Four Post Lift - Parking Large Trucks Underneath

[bob_the_builder]

I have been thinking about getting some type of lift for may somewhat extra deep two garage. (I have pictures of my garage build, link in my sig.) My wife parks on the small side and I park and work on the other side. The working area is around 14.5 ft wide by 33 ft deep (includes work bench and tool box). I keep going back and forth between scissor lifts, two post and four post. The lift would be used for car detailing and general maintenance such as brakes, oil changes, ball joints, winter tires, fuel lines, brake lines and whatever else happens to need repair. 75% of the vehicles I work on are Chevy trucks (1500 and 3500), tahoes but I do work on small SUVs and the odd camaro. Our family fleet is basically a GM showroom.

I really do not want to go with a two post since my ceilings are only 125" and my only option would be something like a BendPak XPR9 or equivalent. I always park in the garage so I am afraid I am going to get sick of always having to worry about hitting the posts with my doors when I get in and out for work.

I have also been thinking about a scissor lift but since most of them are only rated for 6,000 lbs I think that is a little low since I am going to mainly use it on trucks. I did find the Hofmann / John Bean 9K double scissor lift (S0ET9000) so that is on my short list. I think it is going to be expensive.

My last option would be a four post with one or two rolling jacks. I think this would be my best option. I want somthing of high quality so I have mainly been looking at BendPak, Revolution, Rotary and maybe Challenger. One thing I was thinking about with a four post would be to raise the lift to the very top lock and then park my trucks underneath for every day parking. This way I do not always have to worry about being centered on the ramps. According to the Chevrolet website a Silverado is 74" tall and I was surprised that most four post lifts do not have this much clearance. The revolution RFP14 has a rise 78-3/4" (same as the rotary) but the runways are around 7" therefore the drive under height would be around 71". A lot of the BendPak's are like this too unless I go with the HD-14T.

After all my rambling, are there other four post lifts out there that I should consider that would give clearance to part a full size truck under.

I have done a ton of reading on this site and at the end of the day there are always going to be pros and cons to every lift. I am just trying to understand what is the best one to fit inside my garage.

Bob

 

[tdkkart]

Take a look at the Direct Lift Pro-Park 9. Drive-under clearance at full lift is 79", and if do some other comparing, the post drive-through width is also larger than most others which is a major advantage when working on trucks IMO.
The last I knew, Bendpak had discontinued their extra-wide lifts, check closely before buying, some of the online dimensions are wrong.

http://www.derekweaver.com/rodders-...t-lift-pro-park-9-plus-certified-4-post-lift/

Here's my thread on the purchase and install of my Pro-Park 9
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228567&page=2

 

[kabinenroller]

A four post unit sounds like it would fit your needs. I would recommend at least one bridge jack, or if the budget allows buy two of them. My HD-7P BendPak is tall enough that I can raise it and leave it locked in the upper most position when it is not in use. This way I can walk under it or store a car or parts under it and the only space it uses is the four posts.
That being said, if I purchase another lift it will NOT be a BendPak. Too many owners including myself have had quality issues with this brand, yes I know the factory is very responsive to warranty the parts and that satisfies most owners. But my thought is if they have that many issues why in the hell can't they fix the problem(s) during manufacturing??? They have been in business a long time and by now they should have all the quality issues taken care of.

 

[Autorotica]

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-409-HP-9-000-LB-Four-Post-Lift

76" under runway...

Chris

 

[jnkpile]

Here's something to think about. All 4 post hoists that I've ever used have two heavy plate steel ramps at the drive on end that are hinged and hang down when the hoist is raised. These would need to be removed every time so you could park underneath.
Something like this,

Apparently some are designed with fixed ramps that do not hang when lifted.

 

[Brad J.]

Wider the better. My 2500hd with regular mirrors barely squeeks between the uprights on my bendpak hd9xw. Barely. If done everyday sooner or later your gonna catch a mirror.

Friend has a black rotary revolution and it seems wider between posts. Might want to check into the dimensions.

 

[logical]

Here's something to think about. All 4 post hoists that I've ever used have two heavy plate steel ramps at the drive on end that are hinged and hang down when the hoist is raised. These would need to be removed every time so you could park underneath.
Something like this,

Apparently some are designed with fixed ramps that do not hang when lifted.

They sell, or you can make, little spacers that keep them up when lifted.

 

[WhiffySpark]

They sell, or you can make, little spacers that keep them up when lifted.

If you park with your tire on it it does the same thing

 

[lakeroadster]

2 post vs 4 post... having had both here is what I would recommend.

Take some duct tape and mark on the concrete floor where the posts will be in your shop.

Now for the next few weeks be observant while you are out working in the shop about how those posts will be in your way.

I did this and realized quickly that a 4 post is a huge real estate hog.

So I used the 2 post in the maintenance bay... and the 4 post in the storage bay.

Food for thought: If you locate the two post such that you drive forward into it for maintenance, but when you park your truck in the garage you back in, the posts won't be in the way when you open the doors.

Hope that helps

 

[ovilla]

Call BendPak. They'll have what you need. I just saw a pic recently of one of their four post lifts that allows you to park your RV motor home underneath and your car/truck up on top.

 

[Ray916MN]

A bunch of tradeoffs for sure. For example while the BP HD-14T will give you lots of room between the posts and enough height to park a full size un-lifted 4x4 under it, given a 14.5' width area, the tradeoff will be getting past the posts when a truck is parked under the lift. If the lift is centered in the space, you end up with 2' clearance on each side. Not allot of space. Imagine going back and forth to a work bench at the front of the space or what the clearance will be if the lift can't be centered in the space which will make getting past the lift particularly tight on one side.

A full size truck will fit between and under a narrower lift, like the BP HD-9XW or DL PP 9+ will give you more space to walk past the lift (about 32"), but pulling between the posts with a full size truck is a little tight. Personally I would take this tradeoff, simply because after pulling in and out under the lift enough times, you'll get good enough for it not to matter much.

In the end, the right lift for you most likely depends on what dimensions will work best for your space, because it is the lift characteristic you will end up dealing with every day.

 

[dwysywd]

Cool thread. Very helpful info guys.

 

[ghnl]

Take a look at the Direct Lift Pro-Park 9.

I also bought the Direct Lift Pro-Park 9. I choose that one because it is big enough to fit my F250 SD ext cab and the ramps, being wider than other models, are close together enough to fit my small cars (MG, Alfa Romeo).

I'd have to double check the clearance underneath when fully raised but I can say off-hand that I am 6'1" and can walk underneath without ducking.