Hoist (lift) preferances

[schurchill39]

I did a pretty good search here and didn't come up with what I was looking for so I figured I would ask my fellow beyonders.

I'm going to be building a garage this spring and my big goal is to put a lift in it. This will be just for general wrenching and eventual some sort of restoration project. The garage will be 22 or 24 ft wide and 12 foot walls

For those of you who have lifts at your home, or work in a shop with them what style do you prefer and why?

From what I can see a two post gives you the most access to the underside of the vehicle but is probably not the wisest choice for stacking.

Four posts are great for stacking, under the car work but you need to do a whole bunch of other pissing around if you want to get to the wheels/suspension components.

Scissor lifts don't take up any floor space but are a bunch of extra work to install and give you the same issues as a four post but limits your access to the underside as opposed to suspension.

[RickDaTuner]

I would say a two post inground lift, especially for confined spaces, no way now how can you stack with these lifts, unless you buy the wide versions, but they give the most versatility with taking the least amount of space, there are even some options for removing the lifting arms and allowing the posts to retract flush with the ground.
Unfortunately these are mega money, $20k plus installed.

Here are some options.

http://standardus.com/stdshop/inground-lifts/

[LSChevelle]

It pretty much comes down to what kind of work you will be doing and what you will be working on the most.

I have access to both a 4 post and 2 post. The 2 post is nice for doing brake jobs/tire roatations/anything to do with suspension because you don't have to jack each wheel up individually. The downside with our 2 post is that if you have a low car it is difficult to get it on the hoist. Usually we use a regular jack to get the car high enough to swing the arms under - major pain in the ass if you move cars around a lot. We have stacked cars on it no problem. I would be a little more confident stacking on the 4 post rather than the 2, but as long as they both have mechanical locks (which they all should) and the car is balanced properly it shouldn't be a problem.

We use the 4 post mainly for stacking, oil changes and anything to do with a truck as our 2 poster isn't rated for as much weight. Also the 4 post we have has a scissor lift built into the tracks which is handy!

[Maxt]

I have a 4 post. The rolling jack option is great for suspension and tire work. the 2 post wasn't feasible for my Lwb extended cab loaded truck.

[mr2mike]

ANyone I've seen for most car and lighter trucks and suv's use 2 post lifts.
One person I know parks under his 2 post with summer car above. No issues, just watch the doors as you get out or pull further ahead if you can.

Someone mentioned scissor lift for mid engined cars. But personally, lets say I want to take out a mid engined gas tank... you're screwed as far as I can tell.

I'd go for a 2 poster for versatility.

Let me know on the best price you found. I am looking into getting one this year and I know someone else who is looking to buy too. (2 post one).

Maybe a group buy or something if the discount is good.

[RickDaTuner]

Consider also that you require comercial grade concrete to install an above ground 2 post hoist.

[Maxt]

I have a scissor lift as well. It really was nice to have when I had a smaller garage. Its pretty versatile, you can do just about anything with except of course storage, its all in vehicle positioning. I did lots of transmission, engine and diff swaps on the scissor. But I do prefer standing instead of lying on a creeper.

[seer_claw]

Originally posted by RickDaTuner
Consider also that you require comercial grade concrete to install an above ground 2 post hoist.

Whats the difference between 'commercial' and 'residential' grade concrete?

[AndyL]

Off the top of my head - residential you can use 4" of 25mpa concrete as a slab... I think commercial it's 6" of 35mpa (could be way out, higher mpA and thicker minimum depth anyway)

[schurchill39]

I suppose to narrow it down a bit lets say that I want to stay under 5k for the lift price. All the wrenching I would be doing would be maintenance and DIY repairs on our main vehicles (civic and F150) and then pissing around with a restoration/rat rod.

The concrete work is something I have taken into consideration which is why I am asking before hand so I can incorporate it into the build/budget. But it's also great information to have as reference for when this pops up in future searches.

I love the input so far. Definitely appreciate the opinion of those of you who work around these types of hoists on a regular basis.

[78si]

The next garage I build will have a 2 post for working and 4 post for storage/trucks. I know 2 hoist installers if anyone needs a #.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Id go for a two or four post, scissor lift is only for working on vehicles, unless you have a lightweight car and rack that you shove it on besides the scissor lift.

[78si]

If your concrete isn't "strong" enough the hoist installers core out a ~3'x3' area and re-pour the area. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow.

[Rat Fink]

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[AE92_TreunoSC]

I think I'd do a 4 post with jacks personally, just because its far more secure to park stuff under (snow blowers, bikes etc). I also don't mind working on them, they're great for some specific jobs, like brakes. The ramps act as a beautiful tool bench haha.

[skeeter]

I went with the four post so I could move it to different spots in the garage, sometimes the posts are in the way but always seamed to manage. great for storing vehicles; prices are pretty good at Lift King now too.

[boarderfatty]

At my shop we got the building with in ground single posts which werent bad, but they were old and maint was a bitch. We went with Rotary 2 posts after for the most part and they are awesome. We have a big 4 post with jacking beams which is nice for work on bigger trucks, but in general doesn't get used much as it is a pain to do any suspension work when the jacking beams usually go off of the control arms and compress the suspension. 2 posts just let everything dangle loose. Our alignment rack is on a big scissor with jacking beams, but again doesn't get used much for the same reason that the 4 post doesnt.

We have 9 bays, 6 Rotary 10,000lbs 2 post lifts, 1 Ammco 19,000lbs 4 post, 1 Ammco 12,000lbs 2 post, ans 1 Ammco 14,000lbs scissor

We will stack with our two posts but not our 4 post as the 4 post has ramps to deal with. Even though with a 2 post the car is dangling, you can usually fit a car in underneath

[Maxx Mazda]

We had a couple 4 post lifts. I found them a little "cumbersome" to work around for most things besides oil changes and basic "wheels on" maintenance. If I were to do it again, I'd absolutely go with a 2 post lift. You can even get some low profile two-posters these days which barely take up any room in the garage and only have about 4' permanent fixtures. (They extend another ~4' as the lift rises.)

[schurchill39]

Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
You can even get some low profile two-posters these days which barely take up any room in the garage and only have about 4' permanent fixtures. (They extend another ~4' as the lift rises.)

Any brand or store suggestions to look for something like this?

[Maxx Mazda]

Originally posted by schurchill39


Any brand or store suggestions to look for something like this?

Man, I saw this one up at a house in Hawkwood. I didn't catch the brand, but even in a standard 10' garage ceiling, it was able to lift a Tahoe up enough to swap a 6L into it. Looked really slick, and barely took up any room.

Anyways, it was blue and yellow. I'll see if I can track down what Kind it was, but basically the two hydraulic rams that were used were sunken down into the floor probably close to 2'-3' and made for a really slick setup.