mcguirja

I'm in the process of putting an addition on my garage giving me about 1,100 square feet of floor space in total. Part of the space will include a 20x25 area with a 14' ceiling. I'd like to install a car lift, primarily for starting to do some modifications, light maintenance, oil changes, changing winter to summer tires, etc. I'm winterizing the space as well as water proofing it so I will be able to clean my cars inside in the winter.

There are a number of options I'm looking at and looking for some thoughts on how to best balance my objectives. I've pretty much ruled out a 4 post lift as I don't believe it would work for changing tires, and I have enough room that I don't need to park a car on top of a car for efficiency.

That leaves me with 2 post lifts, either permanently installed, or a specialty lift that can be stored when not in use. Currently I have a variety of vehicles of different sizes, but nothing over 6,000 lbs. (S Class, SL63, CLA 45, GLK 350)

I kind of like the idea of a unit that could be stored away, but don't want to compromise the performance of the unit. Downside of the permanent is whether the posts would be in the way when I'm washing cars, although I've seen a number of lifts that have a lot of space between the posts so may not be an issue.

Here is a picture of the specialty lift I'm considering, followed by the two post lift.

http://www.dannmar.com/dannmar-produ...det-6000xl.asp

http://www.dannmar.com/dannmar-produ...dier-10ACX.asp

There are also some lighter duty 2 posts lifts on the same site. Thanks in advance for sharing any thoughts of suggestions you have of lifts you think would work for my needs.

James

kittyandgary

I built a 25 X 35, 10.5' ceiling hobby garage about 6 years ago. Put in a lift similar to the Danmar asymmetric 2 post (the top 12" is extended into the attic of the garage). I've used it SO many times I can't count them. It is wonderful - even for waxing/detailing the car (I'm in the 70's, and the old back gets quite painful from bending over a lot for car stuff). I don't know how I lived without it (I maintain our 4-6 cars, depending on what is in the household).

mcguirja

How much width do you have between the two posts on your lift and do you find it gives you ample room for you're detailing?

coldwell

How about a two post in ground rack , much better but a bit harder to install. You never have to worry about opening doors.

ttboost

I also finally built my "hobby shop" a couple of years ago. 45'x45'...oversize 3 bay, double deep, attached to the house. I put this lift in the back of my middle bay. It is "inexpensive", but to say I use it at least once a week would be an understatement. BEST tool I have. I can put a car on this lift and open all the doors and get in and out easily. While not an option for everyone, being in New England, I drove to NH to pick it up at the "warehouse" on an open car trailer. They put in on the trailer with a forklift, I removed at my house with my shop crane. 2 of us set it up in a day.


http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/At...IDE-EXTRA-TALL


The back story, I was putting radiant heat in the floor and needed to commit to a lift, because of where I was running my tubing, as the lift footprints are all different. I have 14'-4" ceilings, so I wanted the biggest and widest lift I could get for $2000.


The second lift you list is very comparable except it is $1000 more. Probably better quality than mine, but I only had $2k to budget?

kittyandgary

James,

The lift I installed is a QUALITY brand. I had a friend in the automobile dealership supply business, and he highly recommended this for my purposes. All of the steel for it was made in Korea, and all the electrical/hydraulic components were US manufactured. He'd sold six or eight of these to the local Hyundai dealer about 3 years earlier, and I talked with their mechanics before purchase. They were very pleased with them, and as stated earlier, they use them more in those three years than I will in my lifetime (though I do use it quite a bit, maintaining our cars over the past 6 years).

I have 112 inches between the posts. Each post has a rubber 'bumper' on it to prevent a door from contacting the steel post. The asymmetric lifts are really nice in that the post is just slightly behind the door mirrors when the car is in lifting position. That allows the door to be opened quite widely when the car is in position.

Good luck in your quest. I'll bet you too will wonder how you got by without it!

mcguirja

Sounds like you have a great setup! The lift you purchased does look very similar, I'm not sure a higher price in this case means better quality. I'm seeing a big range in prices for lifts with very similar specs, which is why I was looking to get feedback from members with some experience. Shipping is definitely another consideration, as shipping list price for the unit I'm looking at is $3,000 - yes more than the unit itself!

Trying to find something more local but not lots of success yet.

Thanks for your response, much appreciated. Knowing it works well adds it to my consideration set.

James

mcguirja

Thanks again Gary. The more I look the more I'm leaning to the permanent installation. Knowing you can work comfortably with the 112" width is helpful, as my concern was the amount of versatility with the approach. I am a proponent of the buy quality, cry once philosophy and still trying to ascertain the price/quality aspect of the multitude of lifts on the market. Thanks also for the tip on the Asymmetric lift, I wouldn't have understood the difference without you highlighting it.

