Garage Vehicle lift

[Diamondpilot]

I'm still kicking my self in the behind for not building my garage taller. I had never really looked at lifts or knew what they cost. I figured the were big money, but they are affordable. My ceiling height is about 8.5 feet, so I'm limited to a scissors type hoist.

I say the same thing about my 52x44 pole barn. Its only 12' high with a full 12' tall door and 2 standard garage doors but I hate the 12' height. I can not get a camper, my boat, my uncles Case BH, ect in it.

Should have went 14' like everyone said.

At 14' you will fit anything that goes down the road.

Chris

 

[bironacad]

I say the same thing about my 52x44 pole barn. Its only 12' high with a full 12' tall door and 2 standard garage doors but I hate the 12' height. I can not get a camper, my boat, my uncles Case BH, ect in it.

Should have went 14' like everyone said.

At 14' you will fit anything that goes down the road.

Chris

Hind sight, you are not alone with the choices you would make after you have made your choices

I was wondering how stable the two post lifts are for heavy pick up trucks?

 

[Bigkrank]

I was wondering how stable the two post lifts are for heavy pick up trucks?

I have a 10,000# asymmetrical 2 post lift. Use it on crew cab diesel pickups. Don't see a problem, just make sure it's asymmetrical and/or extra width so you can open door to get out of truck.

 

[bironacad]

I have a 10,000# asymmetrical 2 post lift. Use it on crew cab diesel pickups. Don't see a problem, just make sure it's asymmetrical and/or extra width so you can open door to get out of truck.

just spoke to a mechanic and he thinks the four post is the way to go?

 

[Bigkrank]

just spoke to a mechanic and he thinks the four post is the way to go?

I also have a 4-post, depends what you are doing. Make sure you get one that a full size truck fits and you can still remove the wheels or its worthless.

Wouldn't be without either one. Also have an ATV/motorcycle lift.

 

[mark1]

Yeh well the wife offered to stock the ref.but hey it's snowing. Hey jonamon: turn on your pvt.msessages. Hi .As you know by now.Wife's are not trainable. but keep trying!
I'm on Vroom Rd. between Colby and Chambers.

 

[yanmars]

Not to hijack this site. My sidewalls are only 12feet but the rafters are 9 feet on center. Would a lift fit between the 9 foot centers? It is 40 feet wide with a brace down the center, a Cleary building.

 

[dstig1]

Find a lift you want to buy online, and read the spec drawings. Look up a few of them and you should have an idea of what is common. You will still be running a risk if you are buying used, unless you can measure it in place, but buying new you should just be able to pull the dimension from the specs.

 

[tulenutn2o]

I have had my assemetrical 2 post for about 4 yrs now. 10k capacity. Love it! But I would also like a 4 poster for the quick tasks of oil changes. They go so fast now that I don't crawl around on ground.:laughing: Anyway, as far as stability, I always use tripod stands at both ends when doing real work on big vehicles, makes everything more stable. No jiggling and no worries. I paid $2300 on a special promotion.

 

[Strangerover]

Hi. Great discussion. I feel that if it is a drive-on 4 post lift, then it should have two sliding/rolling jacks between the drive-on ramps. Many lifts offer one jack, if any, typically a scissor-style or rubber air spring design, but a second one is a pricey option that many opt to go without. You really want to be able to jack the whole vehicle in the air (to send out the tires, for example). A drive-on lift is fast for point-and-shoot driving on, and is arguably the best for truck oil changes. It can be a little more cramped under there because you have to work in the space between the relatively wide ramps. If you're working solely on big trucks, you can make a strong argument for this lift type. The DOWNSIDES to this type of lift are: (1) It takes up way more space in the bay and has a huge footprint. If you have a huge building, it's a non-issue, but if it's cramped as it is, consider that. (2) A drive-on lift has long, hinged ramps that protrude from the rear of the main ramps on the lift. These hinged ramps allow the vehicle to drive up and onto the steel main ramps. The ones I've seen/heard make a loud banging noise every time a vehicle drives on/off. Worse, when the lift is up, these ramps swing downward and can block the space below the lift enough that a second vehicle cannot easily be parked under the raised vehicle. If the bay that's getting the lift doubles as an everyday parking space, it's worth thinking about the jolt up and down as the car goes on and off.
Personally, I have a 30' bay w/a 12' 6" ceiling and an Overhead garage door that hugs the ceiling as tightly as possible (to clear a raised vehicle). I have a Rotary asymmetrical 10,000 lb 2 post lift. I paid about $6 grand, including installation and wiring (didn't have to lift a finger, you should really let a pro do it; It's so worth it). It sits on a 6" floor. They say 4" is minimum. I don't know if I could trust it on just 4", though. What I really like about my setup is that the 2 post takes up minimal space, raised or lowered. I use the bay with my lift as my daily parking space, when possible, and I like just driving in and out with cars OR motorcycles. You can also "stack" 2 cars easily with a 2-post, since there are no ramps dangling. I know there are 4 post lifts made for vehicle storage, as well. This often makes my 3 bay garage into a 4-car garage. My 2-post will lift a crew cab, but it starts to feel like it's at it's limits and if I was working on mostly trucks, I would definitely go for something bigger. They make bigger 2-post lifts. Dodge/Freightliner/MB Sprinter vans require a trick setup with long-reach arms.
Hope this was helpful.