4 Post Lift in garage

[Skrilla]

Anyone have a 4post lift in their garage? Looking at putting one on one side of my garage to store a car. Seen some places like Liftking and Babco(sp?) just looking for experience with these. How is the install to do? What is needed etc. I don't plan on parking another car underneath, just motorcycles. Looking online seems they start at around $3500 and go way up from there. Don't need anything fancy, and the car is quite light itself.

Thanks!

[88CRX]

+1

I've read not great things on Lift King here on beyond.

I've also heard good things on Direct Lift.... which appears to be similar to Lift King.

[J-hop]

Can’t offer much but you may need to have the floor cut and put proper reinforced footings in. Also think many require 220v if you don’t already have a hook up.

I was going to do that but after looking at what is involved I’m just going with a quick jack most likely. That definitely won’t be what you need though

[88CRX]

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Can’t offer much but you may need to have the floor cut and put proper reinforced footings in. Also think many require 220v if you don’t already have a hook up.

I was going to do that but after looking at what is involved I’m just going with a quick jack most likely. That definitely won’t be what you need though

4 post doesn't require anything special as far as slab reinforcing is concerned. The weight of a car on 4 tires is spread to the 4 metal posts/base plates.

Also I think most of the storage 4 post lists do not require 220v either.

[JustinL]

I have a Bendpak HD-9 lift. It is one of the nicer lifts IMHO. Assembly is not complicated, but the pieces are VERY heavy. We used an engine hoist to move the heaviest pieces. It's quite nerve wracking when things are balancing and we were lifting the ramps, but with some straps to hold things under control, it actually went together smoothly. I use the 120v motor, which is slow, but works. Here are a couple pics of right after installation.

[T-Dubbs]

We used to have two liftking 4 posts in our old house... they worked well with ZERO issues (had them for 6+ years)
Didn't even have ours bolted down, and they were fine with a summer car or harley on top.

used regular power cord, and zero reinforcement to the concrete

[BerserkerCatSplat]

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Can’t offer much but you may need to have the floor cut and put proper reinforced footings in.

Not for a 4-post, slab reinforcement is usually only for 2-post lifts when the installed slab doesn't meet spec.

[C4S]

Got one 4/5 year ago, only regret is .. too late to get one! LOL

$3,500 sounds decent, but I believe their website says installation extra .. so, probably another $300 or 400, can't remember how much it was ..

I don't have any issue, most the time a ~ 3500lb vehicle, some odd time will be the 4,000+lb big sedan, planning to get an addition one ..

VS ~ $1,500 a year storage, you get your money back in less than 3 year, and you can swap car when you want, no appointment!


Good luck.

[Skrilla]

Thanks guys! Excited to get this for the summer. Got a call into a couple Calgary places, don't think medicine hat has someone who sells them.

[2000TL]

I got a 4 post lift from garage living. It was an Atlas Pro 4 post lift and got it last year. I believe it was around $2900 plus $700 for install from what I can remember. Make sure you have enough clearance with your garage door as well.

[Maxx Mazda]

Lift king is garbage. My old man had one for about 15 minutes - as the guy was unloading it you could see how shoddy the workmanship was. Told him to load it back up and bought a Superior Lift instead.

This isn’t one of those things you can really cheap out on. It’s lifting a car up above your head and possibly another vehicle after all. Cheap Chinese welds just won’t cut it.

[88CRX]

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Thanks guys! Excited to get this for the summer. Got a call into a couple Calgary places, don't think medicine hat has someone who sells them.

Post or pm me prices/quotes please! Looking to get one before next winter.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

What kind of garage height do you guys have? I want a 4-post, and I'm pretty sure I can fit one, but I need to have my door tracks replaced first.

[T-Dubbs]

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Lift king is garbage. My old man had one for about 15 minutes - as the guy was unloading it you could see how shoddy the workmanship was. Told him to load it back up and bought a Superior Lift instead.

This isn’t one of those things you can really cheap out on. It’s lifting a car up above your head and possibly another vehicle after all. Cheap Chinese welds just won’t cut it.

I never found anything less than high quality on our two LiftKings. Perhaps you had the cheaper one?

[Maxt]

+1 on Bendpak. I have the high lift 14,000 lb 4 post. Commercial grade stuff.

[Maxt]

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+1 on Bendpak. I have the high lift 14,000 lb 4 post. Commercial grade stuff.

