What Car Lift to Buy

[Voodoo Child]

When I built my garage I knew where the lift was going so I dug away the crushed stone and made the pad area about 10" thick. I priced a 10K pound Rotary for $6,500 installed and was going to pull the trigger on it. Talked to a buddy who is a professional mechanic. He told me for as much as I will use the lift just go with the Greg Smith lift. Drove down to Delaware and picked it up myself, 10K pound Apex s post for $2,400 and no tax being Delaware. It's pretty much a Chinese knockoff of the Rotary I looked at. Installed it my self, pretty straight forward. Very happy with it. It handles my HD 2500 6.0  4x4 pickup with ease. It moans a tad with my nephew's Dodge Cummins but zero issues.

[303 Mopar]

I used my 4-post to install subframe connectors on @CudaKat's '73 Cuda and my '69 Sport Satty vert.  Worked out perfect since the cars need to be on all fours.  BTW - simple steel tubing subframes have to one of the biggest bang for your buck improvements on our cars! 

[Mickm]

Dan, your setup looks awesome!  Personally, I think every shop should had two items. First and foremost is a lift. You can never realize how truely great it is to have one until you do. And secondly, if you live in the deep south, air conditioning.

In my last shop my ceiling was 9.5'. I couldn't get my car high enough to work under it standing up, I had to sit on a stool. That just pissed me off every time I tried to do anything. When I built my new show, I put in a cathedral ceiling so that this wouldn't be the case.  Life is good 

I did not bolt my lift down. I have RaceDeck flooring and the life works perfectly sitting on it plus I can roll it around if I need to.

I find myself raising the lift just to check the air in the tires now, lol.

Cheers!
Mickm

[Wedg2Go]

Forgot about this thread. Too much going on in my life. However...

Very happy with the results! No more achy back on a cold concrete slab.   

[DAYLEY/CHALLENGER]

I have been thinking of building a shop and clearing the garage for the wife's Jeep. Also,was thinking of a lift.  Seems like some like the two post and some the four post. I am leaning to the four post.  Could this thread be revised into a poll?  Two post or four post? Just asking?

[captcolour]

I purchased an Advantage Lifts 4 post after seeing them at the Mecum auction in Indy a few years ago.  Lifts seemed very durable and I liked how they secured without hydraulic pressure applied.  The lift was a little more than the others, but bought 2 rolling hydraulic jacks to do tire rotation and suspension work, and some aluminum plates for the tractor.  Total price was about the same as the others.  Bought it at the Mecum auction the next year when I was ready and saved a few dollars.  Installed it myself with my son without any issues.  Having a chain hoist mounted above helped with the heavy rail with the cylinder.  Not bolted down and see no need to.  Feels very safe.  Lift was designed by them in the US, but manufactured in China.

[303 Mopar]

I have been thinking of building a shop and clearing the garage for the wife's Jeep. Also,was thinking of a lift.  Seems like some like the two post and some the four post. I am leaning to the four post.  Could this thread be revised into a poll?  Two post or four post? Just asking?

Done, now go vote!   

[1 Wild R/T]

Two post vs four post really depends on what your doing with it....  Both have their good & bad points..
If your gonna be dropping the engine/trans K as an assembly the four post would be a PITA...  But if your doing exhaust work the Two post doesn't load the suspension so you have to guess where the suspension will interfere with your exhaust....
If you decide on a four post get yourself a couple of the rolling jack assemblies so you can pull wheels, brakes & suspension...   

Four post is nice cause you drive up & hit the button, a two post you have to get down on the ground to set the pads.... But once it's in the air you have full access to the bottom of the engine, trans & rear axle plus all the suspension..

Then again I've never seen a car fall off a four post lift... Can't say the same about a two post lift...

[6bblgt]

 

[Katfish]

Wonder what happened there!
Doesn't even look like the lift is mounted to floor?

[1 Wild R/T]

I stand corrected.... Not good... But thats an equipment failure, two post lifts drop cars mainly because people don't understand gravity & safe lift points...

[Racer57]

I bought this lift from Greg Smith Equip. and the only issue is wondering why I hadn't done it sooner. It has removable casters that allow you to move it anywhere and I also got the scissor jack that allows me to lift the car up to remove tires etc. Haven't tried moving it with car on it yet, but one person can push it around otherwise. 

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-Garage-Pro-8000-EXT
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-RJ-35-Sliding-Jack

Everything appears to be made in China. The only issue I had was a seal on the hyd cyl for the scissor jack went bad. But the service dept quickly took care of it and sent me a new hyd cyl.
After using it a few times the lock position on each post had to be reset, but that was expected with the cables stretching after being used for first time.

[Racer57]

I stand corrected.... Not good... But thats an equipment failure, two post lifts drop cars mainly because people don't understand gravity & safe lift points...

I think I know what happen in that pic because I almost had the same happen to me. Luckily I was paying attention. In this pic, first there was an hyd oil leak (paper on floor)that allowed the lift to start going down, but one safety catch did not work. Each post has an adjustable metal plate with slots that acts as the catch points for the locks on the ramp itself. In this case it looks like the lock for each post caught except for the passenger side front which allowed it to keep traveling down. I didn't have a leak, but was just lowering it after some work. I just happen to be looking at a post and saw it starting to move inward a little so I stopped and lifted it back up.  There is one very long steel cable used for the lifts and new steel cables will stretch after first few uses.  My incident happen after (guessing) 50 full cycles with a car on it. After I readjusted it I've never had to do anything again. That was 3 years ago. 

[6bblgt]

Wonder what happened there!
Doesn't even look like the lift is mounted to floor?

it appears lock on post by RF tire didn't latch/wasn't properly adjusted/failed (other?) then gravity took over

[71GranCoupe]

Just as Dan and Randy said, mechanical failure/error(s). I check mine every time it goes up to insure the locking levers are on the ledge 100%. About once a year I go through and adjust to the 9th degree the interlocks and the release linkage so to avoid what happened with the sideways four poster.