Garage Vehicle lift

[mark1]

Yep.Lots of great info here about lifts.My garage is big enough that it dosen't hinder my work space. the aproach ramps on my 4 post, lift off after I drive on and I install a plate similar to the stops that are on the front of the lift. It just takes a few seconds to make the change, so no ramps are hanging down to get into trouble. I did only buy one rolling/sliding jack when I bought the lift, and another would make life even easier as now I have to use it to raise one end. Add a couple jack stands then move it to the other end to raise that end.They are expensive $600.00+ and I'm keeping my eyes open for another.Maybe I'll get the wife one for her birthday??I'm sure she will let me use it till she needs it???

 

[mark1]

Just wondering if anyone has or used the "air/spring" design of jack for a bridge jack?I just saw a couple and they seem a bit cheaper than the sissor jack type?

 

[Strangerover]

Just wondering if anyone has or used the "air/spring" design of jack for a bridge jack?I just saw a couple and they seem a bit cheaper than the scissor jack type?

I spent 3 years at a Land Rover dealer in CT and used both types. The air spring design works ok (I agree that it looks sketchy the 1st time you see it). We had Stenhoj lifts from Denmark. Good stuff, but tricky to get parts sometimes. Stay away from no-name, Chinese lifts if you can afford to. Seems like this is one product that you want to be 1st rate. Get a well established brand from an company that has something to lose if they got sued for selling junk and someone gets killed.

 

[wirenut]

Video of 2 post lift test. Watch before buying

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLUjq6ijvVc]Testing And Complete Failure of a 10,000 lb. Two Post Lift - YouTube[/ame]

 

[chopped]

SO, they really arent held to standards by the govt?This lift looks similiar to mine except mine had steel across the top of it. I would definetly not want a heavy vehicle on mine.

 

[dodge man]

That just shows me if you try hard enough, you can break anything.

 

[Strangerover]

SO, they really aren't held to standards by the govt?

And would that be the always-here-to-help U.S. Govt or Red China's that you're referring to? You really should take a "caveat emptor" approach when it comes to products that can kill you just because of a shizzit design or some Chi-com welder was off his/her game (or out of argon) that day. That lift in this (very good) video is a pretty sketchy looking design. It may not be apparent to someone who hasn't spent much time around lifts (and let's face it: not many really do), but that thing, and many I see in the tool flyers and on the 'net, just looks like junk all day. You can buy a cheap Chinese bench grinder, hose reel, parts wash tank, creeper, and even a floor jack. Do not go cheap on the lift, gentlemen. It's not worth it. The price difference isn't even that much (what...$2-3k?)and it isn't worth your life. Besides factoring life/limb, you can't exactly make a claim on your homeowner's policy that a vehicle has fallen off a lift and damage happened. The vehicle's insurer isn't going to want to touch it, either. You try to sue that lift maker and you, or your survivors, will get a lawyer's office in the Cayman Islands as the corporate address. If you can't afford a good, new lift right now, wait until you can, or maybe try to locate a fresh, used one from a closed business and pay a pro to move it. Mechanical contractors that install these things every day know where they are. They do wear out, however. There are typically plastic "shoes" that slide up and down the inside of the columns and bear the twisting forces. They can wear out, cables can get ratty, and I was very surprised to learn just how many of these things are mounted outdoors in warmer states. As w/any steel product, watch for rust, esp near the mounting base where "hosing off the floor" takes it's toll. Watching a pro set up a new lift is a thing of beauty. They come in, measure 10 times, ask the right questions, snap some chalk lines, unpack, assemble, drill holes in the concrete, anchor it down, bleed hydraulics, test/adjust, and you're good to go. Bleep happens, friends, no matter what. Getting a garbage piece of critical equipment is asking for it.

 

[dstig1]

There is an industry standard for lifts ALI (Automotive Lift Institute, I think) that is voluntary. You will find the big names are all members (Rotary, Bend-pak, Challenger, Manitowoc, etc) but of course you pay big time for that. To my knowledge there are no government standards on them, somewhat surprisingly. Here ya go:
Automotive Lift Institute: Auto Lift, Vehicle and Garage Car Lifts

A few years back when I was thinking about getting a lift, I was checking out an online vendor of Chinese lifts, and asked him a question about standards his stuff met. He said their lifts met some UL std, so I looked it up. It was a simple electrical standard for hydraulic pumps (big deal). When I called him on that, he got pretty squirrely and said that ALI is an insider organization that he wanted no part of etc. He seemed shady and later went out of business with a lot of complaints of stolen deposits, defective equipment etc. When it comes to these lifts that are not the high-end ones, you will find you are really on your own. There may be some ASTM or ANSI standard nowadays, as I have seen them getting into all kinds of equipment standards, but it may or may not be anything significant about the structure of the lift. You would need to look it up to see for yourself, if you run across one.

FWIW

 

[Strangerover]

By the way, you will never know how many friends you have until you get a lift at your house. It's shocking. I predict it's only a matter of time before local zoning ordinances start banning them in residential installations everywhere (out of jealousy, alone), but until they do, a hobby lift is a time and money machine. Unless you refuse side work, it'll pay for itself in no time...w/o even trying hard. Cash, barter, favors...it's amazing. If not, then it'll pay off if/when you sell the joint. It's still cool, to me, watching guys come over and they see the lift and their jaw drops as if it's a $100,000 piece of gear. Nobody regrets getting a lift. Tens of thousands, however, eventually regret not building that garage ceiling "just a little higher". Just don't piss off the neighbors with air tool noise or cars cued up all over your driveway. Store and get rid of Hazmat properly, too. If there is a downside, I'd say it's the stuff you realize you must have, once you have the lift. You'll want, er, need a roll-around telescoping oil drain bucket($100), a couple screw jacks($200), a compressor w/a reel($500), a decent work bench($?), a decent shop press($500), a parts washer tank($300), welder, acetylene torches, at least 3 good fire extinguishers, and that's all just to get sort-of self-reliant. Nudie calenders are still optional, if you can find them. That's where my Mrs. draws the line.

 

[chopped]

This is the lift I have I was led to believe it was built in Texas, So assume it isnt a chineze lift. But it looks very siiliar to the one in the video.Although mine had the top support between the columbs. After looking at theri web site, I cant find too uch like there is any type of certifications for it other than they discuss safety, and never seem to mention any results from stress testings.
The largest vehicle i had on it was a venture van and that weighs in at 3760.thats a great deal below the weights they exerted on the test.Or a 92 pickup at 4633