Who has a lift in their home garage?

I have 2, 4 posts in my shop...use them all the time....

 

I just saw the Max-Jack advertised on "Two Guys Garage" yesterday. I saw this post and wondered if someone would bring it up. It's a portable unit and can moved out of the way when not in use.

http://www.dannmar.com/dannmar-products/two-post-lifts/maxjax.asp




What are the thoughts on this system? It's about $2K, available at Northern Tools and other places. I have heavy old vehicles, '48-50 Ford full size trucks and a '37 Buick, would this hold these types of vehicles? They show a piece of modern plastic crap being lifted, I have more steel in the bumpers of my vehicles than the entire modern car.

 

I am weeks away from placing an order for a lift. Keep leaning towards a 4 post to allow storage and underside work... but keep thinking about a 2 post as it has some advantages like helping with lifting a body off a car and full access to underside of car. (down side not as practical to store a car.).

Not sure if the 2 post takes up more room (width between post)

 

I have a center post lift that I installed when I built my shop. It's OK for limited things but with the post centrally located it sucks for transmision work. I shared the cost of a two post side lift hoist with my son when he built his shop and if he ever gets his Z-28 project done I'm going to talk him into moving it to my place. What do you think my chances of that happening are? I can think of two............."slim" and "no".

Frank

 

Thanks to my friend 30roadster I'm putting in a BentPak 10,000# 2 post lift, no room in my shop so I'm building a 24x30 "carport" off the back of the shop, have 12' wide front & back doors in the shop so can drive thru straight into the lift area or can drive in from the back. Looking forward to not having to crawl around under cars on jackstands on a creeper. Downside sold my '27 roadster and '37 Plymouth pickup to pay for concrete and steel.

 

My parents have a 2 post lift in the shop. We have paid that thing off a couple times over with the amount of work that we have been able to do ourselves. While the 4 post seems like a good deal I wouldn't be able to justify it. We do all of our families oil changes on the lift and do tire rotations at the same time. Plus we have done a ton of suspension work on the lift. If we had a 4 post it would have all been done on the floor with a jack, actually it probably wouldn’t have been done by us at all. The 2 post takes a couple more minutes setup per car but once you can hug a tire to get it off its worth it

Oh, and don’t forget how many friends you didn’t know you had. Its fun all the different projects that come through the door. Just make sure they don’t tie up the lift over a week

 

I bought a sissors lift three weeks ago. I dont have the height to put in a post lift,unless i get rid of the bedroom above the bay i work in. Dismantled the coupe sitting down . you can raise or lower each end. Last year my back went out on me under my truck. I couldn't move wreaked me out i was home alone.Best money i spent i think. Todd i got mine used from the guy who services the lifts at our shop. Ray /Jorguisen dealer out of Planville Ct. guys name is Bill. He's installing a post one in one of the guys i work with house this week.

 

i have one ...trying to make room 4 another........unfortunately its get more storage use then wrenching

 

I won't tell you not to put in a pit. How many guys worked in pits for how many decades without a serious accident? A LOT.

Just be sure you're aware of the dangers that are inherent. There are reasons why you don't see them anymore the way you used to.

The main danger is nasty vapors that are heavier than air and will settle in the pit, fuel being the main one.

But with proper ventilation and a easy escape route, keep kids and animals away from it- they can be safe.

We want success stories, not horror stories

 

I visited a prominent buddies shop and when I saw his lift I jealously thought, " you rich, show off SOB". I got a chance to buy one years later and don't know how I lived without it. My 4 post lift is in my pole-barn shop that has 10' sides. The shop is 27' deep and the doors and trusses are on 12' centers. The lift is centered between the trusses and placed so that the car center has maximum clearance. This bay obviously does not have a ceiling fan. It is cheaper for me to buy another lift than to add another bay for car storage and the work/cleaning convenience benefit is free.

 

I definitely have enough room, with a 13' celing, for a 2 post lift and was going to buy one. I went to a garage auction of a Dodge dealer that was closing with my sites set on a 2 post lift. After the first lift that was the newest and best sold for $1500.00 the rest went for more money. So I didn't end up with a 2 post but was hell bent on buying something. In the next room, the detail area, there was a Rotory portable lift similar to a sissor lift but has a parimeter frame. I ended up buying it for $900.00. After seeing how versital and portable it is I love it. I have nothing in my way in the shop, I can put it where ever I want, I have even worked on cars OUTSIDE on nice days. I even store it under one of my cars, totally out of the way, when not in use. I can do almost anything on it and it don't take up a whole bay.

 

I have a 2 & 4 post at my HVAC shop but at home, I have a Kwiklift due to the 9 ft ceiling height & the garage door.
I've thought about reframing the garage ceiling, installing a different style roll up door but it's real low on the prority list.


Work- looking up on the 2 post





Home

 

I picked up a 4 post direct lift with 2 hydraulic rolling jack bridges on it. It has been one of the best investments I have ever made. I have 10 foot ceilings and I opened it up where the lift is to 13 foot so I can go as high as I need to. Having the rolling jacks is cat's ass for doing suspension work or anything you need to get the car suspended for.

