4 Post Lift Setup

[DougE]

Check me.
A 4 post lift does not need to be bolted down (but check posts for "square" and "plumb" periodically). Floor can be several inches out of level. Adjust ladders so ramps are level - front to back and side to side when resting on ladders. Raise ramps several inches above ladder support and adjust cables so ramps are level.

 

[Viper98912]

4 post does not need to be bolted down

I believe the adjustments I have on my ramps and ladder locks max out at around 1.5-2", so no your floor cannot be "several" inches out of level, it can have about a 2" max deviation from one end to another

I personally like to level the ramps first (mid-air), and then level the locks with the ramps resting on them (also mid-air).

 

[DougE]

Thanks. The two adjustments are independent so I doubt it makes any difference which comes first. Nice to know I'm on the right track. On second thought - if the cables have not been adjusted, the locks will not click in at the same time even if the ramps are level, so it makes sense to level with the cables first if you're going to more or less set the ramps by ear.

 

[aggie113]

I even have a set of rollers for my 4 post. So I can lower it down and skate it around the shop by myself (level and unloaded, of course). Down the line I hope to skate it outside and put it under a tall car port to have it available for covered car storage or use outside the garage that has it's own two post lift.

 

[Junkman]

I assembled mine outside, and when it came time to move it inside, it wouldn't fit through the door. I had to move it kitty corner to get it into the garage. I noticed that on some new models, the base plate was offset inward to make it a little easier. My garage door is 10' wide, and my lift measures 10'2" from what I remember. If I had a plasma cutter, I would cut each bottom plate off and reweld it like the newer units so I could put it outside for warm weather and bring it into the garage for the cold weather.

 

[zkdiesel]

Open center front 4 post lifts are required to be bolted down. These are the high end alignment style lifts without a front beam going side to side

 

[cad70]

If it isnt built like an Advantage or Wildfire with full square tubing uprights, I would bolt it down. One mishap and the C channel style will fall.

 

[perfect]

I used some 1" thick HDPE (think cutting board material) under my Bendpak 4-post lift arms to get things a bit more level and plumb. I also needed an extra 1" of clearance for a lifted Suburban, so this helped me in both cases. I still bolted it down (through the HDPE sheets), but have worries about support.

Edit - my garage slopes downwards and towards the middle, so it made sense for me to level the with HDPE sheets (1' x 1') rather than use the small amount of shims that came with the unit.

 

[OX1]

Some higher end 4 posts that are not C-Channel, have no adjustment when on the locks.
Holes are cut in the towers and are not movable.

 

[racecougar]

I still bolted it down (through the HDPE sheets), but have worries about support.

What is the concern?

Regarding bolting the lift to the floor, I suggest using drop-in anchors, as they allow for one to easily un-bolt and move the lift without leaving behind a trip hazard. I move my lift to different areas of my shop from time to time, and it's a cake walk with these.

 

[DougE]

After a year of use, I finally decided to do a proper installation. I squared up the column footings and decided to pin them in place so they wouldn't move (didn't think they really needed to be bolted down). I happened to have some galvanized eye bolts on hand, so decided they would work and would be easy to remove, if necessary, in the future. I may change my mind sometime, but saw no reason to use screw inserts - just dropped the bolts in the holes. (Only used 1 per post).

 

[racecougar]

Be careful not to trip over those!

 

[DougE]

I put them on the inside corner

 

[finn]

Some higher end 4 posts that are not C-Channel, have no adjustment when on the locks.
Holes are cut in the towers and are not movable.

Not an issue. A simple plywood, plastic, or steel shim can easily compensate for poor concrete work or a slope to a nearby floor drain.

 

[OX1]

Not an issue. A simple plywood, plastic, or steel shim can easily compensate for poor concrete work or a slope to a nearby floor drain.

Understood. But you cannot adjust, JUST the lock height(s), in relation to the towers.
(like globally raising/lowering, upwards of 2 inch, usually)

 

[finn]

Understood. But you cannot adjust, JUST the lock height(s), in relation to the towers.
(like globally raising/lowering, upwards of 2 inch, usually)

Not sure what circumstances would make you want to do that, but perhaps I’m unimaginative.

Bottom line is the myth about adjustable ladders being more desirable seems to be exactly that, an oft repeated myth, at least to those of us that have box section uprights instead of folded metal.

 

[racecougar]

Bottom line is the myth about adjustable ladders being more desirable seems to be exactly that, an oft repeated myth, at least to those of us that have box section uprights instead of folded metal.

Some of us appreciate them greatly.

 

[OX1]

Not sure what circumstances would make you want to do that, but perhaps I’m unimaginative.

Bottom line is the myth about adjustable ladders being more desirable seems to be exactly that, an oft repeated myth, at least to those of us that have box section uprights instead of folded metal.

