Tried the mod last night and tried to let some cable out. The cable was cut a bit and the frayed ends are not sliding smoothly in the outer tube and are getting stuck.
Today I found some third party sellers on Amazon selling a brake cables and sleeve for 5.50. They can also be had for under 2 dollars off of ebay if you are willing to wait 3 weeks to ship from HK.
For those still interested, the HF 500lb lift is currently on sale for $150 ($20 off) with $7 flat rate shipping. Sale runs though the end of 2016.
Quoted from arzoo:For those still interested, the HF 500lb lift is currently on sale for $150 ($20 off) with $7 flat rate shipping. Sale runs though the end of 2016.
Good deal if you're not local to a store.
I just picked one up, $169.00 - 20% off mailer coupon = $135.99.
I think this is the on-line 20% coupon.... http://www.harborfreight.com/digitalsavings.html
Maybe this is region-specific, but check your paper from last Sunday, HF has another 25% off coupon that's good through Dec. 11.
Here is another Harbor Freight 500 lb table handle modification. The table recently purchased (11/2016) was grey and part # 60730 which is apparently the current version at least at our local HF. Erroneously pictured on the carton as someone previously mentioned, is a table with a folding handle.
I wanted a reasonably easy mod that would allow 180 degree handle movement, was sturdy and would hold its position. Described here is information and pictures on this modification for anyone that may want to duplicate it.
This modification uses two fabricated plates, one screwed to each of the bottom ends of the handle and attached to each of the handle sockets with a bolt. Drilling two holes in each end of the handle and one hole in each of the handle sockets is needed.
The bracket dimensions and hole positions are such that the handle will lay flat on the table as well as clear the bottom of the handle sockets when moved to the straight out position. This mod may work on other versions of HF tables with some adjustments of the dimensions.
The plates were fabricated from 3/16” aluminum that I had in house although other thicknesses or materials should work. The protrusion on the plate is a carryover from an earlier version that I believe is somewhat stronger but not necessary.
The plates were bolted to the handle and the handle placed in the proper position on the table to mark/drill the pivot holes in the handle sockets.
The plate attachment system I ended up with is 10-32 screws in tapped holes in the handle and 1/4-20 bolts into tapped pieces of 1” diameter aluminum rod inserted into the sockets. Easier and possibly better would be 1/4-20 bolts all the way through with lock nuts. The pivot bolts can be tightened to any tension to hold the handle in a range from difficult to move to loose.
The original drop cable was used as is and was not disconnected to do this modification. It may be a good idea to do a dry fit of the pieces to be sure the dimensions and hole locations work for your table.
One note is that if small (1/8”) holes are initially drilled in the plates they are useful to guide the same small bit in drilling pilot holes in the curved surfaces.
Ken S
I'm thinking of trying marine canopy parts https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Bimini-Tube-External-Boat/dp/B00V9Y01XW/ref=sr_1_2
I would cut the handle 4" or 5" from the bottom and use two of these for each side to make a hinge. Unfortunately they're not all that cheap ($28 for 4 with Prime shipping).
I decided to give the marine canopy parts a try. Final cost was $29. Not the cheapest solution but it only required two cuts and no drilling and it functions really well. I used a nylon washer between the joints and with the lock nuts tightened down, the handle will stay in an upright position. It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
I decided to give the marine canopy parts a try. Final cost was $29. Not the cheapest solution but it only required two cuts and no drilling and it functions really well. I used a nylon washer between the joints and with the lock nuts tightened down, the handle will stay in an upright position. It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
Just bought the HF lift table. 20% off a single item again with $7 shipping. Looking forward to easier unloading/loading and moving around the garage!
Quoted from simplykind:Just bought the HF lift table. 20% off a single item again with $7 shipping. Looking forward to easier unloading/loading and moving around the garage!
It's a must have for loading/unloading a game from a shop/garage. A real time saver. Just remember to load it in to a vehicle coin door first (makes it easiest to unload for most people).
My normal move is to back up to just inside the garage, slide the front out, put legs on, swing out the back corner with the other still in the car, leg on, then pull it all the way out with 3 legs and put on the 3rd. Its not too bad. It's asking my wife to help move it into position that's going to get me in trouble 
I have the small 3 wheeled casters but they always slide out over the cracks in the floor. Looking forward to the cart
Quoted from arzoo:I decided to give the marine canopy parts a try. Final cost was $29. Not the cheapest solution but it only required two cuts and no drilling and it functions really well. I used a nylon washer between the joints and with the lock nuts tightened down, the handle will stay in an upright position. It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
Nice build! How many inches up the handle tubes did you end up making your cut? What size bolts did you use? And do you think wing nuts would work (or do you need to tighten more than wing nuts would comfortably allow to get the handle to stay upright)?
