David13 84 Posted July 21, 2020 I need to get my atv up to get the wheel off. I checked the glove box book, and the Helm manual. It's too complicated for one, and too simple for the other book so nothing there on lift points. I need to drag out of the shed a motorcycle/transmission jack that I have. Some online pundits suggest that. But still where are the best lift points? Or should I use the hydraulic jack that I use on cars? How do you jack up your ATV, say to change a wheel? Thanks dc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,969 Posted July 21, 2020 atv/motorcycle jack is best. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,147 Posted July 21, 2020 A Shade Tree and a come a long will work Ok 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) I looked at my motorcycle/transmission jack from Harbor Freight. It is a scissor jack with a flat white plate on top, with a side strap on it. But the ad shows it as rated as 450 lbs. I believe the Rancher 320 is more than that. I never lifted my current nor any previous motorcycle with it, only transmissions. The plate is 8 or 10 inches by 16 to 20 inches, with a v groove in the center. Looking underneath the Rancher I see I can use the hydraulic floor jack to lift front and rear and put jack stands near the edges of the frame. That's all I need so I can run it and see how that front wheel wobbles, then inspect and see what I got to replace. dc Oh, no trees like that here. All I have is one apple tree, more like a gigantic bush than a tree. Edited July 22, 2020 by David13 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,147 Posted July 22, 2020 10 hours ago, David13 said: Oh, no trees like that here. All I have is one apple tree, more like a gigantic bush than a tree. You do know I was just kidding about the Shade Tree , right !!! When I am do work on them I use a motorcycle jack and a transmission jack with a plate on it ---- when I am just changing a tire , I use a quick lift for motorcycles , you stick it under the bike and stand on the back tube , gets two wheels off the ground quick and easy , it levers it up off the ground 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melatv 797 Posted July 22, 2020 Hi: This is what I use. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,719 Posted July 22, 2020 Good grief you guys have a special tool for everything! I use a floor jack. Jack the rear up using the diff skid, jack the front up just in the middle of the frame under the front diff. If I need to get all 4 wheels off the ground I use jackstands under the rear axle and under the frame right in front of the engine. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,591 Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) i wouldn't trust a cable come a long.... I've seen many of those fail... maybe a chain hoist ?? .... but heck changing a tire ???? you shouldn't really need anything more then a floor jack unless your lifting the whole bike .many many times .... like shade does.... but he rebuilds them.... so a bike lift is a must have ... i did my fronts (plasti-dip the rims) with a screw type scissors jack...and ....the rears i just hand lifted one resr side of the bike and kicked a wooden block under the hitch... Edited July 22, 2020 by _Wilson_™ 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 22, 2020 I'm going to use a floor jack and jack stands, because I want to run the machine with all 4 wheels off the ground to see if I have any wobbly tires. I have been told the right front is wobbling, but I need to see it, then see if it's the wheel (rim) or carrier. I can see rock embedded between the tire and the rim on the right front tire. So at a minimum I'll need to remount or get it remounted and clean out the seal. I'd be out there today but it's a drizzly cool cloudy day. Now as to the shade tree and come along I want to tell a story here about such things. The year was about 1966 or maybe spring 1967. For some reason, visiting a neighbor or was at his house for some reason, I got into a house to talk about a 1963 Jaguar XKE outside. He said it was his, or that was why I was talking to him and that it was for sale. $1,300 for a 3 year old XKE, gray, red interior, soft top roadster model. Looked perfect. A possible dream come true ... However, he said he didn't put anti freeze in it, he forgot, and it needed a clutch. And he knew to change the clutch it couldn't come out from the back, the motor had to come out the front. And the block may be cracked, no anti freeze and all, he didn't know (this was mid Michigan, freezing winters), now just spring time. Well, I couldn't pull the engine, no garage to use or whatever so I told another guy about it. He went over, bought it (I don't know if he ever paid all the money, maybe a promise on the balance). He took it back to his parents house, put a chain hoist on a tree limb in the front yard, pulled the engine, put in a clutch, found the block with no cracks, and had about the sharpest car for a young kid in all of mid Michigan. But he was a mad reckless driver, crashed it, killed his passenger and spent six months in jail (I think) for his effort. So you see, real shade tree work is possible, but you still need to know who the mechanic is. dc 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akunin 348 Posted July 22, 2020 I've used egg crates 5 gallon buckets in a pinch but a couple years back I found this jack and it's worked great! Jack's up even to 700# can am, used it to change the brakes on the truck and works great for a transmission jack too. We just bought another for my sons birthday so he can leave mine alone 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,147 Posted July 22, 2020 David13 , you telling your age now , in 1966 I was 8 years old , so you must have me by a few , I thought you might have been 13 from the David13 name , LOL 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,719 Posted July 22, 2020 Dang yall are old...... