How many have their own lifts?

[txredgt]

Looking at getting a lift to make it much easier to work on all the various cars I have. What types are out there that are reasonable but get the job done and what is a good style to get such as a 2 post,4 post and so on? It would be awesome if the lift could even double as a place to store 2 cars in the spot of 1 with one of the cars being on the lift and the other below it but I would guess those are some of the most expensive. My best bet I would think is finding a shop near me going out of business and buy one that way but usually they try to sell those included in the sale of the shop

 

[trombonedemon]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6-00...Z360294507305QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12-0...Z290468839990QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FOUR...Z270620553299QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools
You can find them on Ebay from 2 grand to about 10 depending on you needs and wants.

 

[RedDaemon]

Here's the problem with lift installation. A freight truck brings you your lift and drops it off at your house...then what. how do you move it? is it in pieces? who is going to put it together?

i would talk to local shops and schools who have lifts. they can tell you who did it. my parents recently put in a lift in their garage. the person to install it was also a dealer of said lifts. he brought it to the house and assembled it with his team.

plus. i would recommend a quality lift...not one thats going to fail on you while youre working on your car: http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/822753-not-mustang-but-damn-sucks.html

since i am talking about safety. you should be certain that your flooring is capable of supporting a lift. for the lift we got, our concrete needed to be at least 4.5" thick. they had to come and cut out squares and repour concrete deep enough to bolt the posts down. this is why it may not necessarily be the best bet to go the ebay route with a lift purchase


anyway, my parents bought a Rotary 2-post Asymmetrical lift:

ive had the opportunity to use it and i absolutely love it!

 

[3ponyshow]

A friend of mine has a 6 ton hydraulic 2 post lift that I use sometimes. He picked it up from a garage going-out-of-business sale for only about 2K. They're awesome if you have a place to put it.

Be prepared to be a whole lotta people's new found best friend if you get it.

 

[txredgt]

Red I was aware needing a good base for it but thanks anyways! I have 2 sheds now but need a 3rd so when its built it will be capable of a lift for sure with flooring and roof height.

 

[RedDaemon]

Red I was aware needing a good base for it but thanks anyways! I have 2 sheds now but need a 3rd so when its built it will be capable of a lift for sure with flooring and roof height.

ive seen so many youtube videos of lifts failing...its just scary stuff

 

[RedDaemon]

oh btw. although the one my parents got is a 2 post, theres an accessory in their catalog to install a solid platform on the arms so that you can drive a car up on it for extra storage underneath for prolonged periods

i think they also make a lawn tractor adapter too.

 

[BannonJr]

I bought a platform, 4 post lift. It was an alignment lift but the tables were a mess. I cut them off and welded in flat plates.
I got it along with a bunch of other stuff from a Mr.muffler that closed down locally.
They arranged shipping and installation. Its a great add on to any garage!

 

[Maxpowers]

I love having a lift at home. The only part that sucks is that I can't get the arms under my car without driving up on some 2x4 first.

 

[txredgt]

Here's the problem with lift installation. A freight truck brings you your lift and drops it off at your house...then what. how do you move it? is it in pieces? who is going to put it together?

i would talk to local shops and schools who have lifts. they can tell you who did it. my parents recently put in a lift in their garage. the person to install it was also a dealer of said lifts. he brought it to the house and assembled it with his team. ]

Oh btw, I would have the use of a tractor since we live out in the sticks and have those things.. would this be able to install the 2 posts do you think? I could even get a front end loader from some people as well if the tractor didn't do the job. Also that setup looks just like what I was thinking about. How tall is the roof in that section of the garage?

 

[Mike97gt]

Here's the problem with lift installation. A freight truck brings you your lift and drops it off at your house...then what. how do you move it? is it in pieces? who is going to put it together?

i would talk to local shops and schools who have lifts. they can tell you who did it. my parents recently put in a lift in their garage. the person to install it was also a dealer of said lifts. he brought it to the house and assembled it with his team.

plus. i would recommend a quality lift...not one thats going to fail on you while youre working on your car: http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/822753-not-mustang-but-damn-sucks.html

since i am talking about safety. you should be certain that your flooring is capable of supporting a lift. for the lift we got, our concrete needed to be at least 4.5" thick. they had to come and cut out squares and repour concrete deep enough to bolt the posts down. this is why it may not necessarily be the best bet to go the ebay route with a lift purchase

You should see some of the **** worn out lifts I have had to work under over the years.. Broken locks, bent arms, stretched equalizer cables and even had one that all the bolts but one came out of the ground.

That one was lots of fun with a truck you had to guess how far that post was going to bend in under load and set the pads up on the frame so they could slide in that direction. One time I was wrong with a customers ranger and that was the end of the lift.


My latest lift failure was with one of the POS lifts my old employer had. they were built in 1990 in west germany. LOL so the lift is older than some of the members here. The snap ring that holds the pin in for one of the arms failed and the pin started to come out with a car up in the air. I had to tap it back in while we lowered the car back down.

I do not know how we don't see more lift failures and deaths.

 

[RedDaemon]

Oh btw, I would have the use of a tractor since we live out in the sticks and have those things.. would this be able to install the 2 posts do you think? I could even get a front end loader from some people as well if the tractor didn't do the job. Also that setup looks just like what I was thinking about. How tall is the roof in that section of the garage?

next time i am at my parents ill look up the part number for the accessory and see if i can find out any more information on it

i BELIEVE the ceiling is just shy of 13 feet

You should see some of the **** worn out lifts I have had to work under over the years.. Broken locks, bent arms, stretched equalizer cables and even had one that all the bolts but one came out of the ground.

That one was lots of fun with a truck you had to guess how far that post was going to bend in under load and set the pads up on the frame so they could slide in that direction. One time I was wrong with a customers ranger and that was the end of the lift.


My latest lift failure was with one of the POS lifts my old employer had. they were built in 1990 in west germany. LOL so the lift is older than some of the members here. The snap ring that holds the pin in for one of the arms failed and the pin started to come out with a car up in the air. I had to tap it back in while we lowered the car back down.

I do not know how we don't see more lift failures and deaths.

dude. thats intense! i dont understand why people aren't more respectful of lifts...it sort of makes them more dangerous than jackstands. just because one has a lift doesn't mitigate safety hazzards. for instance, i have to be paying attention to the stop points in the posts since theyre not exactly at the same level. if only one is engaged, obviously when you try to rest the car down on the stops, one arm will continue to fall as the stop was never engaged which obviously would make the car slant and fall. being that ive never had experience with another lift, idk if that is characteristic or not but i should definitely bring it up to someone just incase its some sort of mechanical flaw.

regardless, they demand every bit of attention and respect


the way that i see it Mike is that it would cost your past employers more money to pay out health/compensation than it would to have the lifts serviced

stay safe