For anyone considering copying this build, looks like you can save ~$10 by buying the top caps individually:
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Top-Cap-1/dp/B01D7YVX5Q
Quoted from arzoo:I decided to give the marine canopy parts a try. Final cost was $29. Not the cheapest solution but it only required two cuts and no drilling and it functions really well. I used a nylon washer between the joints and with the lock nuts tightened down, the handle will stay in an upright position. It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
How is this build holding up? What is holding the cap onto the end of the tube? Thanks!
Quoted from arzoo:I decided to give the marine canopy parts a try. Final cost was $29. Not the cheapest solution but it only required two cuts and no drilling and it functions really well. I used a nylon washer between the joints and with the lock nuts tightened down, the handle will stay in an upright position. It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
I like this solution. What's the size of the end cap you used?
For anyone who's modified the Harbor Freight lift with the Stanley/Lowes strap hinge (Lowes item # 902-6 2C) or something similar to make the handle fold down and back:
I did this mod last night and had to cut the handle down a bit because there wasn't enough slack in the cable and no re-routing seemed to give enough slack for the handle to move 180 degrees. Additionally I drilled a new hole in the upper plate of each hinge which allowed the handle to be mounted even lower which also gave the cable a bit more slack. Now I can fold the handle, but the handle has to be at a certain angle - the angle where the cable is "stretched" the furthest - for the release lever to actually work. Is this the way it's supposed to be? It would be nice if there was a way to make the release work with the handle in any position, but I can't figure out if that's even possible. Thanks.
Added over 7 years ago: Ok, I answered my own question by thinking about it some more. When I first bought it, the release lever worked whether the handle it's mounted on was installed or just sitting on the floor next to the lift. To alleviate the short cable, I just cut another couple of inches off the bottom of the handle and now the release lever works find with the handle in any position.
Quoted from lb1:Slightly different take. My lift table wasn't really working anymore so I decided to give the motorcycle jack a try. It costs $89 at harbor freight. I changed the front wheels. It is actually working well.
How's the balance work on your setup?
Quoted from ToucanF16:How's the balance work on your setup?
No problem whatsoever. The trick is more in the handle setup. I had to add some tubing to clear the lower front cabinet lip. Balance could be slightly increased by using a longer bolt in the back with washers. But not by a huge amount because of the cabinet legs clearance. It works well overall.
Quoted from arzoo:It seems really solid, but only time will tell how well the parts handle all the torque from pulling and steering the lifter under load.
How are the parts holding up? My biggest concern with this mod is being able to pull and steer the lifter under load without wear and tear on them.
Bruce
Anyone with the Harbor Freight lift run into an issue where the table won't lower? Mine is stuck at the max height and nothing I can do will get it to budge. I'm out of ideas and welcome to suggestions.
Quoted from Lame33:Anyone with the Harbor Freight lift run into an issue where the table won't lower? Mine is stuck at the max height and nothing I can do will get it to budge. I'm out of ideas and welcome to suggestions.
Have you checked the cable/release linkage? Also have you checked that the safety stops are not lowered?
Quoted from Lame33:Anyone with the Harbor Freight lift run into an issue where the table won't lower? Mine is stuck at the max height and nothing I can do will get it to budge. I'm out of ideas and welcome to suggestions.
The same thing happened to my motorcycle lift table from them.
The ball in the release valve is stuck. Apply a lot of weight, stand on it, etc while holding open the release valve lever. Then replace the ball with one a tiny bit larger.
Thanks for the suggestions, but this thing is just frozen. It will not go down. I've removed every screw and plug I could find. Jumped on in it and smacked it with a rubber mallet. The foot level now just moves smoothly now and I've tried wedging a shim into the release lever at the cart to bypass the handle to no positive effect. (The handle broke from all the troubleshooting)
I think this thing might be scrap. It was broken before my tinkering and I've just made it worse.
Quoted from pinster68:Also have you checked that the safety stops are not lowered?
This is what I was going to suggest looking at.
Quoted from D-Gottlieb:Well, one thing to consider is that it is, in fact, sold by Harbor Freight.
Shhhhhhhh
Took the plunge as I get ready to remodel my studio so that I can get games down here by myself. First step - the hydraulic table. I know how uneven the quality of Harbor Freight can be. If this works a half dozen times a year I'll be good. The current catalog has 25% off on July 4th. I just couldn't wait.
Well, it's my turn to post the finished mod. I went a bit more fancy and ended up with this contraption. I tried a few different mounting and clamping methods but ended up with the following items. I tried a rubber washer between the two end joints to keep them from slipping but that wasn't so great as the rubber was too slick. I am going to try a serrated washer but even without they hold more than good enough to use the handle in any position. I thought about cutting some grooves in the eye ends to make a sort of offset locking cam like the flag pole options posted prior but I thought I'd try the washer first or just forgo it altogether as they work well enough. On top of this it is all available on Amazon prime so you can return it if they don't work for any reason. The cam levers were only available in qty (1) for each length of stud so I got two different lengths, trying to get a good price as well.