 

I bought this one from Bend Pac a few years ago and use it constantly, worth every penny.

 

I bought a used commercial 4-poster lift a few years ago. Hauled it home and reassembled it, bolted to the floor. I have to be a little careful with roof clearance - my shed ceiling is around 3m. Works fine with the convertible though.

It's been great for project and repair work. Recently did some clutch work on my old Holden that would have been a total pain on the floor.

For project building , I love it. Easy to work on the chassis at various heights. Great when doing brake lines with the body on, etc.

Suspension work is slightly more tricky, as I don't have a cross-beam for jacking. Have used planks for this though, with hydraulic and scissor jacks. I can see that a 2-post lift would be better for some things, but this one was available, and relatively cheap. I can park another car underneath if I take the ramps off (minor hassle). It's easy to get the trailer parked under it though.

Probably my favourite tool in the garage!

 

be sure and step up when you purchase a lift because their are some really bad ones out there. pm rubberrodder and ask him he will give you some honest feedback about cheap ones.

 

I bought a Four-Post from Greg Smith Equip...$2025 delivered to my house...Jack Tray, Casters...Assembled in one day by myself; went together great, adjustments work..This particular lift has hanging latch plates, makes leveling the rails a breeze..Understanding the installation instructions takes a little inturpation...I built my garage with 12' ceiling, shoulda went 14', ceiling fan!!

 

Got a Kwik-Lift and love it. It is a good simple design that allows full access to the under side, and is very safe to be under. Also works well when you have to do some under dash wiring. It was my choice because I have it in my two car garage and don't have high ceilings. When not using it you can park on it so it stays in place and is not in the way.

Laying on your creeper working-if you start to get tired you can just take a nap....................can't do that standing up on your feet

 

Check out the MaxJax, here is a portable 2 post hoist that you can move around to various positions in the shop if need be and is designed for 8' ceilings. Check em out at http://www.maxjaxusa.com/

 

Built a new garage 5 yrs. ago and made sure it had 12 ft. ceilings and got a 4-post lift because i'm too damn old to lay on the floor and work on cars. As far as I'm concerned the thing paid for itself the very first time I used it.,,,,If 61Cad would stop smoking that silly stuff he wouldn't have to worry about vapors in a pit or how to get out of it.

 

Just put the same thing in my son's new barn, best investment besides the barn itself!

 

I have a Eagle lift works great but i onley have 10 foot ceiling.

 

I've had my 4-post Backyard Buddy for 18 years now. I use it at leat once a week and usually a lot more often than that. I've never had a problem with it or any reppair required. I'd buy another one in a minute.......if I had the room and the scratch!

 

I looked at these lifts in Carlisle. The individual units themselves are pretty damn heavy to move around even though they are on wheels, but you have to keep in mind that you don't move them around alot. Other then that I think they are the "cats ass"!

 

I purchases a 4 post lift and 2 hydraulic rolling jacks from Greg Smith and I am happy with everything about it. When I get my shop extension built I am going to add another. I looked at specs for a year and when the smoke cleared I went with the Direct Lifts from Greg Smith. good to deal with and has a stock of parts anytime that you might need one.

 

Rotary has a home version they call the revolution, Cables run through a floor plate, probably the best for a bad situation.

http://www.revolutionlift.com/RTP9-9000-Pound-Capacity-Two-Post-Lift-P1C3.aspx

 

scissor style lifts aren't worth the room they take up. for less money you can buy a really heavy jack and two sets of big stands. i have a lift [cut a hole up into the hay loft] can't live without it! can you put it outside?

 

I have a four post "Revelation" with 10 foot high garage.
Also get the jack platforms with your hoist
Beats crawling around under to car.

 

Anyone got one of the old school lifts with the single gianormous hydraulic cylinder in the ground?

 

Have a Bend-Pak HD-9 four-post lift in the garage, with the roller jack.

Typical suburban 2-car garage, but the roof was raised during a remodel 7yr ago, scissor trusses w/center of roof at 13ft, tapers down to 10 1/2 at each end.

General comments:

a) Lifts are good. 2-post better for most undercar wrenching but not so good for parking.

b) Ceiling height in my garage about minimum useful for getting most vehicles up to full lift. Still have to be careful with the Audi wagon. Anything taller is going to be limited in how high you can put it up. You won't get a second car underneath - at least anything taller than, say, an S2000 - unless you can get it up to or near the top.

c) Also eats a lot of width over the posts.

Bend-Pak specific:

a) Needs air for the locks. Some makes do, some makes do not.

b) The lock housings at each end of the ramp crossbars eat into the available width for wheels/tires, and will chew the hell out of tire sidewalls and wheels if you bump one while driving on/off. Tried to get a friend's Honda Odyssey on there and it fit, barely, with a lot of effort, after squeezing the tires past those lock housings. I haven't yet tried to get my '64 Country Sedan on there with its 285/40 tires but a measuring tape says I'll be putting skinny tires on at least one side.

c) The roller jack unit sticks up about 4.5in even when fully retracted, it clears various bits under my M5 by about 1/4in when I drive it on.