Lifting a trike

[howardg]

I have a Lehman trike and a motorcycle lift jack from harbor fright. Where do i put it under the trike, I'm guessing under the motor?

 

[Mick]

With the Harbor freight jack you are not going to be able to lift the whole trike. You can lift the front or the back but it isnt large enough to get the whole trike in the air safely. On my Monarch II I use ramps to back it up on. Then I have hydraulic jack stands that I raise the rear end when doing brakes and such. To level out the trike I run the ATV jack under the engine making sure I clear running board brackets and then raise the trike up to level her.

Even Pit Bull who was making a jack large enough to raise a trike had a clause that you couldnt have running boards and the trike had to have a center stand to use for a jacking brace

Working on a trike and with these small jacks you have to watch the balance of what your working on. Depending if its a straight axle or a Roadsmith plan accordingly and you want to be safe no matter what your working on with your trike.

 

[howardg]

Thanks, The jack is rated at 1500LBS is that big enough? I don't know what the trike weighs.

 

[Mick]

If its an 1800 the trikes are usually between 12-1300 lbs of weight. The jack has the capacity for lift its just it has such a small footprint on the ground for balancing something as large as a trike.

 

[howardg]

Thanks Mick, would you know what u-joints is in a 2003 Lehman trike?

 

[Solidbob]

If your changing or greasing or dropping the driveshaft the full center section of the trike must be clear and well supported by the front wheel/tire and the rear tire and wheels. So conversions require you to also loosen the differential for drive shaft removal... you gotta have room to work and don't want 1500# landing on you..... Just FYI

 

[Mick]

On a Monarch II the rear joint is a Napa Precision 430. If you have a Napa nearby and youre not sure just bring it in and theyll match it for you. The front is stock Honda. If you go to change drive shafts I want to say theres a difference in length of shafts after 2005 or 2006 and supposedly a late model shaft is too long for an early model wing.

 

[cavie]

I have a Lehman trike and a motorcycle lift jack from harbor fright. Where do i put it under the trike, I'm guessing under the motor?

you need a floor jack a two jack stands.

 

[Solidbob]

you need a floor jack a two jack stands.

Or just roll it over to access it all........and drain fluids!!

 

[Trikerbobbilly]

I pull my front tire up onto a ramp and then jack the back up until I can get a ramp under each wheel, this makes the trike nice and steady and if I need to pull a tire I just jack that side up off the ramp until I can pull the tire but I try and only do one side at a time to keep things steady, and if you reverse the direction of the front and back ramps it is impossible for the trike to roll off the ramps.