Cam Lever
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013IA36HM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
Knurled tapped nut (has a dowel pin hole if you want)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9NGWN2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
1" Bimini top end eye
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWJ7FCN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
I just cut the tubes at the appropriate place and screwed it all together. No welding, no custom parts, no grinding. It's about $22 per side but I think it will make the cart very versatile.
I like the idea of the locking cam levers, but buying 2 of the ones you linked will cost more than the entire lift table.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:I like the idea of the locking cam levers, but buying 2 of the ones you linked will cost more than the entire lift table.
they are $8 at Woodcraft:
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/cam-action-hold-down
$1.25 shipped on Ebay:
ebay.com link: Bicycle Bike SeatPost Clamp Quick Release Binder Seat Post Screw Bolt Lever
Or $18.99 with free prime shipping for 2 on Amazon. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01DSGYZ5S
which may end up being cheaper than Woodcraft if you happen to belong to prime.
Quoted from vid1900:2 for $1.56 shipped :
ebay.com link » Bolt Bicycle Aluminium Alloy Bike Seat Clamp Quick Release Post Seatpost Skewer
That's just crazy, how can they possibly do that?
Quoted from vid1900:That's China for ya; Woodcraft is probably paying .15 cents in bulk
I don't get how they can even ship for that, let alone have a product come in the shipment. Crazy world.
Quoted from BorgDog:I don't get how they can even ship for that, let alone have a product come in the shipment. Crazy world.
USPS is subsidizing them! Crazy world indeed.
I bought one of these a while back and was going to do a handle mod like everyone else but I found that for my purposes just removing the handle entirely worked way easier. Just reach down on the floor and yank on the cable and the lift goes down. I'm only pushing games around in the garage with it every so often so why complicate it. The lift table rolls around smooth enough that pushing the pin itself is no biggie.
I also have an ATV jack I got for half off in the clearance area that I made a lift bracket for and this lift table is 100 times nicer.
Be careful with the quality of the cam lever. It has to be large and sturdy as it is providing all of the tension to hold those smooth end eye's from slipping. The ones on amazon, as you can see from my photos, are quite large and sturdy. You have to find the prime ones, as someone listed, and the best "deal" out of them on Amazon or find similar on ebay but still, for $30-40 you can be set. You can go without the cam levers and use a nut and bolt like others but I like the convenience.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Be careful with the quality of the cam lever. It has to be large and sturdy as it is providing all of the tension to hold those smooth end eye's from slipping.
Exactly.
5/16" is 8mm, so the shafts are a little beefier than the 6mm from Amazon.
(if the holes are 1/4" (6mm) on the Biminies, you may have to drill the holes out to 5/16" for the larger shafts to fit. I can't find the hole size in the Amazon description....)
Quoted from fosaisu:Nice build! How many inches up the handle tubes did you end up making your cut? What size bolts did you use? And do you think wing nuts would work (or do you need to tighten more than wing nuts would comfortably allow to get the handle to stay upright)?
For anyone considering copying this build, looks like you can save ~$10 by buying the top caps individually:
amazon.com link »
Thanks. I cut the tube height so that the handle would lay horizontally on the deck. A large wing nut might work.
Quoted from AirWolfNH:How is this build holding up? What is holding the cap onto the end of the tube? Thanks!
So far so good but I can't say I've used the lift all that often. The cap is held on to the tube with a set screw.
Quoted from vid1900:Exactly.
5/16" is 8mm, so the shafts are a little beefier than the 6mm from Amazon.
(if the holes are 1/4" (6mm) on the Biminies, you may have to drill the holes out to 5/16" for the larger shafts to fit. I can't find the hole size in the Amazon description....)
The stuff I posted above from Amazon is 8mm. The bimini holes are listed as .25" most places I could find online (for 1" ends, the ones I bought didn't list the size). I didn't ever end up measuring mine so I can't say how much over 8mm they are, but they are a hair larger. In either case, the 8mm fit and was plenty beefy in my opinion. I didn't want to drill for 10mm, it just didn't seem necessary.
Quoted from harryhoudini:The stuff I posted above from Amazon is 8mm.
My phone must be screwing the link up, because your link keeps going to a M6 cam lever (The "M" designation for metric screws indicates the nominal outer diameter of the screw, in millimeters (Ex: a M6 screw has a nominal outer diameter of 6 millimeters).
I'll try it on a desktop latter when I'm done with work.
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