Car lift for a home garage use.

Rex, I have a two post rotary lift. I like the fact that when space is tight, I can put other cars around one in the air. This is something you just can’t do with a 4-post lift. I’ve used my space on several occasions with no car on the lift but the lift in the air to get multiple cars in/around. Personally I wouldn’t even consider a 4 post. Good luck with your decision. I hope this might help

Mark
 
I have a 4-post with a pneumatic bridge jack. Mostly used for storage, detailing & light mechanical projects. Have had mine since 2012, can't live without it now. Look at Benpak & Atlas, avoid Gemini in Missouri.



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You can drive/park a car under a four poster both lengthwise and laterally. Mine has enough space between the posts to park two cars laterally, and a friend has one that is two cars wide so he can park 2 cars under it simultaneously in either orientation.

Like Andrew I have a hydraulic bridge jack, which is quite handy. I remounted the ramps narrower because the E9 is by far the widest car I put on the lift. Try driving an early Lotus onto a lift sized for Suburbans ... you get half a tire width on each ramp. A side benefit of the closer ramps is the cheap 36” drip trays from your local auto parts places fit perfectly between the ramps to keep the stuff underneath clean.

I’ve done brakes, suspension work, exhaust, engine/trans replacements etc on this four poster. However, if my main priority was general repair/restoration work I’d have gotten a two poster instead.
 
Any reason a two post is in any way a problem for storage? Excuse my ignorance, but can it be left in the up/storage position, locked and turned off for a long period, if necessary, with no stress on the innards...? or is the four post better for this app.
 
dave v. in nc said:
Any reason a two post is in any way a problem for storage? Excuse my ignorance, but can it be left in the up/storage position, locked and turned off for a long period, if necessary, with no stress on the innards...? or is the four post better for this app.
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I went 4-post because I prefer to store a car on its' wheels. My garage also has a radiant heat floor & the lift doesn't need to be fastened to the floor.
 
dave v. in nc said:
Any reason a two post is in any way a problem for storage? Excuse my ignorance, but can it be left in the up/storage position, locked and turned off for a long period, if necessary, with no stress on the innards...? or is the four post better for this app.
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They rest on the locks, not the hydraulics. The cars can stay up in the air for as long as you need and driving and parking underneath is fine. It's much easier doing anything related to wheels, brakes or suspension with a 2 post. I really dont know why anyone would get a 4 post over a 2 unless the primary use was storage.
 
I think it really boils down to storage versus work space. My lift is for working on cars- mine and friends. I have plenty of storage. If I was just storing I would prefer a 4 post. I agee with Andrew on this and would prefer my car sit on its suspension.
 
Hi Rex. I thought long and hard about the 2 versus 4 post debate. And the forum was very helpful in helping me make my decision.

opinion on lifts

Hello all, It looks like we may actually build that new garage I've been dreaming of. Well, a cheaper version of the dream... This will allow me to bring The Raven from 2 hours away, down to a short walk from the back door. I will start a thread on the garage build once it is underway. But as I...
e9coupe.com e9coupe.com
I went with a Bendpak 2-post lift, and absolutely love it. It has been pretty amazing to work with a lift again. As you can see from my pics, I ended up extending the posts up above the ceiling and threaded the top bar through the trusses.
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Not arguing, just learning...Why? (do you prefer that it sits on its suspension). I understand the logic, just curious about the suspension physics...(we'll overlook the flat spots that tires get).
 
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I’m thinking about a bendpack scissor lift recessed into the floor. My bay won’t have much wiggle room for lift posts, and I won’t be able to get the car all that high off the ground. All contingent upon whether I add a third bay.
 
autokunst said:
Hi Rex. I thought long and hard about the 2 versus 4 post debate. And the forum was very helpful in helping me make my decision.

opinion on lifts

Hello all, It looks like we may actually build that new garage I've been dreaming of. Well, a cheaper version of the dream... This will allow me to bring The Raven from 2 hours away, down to a short walk from the back door. I will start a thread on the garage build once it is underway. But as I...
e9coupe.com e9coupe.com
I went with a Bendpak 2-post lift, and absolutely love it. It has been pretty amazing to work with a lift again. As you can see from my pics, I ended up extending the posts up above the ceiling and treaded the top bar through the trusses.
View attachment 102660View attachment 102661
Click to expand...
I’m leaning towards a 2 post. The intel on this thread agrees with my needs, I see using It for light duty restoration more then storage, although I need storage more then working on cars these days...lol.
 
2 post lifts are great for work, if your slab will support it. i don't like the idea of storing cars on a 2 post. i don't have the headroom for a big lift in my garage, but i have given thought to doing what Markos is suggesting ... might not deal with the recessing. @Markos, have you given thought as to where the lift will pick your car up? the frame rails are easy for up front, hitting the rear subframe bushings on the rear sides is more difficult ... unless the skids are wide enough.

i have been intrigued by the smaller lift on the Lift Superstore youtube - smaller footprint and less height. i just can't raise the car up high enough to store something underneath, much less for me to walk underneath the car.
 
Don't forget to considering the width of lift itself.
Been considering one for a while, think the space where it will be used and the frequency of use will be strong influencers.

Been around/used 2 posters, real game changers. But 4 posters can be relocated/moved around easily. I'm leaning towards a four post, the platform becomes a usable storage loft, 2nd floor or drumset riser with parking underneath.
 
Dave, regarding the 2 post lift for storage: I don’t like the idea if my suspension hanging it’s weight off of the shocks/struts. It seems an unnatural and potentially stressful way to store something. I haven’t taken a shock apart but would worry about the possibility of seals under stress at the extreme end of the stroke. Btw, no scientific proof of this-just how I feel.
 
Rex.

I've had my 2 post asymmetric lift for nearly 15 years. It is installed much like the one Stephen Brun shows above, but I do not have trusses, so it goes between two ceiling joist. Ceiling height is 10 6" so have plenty or room to lift cars to full height - maybe not large SUV's or pickups. I am delighted with it, and if I need have the wheels supporting the car (e.g. to tighten a suspension bushing under load), I lift the car, put a set of ramps under the wheels I need loaded, then lower it to obtain that loaded position.

I had a friend who sold various lifts to dealerships, garages etc. and bought mine from him. It is a 'Quality Lift' which at the time was fully constructed in the USA, using steel components from S. Korea. Several dealerships here had the lift at that time and each lift was probably being used 5-15 times a day. I probably don't use mine more than a few hundred times a year, but i sure wouldn't want to be without it as long as I'm doing automotive maintenance and restoration/modification. Works like it did the first 'lift' every time.

Good luck with the decision.
 
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