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Well ,barn won't be that big


I did like the looks of the inground lift, since I am building new it might be an option

10 years ago I was qouted, for that 10,000 lb in-ground, installed, $2500, new. Of course, we waited 8 years so we could pay more.

i bought a "advantage lift " last summer at"good guys in des moines show " 11,000 # 4 post lift -I REALLY LIKE IT !!! looked for years -my knees are so bad !! anyway it was a extra tall & wide ! i also bought the big air over axle lift and a small bag lift -both are very handy -and i have no problem doing any thing on the rack !! maybe the only draw back is -the 2 post lifts -do lift the vehicle bodies off very easy !! you know the 4 post set-up does not bother me on floor space taken up ?? it always seemed like there was something setting there all the time anyway -plus i got an extra parking spot for a truck or car !!plus i have layed a piece of pltwood down and used it for a big lay-out and paint table !! go -online and punch in "advantage lifts " lots of pics/videos-tech help-mine was bought from the company in the minneapolis -st. paul minn area ,my son bought a 90000# lift from "greg smitth" warehouse in grimes iowa -its nice a little thinner steel and posts are smaller BUT IT WAS A $2600.00 LIFT & BEING LOCAL TO DES MOINES IA. AREA -no shipping !!

I just read all of these posts. As you may know, I am building an extra garage in the back yard and I want a lift. My oldest son is a mechanic and for his father to build a garage without a lift would be a disgrace.

I see advantages to both styles. I will probably get a 2 post lift. Rotary brand seems good but I saw a web page that compared BendPak to Rotary and I liked Bendpak the most. Anyone familiar with ATLAS or other brands?

I think I might prefer a symmetrical lift rather than the asymmetric. What's your opinion on that?

Jay, there are some two post lifts that are both symmetrical and asymmetrical. Every shop I've been in have "varied" opinions. I think it depends mainly on the use you expect to get out of it.
Sounds like you have a good plan. Go for it.

I spent about an hour talking to the advantage guy at the Mecum auction in Houston last year. They sure do have a nice well built solid product. Having spent much time on my back recently, a lift sure would have been nice. Was waiting until I get the final floor in but may have to accelerate. Going with a 4 post with a pneumatic jack on it so I can raise front or rear tires, and also will have ability to move around as needed in the shop.

So the 4 post version can roll around on wheels? I want more info please.

Note the wheels Jay on the attached link. Look around on the site for the jack and tray options. Also if you call 'em, they can work with you on price. Just put the package you want together, and negotiate in the end. My guy was in Dallas, but sure they have a location closer to you.
lifts with wheels

Wow! Cool stuff. I'm watching their video about installing the 2 post lift. I'm getting a good education.

I just looked at the website for Mohawk. LINK Whew! Built in USA and 25 year warranty.

The tray is heavy angle iron and is capable of holding a jack. It is also a good place for the drain pans when changing fluids. The wheels allow you to move the rack around the shop or driveway empty or with a vehicle on it. If you go with a 4 post lift, get the bigger capacity lift (10,000 or 14,000 lbs) you will be happy you did.

If you've never worked on a vehicle on a lift, especially a 4 post, then I suggest you find a friend or somewhere you can use one for a few different jobs first.

I worked in a shop with a 2 post and a 4 post and the 4 post got used primarily for storing another vehicle, none of us liked it much for working on, it seemed to always be more or less in the way for whatever you were trying to work on.

A 2 post lift has very little in the way while working on the vehicle either lowered or raised, and very little of the lift in the way in the shop with or without a vehicle on it.

Don't buy a lift on looks and ideas, try some out for real before deciding what type you like.


Grigg

What Grigg says has merit except when you reach that age(yes, I'm there) that you can't get up and down off your knees without a lot of unneeded pain. It is a bit of a hassle to work around/under but if it saves me a few years on the hip/knee replacement then it's worth it.

Back in the day 4 posts were a pain to work on.
Many repairs required the wheels to come off. With
a 2 post it was nice to sneak a long 3/8 extension
to get at the spark plugs through the wheel well.
When the car was lifted by the frame so the wheels
would hang down.

The wheels do not hang down on a 4 post so you wound
up scraping your hands to get at the spark plugs or the
A.I.R pipes and other fun things.

Yes the 4 posts come with a sliding jack option.
What people that sell the 4 posts leave out is how
at when all four wheels have to come off you
will still wind up having to leave which ever end
that you jack up first left on jack stands so you
can jack up the other end.

Crazy to put a car on a lift to then use jack stands
too get the wheels off, plus the money that the lift
cost.

As to asymmetrical and symmetrical lifts. With
shorter front arms the car sat farther back on the
lift so there would be more room to open the front
doors before the doors would hit the lift post.
Jeffrey

Probably why I like my two post, in ground. No hitting the lift post.

Agree with Martin, I've used both and plan on using my 4 Post on many different vehicles including ZTR Mower, Trailers, Tractor and cars/trucks. Don't think I would be able to have as much versatility with a 2 post. To use the 2 post, the thought of crawling around on my knees to get the 4 supports lined up on each frame is enough to seal the deal for me, twice....getting on and getting off. I didn't like doing it when I was 18, and sure don't like it now. Pretty clear, once the vehicle is in the air the 2 post gives you much more access. My local muffler shop has 4 bays, each bay working on multiple vehicles each day, and all have 4 post. Don't like having to have another lift to work on wheels/brakes...but for me a willing tradeoff to stay off my knees.

