4-post lift questions

[Skyman]

Hi, all.

I've begun looking into 4-post lifts, and one of the many questions that arises is placement of the power unit. To those of you who have been using 4-posts for a while, where did you choose to have yours located, and what were the reasons you made that choice? Any thoughts about it after using it for a while?

TIA for all advice and insights.

 

[logical]

Mine is just barely inside the door, so I only had room on the back side...it was an easy choice. It's outside the frame of this picture unfortunately, but in this view it is back right (back left as seen from outside the garage). It also put along the wall where I already had a 220v outlet and air for the lock releases.

 

[pbon]

Front left post. Any post could have worked but my ram is on the left side and my right runner can be moved to widen it narrow the runner spacing a little. Probably could swap runners and drill some new holes, but I actually like front left the most. 99.9% of the time I drive in forward and it is convenient to have the engine bay, where I do a lot of work, close to the control. Not a big deal to have to walk 10-15’ if that location does not fit your space, though.

 

[finn]

I have two four post lifts. One is mounted on the left front, and one on the right rear.

Which is better depends on your building layout and where the power is available. In my case the right rear position for the 11k Advantage was chosen because there was a 240 volt outlet a couple of feet away, and it was an out of the way location.

The smaller, 120v Advantage powerpack is at the left front, out of the way, near an outlet.

 

[Skyman]

I should have mentioned that one reason for this question is that I haven't yet run power to the location that will be chosen. Plan is to place a twist-lock receptacle in the ceiling above the approximate corner of the lift where the power unit will be mounted.

 

[MFortie]

Front left for mine. Tool chests are on the left side of the lift (as is the ram).

I ran a j-box on the rafters (red iron bldg) using MC; a SO cord connected with a Kellems grip hangs down directly above the motor - the j-box is 18'+ off the floor; the cord hangs down to about 8' AFF with a twist-lock receptacle.

 

[pbon]

I was in the same position and ran the power and air to where I wanted the lift motor. Most of my hand tools are in my chests right in front of the lift and I have a wall to on the front left so I ran power and air high up on that wall.

 

[Al G]

I put mine where I had the most room. Left front on 2 of them and right rear on the other. You'll probably only have 2 choices on diagonal corners.

 

[glentre]

Left front on both of my lifts. Flex cord from the ceiling into a disconnect switch mounted on the post, then to controller

 

[Skyman]

Left front on both of my lifts. Flex cord from the ceiling into a disconnect switch mounted on the post, then to controller

Do you have any photos handy of your set-up?

 

[Snip]

Advantage 9K lift here. I mounted mine on the right rear, theory being for me it wouldn't be in my way when working on anything under the hood

 

[Skyman]

Advantage 9K lift here. I mounted mine on the right rear, theory being for me it wouldn't be in my way when working on anything under the hood

Thanks for this. I think I've decided to buy the Advantage 9K, too. It looks like a winner.

 

[mikedodge]

Figure out where it's not in the way and most convenient to use. In my shop I'd want it front right... or left if you're looking at it. But then need to power it with an extension cord because it's the far side away from the wall.

 

[Aspen RT]

Thanks for this. I think I've decided to buy the Advantage 9K, too. It looks like a winner.

I like my Advantage . I have my power on the right rear also.

 

[Skyman]

Thanks. What were the considerations that had you settle on that location?

 

[Aspen RT]

In my case the left side and the front side of the lift is as close to the wall as I can get.

 

[pbon]

Convenience for the storage lift is the nearest outlet. Convenience for mechanical work is near the most common mechanical work. For me that is the engine bay. I may need to go down to reach something from above, then up to reach from below, and so on. It is not a long walk to the back of the lift if you had the control back there, but seemed silly to me. And after 7 years of use on DIY projects, I am happy with my choice.

I also had the ability to run power and air wherever I wanted so that was not a factor in my decision. I set it up exactly the way I wanted from the start.

 

[Skyman]

In my case the left side and the front side of the lift is as close to the wall as I can get.

That’s clearly a good reason. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Skyman]

Convenience for the storage lift is the nearest outlet. Convenience for mechanical work is near the most common mechanical work. For me that is the engine bay. I may need to go down to reach something from above, then up to reach from below, and so on. It is not a long walk to the back of the lift if you had the control back there, but seemed silly to me. And after 7 years of use on DIY projects, I am happy with my choice.

I also had the ability to run power and air wherever I wanted so that was not a factor in my decision. I set it up exactly the way I wanted from the start.

Thanks for this advice. Much appreciated.

 

[pbon]

When lift shopping, consider raised height. Some go to only about 5’8”. I am 6’3” so I bought one that goes to about 7’ clearance underneath. This is also useful when the lift is up and not in use so I don’t whack my head walking around under it in the garage. I did raise my ceiling over lift to allow it to go fully up with even a 6’ SUV. And since some of my cars are low, I bought 4’ approach ramps to replace the 3’ ones that came with the lift. I also bought bridge jacks, which are expensive, but you can get by with jack trays and jacks.

