Does Your Body Hurt Less with a Lift?
- Thread starter hosz
- Start date
kbuhagiar
Well-known member
finn
Well-known member
Four post, yes. Nothin makes me hurt, at least not so far.
Two post, no. My knees don’t do well kneeling down to position the arms. Also, I hit my head on the arms of the two post a lot. A hat is mandatory to protect my cranium.
If you have pain problems, stick with the four post.
Two post, no. My knees don’t do well kneeling down to position the arms. Also, I hit my head on the arms of the two post a lot. A hat is mandatory to protect my cranium.
If you have pain problems, stick with the four post.
Yes for certain things, I have a 4 post lift it prevents you from crawling under things, but more for lifting doing tires . make lots easier to do , oil changes, greasing, inspections brakes, once you get one and get used to it , you will love it . 4 post for me was the best I have a plate I put in between the ramps and it makes the best table ever for lawn mowers, tractor, building decks , cutting , welding . limit less. R
AC-WC
Well-known member
SPLURGE-You will not regret it.
jack stand
Well-known member
The only thing that you might suffer is your neck from looking up. A good compromise in my opinion. 
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
Neck and shoulders still get a workout but it's better than working on the ground.
r00a005
Well-known member
Its Great ! So hard to change a transmission laying on the ground
Theronswanson
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- Joined
- May 13, 2023
- Messages
- 536
For the most part, it is a lot better.
That’s job one here brother.
Jarhead0408
Well-known member
I'm just working with a Harbor Freight Scissor Lift that goes to 58" high, but yes! Way less pain than working on your back in the driveway.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Here’s the solution.
Homewrecker
Well-known member
For me it was absolutely worth it. Back in the day I worked at a dealer and had a single post in ground lift in my bay but still had to roll around on the garage floor at home for years. Got mine installed 2 years ago and have been thankful for it every time I've used it. It's probably paid for itself by now.
gizardlizard
Well-known member
I’ve had my two post Rotary for almost 10 years now. I use it every single weekend and sometimes during the week. Absolutely a game changer. The second your neighbors know about it, you have new best friends.
jmiller_2308
Well-known member
Love my 4 post lift; hated crawling on the ground to position arms for a 2 post lift.
Yesterday I spent most of the day on a creeper working under the camper outside. All the getting up and down took a huge toll on my knees, stomach muscles, etc. If you don't have a monkey to hand you stuff you will definitely appreciate being able to walk over to get more tools without having to climb up off the floor.
Yesterday I spent most of the day on a creeper working under the camper outside. All the getting up and down took a huge toll on my knees, stomach muscles, etc. If you don't have a monkey to hand you stuff you will definitely appreciate being able to walk over to get more tools without having to climb up off the floor.
dante2
Well-known member
Having a shop to not be out in the elements is awesome. Bonus is the 2 post lift. Not getting up off the ground all the time is pain relief in itself.
djbmw
Well-known member
Lots of options at various price ranges.... from $1500 and up.
sailor_lou
Active member
Four post with at least one bridge jack, worth every penny.
zimman
Well-known member
I'm almost 99% positive racking a car on a lift destroyed my hips. Up, down, up, down for a few decades.
Just sayin.
Zim
sz0k30
Well-known member
Oh, it's absolutely worth it!!!
First, gotta ask your age. I'm 77. Have had a 2 post lift for over 20 years. In my 50's getting down & up 4 times to position the lift arms was no big deal. in my 70's it a real big deal. Once I get down I can't get back up. So I have to make sure I have something nearby to help me get up. So now I wish I had a 4 post lift. Just drive up, no kneeling!
For overall working on a vehicle you can't beat a 2 post for complete, unabstructed access to the whole undercarriage, with nothing in your way! No extra jacks or devices needed to rotate wheels or work on brakes.
lolaetype
Well-known member
As I was told by a professional mechanic and devoted hobbyist, having a lift is a life changing experience; and indeed it is.
When I bought mine I debated the virtues of a two vs. four post lift. I opted for the two post due to the unfettered access to the underside of the car it allowed and the smaller footprint the lift had; important in a smaller garage. Even relatively simple tasks like tire rotations get easier with a two-post lift. At age 75+ I have no problem positioning the arms and otherwise getting the car positioned correctly; it's a small price to pay for the convenience of everything else. I even put the cars on the lift when I'm polishing and waxing them. It's so much easier than bending over and reaching down to get to the lower half of the car.
