Dargo
Super Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Messages
- 5,981
- Location
- S. IN
- Tractor
- Jinma, Foton, TYM, Belarus, Yanmar, Branson, Montana, Mahindra and maybe some green and orange too.
I've debated between getting a 2 post lift or a 4 post lift for months now and I've decided on getting a 2 post lift. I can still store one of my cars on top and there will be enough clearance to park another under it when I'm not using it. With the 4 post lifts I can't do brake jobs etc. because the car (or tractor) would still be sitting on the tires.
Anyway, here is my confusion; what brand to buy? The majority of the lifts sold i.e. Panther Lifts, Direct Lifts, American Automotive Lifts etc. are all the same Chinese made lifts with different paint or lettering. There are a few companies such as Complete Hydraulics that sell both Chinese and Korean made lifts. Finally, there are still some companies such as Metro Lifts & Equipment Co. that manufacture an all U.S. made lift made from all U.S. made steel and components. Obviously there is a difference in price; all of the lowest price lifts are made in China, the Korean lifts cost a little more, and then the U.S. made lifts cost the most.
I'm fairly confident that all the lifts should be safe up to their rated capacity; I'm looking at 10k lifts. However, I've actually gone to some local shops that have lifts that I looked up and know are Chinese made, and I can see the lift arms have actually bowed. I've looked for weeks on the internet and there does seem to be evidence that U.S. made steel has higher quality standards than Chinese and Korean made steel. The big question is how much more money is it worth to go with a higher quality U.S. made lift?
I plan on having the lift for life and the car that will be stored on the lift costs several times what my tractor costs, so I really do not want to take any chances with it. After weeks of comparing and shopping, I can buy a Korean made lift for about $300 more than a Chinese made lift, and I can buy a U.S. made lift (with all U.S. components) for about $500 more than a Korean made lift.
Now think about it, a Chinese made 10K lift can be bought for as low as $1500. I'm told the dealer cost on that unit is right at $1200. The dealers also have told me that 45% of their cost in the lift is in shipping. That means that it's really a $660 lift in China. The same holds true for the Korean made lift, but you add roughly $300 to the initial price. The U.S. made lift has only about 19% of it's cost in getting the steel and parts shipped to the manufacturer.
I'm not talking about cars or tractors here, only lifts. I'm also talking about storing something extremely expensive up on the lift (partly to keep it from being bumped while on the ground) and I'm going to be under the lift when working on my vehicles and tractors. Is it worth the price to buy U.S. made lifts or would a much less expensive Chinese made lift do? Or, split the difference and buy a Korean made lift? What to do??
Anyway, here is my confusion; what brand to buy? The majority of the lifts sold i.e. Panther Lifts, Direct Lifts, American Automotive Lifts etc. are all the same Chinese made lifts with different paint or lettering. There are a few companies such as Complete Hydraulics that sell both Chinese and Korean made lifts. Finally, there are still some companies such as Metro Lifts & Equipment Co. that manufacture an all U.S. made lift made from all U.S. made steel and components. Obviously there is a difference in price; all of the lowest price lifts are made in China, the Korean lifts cost a little more, and then the U.S. made lifts cost the most.
I'm fairly confident that all the lifts should be safe up to their rated capacity; I'm looking at 10k lifts. However, I've actually gone to some local shops that have lifts that I looked up and know are Chinese made, and I can see the lift arms have actually bowed. I've looked for weeks on the internet and there does seem to be evidence that U.S. made steel has higher quality standards than Chinese and Korean made steel. The big question is how much more money is it worth to go with a higher quality U.S. made lift?
I plan on having the lift for life and the car that will be stored on the lift costs several times what my tractor costs, so I really do not want to take any chances with it. After weeks of comparing and shopping, I can buy a Korean made lift for about $300 more than a Chinese made lift, and I can buy a U.S. made lift (with all U.S. components) for about $500 more than a Korean made lift.
Now think about it, a Chinese made 10K lift can be bought for as low as $1500. I'm told the dealer cost on that unit is right at $1200. The dealers also have told me that 45% of their cost in the lift is in shipping. That means that it's really a $660 lift in China. The same holds true for the Korean made lift, but you add roughly $300 to the initial price. The U.S. made lift has only about 19% of it's cost in getting the steel and parts shipped to the manufacturer.
I'm not talking about cars or tractors here, only lifts. I'm also talking about storing something extremely expensive up on the lift (partly to keep it from being bumped while on the ground) and I'm going to be under the lift when working on my vehicles and tractors. Is it worth the price to buy U.S. made lifts or would a much less expensive Chinese made lift do? Or, split the difference and buy a Korean made lift? What to do??
I thought for a while that I wanted a 4 post lift (that can be moved if need be) with 2 jack trays and 2 jacks. That way I can have all 4 tires off of the ramps and still have a 4 post lift. For the size I need, take the price of a 4 post lift and add about $1500 to it. 