New Shop / Four Post Lift

[70 Challenger Lover]

So after dreaming and saving and planning for too many years, we are finally pulling the trigger on a vacation home outside of Nashville Tennessee. We close escrow first week of August and I'm already drooling at the idea of outfitting the detached 30X40 shop. The house itself has it's own two car garage for the Mrs. so this outbuilding is all mine!

So my question is how to get the most out of a lift inside. The ceiling is around 9 ft. tall and the attic area is enclosed for another 800. sq. ft. of storage. I was thinking a four post lift might work best for me, especially if I can drop down wheels and move it around the shop. Obviously a two post lift would get anchored and I don't want to lose that flexibility.

Can a four post lift be moved with a car on it (with the car being lowered most of the way)? The area in the back might be a good place for the lift but I need to consider getting the car on and off. There is a smaller garage within the building and I could do some interior remodeling.

Any ideas from those who already have killer shops? I want to really do this right! The last couple pics are of the lift I was considering.

[Shoooter]

The place looks great. Cant wait to hear some answers. 

[Cuda Cody]

Yes, I'm pretty sure the 4 post lifts can be moved with a car on it, but it needs to be all the way down to move.  Make sure to get a 4 post lift that does not need compressed air to work.  Some used air to unlock so you have to run air lines to it to function and that makes it hard to move and use it.  I like the Direct Lifts because they only use 110 power to function.

https://directlift.com/product/pro-park-8s/

Also, I'm not sure you're going to get 2 cars on a lift that has 9' ceilings.  That's really low.  But you should be able to get 1 car up high enough to work on.

[70 Challenger Lover]

That Direct lift looks nice. I will look into them further.

I doubt I would ever want to stack cars but I'd sure like to lift one for service or restoration stuff. Getting too old to do this stuff crawling around on my back.

[dodj]

Nice looking garage.  Looks like it was setup more for socializing than anything else. 
I have a direct lift and am very happy with it. It's a two post,  but I would think their 4 posters are of the same quality.

Congrats on moving ahead with your retirement plans.   I'm planning on retiring in 5 months myself.

[1 Wild R/T]

I would suggest pouring a concrete connector between the main slab and the side canopy area... That way you can roll the lift over to the side area if you want to pressure wash the bottom of the car.... Or just want to enjoy a breeze while you tinker ....   Oh, buy the optional bridge jack....

[GrandpaKevin]

Congrats on the new place I have family in eastern Tennessee and will probably be moving there in the next few years.

As far as moving a 4 post lift I have moved my lift a number of times with the car on it.

The lift with car on it actually rolled very easy inside my garage with the finished/smooth concrete floor. I have rolled the lift outside and it was much more difficult to move on the rough finished driveway concrete, I actually gently towed it outside with my UTV.
My lift has the larger metal wheels like these  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7VCCJeTSZA

I've had my budget(cheap) 4 post lift for about 12 years now and it has worked perfectly for light mechanical work and storage, best tool investment I have ever made. if I was buying another lift with a better budget I would look at the Backyard Buddy brand.      https://www.advantagelifts.com/pages/ah-lifts     

[dodj]

....   Oh, buy the optional bridge jack....

Or two if you have the pockets for it.

[GoMangoBoys]

I have the Backyard Buddy.  It checks my #1 requirement with ANY purchase,  Made in the USA.  In fact, right here in Ohio.  Before you panic about the price, actually, talk to someone.  I got a much lower price than what was advertised.  I have been very happy with mine.  It does not bolt to the floor and allegedly CAN be moved with a car on it.   I did not buy the wheel kit for it though as I have no need to move it.  If I do need to a friend of mine DOES have the wheel kit for it.  The other interesting fact is that it is MORE stable with the weight of a car on it.

[71vert340]

 Anyone have experience with the Wildfire Lifts?  They can be picked up in Portland Oregon area.
  https://www.wildfirelifts.com/

Terry

[Rich G.]

Advantage Lift is what I would buy. I have one and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

[70 Challenger Lover]

Thanks for all the input guys and especially the videos. Those wheel kits are exactly what I had in mind. I think whatever lift I go with will need to be a shorter version and I'll just have to be careful not to lift too high indoors. I'm unlikely to ever double stack cars. I just want flexibility in working conditions.

By the way, I decided to move up my plans and retire even earlier. Last day is end of January. We'll bounce back and forth between houses for a year after that while the kid finishes school and plans a out her next move.

I sold off the Vette and sank the money into something more fun: a 69 Coronet RT clone.

The other pic is a side room inside the shop. The previous owner made it his Harley room so I painted all orange, blue and started adding the floor tiles. I plan to make it a tool room / clean room.

The shop was kinda built as a man cave by the first owner. I want to continue that but take an area in the back and drape it off for a small restoration work area.

[captcolour]

I have the Backyard Buddy.  It checks my #1 requirement with ANY purchase,  Made in the USA.  In fact, right here in Ohio.  Before you panic about the price, actually, talk to someone.  I got a much lower price than what was advertised.  I have been very happy with mine.  It does not bolt to the floor and allegedly CAN be moved with a car on it.   I did not buy the wheel kit for it though as I have no need to move it.  If I do need to a friend of mine DOES have the wheel kit for it.  The other interesting fact is that it is MORE stable with the weight of a car on it.

Backyard Buddy is now distributed and manufactured by Advantage Lifts.  I have an Advantage 4-post and highly recommend it.

[Brads70]

Beautiful Coronet/bee ! How long have you owned it?   Lets see some more pictures of it! 

[70 Challenger Lover]

Just got delivered a couple weeks ago to the new shop. There's a handful of things I will be addressing when I have time. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Originally a 318 powered Coronet 500 but cloned into the RT. Strong 440 in it now.