I am a happy owner of a Atlas from Greg Smith. A 10,000# lift for a good price. A buddy of mine has a commercial shop, just bought five new Rotarys. He was impressed with my lift, price and quality.
I will be seeking out an overhauled used asymmetric 2 post unit in the next 6-8 months, but would like to add a 4 post drive-on unit to an outdoor pad for some under body, pre dis-assembly pressure washing/sandblasting/oil spraying(rust prevention on daily drivers). This will keep a ton of mess outside the nice clean shop. For those that are concerned about a used unit: What will you do when you've got a year or two of constant use on your "new" unit? They're only new once and for a very short time. Inspect a used one, replace cables, hydraulic lines, pulleys, lock pins, etc. as necessary and have it re-inspected. You could have a "like new" hoist for less than half the price of new or get two for the price of one!
Check out this thread that came up this morning. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=656978
It seems like it was assembled with some safety features missing/omitted. Initial inspection is recommended, followed by yearly certification on any used hoist - for piece of mind.
had a pair of used 2 post lifts i picked up for $1800 included 1 installed ,got to be a pain as i mostly use them for parking so i got a four post . my wife 14 y o daughter and i put it together wasn't that tuff( neither of them are very big but i was able to move the heavy stuff with pvc pipe rollers and the 3 of us lifted just a few pieces just a few inches so it wasn't bad) never bolted it down as i have the caster set so it moves easy. i also bought a harbor freight air bottle jack which works very well to lift a wheel or whatever
New lifts have locks on the arms to prevent them from sliding out when the vehicle is lifted. That looks to be and older lift without that feature. I have an 80's model Rotary two post that doesn't have the arm locks. Although I think Rotary offers a retrofit kit.
I have Had a Direct Lift. for several years. Had a two post before which was easy to work under. but the four post has adrive on platform that when properly leveled makes a wonderful frame table to weld down to and step, stretch or modify while keeping every thing straight, level and plumb. Couldn't build without it. Let alone how easy maintenance becomes. $1700.00 we put it together and adjusted it our selves, not to bad. But it also comes with a removable caster system that works great. Hope this helps in your decision, BUCKD
Have you ever seen an UNBOLTED lift fail ???? For the safety of everyone around you...BOLT THAT DOWN using at least 8" bolts.
I have a 4 post Autolifters (now out of business) but Backyard Buddy makes one pretty much identical. I like the American made lifts. more trust in the quality of steel and engineering. This model was also ANSI certified to somewhere around 10000lbs before it failed. One thing regardless of which brand you choose make sure that the maintenance is kept up on it. Most failures were due to lack of maintenance and periodical safety inspections. There are some cool jacks so you can service the car with the wheels off the ramps too... Maaan so nice have if you have the room and ceiling height...
8" bolts? funny thing is the fasteners used to mine were Wedge Anchor Bolts, that detail may help, and they were about 5 1/4", 8" is a bit too long
Mine came from metro lifts it is an 11k versa metric ( for space issues) paid 1700 it was free shipping and a friend wired it for me (electrical contractor) installed it myself with a freinds help. my slabb is 5" thick where I put it and all mounting hardware came with it. I have had it for about 4 years now and love it been working around heavy equipment for 20 years now and the knees just arnt the same. 1 downfall is that the motor went out 3 months after new but they sent me a new one no charge.
Go to your local exhaust, brake/tire shops and ask them who services/repairs their hoists. These hoist service guys know where all the used hoist are and can if need be do the install. I bought a 12 lbs 4 poster lift from a Midas shop going out of bizz for 2k delivered and set up from a service guy.
Those Kwiklift ramps look like the ticket for me,,I don't spend much time under vehicles but when I do i put 'em on my "skates" Yep,,homemade using shopping cart wheels,,Shopping carts always get banged up by snow removal equipment at a nearby shopping mall then they pile 'em in a heap,,I help myself. but it's a PIA jacking it all up when I could drive up on ramps.
i've got a Dannmar 4 post, extra long and wide.. it took me and another retired buddy to put it up, about 6 hours or so... i got it through Costco.com... their ads say if you don't like it you can take it back to any costco warehouse
I have a 2 post Bend Pack 9,000 lb, paid about $2400 a few years ago, can't live without it!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure you look at Certified lifts, watch out for the cheap China stuff. A few extra bucks spent now is way worth it down the road. I installed it myself and it was quite easy, just need a bunch of strong guys. Just my 2 cents. Bob V
10,000 lb Rotary, bought it out of a car dealership in Ca. that was shutting down. I'm into it $1000.00 installed.