I'm looking forward to getting finished. Just finished pouring the footing with foundation by the end of the week. It's made quite the mess of my yard, as you can imagine, at the moment I am my neighbours favourite neighbour! To make it worse I don't have anywhere to park the SL so it's staying in storage until I get things a lot more organized. Warmer weather and no SL - going through withdrawals.

mcguirja

Would this be similar to the Maxjack on the same site as I posted above, or is there a different type you could reference for me?

Dr Matt

Another option might be this portable single post from Greg Smith Equipment.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Ma...ngle-Post-Lift

ttboost

I sort of feel like this is in response to Gary's post #6. I wasn't trying to insinuate that anyone else's lift is inferior or not cost effective. I was merely pointing out what my criteria was and what my solution was. Greg Smith is by no means the end all of quality, and I think I mentioned that. I believe you get what you pay for. If I ever sell my house, (and likely I will move 1 more time in my life ) the lift is staying. If I paid $5k, $4k,even $3k for it, I would consider taking it with me. I am certainly not trying to "sell' it. I was just posting my experience with what I thought was a cost effective solution for the home hobbyist. There are certainly more expensive and higher quality lifts on the market. I knew people that own and use this lift regularly, so I have enough confidence to stand under it. I use my lift probably once a week. Gary, if I'm off, no worries..It's all good.

kittyandgary

ttboost,

OOOPS - I think the 'brand name' of the lift I installed was confusing. I wasn't saying it is a 'quality' lift, I was stating that QUALITY is the brand name for the lift!!

www.qualitylift.com

I guess I wasn't specific enough, and it got mis-interpreted. It is model Q10 on their web site. I think I paid $3k plus installation. My friend might have given me a small break, but I'm not sure, as I knew his business was struggling in 2008.

mcguirja

Thanks Dr Matt, I hadn't seen this one on their site. Looks quite versatile and easy to move out of the way when not in use. The 6,000 lb capacity would be the lower limit of what I'm looking for. I'd say at this point it would be between this one and the model ttboost suggested.

Still trying to find a local lift supplier but not having much luck at this point. Shipping to Canada seems to be fairly pricey so continuing to look around. I liked one of the original ones I had seen but with shipping cost more than the unit it didn't make much sense.

James

Dr Matt

I almost bought one from a shop going out of business due to loosing their lease, but didn't jump on it quick and it was gone. Was a 9,000# 2 post lift for $2,500. A bargain when comparing the cost of a new lift plus shipping to Alaska. Greg Smith also has a nice 7,000# full rise scissor lift that would be nice in a home garage:

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/At...e-Scissor-Lift

ttboost

Ahhh...easily misunderstood...again, it's all good.



To the OP. Scour your local Craigslist ads and local shops. As was said, many shops go out of business or upgrade and sell equipment. I had an opportunity for just this. A local Chevy dealer closed its doors. I could have gotten a 2 post lift for $100, all I had to do was take it apart and remove it myself. Unfortunately it was at a time that I was moving and had no where to put it. Timing is everything. Good Luck in your search.

Redbax

Bit late to the party but,

I got my 2 post lift from alphatek equipment, it was a bit cheaper than others that i looked at but its just as good quality and it does exactly what it is meant to.

http://alphatekequipment.co.uk/

mcguirja

The garage addition ended up taking much longer than planned so I haven't gotten to the lift as of yet. I have been using the space all winter though, so have been able to get a good feel for how much room I have to work with and how best to lay it out. You'd think with 1,000 square feet to work with it would be easy, but it is actually tighter than I expected.

With that said I have moved my sights to a 4 post combo. Anyone have experience with one? Unfortunately I'm trying to balance both aesthetics and usability.

Still some work to do, but good progress from the last time I posted. Here are some recent pics. I am thinking of placing the lift where I have the SL parked under the cover and I have the cabinets ready to install on the opposite wall. Edit - not sure why 2 pictures are upside down, but not going to fix it.

photonut

i have had this lift for 6 years.
works perfectly.
http://backyardbuddy.com/car-lifts-7...nd-4-post.html

Alanweis

Here also can find the best car lifts...
http://www.autoequipmentdepot.com/lifts.html

mcguirja

Many thanks for all the suggestions from members on different types of lifts. I did a bit of an about face and ended up going with a 4 post lift with a specialty unit combined. After looking around a lot I was able to find one locally and had it installed. It ended up fitting well into the space and I'm finding it pretty useful, especially for winter/summer wheel changes. Here are a few pictures showing how it turned out.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions and advice.

James