Adjustment on the locks for using lift with an alignment system is 100 times easier, than shimming towers.
You can put level on cross bar/runways and literally adjust lock plates until perfect, side to side, front to rear.
I guess eventually, you could shim towers well enough, but when you are talking 10th's of a degree on
say alignment camber, it needs to be pretty spot on vs just "good enough" on a typical lift, leveling job.
This ability becomes even more important if you move your 4 post around here and there.

Another thing you can do easier with separate lock plates, is cut another hole down the bottom.
Not sure why lift makers don't have a setting that is say 1-4" off the ground. Sometimes
I want car, just raised a tiny bit, and 4 posts don't really come with that setting.
Again, could do it with towers that have built in lock holes too I guess, but easier to
stick flat lock plate in a mill, and cut the extra hole.

But 4 posts with square column and wrap around locks connected to cross bar are
100 times more stable with lift all the way up. I wanted one that could hold my newer SD, but
still able to fit SD under it, with 4000+ lb car on top for storage. Even all the way up, super stable.

 

[finn]

Adjustment on the locks for using lift with an alignment system is 100 times easier, than shimming towers.
You can put level on cross bar/runways and literally adjust lock plates until perfect, side to side, front to rear.
I guess eventually, you could shim towers well enough, but when you are talking 10th's of a degree on
say alignment camber, it needs to be pretty spot on vs just "good enough" on a typical lift, leveling job.
This ability becomes even more important if you move your 4 post around here and there.

Another thing you can do easier with separate lock plates, is cut another hole down the bottom.
Not sure why lift makers don't have a setting that is say 1-4" off the ground. Sometimes
I want car, just raised a tiny bit, and 4 posts don't really come with that setting.
Again, could do it with towers that have built in lock holes too I guess, but easier to
stick flat lock plate in a mill, and cut the extra hole.

But 4 posts with square column and wrap around locks connected to cross bar are
100 times more stable with lift all the way up. I wanted one that could hold my newer SD, but
still able to fit SD under it, with 4000+ lb car on top for storage. Even all the way up, super stable.

You’re overthinking this to support unrealistic situations.

I really don’t gaf what style you get, but come on. Probably two percent of lift owners have a mill at their disposal and making a suitable shim takes five minutes or less at most, if you even need one. I needed one shim out of eight posts and could have simply moved the lift a foot or so to eliminate that need

Alignments aren’t something I have done in eight years I’ve had my lifts, and aren’t in my future plans, never mind the fact that my floor is flat (except for the drain).

I don’t get why people get so emotional over such a trivial issue.

 

[racecougar]

Probably two percent of lift owners have a mill at their disposal...

Alignments aren’t something I have done in eight years I’ve had my lifts, and aren’t in my future plans...

Dang. I must be a real oddity. Mill, lathe, etc. and I did an alignment on my lift Thursday with another one later today.

Everyone has different needs.

 

[gregs]

Dang. I must be a real oddity. Mill, lathe, etc. and I did an alignment on my lift Thursday with another one later today.

Everyone has different needs.

Just part of the 2% club. I cant imagine not having all the machinery I have and being able to make or repair the things that interest me. But thats my "thing" and others have different interests.

 

[gregs]

I recently added a 4 post lift to my shop (already have a 2 post) that is the open column with adjustable ladder locks. I think the adjustability to fine tuner all 4 corners worked great. I think part of it besides the difference in floors is the difference in the way the lift is built, welded and those tolerances that the adjustable part makes up for.

 

[mrhemi426]

I have two square post lifts I have been using daily for years. Not bolted down. My shop floor slopes 1" from front to rear of the lift, all within the manufacturer's specs. (Advantage and Widfire). No need to level the treads when on the safety locks at 1" slope. BUT what is important is to have the treads level while lifting (weight on cables). On both of my lifts I placed my 2500 Diesel on the lift raised about a foot, on the cables, not the safety locks, overnight to stretch the cables, then leveled the tread deck. This keeps even load on the lift cables when in use.

 

[DougE]

Adjustment on the locks for using lift with an alignment system is 100 times easier, than shimming towers.
You can put level on cross bar/runways and literally adjust lock plates until perfect, side to side, front to rear.
I guess eventually, you could shim towers well enough, but when you are talking 10th's of a degree on
say alignment camber, it needs to be pretty spot on vs just "good enough" on a typical lift, leveling job.
This ability becomes even more important if you move your 4 post around here and there.

Another thing you can do easier with separate lock plates, is cut another hole down the bottom.
Not sure why lift makers don't have a setting that is say 1-4" off the ground. Sometimes
I want car, just raised a tiny bit, and 4 posts don't really come with that setting.
Again, could do it with towers that have built in lock holes too I guess, but easier to
stick flat lock plate in a mill, and cut the extra hole.

But 4 posts with square column and wrap around locks connected to cross bar are
100 times more stable with lift all the way up. I wanted one that could hold my newer SD, but
still able to fit SD under it, with 4000+ lb car on top for storage. Even all the way up, super stable.

Four sections of 2x4 or 4x4 slid under the ends of the crossbars would easily give you the minor lift amounts you want.