 

[Skyman]

When lift shopping, consider raised height. Some go to only about 5’8”. I am 6’3” so I bought one that goes to about 7’ clearance underneath. This is also useful when the lift is up and not in use so I don’t whack my head walking around under it in the garage. I did raise my ceiling over lift to allow it to go fully up with even a 6’ SUV. And since some of my cars are low, I bought 4’ approach ramps to replace the 3’ ones that came with the lift. I also bought bridge jacks, which are expensive, but you can get by with jack trays and jacks.

Excellent advice, all. Thanks much for it.

 

[Stick-man]

I installed a BendPak 14X last year and I had the choice of the left front or the right rear. I chose the right rear simply because I figured I would need more clear space while working under the hood of a vehicle vs. work on the rear of a vehicle. My thought were correct for me.

 

[Skyman]

I installed a BendPak 14X last year and I had the choice of the left front or the right rear. I chose the right rear simply because I figured I would need more clear space while working under the hood of a vehicle vs. work on the rear of a vehicle. My thought were correct for me.

Another good point of view that's worthy of consideration. Thanks for offering it.

 

[Skyman]

Okay, next question for the brain trust here:

How tolerant are four-post lifts with respect to floor slope and out-of-flatness?

I have a slope that averages around 1 degree downward rear-to-front, but it's obvious that the builder of this place didn't pay for an expert concrete crew, so there's some lack of flatness as well. Depending on where four posts might land on this floor - and it would likely not remain forever where it's first placed - there is likely to be at least some lack of parallelism between some of the posts.

All thoughts, insights and advice are welcome and appreciated.

TIA.

 

[logical]

Okay, next question for the brain trust here:

How tolerant are four-post lifts with respect to floor slope and out-of-flatness?

I have a slope that averages around 1 degree downward rear-to-front, but it's obvious that the builder of this place didn't pay for an expert concrete crew, so there's some lack of flatness as well. Depending on where four posts might land on this floor - and it would likely not remain forever where it's first placed - there is likely to be at least some lack of parallelism between some of the posts.

All thoughts, insights and advice are welcome and appreciated.

TIA.

My floor slopes for drainage toward the door. To get the slab at the floor to apron level in my L-shaped garage, the bay where the lift lives had almost 3 inches to deal with, much of it in the last 4 feet leading to the door. I was going to need long ramps for low vehicles regardless so I went all out with shims (fiberglass reinforced composite panels epoxied together) and made the lift square to the world.

 

[finn]

I have a floor drain near one leg. A plywood shim works ok. There’s still a little pitch, but not enough to affect operation, so I’m not taking any further action after four or five years.

 

[Skyman]

My floor slopes for drainage toward the door. To get the slab at the floor to apron level in my L-shaped garage, the bay where the lift lives had almost 3 inches to deal with, much of it in the last 4 feet leading to the door. I was going to need long ramps for low vehicles regardless so I went all out with shims (fiberglass reinforced composite panels epoxied together) and made the lift square to the world.

Thanks for this feedback. Are those composite panels factory-tapered? Or did you taper them? Or is there no taper to the stack? The resolution or focus on the photo doesn't quite allow me to make out that level of detail. Can you offer any info, such as source, about the material you used? I like what you did to solve your problem. Well done.

 

[Skyman]

I have a floor drain near one leg. A plywood shim works ok. There’s still a little pitch, but not enough to affect operation, so I’m not taking any further action after four or five years.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds as though you have a little remaining out-of-parallelism with at least one of your posts, and it seems to present no problems for you. What lift do you have?

 

[kbuhagiar]

According to the technician who installed my lift (and I confirmed this through extensive research), the three most important adjustments to remember on a four-post lift are:

(1) Level side-to-side;
(2) Level front-to-back;
and (3) all four locks engage simultaneously.

After leveling is complete, run the lift all the way up and then down a couple of times to 'settle' the posts into position, then re-check for level.

The lock adjustment is actually the most important, but you shouldn't adjust the locks until the lift is level. When the locks are adjusted correctly, all of them should engage in unison with a nice satisfying 'thunk'.

I moved my lift to our new home a few years ago and had to re-adjust all of the above settings, but after re-assembly it only took a couple of hours to get it dialed in.

 

[Skyman]

According to the technician who installed my lift (and I confirmed this through extensive research), the three most important adjustments to remember on a four-post lift are:

(1) Level side-to-side;
(2) Level front-to-back;
and (3) all four locks engage simultaneously.

After leveling is complete, run the lift all the way up and then down a couple of times to 'settle' the posts into position, then re-check for level.