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 22, 2020 It was probably '67 and I was 18. I'm 71 now. Many years ago starting on forums David was taken so I started thru' numbers, and settled on David13 for all forums where possible. I was born on the 13th, a Wednesday, but I was 13, 30, 35 and a few other birthdays fell on Friday the 13th and I'm still going. So not superstitious about 13. Fish Files, I always think of your name as Fish Flies. Maybe it's a southern thing but I never understood it, either way. dc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 22, 2020 2 hours ago, jeepwm69 said: Dang yall are old...... Hey, old, still out there ripping up the trails. And it didn't kill me, so I'll be back out there in a few days. 3 days off work tho' first, for healing. dc 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,147 Posted July 23, 2020 38 minutes ago, David13 said: Fish Files, I always think of your name as Fish Flies. Maybe it's a southern thing but I never understood it, either way. dc Remember the X-Files , Muller was a profiler , Fish Files is about profiling fish , it was my Forum name on Rod n Reel.com and Louisiana Sportsman.com for years , started with a log I kept on every fishing trips and spots as fish follow cycles , if you catch them on at a certain spot on the 13 on May with a high tide falling and wind out the east , you can bet they will be close to the that same spot next year if the conditions are the same , on my Mako I had a Jolly Roger like skull with instead of bones making the X , it was fishing poles , with Fish Files across the bottom , Jeremy Wade uses Fish Files in his TV show River Monsters , and Frank Davis of New Orleans used Fish Files on his Fishing Show , Frank got it from me on RodnReel and contacted me and asked if he could use it , he sent me a $100 gift card and told me take the wife out to eat as he also had a cooking show 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akunin 348 Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, jeepwm69 said: Dang yall are old...... I'm Peter Pan dang it! I'm never going to grow up! though my body says otherwise.. (it actually edited dam it.. spelled the right way) Edited July 23, 2020 by Akunin 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,591 Posted July 23, 2020 9 hours ago, David13 said: I'm going to use a floor jack and jack stands, because I want to run the machine with all 4 wheels off the ground to see if I have any wobbly tires. I have been told the right front is wobbling, but I need to see it, then see if it's the wheel (rim) or carrier. I can see rock embedded between the tire and the rim on the right front tire. So at a minimum I'll need to remount or get it remounted and clean out the seal. good call IMO :-) .... you might just deflate the tire... and be able to work the rock out.... i believe it's kind of rare for a rock to get in between the tire bead seal, and rim... at least that's one atv tire issue I've never had ... yet.. lol .... can you post us some pics ? one last thing... you didn't mention the tire loosing air ... so i gather the seal is still working as it's suppose to ? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,969 Posted July 23, 2020 20 hours ago, jeepwm69 said: Good grief you guys have a special tool for everything! I use a floor jack. Jack the rear up using the diff skid, jack the front up just in the middle of the frame under the front diff. If I need to get all 4 wheels off the ground I use jackstands under the rear axle and under the frame right in front of the engine. because it's easier to work smarter...not harder !. with the correct tools ?, our job will be much simpler too get done. in the time it takes you to get all those jack stands under your atv, front and back ?, i can roll my atv lift under my frame, a few pumps on the lever, and she's in the air with all 4 tires off the shop floor. time is money friend !..lol. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,719 Posted July 23, 2020 3 hours ago, shadetree said: because it's easier to work smarter...not harder !. with the correct tools ?, our job will be much simpler too get done. in the time it takes you to get all those jack stands under your atv, front and back ?, i can roll my atv lift under my frame, a few pumps on the lever, and she's in the air with all 4 tires off the shop floor. time is money friend !..lol. Yeah but I'm working in the yard because my shop is overflowing with parts and junk! You gotta live up to your username! