Garage Vehicle lift

[bucktaker]

My wifes cousin had his chevy truck on his lift, Removed the rear driveshaft, truck rolled back, fell off the lift partially through the open garage door. Tim had is head trapped under the vehicle between the lift and truck. rescue couldnt lift the truck because it was in the door. He came away with minor injuries, moral is be careful

Man trapped under truck near Tipp City | www.whiotv.com

 

[timswi]

My wifes cousin had his chevy truck on his lift, Removed the rear driveshaft, truck rolled back, fell off the lift partially through the open garage door. Tim had is head trapped under the vehicle between the lift and truck. rescue couldnt lift the truck because it was in the door. He came away with minor injuries, moral is be careful

Man trapped under truck near Tipp City | www.whiotv.com

I'm trying to figure out what the driveshaft had to do with the truck falling?....

Is there a reason the truck slipped of the lift?

 

[bucktaker]

no parking brake was set. removal of driveshaft allowed it to roll off the lift. I wasnt there so for more details ask tim

 

[timswi]

no parking brake was set. removal of driveshaft allowed it to roll off the lift. I wasnt there so for more details ask tim

This was a ramp type then...I'm with you.

 

[Mace Canute]

The ramps should be hinged to provide a positive stop when the hoist is raised and if no ramps at the other end, a positive stop should be built in. Sounds like somebody farkled that hoist and bypassed that safety feature.

 

[two_bit_score]

They both have their place. Depends what you want to do with it.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The stability of driving on the lift far out weights having it hanging in the air on four little pads that the vehicle might slip off of. Do a search for cars falling off hoists and you will find lots that have fallen off the two post lifts. The only time they could fall off a drive on ramp (scissors lift) is if the driver missed the ramp totally when driving on initially...and that's not really falling off!

I get the feeling those who argue against a scissors lift have never seen one used, let alone used one themselves. A vehicle on them is extremely stable, a not inconsequential attribute, and you never have to worry about getting a pad in the exact correct lift point. That's not an inconsequential point either.

The shop we buy our tires from has a scissor lift they use but their lift has additional hydraulics. The lift brings the car up to a easy working height then they have hydraulics between the ramps that lift the vehicle off the ramps. I never have paid attention to how it worked but I remember watching my truck lift into the air then seeing the rear wheels lift off the ramp before they pulled all 4 to replace.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Or you could do it like this. Was at my neighbors and snapped a picture of them changing oil and doing the yearly on one of his RZR's

 

[hcallaway]

The four post lifts are great for changing fluids etc. If you purchase the jack that rolls down the center, it makes it an even better lift. There is a pan that goes across the two side to allow you to use a bottle jack to lift the car off its tires. Four post is the only lift recommended for long term storage of a car or truck. System is pretty fail safe when it is locked in place with a load. Locked being the lift not being installed in the concrete. Lots of options when you can move it around as needed. Tends not to happen very often.

Two post lifts can fit in many garages under 12'. My ceiling is a 12' with the pad is is more like 11'8". Put the posts between the rafters. The safety switch will not allow the top of the car or truck to reach the rafters. You can also lower the safety cable if needed. They also make lifts designed for much lower ceilings, depending on what you want to do with the lift they should work fine. The two post offers much more access. I still have (fears) of really trusting a heavy truck up in the air, but that is me not the way they are designed to work. Straps were for when I did a one man install to keep it from falling on my head!

 

[2458n]

I built my first car trailer where you could not open the doors after it was loaded. Simple but very important point with the lifts. The ,"Dukes of Hazard " crawl in the window thing gets harder with age.