4 post car lift

[Rickkyyr8]

Looking to buy a 4 post car lift for my shop so it can be easier to work on my vehicles and also pick up another spot for a vehicle. What 4 post lift do you guys have and recommend? Thank you!

 

[denis4x4]

Back Yard Buddy

 

[RPH]

Wildfire, works great and built heavy duty.

 

[finn]

Advantage. They also make Backyard Buddy.

The Advantage and Wildfire seem to be almost exactly the same, identical lift.

The Backyard Buddy is similar, but domestically produced, rather than imported, and, of course, priced accordingly.

 

[Cairo94507]

I had a 4-post I installed in a home about 12 years ago. I shopped them all and settled on BendPak. The lift was perfect and never gave me a problem. Sold that home and installed a BendPak scissor lift in my next garage, again perfect lift with no issues. Now, in another home, we are building a 1550 sq. ft. garage with a 13' ceiling, and we will likely go with a 2-post. I like BendPak, they are located in southern CA and their customer service has always been great.

 

[c39er]

A 2005 Rotary 12,000 lb open front and a 2010 BP 14,000 lb with two 7000 lb rolling jacks.
No issues with either.

 

[brownbagg]

deleted

 

[zkdiesel]

Huge difference in quality, don’t kid yourself. You even see a rotary or MySQL next to a no name import?

Also open center fronts are a huge deal

 

[05snopro440]

Whatever you get, make sure it's ALI certified. Don't listen to some manufacturers when they say other certifications are the same. It's ALI certified or its not. This will ensure that the design has been reviewed and certified for its rated weight and application. Some hobbyist grade lifts are not ALI certified, and those lifts have some fairly questionable designs.

Mine is a Direct, it's made by Rotary but it's lighter duty, fine for a hobbyist like myself.

If you want something really good, go BendPak or Rotary, but there are lots of good certified hobbyist lifts that are a bit cheaper.

 

[finn]

Whatever you get, make sure it's ALI certified. Don't listen to some manufacturers when they say other certifications are the same. It's ALI certified or its not. This will ensure that the design has been reviewed and certified for its rated weight and application. Some hobbyist grade lifts are not ALI certified, and those lifts have some fairly questionable designs.

Mine is a Direct, it's made by Rotary but it's lighter duty, fine for a hobbyist like myself.

If you want something really good, go BendPak or Rotary, but there are lots of good certified hobbyist lifts that are a bit cheaper.

Certification is a “feel good” sticker that’s mostly marketing.

Advantage for one now sells exactly the same lift with ALI certification documentation and stickers as they sold several years ago without certification.

All the certification sticker did was allow them to put the sticker on the product. No known design changes were required, but the sticker royalty has to be absorbed in the product cost.

Not all models from a given manufacturer will be certified sometimes.

I’m not asserting that certification is a bad thing. Just that there’s an additional expense that may not bring value Or utility.

 

[05snopro440]

Certification is a “feel good” sticker that’s mostly marketing.

Advantage for one now sells exactly the same lift with ALI certification documentation and stickers as they sold several years ago without certification.

All the certification sticker did was allow them to put the sticker on the product. No known design changes were required, but the sticker royalty has to be absorbed in the product cost.

Not all models from a given manufacturer will be certified sometimes.

I’m not asserting that certification is a bad thing. Just that there’s an additional expense that may not bring value Or utility.

So the lift may have satisfied requirements, or maybe there were changes that we don't know about.

It's not a feel good sticker for marketing. That's a pretty silly outlook. A lift is a scenario where safety is literally life and death, it's very much worth shopping for a certified lift if you care about your safety and longevity.

Some uncertified lifts will meet requirements for certification without changes. Not all will.

I'm going to guess you've never been through a quality audit with an organization. It's the same thing. Some organizations pass with little change required as they're already satisfying the requirements of the quality system. Others need to build a complete quality system to even think about going through an audit.

 

[finn]

So the lift may have satisfied requirements, or maybe there were changes that we don't know about.

It's not a feel good sticker for marketing. That's a pretty silly outlook. A lift is a scenario where safety is literally life and death, it's very much worth shopping for a certified lift if you care about your safety and longevity.

Some uncertified lifts will meet requirements for certification without changes. Not all will.

I'm going to guess you've never been through a quality audit with an organization. It's the same thing. Some organizations pass with little change required as they're already satisfying the requirements of the quality system. Others need to build a complete quality system to even think about going through an audit.

Yes, I was involved in quality audits when they became trendy, as far back in the eighties. I was responsible for implementing these processes in precision engine and Diesel fuel injection components, with tolerances in the microns. I’m not debating the value of a good quality system, with process controls and traceability.

The sticker in this case doesn’t mean much, though, as I found no evidence that the ALI certification provides any sort of on going quality process structure requirements. It’s a one time “load it till it breaks” type test of a sample piece.

No detailed structural analysis, process SPC, etc. These are fabricated assemblies, not fine tolerance fuel injection components for Diesel engines.

 

[racecougar]

My advice: measure the vehicles that you'll be lifting, then do your homework. I put together this spreadsheet when I shopped for mine. Note that a number of lifts are marketed under multiple brands but are in fact the exact same lift. I went with the Forward EFP9000 which is also sold as the Direct Lift Pro Park 9 Plus (it actually arrived branded as Forward, Direct Lift, and Rotary).

 

[05snopro440]

Yes, I was involved in quality audits when they became trendy, as far back in the eighties. I was responsible for implementing these processes in precision engine and Diesel fuel injection components, with tolerances in the microns. I’m not debating the value of a good quality system, with process controls and traceability.

The sticker in this case doesn’t mean much, though, as I found no evidence that the ALI certification provides any sort of on going quality process structure requirements. It’s a one time “load it till it breaks” type test of a sample piece.

No detailed structural analysis, process SPC, etc. These are fabricated assemblies, not fine tolerance fuel injection components for Diesel engines.

They have to be audited every 3 months, actually. You claim to know it all about ALI but clearly haven't even visited the FAQ on their website.

Quality systems are for more than just precision machined components.

Lift Certification FAQ

Visit the ALI certification FAQ page to find answers to FAQ concerning certifying and maintaining certification of your auto lift and car lifts

www.autolift.org

From ALI FAQ:

Certified products undergo periodic re-evaluation and are required to be produced within the requirements of a documented quality program. The program participants are required to be audited quarterly to ensure continued compliance with the applicable standards.

 

[ATC]

Friend of mine got a Bendpack 14,000# 4-post lift last year. It works great.

The hydraulic ram started leaking a little within the first couple weeks it was in use (maybe one or two drops a day). They sent a new ram. All good now...and he's got a big-*** spare hydraulic ram to use for something

 

[Blandshop]

Advantage

 

[aggie113]

I would suggest going with the one that is available. Probably worth checking the local used ones for sale if you want it sooner than later.