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 23, 2020 12 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said: good call IMO 🙂 .... you might just deflate the tire... and be able to work the rock out.... i believe it's kind of rare for a rock to get in between the tire bead seal, and rim... at least that's one atv tire issue I've never had ... yet.. lol .... can you post us some pics ? one last thing... you didn't mention the tire loosing air ... so i gather the seal is still working as it's suppose to ? I didn't test the air in it, it looks like it's normal. The rock is a limestone they have here, I think it's oolite, soft and crumbly. When it fell onto the sand/dirt it must have landed on top of a piece of it right at the seal/rim/tire edge, and crumbled between the two I chipped and crumbled most of it out, but it looks like there is powder and pieces of it still in the gap. I'm going to try the inflation and cleaning and see. But first I've got to see if it's the rim or the sub assembly that's bent, i8f anything. Probably tomorrow. I work a half shirt, part time night shift so I'm back tonight for one night. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I'll get into the mechanical. Today I started on Meguiar's Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer. My bike and boxes are only a year and two months old but particularly the Kolpin boxes are getting a white chaulky look to them, dried out from the sun. This restorer is making them look nice and black again, I'll have to see how long it lasts. I'm looking at the front fender panel, and it looks like those come painted and finished at a reasonable price, so maybe one right front. The back is one piece across both side, so more money but still not bad and I think I'd like to have the machine looking pristine again. Maybe that will help to slow me down at least on the trails marked "Extreme" like this one was. I think speed was an issue, but also not knowing all the quirks and oddities of the machine and certain trails. The speed and momentum, and being in 4 wheel drive caused the left front tire to start climbing that hill, which flipped me over. I know not to get one side into a deep rut or trench, or off a cliff, but I hadn't thought of one side going up that way. Just more learning after only just one year on a quad. dc 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David13 84 Posted July 23, 2020 I'm a shadetreer in that I'm an amateur, also a beginner. But I don't have a tree for a hoist and probably wouldn't do that anyway. Not a beginner on cars and motorcycles. My shed is filled with junk so I'm always working outside. And on any tool I need to weight and balance the cost with how many times/how often I'll use it. So jack stands and floor jack will work for me. I see my transmission jack is only rate at 450 lbs so I can't use that. Shadetree is basically a pro, so sure he would have fancy dedicated tools, expensive, and lots of them. Time is money. I got a lot of tools and money into them. More than I need, and many I only used once. Anyway, thanks to all for the comments. dc 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melatv 797 Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) Hi: Are you running the original tires? If so go up one size and go with 6 or 8 ply -- it will make a big difference on trails --- I am running with 8-ply Radial Edited July 23, 2020 by Melatv 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,591 Posted July 23, 2020 46 minutes ago, David13 said: Today I started on Meguiar's Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer. My bike and boxes are only a year and two months old but particularly the Kolpin boxes are getting a white chaulky look to them, dried out from the sun. This restorer is making them look nice and black again, I'll have to see how long it lasts. for buffing out your plastic, and kolpin boxeS..... you might give novus plastic retore a go, @Goober has real results ... so credit for this post goes to him. check his pics out here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,969 Posted July 23, 2020 3 hours ago, David13 said: I'm a shadetreer in that I'm an amateur, also a beginner. But I don't have a tree for a hoist and probably wouldn't do that anyway. Not a beginner on cars and motorcycles. My shed is filled with junk so I'm always working outside. And on any tool I need to weight and balance the cost with how many times/how often I'll use it. So jack stands and floor jack will work for me. I see my transmission jack is only rate at 450 lbs so I can't use that. Shadetree is basically a pro, so sure he would have fancy dedicated tools, expensive, and lots of them. Time is money. I got a lot of tools and money into them. More than I need, and many I only used once. Anyway, thanks to all for the comments. dc haha...i would never..ever...consider myself a pro ?..i do great work..and when i do work ?, i make sure i get it done the best way i know how, and in order to do this ?, i use good tools for the job. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,969 Posted July 23, 2020 6 hours ago, jeepwm69 said: Yeah but I'm working in the yard because my shop is overflowing with parts and junk! You gotta live up to your username! how ya think i came up with shadetree ?..lol. i used my oak tree in the front yard, my '89 trx350D foreman with its winch, snatch block hanging from a limb to pull my first jet ski engine...see...i did use a tree ?, but i used the easy way to work that engine out of the body of that jet ski !..smarter bro...not harder !..lol. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites