Lifts

[turbojimmy]

I have a Rotary Revolution 4-post lift. I've put the trans in and out of my car several times with it. Very easy, and the runways make for a good place to put misc. parts and bolts as you take them off.

I have a small 2-car garage with 10.5' ceiling height and store the GN on top in the winter. A 2-post would be nice, but I wouldn't want the car hanging up there by the frame all winter.

I have a rolling jack tray so I can jack the car up with a hydraulic jack and drip pans so the Caddy stays dry. Like grumpy said, you can get the whole car off the "ground" using jackstands.

I know everyone says it, but once you get one you'll wonder how you lived without it and why you waited so long to get one.

Jim

 

[ttaowner]

i have 3 lifts 2 2 post and 1 4 post .personally i like the 2 post much better and i have a car stored on it for over a year now, the reason i got the 4 post and like you said is moveable.the other reason is i bought some real heavy duty pallet rack 6000# per shelf. ( like the heavy duty shelving in home depot) i figured i can store a car on there i have seen it done in either hot rod or car craft. figured if you can put 6000# on 1 shelf i figured there would be no problem storing a car on 2 (1 shelf for front wheels 1 for rear). i found a place around here that specializes in pallet rack mine is used $39 a upright 4 needed and $14 a crossbeam also 4 needed plus a ramp to get them from the shelf to shelf or another set of pallet rack.as you can see from the math the pallet rack is way cheaper than even a used lift.below is where i got my pallet rack from.also craigslist.com is a great place to pick up a used lift. i have seen them priced from$700=$1200 generally. also if the pallet rack is too tall you can cut it down to the height you need i had to this once.

Pallet Rack

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

mine is a 4 post "Forward" 12,000#s .. ya its wayyyy over what ya need It is the Mazda's home inside for the winter

RICER:biggrin:

 

[A2000RICH]

Anyone got a lift in their home garage/shop? I've been contemplating getting one for several years now. I have looked at both 4-post and 2-post versions. Both have their pros and cons.

4-Post Pros - movable, can be used as a storage lift
Cons - not ideal for wheel/tire service
limited access under car due to ramps

2-Post Pros - Wheel/tire service
Free and clear under car
Cons - No good for storage or stacking 2 cars
Once it's installed it's not movable

I have a 1200 sq/ft shop behind my house. With 4 cars, tools, equipment, etc it can get a little cluttered back there. A lift or even 2 lifts would be a heckuva lot cheaper than expanding the shop. The 4-post lifts are appealing due to the fact I could stack 2 cars and free up some floor space but they don't seem that great for changing trannys, etc. Any opinions?

i have two 4 post lifts and three 2 post lifts in my garage------if i could ONLY have one i would without doubt choose a 4 post lift-------i have found they are fine for tranny changing and not too bad for engines-------with the right accesories you can really do most anything with one that you can with a 2 post------some things just take a little longer like tire and brake work--------and its really hard to do chassis, alignment and exhaust work with a 2 post...........just my opinion RC

 

[Bent6]

i have two 4 post lifts and three 2 post lifts in my garage------if i could ONLY have one i would without doubt choose a 4 post lift-------i have found they are fine for tranny changing and not too bad for engines-------with the right accesories you can really do most anything with one that you can with a 2 post------some things just take a little longer like tire and brake work--------and its really hard to do chassis, alignment and exhaust work with a 2 post...........just my opinion RC

This is what I've been thinking all along. As far as using a 2-post as a stacking/storage lift, I have plenty of ceiling height but I don't like the idea of leaving a car more or less suspended by it's frame for an extended period of time as someone mentioned above. Plus show me a Buick that doesn't leak! Seems to me that a 4-post with a couple of rolling air jacks would almost be the best of both worlds.

 

[Grumpy]

Plus show me a Buick that doesn't leak!

Mine doesn't leak !! oh no drivetrain in it

 

[INEEDAGN]

Hanging a car on a 2 post would be no different than storing it on jackstands for the winter. Lots of people (myself included) choose to do that to keep the springs from sagging and the tires from flat spotting.

 

[turbojimmy]

Hanging a car on a 2 post would be no different than storing it on jackstands for the winter. Lots of people (myself included) choose to do that to keep the springs from sagging and the tires from flat spotting.

I dunno. When I have mine sitting on jackstands I can't get the passenger side door to close. Damn t-tops. I think if I let it hang there all winter it would break in half.

Jim

 

[Sleeper]

I have a Pro-Park 8 (4 post lift) and my back loves it . If I want to work on the brakes or suspension, I just use a small bottle jack on the sliding tray. Jack up the front or rear and put a couple of regular jack stands in the tray. Pretty easy and quick to do. Best part is I'm sitting on a rolling stool while I'm doing this. (Ok, that last statement doesn't sound very good ) Rephrase...I'm sitting on a short backless chair that has casters.

I would love to spring for the sliding hydraulic tray lift, but for what it does... too much $$$

I had a bout of tranny/converter problems over the last season, and had to re and re the tranny 6 times. Without the lift, I would have parked the car for the season after the 3rd time.

Paul

 

[Grumpy]

I had a bout of tranny/converter problems over the last season, and had to re and re the tranny 6 times. Without the lift, I would have parked the car for the season after the 3rd time.

Paul

I would just sell off the car.. my email address is TTASTAGE

 

[Bent6]

Hanging a car on a 2 post would be no different than storing it on jackstands for the winter. Lots of people (myself included) choose to do that to keep the springs from sagging and the tires from flat spotting.