When I bought mine I debated the virtues of a two vs. four post lift. I opted for the two post due to the unfettered access to the underside of the car it allowed and the smaller footprint the lift had; important in a smaller garage. Even relatively simple tasks like tire rotations get easier with a two-post lift. At age 75+ I have no problem positioning the arms and otherwise getting the car positioned correctly; it's a small price to pay for the convenience of everything else. I even put the cars on the lift when I'm polishing and waxing them. It's so much easier than bending over and reaching down to get to the lower half of the car.
landstuhltaylor
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2015
- Messages
- 27
Even with brand new concrete crawling on the floor was tearing up the skin on my back. The lift has made car work so much more enjoyable.
HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
I feel like purchasing a lift was a very good decision for me. I use it for all sorts of things that I wouldn't have expected to.
Specifically to protect my back, for instance, I will lift a small car up maybe a foot when working under the hood. That gets it up where I don't have to lean over so far and really helps.
But....I ended up using it for things I never would have anticipated, like lifting up my riding lawnmower so I can take the blades off to sharpen them without having to remove the deck. Never saw that coming.
I use my lift a lot. The only (maybe) downside is I do end up doing some mechanic work for my kids because I'm the one with a lift. I've got my middle kid's fox mustang on the lift right now. Just finished up fixing 4 minor oil leaks. No big deal and I'm happy to do it.
I guess as long as you're willing to tell people "NO"....that wouldn't be a downside, but you may get asked just because you have a lift.
Kinda reminds me of my brother who lived in a city, was a member of a very large church, and owned a pickup truck. After a few months he sold the pickup truck because he found he was spending every Saturday helping members of his church move from one apartment to another. He couldn't say "NO". So, he sold he truck.
racecougar
Well-known member
Absolutely. It will spoil you. Every time I work at someone else's shop/garage and have to crawl around on the floor, I definitely grumble about it. 
I like my lift.
I like my lift.Different strokes ...
I'm in my early 70s and stalling on a knee replacement with steroid shots. For my 2 post lift I keep two kneepads at each column. When lifting a vehicle I toss a kneepad down at each lift point. I find that makes a huge difference versus kneeling on bare concrete, or lugging one kneepad around. So no regrets here on 2-post versus 4.
Though I don't always bother, there are lots of potential supports nearby to help me get up (post jacks, ****** jack, rolling stool, etc.) For positioning pads at lift points I usually only need to get down on one knee, a position I can recover from more or less gracefully.
Typical car repair for me is a couple of minutes setting the lift points and then hours working on the vehicle. The wear and tear from the latter activity isn't trivial, and I think would be worse on a 4 post lift for the kind of repairs I do.
firebirdparts
Well-known member
It is the most more-than-worth it money I ever spent in my life. I couldn't believe how cheap they were when I got mine, but over the past 20 years it's gotten a lot more common for people to have them.
Smilodon
Well-known member
Yeah, but it is tough on my back flipping it over to the other side to work on the passenger side.Here’s the solution.
Steve W.
Well-known member
Right after saying "NO", you say "I have heard that U-Haul has a truck or two that you can rent for that job."
.
racecougar
Well-known member
Smilodon
Well-known member
Oooo, all hoity-toity with an OSHA safety prop and 50% glove coverage... Outta my league.Gotta eat your Wheaties!
racecougar
Well-known member
Haha. Yeah, had a broken finger on the left hand at the time. Someone dropped a SBF block on it.
lolaetype
Well-known member
Smart idea. I bought a kneeling pad a lot like this one:
I didn't pay $26.44 for it though. I bought it at the Fall Hershey Swap Meet about 6 years ago, for something like $2. I wish I'd bought three of them.
Smilodon
Well-known member
Well, at least it was a *small* block...
I figured it was a Michael Jackson tribute... Black glove on a white guy.
I figured it was a Michael Jackson tribute... Black glove on a white guy.
dante2
Well-known member
Those big thick pads are the ticket. I have one on each side.Smart idea. I bought a kneeling pad a lot like this one:
I didn't pay $26.44 for it though. I bought it at the Fall Hershey Swap Meet about 6 years ago, for something like $2. I wish I'd bought three of them.
aka Larry
Well-known member
Sadly it took me 45 years to get one, but it's the best purchase I ever made.
