Buying a used 2 post lift- Questions?

[jlansaw]

What would you look for when purchasing a used 2 post car lift. There are three lifts going to be auctioned where I live. They are in a closed up Lincoln Mercury car dealership. Ammco I think is the brand but I currently don't have the model info yet. Was just wondering if anyone could tell me how to evaluate the condition of these lifts and what they might be worth? A third of new price or half or what? Just looking for any info before I go to the auction. I would be using it as a hobbyist.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[oilslick]

I have wasted time on auction lifts a couple times and will never again. I watched 3 forwards go for 2k each in peoria and same thing at another sale,plus they want you to have it removed by bonded contractor, get real! I would just buy a new one that suits your needs and have no regrets or worries about your newfound deal needing repairs or parts that make it cost more than a new one would have! I am in minonk

 

[fefarms]

Take a close look at the motor. If it is three phase it is worth a lot less. (On the other hand, if you have access to three phase, a three phase motor can be a good bargain for you because other savvy buyers won't want it.

If it has equalizing cables, check the cable wear and check the sheaves for chips or for the hubs being egged out from wear. See if you can watch the lift go all the way from bottom to top and back again before you bid on it. Observe whether anything sticks up more with the lift in the rasied position (above the side towers) and make sure you have the ceiling clearance needed.

Check whether the manufacturer is still in business and whether parts are available. It's worth more if it isn't an orphan.

Make sure you get any extenders or truck adapters intended to come with the lift. Such things tend to disappear in auctions. Bring a camera and tools to take the lift down and load it onto a trailer -- there is often not enough time to move it at your leisure.

A single phase used two-post Ammci lift at auction is a bargain at $1200 and an OK deal at $1500, in my opinion.

 

[koditten]

I'm with Oilslick.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a deal on a used one. the best I could find is about a third less the cost off a new unit. Many times the unit had no instructions and none could be found on-line.

The hassle of removal a used unit really is a pain. My shcedule is hectic already, I can't afford the time to dismantal, transport and reassemble.

Almost all the used ones I came across, the owners would not come near the price I was willing to pay. wheather you care or not, my personal rule is to never pay more than half the price for used equipment vs. new equipment. Don't get me started on auction sales, what a waste of time.

I told myself along time ago the lift better be 25% the cost of new. There is a lot of work changing the location of one of those things.

Good luck on the hunt if you are into that, but really, the new ones are not that expensive if you figure in your time, plus it gets delivered to your door.

You asked for my opinion, I gave it.

Later

Kirk

 

[Aberdale]

I would just look it over for overall condition. Do the cables look new or worn? Is the paint bright and shiny or dull with chips and rust spots? Does it have hydraulic leakage?

I bought a 9000 lb Rotary from a closed Dodge dealership 3 years ago. They had 8 of them, all identical. At the auction, we could look the lifts over, but they did not operate them. It looked almost new at the time, so I took a chance on it. In my case, I bought the lift as is, then the owner dismantled it. I picked it up the next day. It's worked flawlessly since.

No matter what you do, it's still used, and you will assume some risk unless it is guaranteed to work. I figured saving $2000 off the price of a new Rotary softened the risk and allowed me to spend some on refurbishing the lift if needed. It wasn't, so it was money saved.

 

[3x9RT/SE]

I ,myself was the same way,would not even consider a used lift.I wanted one that would be in my garage for the rest of my life and never wanted any issues of something that could have been abused,and poss could not get parts for.
My situation is a home garage for my own cars,so bought a brand new Bendpak XPR-9FS.Love it!!!!!

 

[chadman]

I bought a used Rotary 7k 2 post asymetrical from a closed down tire shop for $900. It was already disassembled and on a trailer. It works perfectly. Deals are out there you just have to find them.

 

[Strouty]

Unless you can steal them, I wouldn't get one. I bought two used ones, one was no good, the other is OK.

 

[zmotorsports]

As others have mentioned look extremely closely at the overall condition. If it is in fact an Ammco lift make sure it is the newer style with the steel pulleys on the equalizing cables. Some of the older ones I am told were plastic. This is one of the determining factors when I purchased my Ammco last month.

Also look at the UHMW on the carriage assemblies and make sure they slide freely up and down without binding. Look at the bottom of the rams for leaks as well as all other hose connections.

If you can get a price less than about $1200.00 or so and everything is in good working order it is probably a good deal. Much more than that it would more than likely be better to buy new.

