Dannmar DML-1200 Motorcycle Table Review: Professional Quality at Mid-Range Price

Dannmar is a BendPak sister brand that sells lower-cost two-post, four-post and mid-rise lifts to independent shops and home garages. The DML-1200 is its foot-pump motorcycle table. Published specs: a 1,200 lb capacity, a 50 by 23 inch commercial-grade steel deck, a hydraulic foot pump, an 8 to 35 inch height range, dual safety locks with a hydraulic check valve, a chemical-resistant powder coat, 185 lb assembled weight and a two-year limited warranty.

The 1,200 lb rating is unusual. Most tables are rated 1,000 or 1,500 lb, and the DML-1200 splits the difference at a price, around $529, that also sits between the 1,000 lb Atlas AML-1000 at $449 and the 1,500 lb Triumph NML-1500 at $599. The buyer's question is whether 200 lb over the Atlas is worth $80, and whether 300 lb under the Triumph plus a foot pump is worth saving $70.

We rank the DML-1200 as the best foot-pump table between $400 and $600, mostly because of the safety hardware and the deck length. Where it loses is to its own neighbor, the NML-1500, for any rider who already has a compressor.

Using the two-thirds rule for practical capacity, a 1,200 lb table is comfortable to about 800 lb of bike. That is the number that matters, because it takes in the heavy cruisers that a 1,000 lb table should not carry: a Harley Road King at about 800 lb, a Fat Boy at about 700 lb, an Indian Chief at about 670 lb, a Honda Gold Wing at about 800 lb without bags. Fully dressed touring bikes at 850 to 900 lb are inside the rating but at the margin, and a 1,500 lb table is the better choice for them.

The 50 inch deck is the other reason the DML-1200 suits those bikes. A Road King's 64 inch wheelbase puts the rear contact patch about 7 inches past a 48 inch deck's main surface; on 50 inches it is mostly on steel with the front wheel chocked. The 23 inch width holds floorboards and a wide rear tire with room to spare.

Lighter bikes are fine on it too, but a rider with a 450 lb naked bike is paying for capacity and length that will never be used. That rider should buy the Atlas AML-1000 or the Titan 1500.

At 185 lb the DML-1200 is a two-person assembly and a permanent installation. The cons list on this page allows 100 minutes; the scissor, deck, pump and lock assemblies bolt together, and Dannmar's documentation is a step above the direct-import tables. The table sits on level concrete and does not bolt down. Plan on about 4.5 by 2 feet of floor plus working room on three sides.

The 8 inch minimum is standard and roll-on with a short ramp is easy. The 35 inch maximum is 1 inch higher than the Atlas and Titan, which puts a cruiser's primary cover at a comfortable height for a standing rider. With a tall adventure bike on the deck the windscreen tops out under 8 feet.

The foot pump is the one place this table shows its price relative to the air-hydraulic tables. Lifting 800 lb by foot is not hard, but it is a few dozen strokes with rising effort, and a rider who does it weekly will want the Triumph's air pump. The release is a needle valve rather than a dump valve, so lowering is proportional to how far it is opened, which is the right design for a heavy bike.

The DML-1200 has two independent mechanical locks, one on each side of the scissor frame, plus a hydraulic check valve. The locks engage stops as the deck rises and carry the load once pressure is released; because there are two, a failure or mis-seat on one side still leaves the deck supported. The check valve holds cylinder pressure if a hose or seal fails, so the deck stays put rather than drifting down.

That combination is what the $700-plus air-hydraulic tables ship with, and it is the strongest argument for the DML-1200 over the single-lock Atlas AML-1000 and Titan 1500. For a rider working under an 800 lb bike, a second lock is not a luxury.

Routine is the same as on any table: pump past the stop, let both locks seat, release pressure until the load is on the locks, then work. Before lowering, pump to unload the locks, retract both, and open the release with the rider beside the bike. Dannmar does not list ALI or ETL certification for the DML-1200; no motorcycle table in this category has ALI certification, because that program covers automotive lifts.

The Triumph NML-1500 at around $599 is the comparison that decides most DML-1200 purchases. The Triumph is rated 1,500 lb, has a 52 by 24 inch deck, a 7 to 36 inch range, a lock bar, a check valve and straps, weighs 225 lb and carries a two-year warranty. It also has an air-hydraulic pump that needs a compressor at 90 PSI.

For $70 more the Triumph adds 300 lb of rating, 2 inches of deck length and shop-air operation, and gives up the second mechanical lock. If a compressor is already in the garage, the Triumph is the better table for anyone with a bike over 700 lb. If it is not, the compressor adds $150 to $300 and the DML-1200 becomes the cheaper complete system by a wide margin.

The Atlas AML-1000 at around $449 is the comparison in the other direction: 1,000 lb, 46 by 22 inches, one positive-lock bar, 155 lb. For bikes under 650 lb the Atlas is enough and $80 cheaper. The Greg Smith GS-ML1200 at around $649 is a near-twin of the Dannmar on the spec sheet with a heavier frame and tool-tray mounts; the DML-1200 is the better value of the two.

Buy the DML-1200 if the bike is a heavy cruiser or a lightly loaded touring bike between 650 and 850 lb, there is no compressor in the garage, and a second mechanical lock matters. It is the table for a Road King or Fat Boy owner who does oil changes, brake work and tire swaps a few times a month and wants shop-grade safety hardware without an air system.

Skip it if the garage already has a compressor and the bike is over 700 lb; the Triumph NML-1500 at $70 more is the better tool for that rider. Skip it too if the bike is under 650 lb, where the Atlas AML-1000 saves $80 and the Titan 1500 saves $230.

Our view is that the DML-1200 is the most sensible foot-pump table between $400 and $600, and the honest caveat is that its closest rival is $70 away and has a better pump. Decide on the compressor first, then the table.