At 04:02 PM 4/27/98 -0400, Peter Schauss x 2014 wrote:
>
>I am giving some thought to buying one of those car lifts that
>I have seen advertised in Hemmings. I am leaning toward one of
>those four post, free standing units where you drive onto a set
>of ramps.
=======
Hi Peter,
I got a four post lift about a year and a half ago. What follows were my
criteria and experiences. This post originally went to the Lotus Cars
List last fall.
I have noticed some additional companies in Hemmings since I bought mine,
so check 'em out. Many of the companies go top the larger car shows such
as the ones at Carlise PA if you feel you need to see one "in the flesh".
Additionally it seems the prices have come down 10% or so since my purchase.
Atwell Haines
'79 Triumph Spitfire
'88 Mustang 5.0
'88 Lotus Esprit
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>
>Hi Everybody,
>
>Several folks have asked for more details on my 4-post parking lift
>purchase. Since there are two people that don't know, for every one
>that asks, here is my story: (Drum roll, please)
>
>In '93 we built an additional garage to house my expanding fleet of cars
>(sadly, only one Lotus so far). I built my dream garage to be oversize
>(16' X 25', and that turned out too small, of course), and also planned
>to accommodate a lift for a second car. After some preliminary
>investigation of some lifts I specified a 12' ceiling, enough for two
>minivans stacked up.
>
>I found five companies in Hemmings and Autoweek that sold lifts. Got
>specs, prices, sizes, and references from them all.
>Visited several owners (all of whom loved the brand they had bought) and
>got opinions of the optional extras, setup procedures, and reliability
>and quality of the units. One company even sends a video that shows how
>the thing works.
>
>Since this is not a novel, I'll give you what I believe is the bottom
>line right up front: All the lifts seemed to be of similar quality and
>capacity. Shop for whoever is giving the best price at the time you
>buy. My comparisons are below:
>
> - Guarantees. they vary, but all use the same hydraulics basically, no
>owners had any problems.
> - Ramps: most were diamond-plate; the one that wasn't was flat steel.
>(flat steel is easier to clean but can be slippery)
> - Finish: most were powder coated, one was just painted. More of a
>consideration if you want to put the lift outside. All the customer's
>lifts I saw had held up well. (One was 5 yrs old.)
> - Power: All are available in 110vac, 60 hz. Some can be had with 220V
>(and those operate faster). Some even can use a battery cart for power.
> The one battery setup I saw had a detachable cart/charger that you wheel
>over to the lift. Hook up the hydraulic line, and you're ready to go.
>Drawback: you lose a drop of fluid each time the hose is disconnected.
>(But Brit car owners are used to leaks, no?) Owner said the battery had
>lasted 3 years with no problem.
> - Pump position: Except for the battery cart models, the hydraulic pump
>mounts on one of the posts. It sticks out about a foot, so if the
>garage is tight, this could be a hindrance. Some brands restrict which
>post the pump can go on. ( I ended up putting the pump on a different
>post than I originally intended, so it pays to have flexibility.)
> - Lift Locks: Operation varies by manufacturer & model. The cheapies
>used pins (one for each post, ugh) some used cable releases, others used
>rods and pivots.
> - Floor loadings: All the lifts weighed from 1000 to 1300 pounds, and
>all had large "feet" that were 3 times as big as a tire contact patch, so
>no floor reinforcement was necessary. Unlike 2-post lifts that can
>become unbalanced, 4-posters don't need to be bolted to the floor,
>although all were designed so they could be secured if desired.
> - Capacities: the most common is around 6000 lbs. All were tested to
>some kind of rating that was a 20,000 lb standard. Since the hydraulics
>are only used for the lifting operation, they can't fall.
> - OPTIONS - these can vary widely in price, and sometimes can be thrown
>in as incentives, so shop for the package you want...
> 1. jack bridge: a strong beam that holds a bottle jack or stand, to
>use when the tires are off the car. Some have wheels to roll along the
>ramps, others just slide. I ordered two.