I thought the EPA was getting rid of the in ground's
because of them leaking.

Muffler shops don't take the wheels off to do
exhaust work. Jeffrey

Any way I am just jealous of all of the guy's that
have a lift at home. Some day, lottery or power ball.
Jeffrey

I have looked at just about every lift website searching for a quality lift that will work well in a shop with a 12 foot wall.
If I put the lift in the middle of my FUTURE 24 X 25 shop, then I can make just about any of them fit.

Putting the lift on the right half of the shop creates a significant challenge. If I put the upright close to the wall, then I won't even have enough room to work. Another thing. the spec sheets for most of the lifts (Challenger, Atlas, Rotary, Bendpak, Advantage, etc.) show the total height as 12" + 1" = 145" and ask for an additional 2" from any other structure (roof). That means I need to move the post at least 1 foot from the wall (because the roof pitch is 12 to 3).

I think I found the BEST lift for my FUTURE garage. It's a certified 10K lift made by the same company that makes Rotary and other brands.
Derek Weaver W-Pro10 2 post lift
The price is very nice for a certified lift and it can be installed with a narrow versus wider stance and a shorter versus taller height too. I can use the narrow and short configuration and gain another foot of working distance from the wall.

I'm thinking the narrow configuration will work well for all my needs and I'll still have 99" of drive through distance.

They have 9K non-certified lifts and 10K non-certified lifts too.

Now I just need to choose ORANGE or BLUE.

That's a sharp lift Jay.

Lugnutz,

What is the new garage going to be used for? Will it just be a mechanics shop or will you store stuff in it as well? Your 24x25 shop will get REAL small with a lift in there, putting it outside on a pad as others have mentioned will let you maximize your limited inside space.

Mike B

I sure wish I could build a bigger shop, but zoning will not allow for more than 600 SF.

The shop will be mainly used for storage. I'd also like a place to work and keep stuff out of the weather.

Stage one is to put the shop on the concrete pad.

Stage 2: I'll pour a second load of concrete outside the shop so I don't have to park or drive in the dirt as much. It will also give me an area to a floor jack or roll an engine hoist around if needed although I'd probably do that inside the shop too.

Stage 3: I'll mock up some wood to make a "fake lift" and see if the lift will be a practical addition.

However, PRIOR to Stage 1, I need to plan the floor of the shop (first pour) as though I were going to get a lift so that the concrete is properly reinforced where the lift will be.

Have you looked at Mohawk lifts yet? They are not tall and the limit on height is clearance with your lifted vehicle to the ceiling, not the lift it's self. they have a hydraulic line that needs to go from one side to the other, this can even be put in the floor, or made and bent to follow your ceiling.
http://www.mohawklifts.com/wp/automotive-lifts/2-post-lifts/system1/

They're not cheap new but in my opinion look to be the most robust of the lift choices, and made in the USA, and can be found used pretty regularly at better prices if you have time to shop.

I've seen lifts outside and I think that's much less than ideal. If the weather is bad you're limited, if the project is long and weather comes you're out of luck again. The lift deteriorates in the weather too.
If a lift is important and you're building the new building with one in mind I'd sure put it inside, even if it cramps space a little at least you can use it on your schedule not dictated by weather or seasons.

The Mohawk salesman sent me a quote. That Mohawk lift is really nice and built to last. The Mohawk lift would easily fit in my shop but NOT fit so easily in my budget. A new one is just a bit over $6200. I'd buy a used one if I could find one. I'll keep looking and maybe I will.

Just about all the clear floor 2 post lifts have an overhead bar. Some have a safety switch on the bar and some don't. Either way, most of them require 145" plus want an extra 2" for clearance. The Weaver lift in my earlier post is a few inches shorter but when lifted will still give me the 6 feet I need under the vehicle.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/2-Post-Lift/Baseplate-2-Post-Lifts

Guy I know has the 10k (BP10000), it works with a low clearance ceiling he it lifts his 450 Ford truck with it and stores his Cobra on it.

The 9K version is pretty nice.

Didn't see that any of the Atlas BP units were certified.

All,

I wanted to say thanks for all the help, advice and opinions on this subject. I've opted for a 4-post lift for two of the reasons pointed out: 1.) I've got a failed knee replacement so I cannot kneel down or squat. Getting down on the ground is an exercise in pain and the less I have to do the less grumpy I will be. Removing some of these bolts is already going to challenge that boundary. 2.) It has castors so I can move it around inside my shop. When I got started a couple weekends ago I had no intention of spending money on the lift. It took me three days to recover and only one day to change my mind.

Thanks again for the guidance.

Anybody seen the lift sold by Northern Tool. It's short, got a 45" lift. And it's portable. This is nice in my Shop under my house got a 9 foot ceiling.
It's made by MaxJax.

In all the years I've worked on with a lift. Most of it has been under a single ram in ground lift (probably alludes to my age ). I found dragging the 4 arms out only slightly annoying. My other experience was on the (above ground) 4 post lifts. What I didn't like, over the single, was needing to drive a rig onto the lift (up the ramps onto the lift). I also didn't care for the nuisance of using bottle jacks when the tires were in the way. However, it was superior, when working on the drive train.
I think for me, and overall convenience of doing most anything on a car. I'd probably go with an in-ground 2 post lift. OTOH, if price was an issue. I'd probably go with a grease pit. Speaking of; I'm surprised nobody even mentioned a grease pit.

Chris

As long as the vehicle isn't running while you're in the pit!