hit the underneath.? the first one I had came with the tube you crank... seemed to take forever...

 

[ROCKERDAN]

I have had the Princess Auto one for years, lift my Vector Mountain, Nytro's, Apex's and my 137 Sidewinder Le with ease. I have never had the knob break off, but I do suspect how they broke off is by placing the sled to far forward on the stand and the knob is then pointed at the front of your skid plate (this is in the lowest position of the stand) and you have have to put your crank in at an angle prying the knob with sideways pressure which likely could break the knob. if the stand is placed with the cross bar under the bulk head there is lots of clearance for the knob. my stand has the wheels on it and it does seem a bit precarious moving a lifted sled around the shop, so all I do is lower it down to where the sled is just off the floor and the I can move it around and not worry about the stand tipping the sled over. I don't think it would tip lifted all the way up, but its like hey its an jack stand that can be easily lowered and lifted back up, so for the half a minute it takes to lower and raise I play it safe. as like "Pstn head" said in his post I also use a wood block on the rear pegs to raise the rear of the sled higher.
I think which ever stand one chooses to buy will likely work great, they all look to be built with just slight differences, but overall designs look much the same.
Personally I'd be hesitant on the air jack model unless I could see it was a high quality air jack and manufacturer, as I have experienced low end air jacks in my maintenance shop I run and the couple I tried were pretty much junk after a few uses.

I have read alot today with PA users, and there are a ton who really like them, so for the price this sure seems like the best deal overall. Sure hard to beat at approx 150USd during this current sale.

Any chance you guys can comment on the weight of one of these PA lifts? I have found a few weights of some steel ones online, and they seem to range from 71 to 100 lbs.

Can you use a drill on the PA lift?

I cannot however, find any weights on the aluminum lifts so far, so that im still searching for....I did see some pics of guys who hang their alum lifts on wall, so they look light, and id assume are less then half the steel weight? But who knows.

thanks for review.

 

[Pstn head]

I never weighed the PA one but it's not to bad maybe around 75lbs, the wheels roll good on flat surfaces. Imo you should get one and you'll be asking yourself why you didn't have one from day one. It makes working on the sled soooo much easier. Save your money for other things it works just fine, and yes if you don't like it PA will take it back.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Agree the winch looks durable.... but might the cable get on the way and or hit the underneath.? the first one I had came with the tube you crank... seemed to take forever...

Yeah Dano has that winch lift, has had it many many yrs. It always works fine since winch really has nothing to fail. But it is longer out toward the front in physical size, and ofcourse you have to crank it, but no drill needed. Ive watched many videos on these today all over youtube, and the better ones that are USA built all use the bully dog jack, and this seems to be a top quality main working part within the lift, and then the wheels are a big topic too.


Lift-A-Sled Aluminum Sled Lifting System
I have spent most the day reading p on lifts....tons on dootalk who absolutely love the All Aluminum "lift-a-sled" Alum lift. This is the one made by a local guy i think in Wisconsin, and he sells them thru the old Madsled.com(now known as http://whiplashpowersports.com/Lift-A-Sled-Aluminum-Snowmobile-Lift_p_822002.html ) And he also sells them direct off his FB page I just found.... https://www.facebook.com/Liftasled-478231105562255/

This is the only Aluminum lift that has all stellar reviews, 8 wheels steel with locks, adjustable rear brackets,Bully dog jack. All the best in this, and it shows as the guys on DT just rave about it. I put an email out to the builder to inquire. It can be bought on the whiplash site link I posted above, and it looks to be 364.99 + about 55 for shipping to me, so total of approx $419usd.

The Original Lift-A-Sled Aluminum Heavy Duty Snowmobile Lift.

This heavy duty aluminum snowmobile lift is built out of 1.5" square aluminum tubing that has 1/8" wall. It has a 5000lb heavy duty bulldog jack to raise and lower it a full 28" and is assembled with 7/16" grade 5 bolts. The rubber bumpers are easily adjustable so no matter what brand or style of sled you are working on it will set level.

It comes with eight 2" steel caster wheels which allows it to roll very easy on concrete. The caster on each corner allows you to lock the lift in place. Included are also both a hand crank AND drill adaptor

This is a high quality stand with a proven design, is made in the USA, will never rust, doesn't need paint, and will always look good.

Couple pics of this alum lift with a cat turbo 1100 on it

Its over more then double the cost of the PA lift, but the fact its lightweight for moving around from one house to other is huge bonus, and it sure has great reviews. Will see what the builder sells them for. I know this guy has a booth at haydays always and they are on sale typically, so will see if he has any specials for the pre-season.

Dan

 

[ROCKERDAN]

I never weighed the PA one but it's not to bad maybe around 75lbs, the wheels roll good on flat surfaces. Imo you should get one and you'll be asking yourself why you didn't have one from day one. It makes working on the sled soooo much easier. Save your money for other things it works just fine, and yes if you don't like it PA will take it back.

You are 100% right! The price is hard to beat for sure, sale lasts another week or so! haha

I sure do want something for this season, all these yrs working on sleds and it never bothered me much, Sure would be nice not bending over all day.lol

 

[allyammies]

Tried a drill on mine would not lift it.

 

[snowbeast]

For years I have considered a sled lift but always got by without one. Not getting any younger though and it sure would be nice to work on the sled without the back breaking bending over for hours and hour. You guys know I am always working on something on my sleds, so I think this is one of those items that would be well used.