> 2. drip shield: something to prevent the car on top from leaking on the
>car below. I was advised to use good ol' plywood, and (glory be!) my
>unit came crated in it, which I cut to size. I love freebies.
> 3. drain pan: a galvanized metal pan about 2 feet long used to hold
>back liquid when changing oil, spraying penetrating oil, etc. Good
>investment. Also good if the upper car has a regular drippy area.
> 4. Extra height. My lift came in options of 5" or 10" higher models.
>That's the one thing I wish I had gotten, as the extra height allows the
>bottom car to open a hood or trunk, or not scrape their antenna when
>pulling in. Also allows folks to walk underneath without stooping. Note:
>fixed-mast antennas can poke a hole in sheetrock when raised, watch out.
>:(
>5. length. Most manufacturers have optional ramp lengths for those with
>short garages and cars, or those with stretch limos or TWO Minis to store
>on top! Just ask the manufacturers if you have a special need.
>6. Casters...allow the whole car & lift to be rolled around. I don't
>need them, but my brand's are trick -- as the lift is lowered, the
>casters are automatically levered out of the way. No need to attach every
>time.
> - Delivery: Some include this cost, others charge extra. Usually
>freight cost is included to the trucking terminal only, not to your door.
> Shipping weight is nearly a ton , so unless you have a hoist or
>forklift at home, pick it up from the terminal. I got some helpers to
>unpack it and load it into a pickup and a trailer to get it to my house.
> - Assembly: Took me and one friend two 3 hour sessions to set it up.
>Hardest part on mine was adjusting the lock mechanisms to actuate
>simultaneously. One brand (Backyard Buddy) is sensitive to parallelism
>of the posts, but is OK once adjusted.
>
>QUESTIONS I've received so far:
>
>1. Can you work on the car easily enough?
>
>VERY easy. I should have bought one YEARS ago.
>
> Its a little hard to jack up the car when its raised ON the lift (such
>as for doing a steering rack with the wheels off). My two jack bridges
>are made to hold bottle jacks, but the bottle jacks I have don't have
>enough travel to raise the wheels (unless you position them under the
>control arms). Scissors jacks work OK if they have enough travel.
>
>> Do the
>>posts get in the way, for instance?
>Never had a problem with that. Posts come standard at 7 ft wide (same as
>a single garage door opening) with wider options available if you have a
>concern.
>
> >Or is it more for parking, with
>>the
>>other space used for wrenching?
>
>Its main purpose is for parking. Two-post lifts are better for wrenching,
>and are cheaper, but they lift the undercarriage and must be secured to
>the floor. BTW, if all you want is to work under the car, some of the
>manufacturers sell a smaller unit that lifts a car a couple feet. Less
>money too as I remember.
>
>>I have thought to buy an old electric lift at
>>auction of a defunct auto repair garage and cut it down to size.
>
>I had asked some local repair shops about their units. They said the
>older units are prone to breakdown. (These are 2-post commercial units of
>course that have seen heavy use.)
>
>My lift came from:
>
>Stinger Inc, Kansas, 1-800-854-4850. CEO's name is Dave Fitzgerald,
>he is a really nice guy. On a couple occasions he & I talked cars for
>long periods of time (on his nickel, too).
>
>Other manufacturers I looked at:
>
>Eagle Lifts, 1-800-336-2776
>
>Backyard Buddy, Ohio.1-800-837-9353.
>
>M.I. Steel Inc (formerly Parking Solutions,Inc.), CA, 1-800-337-5438
>
>Autolifters, Inc , 1-800-759-0703
>
>Oh yeah, what did I pay? about $2800 US (August '96), for an 110v model,
>standard height and width, including shipping, 2 jack bridges, and a
>drain pan. Hint: the factories go to the larger car shows to display
>their wares, and sometimes offer "show specials". Negotiate!
>
>
>Atwell (Buff) Haines
>'88 Esprit
>
>Succasunna, NJ USA
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