I found a used Ammco 2n1 here locally that I really wanted but the guy wouldn't go any lower than $1900.00. I ended getting a new one delivered to my door through my local NAPA for just under $3k. So far it is a great lift although I have only had it for a month and a half. Mike.

 

[Vicegrip]

Some of what I inspect for... Check the power unit, Look at the fluid to see if it clear and is the correct fluid not old and funky. ATF is not uncommon and for most lifts just fine. Check that the safeties work and go click click on the up stroke, release as intended and are not dismantled or disabled. Check the arm pivots for wear or egging by lifting and dropping each arm and also looking for too much or uneven sag when loaded up. Check that the arms retract and extend as intended and stop without pulling out. Check that the arm swing locks work. (This is one area where shop lifts tend to get busted and stay that way) Inspect the flip or spin up pads for damaged threads on the spin up type and the castings and pivots on the flip up type. Check the hydraulic lines for cuts or cracking looking closely where they bend and at the fittings.
If you can, load it with a car lift it some and leave it between safety stops. This way the system is sitting under some pressure. Watch for a while to see if it creeps down and look for leaks. Then run it to full up lock and keep the pump motor running for 10 seconds to listen to it under full load and to check the over pressure valve. Leave it full up and loaded and check the seals on the rams. This puts the system at full pressure. Watch for creep and inspect again for leaks. Drop it and release the safety release a time or two to see that they catch on both sides evenly. Check any chains and cables from end to end paying close attention to the ends where they attach to other things. Pay close attention to cables at the full down pulley points. They get flexed at this point more than any other point.

Paint is second to mechanical condition. Shop lifts tend to get chipped, scratched and stickered up but lifts are for the most part very durable devices. I would not think twice about buying a used lift that was in good condition and a deal.

 

[durallymax]

From what I have seen at many auctions around here when I was looking was that none of them were worth it.

$2500-3000 for a used Rotary, and I had to remove it. I bought a New S10 with InBay for $3800 installed.

Make sure it all pencils out

 

[justanengineer]

I look at general wear and tear, avoid anything that has been bent or welded. Leaking hoses arent too bad, leaking cylinders could get expensive quick. If these turn out to be truly vintage, take a good look at the pads, I prefer large pads, but some were available with tiny ones. Also look at the thickness of the arms, manufacturers did funny things way back when, so if you have a low vehicle to lift, extra thick arms might not cut it. If the auctioneer requires a rigger or somebody else who is insured to remove, skip it, otherwise dismantling and moving lifts is rather simple. If you dont think you can do it, you probably shouldnt be using one.

With auctions you have to realize that everything is either ridiculous or easily affordable. If its on a weekend, youre probably going to have to fight with every joe blow in the county, so try to attend some mid-week ones instead. Real auctioneers actually tend to schedule shop closings for the week to attract the serious buyers, beware the weekend shop sales = cheap thieving SOB auctioneers. Two posters either go for $500 or $1500 for nice units, depending upon the crowd and the size of the shop closed (bigger is better). If theyre junky, old, or well beaten on, they go as low as $100 quite often in the northeast. Unfortunately, you missed the big round of dealer closings two summers ago, those deals made me look overpriced.

 

[m_miller]

A friend of mine works for a walmart and they replaced all of the lifts in the service center. He got one and now wants to sell it. $400 and as far as he knows there is nothing wrong with it. 9,000#. Worth the gamble?

Edit: just got a text from him. Its a " Rotary lift model spo9-202".

 

[sublimate]

Yep.

 

[volaredon]

I just bought an old Weaver AFH 90 B last week from CL and yeah I had to dismantle. the seller (and building owner, 2 different guys) were worried about potential damage to surroundings and said more than once "you damage/you pay" but neither would hardly lift a finger to help guide the columns down when we went to set them onto my trailer That was the hardest part.
In doing google searches there have been some gov auctions recently where identical lifts have sold for 3X what I paid; yes mine has 1 leaky cylinder bt rebuild kits are <$50/each... for that I will rebuild both while the rack is apart....
in the end I will have <$600 invested you cant buy a good US made floorjack (new anyway) for what I have into this thing.... itll outlive me 3 times over.... especially just being used in my own home garage.... I have been looking for a while. not real hard mind you but looking; esp since I built my detatched garage in 2006... and for the price I could not say no.... and parts are still very available.

all chain driven no cables.