I have to come back to this threead and take back my recommendation on Bendpak. I have had my new 4 post lift for probably close to 2 months now, and I can't even use it.
The lift is not the same as the one I bought 7 years ago, even though its got the same model #. The parts before were made in Mexico and China, but it looks like they have gone 100% Chinese, and possibly changed plants in China as there are many differences between the old lift and the new lift.
The biggest difference is the move from an MTE hydraulic power unit to their own Ranger hydraulic power unit. The MTE was made in USA with a mexican sourced Emerson motor, that had electrical parameters that all line up per NEMA spec for the motor hp. The Ranger unit, Bendpaks own made in China unit, has missing specs, and specs that don't line up with NEMA standards, which has made it impossible to get past the last part of my garages electrical inspection.
These powerunits have no thermal protection so it has to be added by the installer(customer). You usually size an overload by service factor and fla on the motor, but on the Ranger there is no service factor, so that method is out. Going through the code, overload can be sized by using HP out of the tables, but the FLA on the unit didn't line up with the HP FLA in the tables of the code. I talked to the electrical inspector, and gave him the data, and he said that everything on the motor nameplate is basically just garbage information and it can't be passed until the data makes sense, to size the wire, overload, and breaker.
Also the duty cycle is less than the MTE unit. I hooked it up with power to do some tests, and its drawing 9 amps at almost full hoist weight, rated 11.9 amps, 3hp single phase should be 17 amps fla. I took some ohm readings and compared it to some other capacitor start induction run motors I have here, and it looks like they are calling what is a 1.5hp motor a 3hp motor. The manual they include is the same print from when they used the MTE power unit. The manual states 25 amp service breaker(30 amp here), this is way to heavy for the motor thats on it now. A 15 amp service would feed the Ranger motor, so its obvious that this a lesser power unit than the MTE. I should run a speed test between the two hoists to see if the volume/min is even close.

Other issues
- lowering rate is now non adjustable, it takes forever to lower the hoist with no car or a light car on it. On the old hoist I could set it for whatever vehicles I was working on.
- Old Bendpak came with grease nipples installed, new one came with nipples not installed and short 6 grease nipples
- One pulley was too tight and binding on its pin, had to shave the internal bushing on a lathe to get it to work.
- Lowering handle hits the hydraulic tank before the lowering pin is barely depressed, they sent a replacement handle, same result. Ended up bending the handle in a vice.
- Plastic guards over the lock mechanisms instead of metal like the old one. I have to leave them off because a dually truck's outside wheels run over the plastic and they'll break leaving the locks open to mud and dirt.
- Old hoist had push lock swivels for control lines, new one has fixed brass non swivel fittings that makes the line have to twist and travel with hoist movement.
- Was missing half of the "included" brass compression fittings.


Response and service from Bendpak and Babco who is the Canadian agent, has been extremely poor. I won't buy anything from there ever again. I am not sure I can do anything with what I have now, I may end up having to buy a power unit on my own, since I can't get a response out of either company anymore, by the looks of it. The email I sent last week, probably the 15th one has gone unanswered as well as my telephone calls.
I am going to send an email to ETL who approved this motor next week and also to CSA about this stuff being sold into Canada, where apparently it can't pass electrical inspection. The inspector said the only way he would even look at passing it, is if it came with a factory cord end on it, which puts the onus on the company for power requirements as the type of plug determines the service, or if they will write a letter that they take all responsibility for any electrical fire for lifetime.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Damn, really sucks to see their shitty outsourcing is causing you headaches.

[HiTempguy1]

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The inspector said the only way he would even look at passing it, is if it came with a factory cord end on it, which puts the onus on the company for power requirements as the type of plug determines the service, or if they will write a letter that they take all responsibility for any electrical fire for lifetime.

This is where you made your mistake. Are you hardwiring it in??

The inspector has zero reason or need to know what it is powering, have a proper 208v 3ph outlet, call it a day. Unfortunately you are now probably stuck with that inspector, and he'll be a dick about it.

[Maxt]

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This is where you made your mistake. Are you hardwiring it in??

The inspector has zero reason or need to know what it is powering, have a proper 208v 3ph outlet, call it a day. Unfortunately you are now probably stuck with that inspector, and he'll be a dick about it.

It has to be hardwired, it just has a box with pigtails on the motor. It's single phase and has to have a manual reset motor starter with overload to protect the motor and thats where the big problem is, is it 1.0 sf or 1.15 or 1.40, could be anything. Most people probably add the hoist well after an electrical inspection so they never run into this, but this went in during my initial wiring install so they know its there.
I am calling the agency that issued the Canadian electrical approvals for the motor now to see what they say.

[Crazyjoker77]

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It has to be hardwired, it just has a box with pigtails on the motor. It's single phase and has to have a manual reset motor starter with overload to protect the motor and thats where the big problem is, is it 1.0 sf or 1.15 or 1.40, could be anything. Most people probably add the hoist well after an electrical inspection so they never run into this, but this went in during my initial wiring install so they know its there.
I am calling the agency that issued the Canadian electrical approvals for the motor now to see what they say.

Tons of motors don't list their service factor. Code accounts for that.

28-306 Rating or trip selection of overload devices (see Appendix B)
(1) Overload devices responsive to motor current, if of the fixed type, shall be selected or rated or, if of the
adjustable type, shall be set to trip at not more than the following:
(a) 125% of the full load current rating of a motor having a marked service factor of 1.15 or greater; or
(b) 115% of the full load current rating of a motor that does not have a marked service factor or where
the marked service factor is less than 1.15.