I have not seen alot of threads on them, and the ones I have seen seem to get mixed reviews. I have seen some cheaper ones on ebay/and google searching. Many of those get poor reviews too. What I keep reading in reviews is how the small hex knob where you crank it up(either with a drill or handle) tends to break off over time, and some saying it broke off very quickly. So a few people say they like the "winch" lift, which wont have that issue with the jack knob breaking off. But the one winch style by black ice, seems to be quite old school with a more flat top and no arms in back for a deeper tunnel taper like todays sleds.

Black Ice Winch Lift: Pretty cheap pricing, but no shipping in this price(add $50+)
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PRINCESS AUTO LIFT: This cheaper(on sale now too) lift at Princess Auto(Canada, so in CAd) Has some great reviews but several poor about the knob breaking. Heck of a deal when converted to USD.
https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/750-lb-snowmobile-service-lift/A-p8328270e

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The extreme max looks like it is decent: Saw it a bit cheaper on ebay, but wheels are additional cost.
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I have found one or two on ebay where they are made by a local guy who seems to make them tougher, with a bully dog jack, so Im wondering if those bully dogs dont break and last longer at the knob.

I also wonder about these turbo sleds, being much heavier then older sleds and the deeper tunnel/taper...will need a strong lift for sure, and I definitely want wheel too. I see in Canada Princes Auto has one that gets mixed reviews, and its on sale making it alot cheaper then others(especially due to being in CAd.)

Here is the one that I feel is really decent at this point, 299 seems fair. Others are cheaper, some others are more...this SLEDJACKER is a local guy who makes them, and he has a video of it on Youtube too.

SLEDJACKER: I like this best overall so far. Got an email out to the builder now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SLEDJACKER-...1200-LB-SWIVEL-CASTERS-USA-MADE-/302138357172
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SLEDJACKER: Great Video from the builder showing it in use(older cat)

So, can everyone please let me know what brand/type lift you have and how it fits and is working/lasting for you on your heavier Sidewinder/Viper chassie. All info would be much appreciated. Trying to get a consensus of what is good for a fair price without breaking the bank.

thanks
Dan

Mine is very much like his,but w/out the casters,in my garage floor up at camp,they would not work,as some cracks in cement pad,are to wide,and stuff like that gets caught,mine I got from my old poo dealer,in fact it saids poo on it,i did make an end to fit my torque gun,for my compressor,so lifting is just like his,but has compressor noise lol and it lifts my winder ok,just have to play around with where the rubber knobs at every corner end up in the correct location.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Tried a drill on mine would not lift it.

Which lift is that?

Did you try a 1/2" with low range, electric drill? I read alot about needing a more powerful drill.

Lucky drills are something I have many of in my biz.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Mine is very much like his,but w/out the casters,in my garage floor up at camp,they would not work,as some cracks in cement pad,are to wide,and stuff like that gets caught,mine I got from my old poo dealer,in fact it saids poo on it,i did make an end to fit my torque gun,for my compressor,so lifting is just like his,but has compressor noise lol and it lifts my winder ok,just have to play around with where the rubber knobs at every corner end up in the correct location.

You got a steel one right Pete? If i did not have to move mine 2 times per season from home to cottage, then back again.....I would just go with steel for sure. I do also like alum can hang it on wall as its rather light im hearing. My shop at cottage is small, while here at home I have a massive shop with tons of room, so up there I may need to hang on wall to make room.

Will see how things shake out if some of these guys reply....its Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend so holiday tomorrow(happy Turkey Day All my Canuks Buds!) so will hope to get more replies this week before I make a decision.

Nice to have all the lifts all here in one thread, should help many who are looking for one like i am now.

Dan

 

[fxnytrortxkid]

My father got the one that’s from the guy at big east show in Syracuse about 5-6 years ago. We’ve both been using it and it works amazing. Hook it to my drill and up it goes. Or use hand crank. Not sure of brand off top of my head.

 

[fxnytrortxkid]

I use cordless m18 1/2” Milwaukee drill. Have to put it on low speed and just let it crank.

 

[Brotherdan]

The j&S jacks are nice for sure, the cheaper one is exact same design as my motorcycle lift, which works great still. But I really wanted to try to stay cheaper for this. Its not something that I must have the BEST, just something to be stable and wheels, and I am more worried about these reviews where the drill knob breaks off early and then you hear horror stories where guys cant get their sleds down! grrr.

So that is why that simple(cheaper) winch style sorta makes me think, it will last forever as its a simple cable winch, but the design of that is flat top, no front cross bar for under the bulkhead, so that would likely need to be modded or at least 2x4 blocks put under the backs as footwells are taper up deeper with newer sleds. The others all tend to have the flip up rubbers at rear or adjustable rubbers.

I do really like the 299 one from the local builder, just seems like all top notch parts, and thicker PCoating then others, and I would assume the bully dog jack is not gonna have the break knob issue like a cheaper jack.

Dan

 

[Brotherdan]

Dan.im in the same boat.ive spent about a month looking at reviews.steel.alum etc.i have a winch type i dont like as the winch mount&handle stick out too far&cable wants to hit bumper.ive also got an older "cheap"lift that is bent so badly from use that it drags on the floor(with the wheel kit!) im very impressed with the alum lift you found.it has 8 steel caster wheels&very rugged looking.will be curious to here what he says about $.even at price listed its less than many" cheaper" versions.i also want super quality at fair price