Old parallel lift. Any one know anything?

Ngrybrd · May 26, 2016

So I bought an old drive on parallelogram style lift today. It's built like a tank. Everything is at least 1/4" thick. Cant find any labels anywhere on it. Only paid $800. The guy bought a house and it came with it, he didn't want it. So do you guys know anything? Did I get a good deal or is this thing a piece of ****? It's ugly but it definitely works. It has a rail and a bridge for jacking up the car to get it off the runways. Lifts to about 5.5' off the ground to the runways. It's a 220v 20amp pump. 7.5' wide, 16' long. Has some stamp diamond plate ramps to get up on it. Green buttons up, black button first to release the safeties, then yellow and hold them to go down. Herers a few pics,.

Ngrybrd · May 26, 2016

Ngrybrd · May 26, 2016

Ngrybrd · May 26, 2016

JimTMich · May 26, 2016

Looks interesting, does it have any safeties?

ItsNemo · May 26, 2016

JimTMich said:
Looks interesting, does it have any safeties?

Did you not read the post? He said black button releases safeties.

I wouldn't have bothered for $800 though, at that age/condition it's worth scrap value at best.

Ngrybrd · May 27, 2016

Ya, after the first foot it clicks every 6 inches.

Your not seeing he potential. It works, and it's smooth I inspected all the welds and pivot points. the holes are cut in it with a torch, not rust, given the sawdust and acorns in it, I think they cut the holes to wash it out on occasion. give me an afternoon with a pressure washer and a gallon of paint and we'll see.

Ngrybrd · May 27, 2016

So, I found out something. Just got an email back. I found one little label that said fmc on it. There's almost nothing about that company regarding automotive, but their corporate website has a "past businesses" page. And it said for automotive see John bean as they took over that business. I contacted John bean and sent a pic. They said it looks like an 11,000# snap-on model 4770 from the early 80s. They said Fmc made snap on parallel lifts back then before John bean took over.

So $800 for a snap on lift. Still scrap value?

Edit, here the most recent model. Not sure if it's still available. It's more of an identifying old snap on equipment for parts type of page. http://www.snaponequipment.com/productinfo/models.asp?category=lr&brand=John Bean&model=4770

RobSmith · May 27, 2016

It looks pretty heavy duty to me...no leaks on the ram.. Old school, No Chinese poop , Real steel. I think you have a little gem there.

dodgejunkie · May 27, 2016

It looks just like the one we had at the shop I started at! We used it for front end alignments. It did NOT raise as high as yours though. Thing was a beast, would raise a 3/4 ton truck with a camper top on it no problem. Also this was in the early 80's too!

raddksn · May 27, 2016

I have to agree with RobSmith little gem indeed! I would love to have that!!!

Leaflessshadetree · May 27, 2016

I have no doubt it will clean up fine but it does appear to be in rough condition.
In that condition $800 is more than I would have paid, especially to a guy that wanted to get rid of it.
I do trust the Snap-On name for hand tools (and wish I could splurge on a tool box) but doesn't add much value to a lift IMO.

mygarageone · May 27, 2016

Ngrybrd said:
So, I found out something. Just got an email back. I found one little label that said fmc on it. There's almost nothing about that company regarding automotive, but their corporate website has a "past businesses" page. And it said for automotive see John bean as they took over that business. I contacted John bean and sent a pic. They said it looks like an 11,000# snap-on model 4770 from the early 80s. They said Fmc made snap on parallel lifts back then before John bean took over.

So $800 for a snap on lift. Still scrap value?

Edit, here the most recent model. Not sure if it's still available. It's more of an identifying old snap on equipment for parts type of page. http://www.snaponequipment.com/productinfo/models.asp?category=lr&brand=John Bean&model=4770

Why is it there always someone who wants to rain on your party , he could have said nothing .

sublimate · May 27, 2016

mygarageone said:
Why is it there always someone who wants to rain on your party , he could have said nothing .

That begs the question, when someone asks:

Ngrybrd said:
Only paid $800. ... Did I get a good deal or is this thing a piece of ****?

Do they really want honest answers, or are they just looking for positive reinforcement?

In this case I don't know enough about these lifts to weigh in, but my guess is the scrap value isn't much less than what you paid (maybe $400 for all that steel, plus $200-300 for the motor, pump, rams?) so your downside is pretty covered.

Ngrybrd · May 27, 2016

The guy wanted to get rid of it because he bought a house, the seller couldn't find someone capable of moving it in time, so by closing time, It was stuck in with the deal. the new property owner doesn't give a damn about cars so it was just in the way.
It wasn't a car guy or shop geyting rid of old junk.
Haha no I'm open to all honest answers. That's why I asked. Because I hadn't found any info on it at all, if some one recognized it as a piece of **** Chinese lift that collapsed and killed a friend at a shop they worked at, a long time ago, then that's a perfectly reason to say, "no you got a bad deal". Or if someone recognized it as an old snap on and they just paid $2000 for an identical one. Then sweet it's a good deal. So either way, now that I know more about it, I feel I got a good deal. I'll post pics when I clean it up.

PCMusicGuy · May 27, 2016

Nice lift. If everything works with no issues, I think $800 is fair. Please post up some pictures of the lift after you clean it up. On another note, I work with the modern day FMC everyday and love it when I get to see old FMC equipment. This is the first lift I see. On Tuesday, I saw a yellow FMC fire truck in rural Louisiana sitting in someone's yard.

Fastfish · May 27, 2016

Are you kidding me. That thing is awsome. It might be better then my new 2 post 10,000 unit. Especially for 800 bucks.

txvwnut · May 27, 2016

That's an old alignment lift, the square recesses are where the turn tables set when you were doing an alignment. It looks pretty rough in the pictures but if it's mechanically sound you got a good deal on it especially since you got to see it operate and everything works.