The lock adjustment is actually the most important, but you shouldn't adjust the locks until the lift is level. When the locks are adjusted correctly, all of them should engage in unison with a nice satisfying 'thunk'.

I moved my lift to our new home a few years ago and had to re-adjust all of the above settings, but after re-assembly it only took a couple of hours to get it dialed in.

This all makes perfect sense to me. Given that the X-by-Y dimensions of my garage are a little tight, I anticipate that my initial choice of placement of the lift will prove to be less than ideal. Consequently, I anticipate that I will end up repositioning it to some extent - perhaps more than once until I figure out a placement that is the least problematic. It sounds as though I'll have to do quite a bit of fussing and tweaking in order to get everything level and the posts plumb each time.

 

[kbuhagiar]

This all makes perfect sense to me. Given that the X-by-Y dimensions of my garage are a little tight, I anticipate that my initial choice of placement of the lift will prove to be less than ideal. Consequently, I anticipate that I will end up repositioning it to some extent - perhaps more than once until I figure out a placement that is the least problematic. It sounds as though I'll have to do quite a bit of fussing and tweaking in order to get everything level and the posts plumb each time.

Maybe - but it will be worth it!

Getting a 4-post lift was one of the best moves I ever made.

 

[finn]

Thanks for the reply. Sounds as though you have a little remaining out-of-parallelism with at least one of your posts, and it seems to present no problems for you. What lift do you have?

11k Advantage.

I also have a 9k Advatage close to the bigger lift, but decided not to shim it as it is farther from the drain, so visually it looks better. I didn’t shim that one at all.

 

[logical]

Thanks for this feedback. Are those composite panels factory-tapered? Or did you taper them? Or is there no taper to the stack? The resolution or focus on the photo doesn't quite allow me to make out that level of detail. Can you offer any info, such as source, about the material you used? I like what you did to solve your problem. Well done.

They are stacks of 2.5 or 3.0 mm thick test plaques we mold where I work. Some of the layers are smaller to accommodate the slope. Their compressive strength is actually higher than most concrete. I don’t know where you would find anything similar since any product the material is used in has much more complex shape. The flat plaques are just something we mold internally for test specimens.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Looks like I pulled the trigger on a Pro King 9, almost purchased a XXl. Thought okay it was a little longer and wouldn’t have to fold in any truck mirrors. Neither my GMC 1/2 ton or my SIL’s 1 ton will be spending much time on the lift. Its home will be in a 20x28’with ceiling sloping from 13’ at one end to 10’ at the other. The lift is good for 9000 lbs and will be at the lake so mostly seasonal equipment. I already have an “I” beaming running in the centre for other requirements.

I will likely place power on the front right tower/post as there is less access required to the far wall away from the man door. It doesn’t matter as electric is still being roughed in.

The lift comes with a wheel kit, 6 oil drip trays, wheel chock/stops, jack tray and upgraded extended aluminium ramps. You can purchase the aluminum fill kits to make the runway surface useable for any type of stage like storage required.

They were down to 2 colours black and silver/gray both red and blue sold out but more on route. I’ll be taking a black one as I can’t wait and have much more to be completed while it is nice outside. This is a side line as what I’m picking up is some Artifical turf that I need asap.

 

[Skyman]

They are stacks of 2.5 or 3.0 mm thick test plaques we mold where I work. Some of the layers are smaller to accommodate the slope. Their compressive strength is actually higher than most concrete. I don’t know where you would find anything similar since any product the material is used in has much more complex shape. The flat plaques are just something we mold internally for test specimens.

Thanks for the additional info and clear photo. Much appreciated.

 

[Skyman]

Looks like I pulled the trigger on a Pro King 9, almost purchased a XXl. Thought okay it was a little longer and wouldn’t have to fold in any truck mirrors. Neither my GMC 1/2 ton or my SIL’s 1 ton will be spending much time on the lift. Its home will be in a 20x28’with ceiling sloping from 13’ at one end to 10’ at the other. The lift is good for 9000 lbs and will be at the lake so mostly seasonal equipment. I already have an “I” beaming running in the centre for other requirements.

I will likely place power on the front right tower/post as there is less access required to the far wall away from the man door. It doesn’t matter as electric is still being roughed in.

The lift comes with a wheel kit, 6 oil drip trays, wheel chock/stops, jack tray and upgraded extended aluminium ramps. You can purchase the aluminum fill kits to make the runway surface useable for any type of stage like storage required.

They were down to 2 colours black and silver/gray both red and blue sold out but more on route. I’ll be taking a black one as I can’t wait and have much more to be completed while it is nice outside. This is a side line as what I’m picking up is some Artifical turf that I need asap.

Thanks for the reply. I think I have decided on the Advantage 9K, but I’ll take a look at the one you chose.