You are right about the jackstand comparison - never thought about it like that - but I don't like the idea of all the unsprung weight more or less being supported by the shocks against their stops. I know this can eventually lead to leaking seals with coilovers. I always try to support the rear end on the race car when it's going to be off all 4s for an extended period (which is most all of the time )

I dunno. When I have mine sitting on jackstands I can't get the passenger side door to close. Damn t-tops. I think if I let it hang there all winter it would break in half.

Jim

An 8pt cage would fix that!:biggrin: One of ours is a t-top car - flexes like a wet noodle and rattles like a tin can.

 

[ttaowner]

when i had my t top car stored on my lift i did not have any problems at all .it was a super nice 92,000 mile car maybe that had something to do with it,but never had any problems with door not shutting!
the jackstand/2 post lift was a great comparison i never thought of that one either.

 

[Bent6]

I don't have any problems with the doors on my t-top car either. I have however seen a hardtop car that would rub the door/fender joint while on a lift. I think it has to do how the lift is positioned on the frame as to how much it will actually flex. A cage fixes most all of these issues if you can live with one on the street - personally it's not worth cutting up any of my street cars.

 

[Bent6]

i have 3 lifts 2 2 post and 1 4 post .personally i like the 2 post much better and i have a car stored on it for over a year now, the reason i got the 4 post and like you said is moveable.the other reason is i bought some real heavy duty pallet rack 6000# per shelf. ( like the heavy duty shelving in home depot) i figured i can store a car on there i have seen it done in either hot rod or car craft. figured if you can put 6000# on 1 shelf i figured there would be no problem storing a car on 2 (1 shelf for front wheels 1 for rear). i found a place around here that specializes in pallet rack mine is used $39 a upright 4 needed and $14 a crossbeam also 4 needed plus a ramp to get them from the shelf to shelf or another set of pallet rack.as you can see from the math the pallet rack is way cheaper than even a used lift.below is where i got my pallet rack from.also craigslist.com is a great place to pick up a used lift. i have seen them priced from$700=$1200 generally. also if the pallet rack is too tall you can cut it down to the height you need i had to this once.

Pallet Rack

So you mean you have a car on pallet racking? How the heck do you get it on there?

 

[ttaowner]

that is what i am planning on doing?but currently it looks like a tornado hit my garage. see the pics below

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/parts-sale/273309-tons-stock-parts-many-cars.html

what i am planning to do once i get my garage picked up is roll my 4 post lift over to the shellf and roll the cars on using a ramp of some sort i probably am going to need 3 sets of shelves though that way the ramps are not to long and flex.

like i said saw it done in car craft/hotrod and i thought it was a great idea due to having more cars than floor space the only way i figured i could do it was go up . the pallet rack is cheaper than buying many lifts .plus lifts take up more floor space. 2 post lifts are much easier to find used around here i have only seen 1 4 post used 4 sale . 2 post lifts take up much more room than a 4 post. my pallet rack is 8ft wide which is only a little than a car.

this was the cheapest way i could think of to jam more cars in a small space.

 

[TTA197]

Turbojimmy, if your garage ceiling is 10.5 how much ceiling height is left with the GN on top? My garage is 9' 8" and I am debating on whether or not a lift would work for me. Thanks in advance.

 

[turbojimmy]

Turbojimmy, if your garage ceiling is 10.5 how much ceiling height is left with the GN on top? My garage is 9' 8" and I am debating on whether or not a lift would work for me. Thanks in advance.

It's pretty tight - 9' 8" might not be enough if you want to park under it (but it depends on what you intend to put under it, too). There's about 6" between the top of the GN and the ceiling. You need a minimum of 2" to get the lift off the locks, so that cuts it down to 4". It clears fine with both 26" and 28" tires. The Caddy fits up there, too, but it's much tighter.

I picked the Revolution because the lift stops happened to be in exactly the right places. It runs out of lift a few inches before I can jam the GN through the ceiling, and the Caddy fits under it easily at its max height. All the manufacturers list the max height and the height at each stop. Just measure carefully and take into account the slope of your garage floor. It may not look steep now, but you'd be surprised once you measure it. Also, if you have too much slope you need to bolt it down. Mine was on the edge slope-wise so I bolted it down just to be sure.

I recently put my 'new' (to me) F-150 on it to swap out the gas tank. I was able to get it high enough that I could walk around under the rear of it (barely). It was really nice to have the truck in the air for that job. I had to have a bunch of people sit on the tailgate so that the cap would clear the door frame though

If the lift was the best money ever spent, 2nd would have to be the super-tall, 1.5 ton jackstand I bought. It's like another set of arms. Saves you from becoming a victim of your own stupidity when you try to unbolt heavy stuff from above your head without a helper.

Jim

 

[turbojimmy]

I needed to replace the A.I.R. pump on my mom's Caddy today so I snapped a pic of how you can jack the car up on a 4-post lift. Thank you GM for not being able to figure out how to manufacture an air pump that doesn't ingest water! Another one of those 'common problems' that you just learn to live with. But I digress....

 

[LETHAL-6]

I saw this on the garage journal website MaxJax Portable Two Post Lifting System , Something a little different. Especially if you have a low ceiling.

 

[RobsIron]

I have a 4 post Stinger lift. I bought it because all the trucks at the racetracks(Nascar, NHRA) had stingers in them.

If I were to buy one now I'd get one of these.


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