4 post lift - Sized to garage

[rmorit01]

I have been reviewing 4 post lift threads. I am looking for feedback in terms of width of a lift for a garage width of 21 feet.

I have narrowed down the lifts I am interested in and I have done a layout of the garage. Garage has one stall that is 24 feet and the other, due to the stairs at 20 feet. The picture below represents four lifts I have been looking at. The lift will be used mostly for storage with a BMW Z3M Coupe sitting on it. Largest vehicle I would lift is a Toyota FJ Cruiser which is under 5K lbs.

The total outside width (base plates) of the 4 post lifts (all ALI certified)

1. 121" total - between posts 109" - 9K lift
2. 110" total - between posts - 100" - 7K lift
3. 104" total - between posts - 93.5" - 8K lift and two are this size the high lift version is the extended length - 8K
4. Another option, which I didn't bother to size is a 100" total - between posts 90.5" - 7K lift.

Largest width of a vehicle parked under the ramp would be 78". So about 6" on either side when pulling in between columns on the skinniest lift.

I've searched threads and I see more comments for people with limited space that they "went" with a smaller lift vs. thinking they "might" need a larger lift. Is the 110" wide lift the sweet spot or would the 3" per side on the 104" be a better compromise for my space?

Thanks - Bob





The

 

[craftsman creep]

Are talking about one like these because you can’t do much on one of these.
-Preston

 

[u2slow]

Are talking about one like these because you can’t do much on one of these.
-Preston

I picked up one of these cheap. Sat on it for a year... then realized on setup that it's footprint was too big and didn't lift high enough. It eliminated a having a 2nd vehicle from my shop.

Got rid of that in favour or a 2-post.

 

[craftsman creep]

I picked up one of these cheap. Sat on it for a year... then realized on setup that it's footprint was too big and didn't lift high enough. It eliminated a having a 2nd vehicle from my shop.

Got rid of that in favour or a 2-post.

Yeah that’s why I am asking if that’s what he wanted because I was going to recommend a two post lift like this

 

[Spud McGee]

How close are you planning on putting this lift next to your wall? Put it right up against the wall and you'll have a hard time walking or working around it.

I have seen some garages where the person put their lift posts basically touching the wall. If you do that, you better have a lot of windows on that wall so you can stand outside and reach through if you ever need to do any work on that side of the car.

As far as front to back is concerned, based on my experience with a small shop, 20tf is just barely enough room to park and car and do any sort of work under the hood on a mid size car. On some longer cars like from the 60s and 70s, thats not enough room to work on the car. I can barely shimmy past the bumper to walk around some of them.

And your 6" of room is a very small target to hit perfectly every time you pull in. I would not cut it that close. That will get expensive.

 

[racecougar]

I'd steer toward the largest offering you're able to fit in your space. As Spud said above, trying to thread the needle between posts can be a pain with the narrower lifts.

 

[P0234]

It all depends on your cars. If parking the FJ under it, you probably will need the high lift version as my CRV is a tight fit under my regular lift 4 post. I was in your shoes a while ago and what really helped push me over the edge was going out to the garage and using blue painters tape to "draw" the two lifts I was in between.

 

[Restomod68]

I was in a similar situation, 3 car garage with (1) 2-car stall and (1) single car stall with no wall separating the stalls. The single stall dimension is 200" L/160"W/215"H. I had the dilemma of deciding between smaller and having more room vs larger with more lifting compacity. I ended up with the larger 9K lift that's 185" in length and glad I went that route.

 

[kbuhagiar]

I was in a similar situation, 3 car garage with (1) 2-car stall and (1) single car stall with no wall separating the stalls. The single stall dimension is 200" L/160"W/215"H. I had the dilemma of deciding between smaller and having more room vs larger with more lifting compacity. I ended up with the larger 9K lift that's 185" in length and glad I went that route.

This is EXACTLY the situation I was faced with when contemplating the purchase of my Direct-Lift Pro-Park 8; I was concerned it would be a tight squeeze with the taller & longer version. After many measurements I pulled the trigger on the larger version and I've never looked back.

One thing that really helped in my situation was the addition of a 90 degree bracket mount for the hydraulic pump. This flops the pump inboard within the perimeter formed by the posts, and saves around 12" that otherwise would be sticking out at face level at one of the columns.

 

[Relax]

That's a double garage door? I'd be placing the lift in the center of the garage, or at least get it with the casters to allow you to roll it over when you want to use it. I have mine permanently in one bay because I have individual doors, and as people have mentioned, it is a pain to work on the side close to the wall.

 

[Relax]

I'd also put the lift in the longer bay if it will be permanent. Otherwise you may be installing and removing the ramps every time you load/unload the lift to close the garage door (depends on the ramp length, especially the long ones for low cars).

 

[finn]

Another suggestion is to get the lightest lift you can find. There’s going to be a cadre of members telling you to get the largest Mohawk you cand find, which drives you to massive posts that take away valuable footprint space in a small garage. A 6000 or 10000 lb lift will take up the least space, all things considered.