I have a Challenger 9000# versymmetric 2-post lift I bought through an auction site that sells equipment removed from Wal-Mart stores and Sam's Clubs. They can usually be had for around $700-$800 and are typically about 5 years old. I called Challenger and they confirmed that Wal-Mart typically replaces they're lifts about every 5 years. I contacted The Hunter (tire balancing/alignment) rep who referred me to a guy to install it for me. He installed it and checked it out for me for less than $500. I'm thrilled to have the lift and feel I have a well-made, safe lift in my shop for less than half what a new one would have cost.
Here is another picture of mine while in action. That's my OT daily driver sitting on it. Someone mentioned going overkill for safety. Lifts are usually rated for a percentage under their failure points. Safety is built in to the rating in other words. That's to protect people from themselves. Here's a point I've forgotten to mention. I plan on using my four poster as a frame jig and assembly table when the time comes to assemble my roadster. Doug.
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=SE#/watch?v=BIWno29whco This is what we put in our garage.had to cut the floor with à concrete saw to get it down in the ground. Lots of work But we got it for free.
I have a PMW lift, which I purchased and installed in 1995. It's a two post version, which works great for me. I read the thread have haven't seen anyone else mention having this brand. It's a USA made piece... Several new car dealerships in my area was using this brand, when I purchased mine. The cost in 1995 for my 1 year old unit was $2500. I installed it myself. I'd caution anyone considering installing a two post lift to check the manufacturer's recommendations. I knew that I was going to install a lift, when I was building my garage... So, I poured the entire concrete floor 6 inches thick and used 5/8" rebar steel on a 12" grid pattern. I marked the walls to indicate where the rebar was located so that I could position the lift so that the mounting bolt holes would not hit a piece of rebar - masonary bits don't drill through steel very well. Also, you want to be certain to drill the mounting bolt holes all the way through the concrete pad. If you mess up a bolt or decide that you'd like to move the lift, you can simply use a hammer & punch to drive the mounting bolt down through the concrete into the dirt below your concrete pad. How do I like my lift, you ask??? I wouldn't consider building another garage without it also including a lift. It's handy for everything from folding the arms inward to form a welding table, double parking vehicles, vehicle body removal/replacement, etc.
My favorie tool is my Eagle 7000 4 post lift bought in 1998 and my Scat kit sand blaster cabinet. I could not get anything done without them.
I had a Mohawk 9000lb lift installed in my garage 19 years ago....still going strong and the best investment I ever made!
I have 2. A 2 post and a 4 post drive on. I use the 2 post for 85% of all mechanical work here. Don't get me wrong, the 4 post is GREAT. But, it wouldn't serve me well if it were my only hoist. The 2 post did for almost 20 yrs til I added the 4 post
Like Carnuba, I have 2, a 2 post and a 4 post drive on. I've had the 2 post for a few years. Just got the 4 post used because the price was right $900.00.
I used to have the choice of two (side-by-side), two (linear, Automatic Tranny type) or Calif. style single post. (in floor, 4 cantilever arms) All the other techs liked the side-by-side, I hated them for limited access to interior. Friends bought the old 'Midas Muffler' type 4-posters, which you drove onto, then jacked a wheel (or axle) as necessary. You could 'store' cars by raising one, then parking one underneath. When I started paying for 2500 square feet of floor space, I quickly figured out that storing cars was no profitable market! I'd just as soon jack something up as needed, then jack it down. WOW!!! A clear floor! I like a single post Calif. lift. I can raise a car in the shop, turn it 90 degrees right, and drop it, leaving it to move out the side door. Sometimes the lift converts to a work table, with a 4' X 8' piece of 5/8" cold rolled sheet.
No room in this shed but moving soon, smaller house, bigger shed and I'll definitely get a 4 x poster hoist. Getting too old to crawl under cars.
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