Product Warning - Sam's Club Bike Lift
From the GWRRA Message Board: Motorcycle Tech:

By Onethumb on Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 08:28 am
People using this lift will want to be aware of a failure that has happened when using this lift. One of our chapter members was using his lift to change tires when it collapsed. They had just stood up from being underneath it when some bolts sheared and it dropped the bike (sans tires, bags, and other bits) straight down onto it's undercarriage. They were lucky. The bike wasn't. They are negotiating with Sam's (good to them so far) and the manufacturer (not happy campers trying to work with these folks) on getting the damage to their custom painted y2k 1500 fixed.

At a minimum, the owner is recommending everyone replace all the included bolts with some of better toughness (tensile strength). They also point out they will never again use a lift without the extra safety of stands or other supports that will hold the bike in the event of another failure.

By Bill Swift on Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 09:27 am:
Which bolts sheared?

By Jerry Brown on Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 11:36 am:
I, among others, have expressed my fondness for this lift. However, I have been concerned about the bolts that secure the two locking devices. My bolts became bent when the lift bled down and the locking levers were the only thing holding the bike up. I will replace them today. Along this line, my bleed-down screw/knob has to be VERY tight or it will bleed down over a few hrs. Some times sooner!

Obviously the bolts are of soft steel. Most of us know that bolts come in several hardnesses but even knowing that is not always enough. There have been cases of bolts not hardened to the grade or degree that the bolt markings indicate. I understand bolts from China especially are to be viewed with suspicion and the hardness scale markings are not to be trusted. 20/20 or some such T V program did a report on this issue a couple yrs ago.

I am sure going to change all the bolts out on my Sam`s lift before I use it next. I`ll check to be sure but I think grade 8 bolts would be the thing to use. Ask your hardware dealer. Price alone will usually let you know which are the better quality if there is a choice of grades on one stores shelf. Wally World is not likely to satisfy your needs here.

I surely recommend the use of tie downs securing the bike to lift also. Tho it will not prevent someone from making a gross error in balancing the bike to the lift, it will stabilize the bike when even the best judgement is used. For you who may not be aware, the tension on the tie downs is going to change dramatically if you raise or lower the lift with the tie downs connected. You will have to connect them after it reaches your choice of height.

I`m sure this is old hat to most of you but I hope this may have helped some when using this lift. With some adjustments and careful use, I still look upon the lift as a good tool for my needs.