Did it come with a trolley jack(s)?

DenisG · May 27, 2016

Here's a company that supplies parts for old American-made auto lifts:
http://www.sviinternational.com/pro...ipment-repair-parts/auto-lift-repair-products
Maybe you can talk to them and send them a picture. Might have parts you need too.

RossABQ · May 27, 2016

Fastfish said:
Are you kidding me. That thing is awsome. It might be better then my new 2 post 10,000 unit. Especially for 800 bucks.

Borders on "suckage", IMO! Good score!

aptdweller · May 27, 2016

I've never seen a lift like that, but I've got to say it is pretty cool. It will certainly be worth your time to inspect the welds etc., but I do think you got yourself a deal.

lakeroadster · May 27, 2016

welcome Ngrybrd and thanks for posting... the cool factor on the lift certainly there, no doubt about that.

The down side to me would be the amount of dedicated floor space it takes up... and tripping over the base plate assembly when trying to work under a vehicle... and the inconvenience of the cross members between the rails.

Once you've used a 2 post lift for vehicle driveline and suspension work... it kind of makes all the other lifts seem like posers.

warmpancakes · May 27, 2016

i have a much smaller version no where near the size of that thing, but its great for loading stuff out of truck beds

oldcpecdr · May 27, 2016

That's an OMER Lift, made in Italy... in it's day was a first class product..a really nice alignment rack.

http://www.omerlift.com

It's claim to fame was level at any locking point. Their strength and downfall was on the boxed beam construction....here in the Northeast they had lots of RUST problems as they aged from trapped moisture, check it carefully for internal rust !!!!!

They were distributed by FMC in the 70's and 80's before all the industry mergers.

Mike B

Ngrybrd · May 27, 2016

Omer? Cool I'll look deeper Into that. That adds up just as good as the email back from John bean. Thank 's a bunch. Anyways, here the first improvement :

Boosted1 · May 28, 2016

Nice job on the control panel.
Curious to see how it turns out.

keigenspa · May 28, 2016

Early on in my career as a alignment tech I used this exact lift was a real lift worked great i see this as a awesome deal a little work and paint will be all it takes good luck

brownbagg · May 28, 2016

fmc is a good company, $800 is high very high, couple more hundres and you could of had a use two post. 800 he saw you coming. 400 would of been a good price,. no serious, you are the only one that would of bought that and he saw you coming, wasnt for you it would of been torch to scrap metal

but fmc is a good brand

ArmyVW_GuyInTX · May 28, 2016

That old lift has controls that look very similar to an Italian lift in a German specialty shop just west of DFW airport.

Carguy99 · May 28, 2016

I have one in the shop now at least very close. Used as an alignment rack. Look around for the turn plates.
It looks like the two sides aren't going up even. This my not be a problem. On mine sometimes the two sides get out of sink. The lift safety's will lock it out. The fix is to push the down button twice then hold the down button. This may take several time to lower the lift.

AMCguy · May 28, 2016

I like it. I'm sure when you're done spiffing it up, it will look great and serve you well.

rubberrodder · May 28, 2016

The guys talking trash on your lift are jealous 'cause you got there first. $800 for a working lift, even if its ugly, is a good deal. As been said before,"haters gonna hate".

Jeepnjay · May 29, 2016

Yup, that's an omer! I bought the same lift 4 years ago for $450, it's rough but will lift my service truck with welder no problem. But some previous over hacked the hydraulic system instead of properly replacing the rusted lines. I can get the model info off mine for you.

Russ G · May 29, 2016

This looks like another interesting story shaping up. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures after it's all cleaned up. Off to a good start already.

rburke65 · May 29, 2016

Mygarageone....the OP asked what we thought about his purchase......no one is raining on his parade.

Jarhead0408 · May 29, 2016

I like it man. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up.

D.J. · May 29, 2016

John Beam & FMC both come to mind as manufacturing fire equipment for me? I'm also interested in seeing final product.

ford33 · May 29, 2016

I like it. Industrial quality and still working after being ignored for so many years. I think you got a great deal. Clean and paint it and do some maintenance and safety checks and you will have a very nice lift.

I also like your thought process with the control panel. Looks cool and very functional.

Ngrybrd · May 30, 2016

Ok, step 1 is complete. Cleaned out the tent, moved one of my panel trucks out of the way and got the lift off the trailer that's consisted of chaining it to a tree and driving away. So now I gotta make up a 220 extension cord and lift it up so I can clean and paint it. I think ll get an outdoor 4 slot subpanel to put in the tent, itd be easier then running a cord all the time.

Also going to get two longer hydraulic lines made up. I prefer the control box on the right next to the tent wall like that,. currently it's plumbed with short hoses to be on the left.

bob15 · May 30, 2016

mygarageone said:
Why is it there always someone who wants to rain on your party , he could have said nothing .

So you didn't see the OP's question in post 1: "Did I get a good deal or is this thing a piece of ****?"

If people believe, myself included, that he got taken for 800, why not say as much? Or are we now, as a society, only allowed to give out positive reinforcement?

Case in point: I bought an old IR compressor and came to GJ to ask a couple questions about it. I didn't ask if i go a good deal or not. I was happy with the price and felt it was a good buy. I didn't need to ask people if I got it for a good price or not. I bought it, I own it, so move on to fixing it. Too late now to care if the price was right or not.

Personally, I think the lift is a waste of $ 800 because it becomes a tripping nuisance, unless he has a spot/bay that doesn't get walked through all the time. Even then, I would have gotten the seller down another $ 200-300 more. The previous owner does want it, and it isn't a hugely popular selling item, so it puts you in the driver's seat for bargaining.

To the OP: good luck with it and make sure the safeties work on it before going under it!!

Old parallel lift. Any one know anything?

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