Car lift

[Raymac39]

Hello All,New to this forum....So I am looking to purchase a 4 post lift for my double door garage.There are many choices out there,but looking for the best one.I am going to have to vault my ceiling(measures 10 feet now) another 18 inches for safe clearance.I will also have to refit my garage door track for a cathedral ceiling.Wondering where I could purchase parts for that.Any suggestions or advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!

 

[stevezx900]

I have the BendPak HD9. I think it’s a great lift.
I looked at Challenger, Atlas, and Danmar. Key points to me was HD9 is adjustable for wide and narrow cars. Motor is mounted length wise instead of width wise which leaves a narrower footprint.

There are other lifts which are more money like Advantage, Rotery but I love my BendPak.

 

[ImmDanny]

I’m going with a Triumph NSS8-XLT. In your case you’d probably just want the NSS8. For me the biggest deciding factor is cost. I’m mounting this lift outside so I know I’m going to lose warranty, and although it’ll be covered I’d rather “ruin” a cheap lift than a nice lift.

When comparing lifts like the triumph, atlas, auto lift, champion then all seem pretty much identical as far as “features” go as in there really aren’t any. They lift up your car and that’s it. Manual lock release, pretty much identical dimensions, and the motor can be mounted in the side or front/back of the column with a simple bracket.

So if you don’t want to spend $1000 more any of those “cheap” brand names will be fine, just look for one that has the dimensions you’re looking for, and buy from whichever site is easier. One reason I’m buying the triumph is because it’s sold on amazon and I can get special financing with my amazon card. I also called suppliers like Greg Smith, Best Buy Auto, and Champion to see if they had their specific brands in stock near me. The only one that did was Champion but they’re about $700 more than what I can get the Triumph for.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[pbon]

I bought the Bendpak HD-9XW. Wanted the height so I could raise it high enough to walk under it when not in use or storing a car on it (raised my ceiling to newly 13’ above the lift). I also wanted the 4 post with the most width between runners. Some are as little as 37” and that is not ideal for working on cars if you want to drop an engine or subframe. I also like having the cables in the columns rather than outside—probably matters little but looks cleaner to me. If I could do it over, I’d probably buy the tall version of the HD-7 instead to save a little space since I don’t really need to lift anything over 7000 lbs or long bed pick up trucks.

 

[Robert Haas]

I have a different take on this.

If all you want is a parking lift, then buy the cheapest thing you can get.

If in fact you are looking for a lift that lets you work on your vehicle. Then look at what features the basic lift has, and more importantly, what options are available to get the maximum bang out of the lift.

A rolling carriage jack makes your lift into a tool. A piece of equipment that you can change suspension, transmissions, and other large "Under carriage" projects.

Wheel turntables for alignment and general assembly work.

The lists grows too. As you have a lift you will be more prone to get under your vehicles and do jobs you historically neglected. Honestly when was the last time you went in and cleaned and lubricated your emergency brake cables. or replaced worn exhaust hangers?

So if you plan on doing more then just gaining a parking space don't cheap out and buy the stripper model.

Remember this motto; "Sometimes being thrifty can be very expensive"

 

[ImmDanny]

I bought the Bendpak HD-9XW. Wanted the height so I could raise it high enough to walk under it when not in use or storing a car on it (raised my ceiling to newly 13’ above the lift). I also wanted the 4 post with the most width between runners. Some are as little as 37” and that is not ideal for working on cars if you want to drop an engine or subframe. I also like having the cables in the columns rather than outside—probably matters little but looks cleaner to me. If I could do it over, I’d probably buy the tall version of the HD-7 instead to save a little space since I don’t really need to lift anything over 7000 lbs or long bed pick up trucks.

Width between runners was something I looked at too, but does 6" really make a difference? I guess in some aspects of life 6" makes a difference lol but I didn't think it was that easy to drop an engine/subframe on a 4 post. Subframe I could see if you bring it up perpendicular to how its installed on the car in order to get it to fit between the runners.

 

[pbon]

A few more inches can help if you are trying to drop and engine or subframe. With the subframe, it would have to be rotated if I left all suspension components attached, but not if I disconnected them. I bought the lift to work on cars so I wanted the most clearance. Had a 2 post on my old garage and that is best for working on cars in my opinion, but have a wood floor in my current garage so I had to get a 4 post.

 

[66Caprice]

Most places that deal in garage doors can order the high lift door tracks for you. BUT. You also need new springs with some of those kits to help hold the door up at a more vertical angle.

 

[Raymac39]

Thanks for all replies,After many hours of research I am considering Challenger,BendPak,or Steel valley (Back Yard Buddy).They all seem to be similar in many aspects.CL,BP are made in China.BYB is made in USA but more expensive.So I will have to make a decision based on info I gathered so far.I spoke to a garage door guy and will have to purchase a High lift kit to fit my new ceiling .

 

[Dogmeat]

MY input....with all this VIRUS **** goin on, I can't believe you'd even CONSIDER buying ANYTHING CHINA MADE.....c'mon, support the USA dammit!!!

 

[Raymac39]

Gottcha Dogmeat.I have searched for lifts made in USA and was only able to find one being BYB,I spoke to the rep there and informed me that they are constructed of 100% USA steel,But some components where outsourced and may be China made.Also these lifts were about 1000-1200 dollars more.I would pay the extra money for a lift made 100% USA but cant find one.If you know of any please let me Know The last thing I want to do is support the China economy.

 

[pattenp]

Not all of Challenger Lifts are made in China. My Versymmetric is US made in Kentucky. It depends on which model you are looking at.

 

[Nick1980]

Have used the Triumph NSS8 for exotic cars for years and super happy with it. No problems, easy to use and tracks wide enough for exotics. Made a short video of it as well in case of interest -