Car put on 2 post lift backwards?

[3rdgendslmech]

Anyone ever done this? I've got a 10K Atlas floor plate lift (supersymmetric) and I'm getting ready to do some work on my new to me mustang gt. One of the jobs is going to be putting long tube headers on. You really need to lift the motor off the mounts to do it. If I backed the car onto the lift I'd have a little more room on the door end. Some say it's fine, some say you need to swap the arms. Don't know just asking??

 

[unslow1]

I've never seen a car put on backwards. Make sure to strap or support the car if you are going to have something else take part of the engine weight. I nearly dropped a 'cuda off a lift several years ago when I dropped the differential out.

 

[Bucko]

I've never seen a car put on backwards. Make sure to strap or support the car if you are going to have something else take part of the engine weight. I nearly dropped a 'cuda off a lift several years ago when I dropped the differential out.

Did a road trip to visit my grandparents and help work on their house with my dad when I was 16. He had a ford ranger and the bed was full of his tools and some appliances. We stopped half way because he was way overdue to a oil change. I will never forgot the guy bringing us into the shop to try and upsell on some front end work. There was so much weight in the bed the truck was literally balancing on the front arms and a good inch or two off the rear arms. We got out from under there real quick.

 

[wssix99]

I have done something similar...

There's noting magical about the direction of the load on the lift. The arms are different because a typical vehicle, properly balanced on the lift will be situated so that you need a short arm in a certain position and then a long arm in a certain position.

If you get the car's center of gravity in the right place with the car in backwards, (following your lift instructions) I expect that you will find the arms inadequate and you may have to swap them because the light rear end will be sticking far out the front. This being said.... I doubt that you will actually get more room for your doors. I actually expect that you will have LESS room for the doors to open if you have the car in backwards and properly balanced. (Unless you have suicide doors...)

I had to do something similar to change an oil pan in my car. I had the car in the normal direction and then rolled a cherry picker in from the side to support the engine, disconnected the motor mounts, and then dropped the K Member slightly to get the job done. This moves the load dramatically - moreso than strapping can deal with. Before I attached the cherry picker, I lowered the lift so the rear suspension contacted some jackstands. (So, I had the car on the lift pads AND the rear of the car on jack stands before I attached the engine and disconnected that weight from the car.) When the burden of the engine weight was disconnedted from the suspension, it shifted back to the jack stands and didn't put additional stress on the lift. It worked really well.

 

[like2wheel]

I just put a 2014 Camaro Zl1 (4200 lbs) on my Forward I10 backwards. Didn’t think twice about it.
Thought it was common practice

 

[mikedodge]

As long as you can keep center of gravity in the right spot while not doing something stupid with the arms it doesn't matter what way its on.

 

[andys]

I've done it on symmetrical and asymmetrical lifts. Sometimes a disabled car has to come in backwards or there's more clearance that way because of shop layout.

If you're balanced properly then it doesn't matter which way the car is facing.

 

[nickstar]

I have the Atlas PVL 10 set up asymmetrically. I was under the impression if the columns are set up symmetrically you could load the vehicle in either direction, but if the columns are asymmetrical the vehicle had to be driven in forward. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I didn't know it mattered.

 

[Worsedog]

So long as you observe the center of gravity concerns and use proper pad placement it does not matter.

 

[Walkers]

I disagree with the does not matter folks. In this one instance,a 10k symmetric lift, with a car the quarter of its capacity, probably stack 2 of them on there. But if you have the more common 9K asymmetric it may matter enough, not to the car, but to the anchors holding the lift, as the bulk of the weight was not meant to be put aft of the long arms, it was meant to go closer to the masts on the short arms.

 

[Metallitubby]

I've seen Porsche technicians do it for engine-related work quite a bit*


*Although technically, they'd have the weight in the most commonly used spot when in reverse.

 

[finn]

One thing to remember is that in addition to the max load capacity of the lift, each arm has a lift capacity.

That is, my Bendpack asymmetric Lift has a total capacity of 10k lbs, and each of the four arms has a capacity of 2500 lbs.

The arm limitation of 2500 lb effectively reduces the total lift capacity I’d you don’t load the lift correctly, ie evenly.

 

[Worsedog]

I disagree with the does not matter folks. In this one instance,a 10k symmetric lift, with a car the quarter of its capacity, probably stack 2 of them on there. But if you have the more common 9K asymmetric it may matter enough, not to the car, but to the anchors holding the lift, as the bulk of the weight was not meant to be put aft of the long arms, it was meant to go closer to the masts on the short arms.

Hence the "observe the center of gravity" comments.

 

[Walkers]

Hence the "observe the center of gravity" comments.

While I see what you are saying, on an asymmetric it is impossible to ‘watch the C of G putting the motor out beyond the long arms.

 

[sz0k30]

Anyone ever done this? I've got a 10K Atlas floor plate lift (supersymmetric) and I'm getting ready to do some work on my new to me mustang gt. One of the jobs is going to be putting long tube headers on. You really need to lift the motor off the mounts to do it. If I backed the car onto the lift I'd have a little more room on the door end. Some say it's fine, some say you need to swap the arms. Don't know just asking??

First off what the hell is "Supersymmetric"? Never heard of it. Have heard of "Symmetric" and "A-symmetric". I have a "Symmetric" and have put my cars in both directions depending on what I was doing and the room I needed.

 

[Walkers]

First off what the hell is "Supersymmetric"? Never heard of it. Have heard of "Symmetric" and "A-symmetric". I have a "Symmetric" and have put my cars in both directions depending on what I was doing and the room I needed.

Maybe it is just really accurately symmetrical, down to the half thou.

 

[mikedodge]

Its the arm configuration that's different. If you can get it on there with the proper center if gravity go for it.
If you want to play it safe only raise the car high enough to do what you need to do. Millions of sets of headers are done with no hoist at all.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

First off what the hell is "Supersymmetric"? Never heard of it. Have heard of "Symmetric" and "A-symmetric". I have a "Symmetric" and have put my cars in both directions depending on what I was doing and the room I needed.

So super symmetric pertains to the arms, mainly the front arms. They're 3 stage and almost half as long as the rear 2 stage arms. I've never really tried them out in this fashion. I usually just get the vehicle as close to center as I can, get it off the ground a couple inches and give it the earthquake test lol

 

[Git]

If you can dig up the overall weight and the the weight on the rear axle for you car, it's pretty easy to calculate the center of gravity, just to be one the safe side. For example, 2017 GT, CG appears to be around 53" behind the front axle centerline

https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/center-of-gravity-infographic

 

[gregs]

So I believe the op wants to put it on the lift backwards because he would have more room to work on the engine end of the car. I am guessing either the lift is offset in the shop or he has work benches or something else in front of the lift that limits space in front of the car. CoG would be the most important thing to me, if I had to pull a pin and swap the arms around to make sure it was safe I would take the extra time to do it.

 

[pbon]

I used to back on if that gave me more room for my project. I had a 20x30 and oriented the lift to the rear of one side space in front of some cars could be tight if I drove in forward.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Pretty much, almost had a case where I had the truck on the lift pulled in and it came down to almost time to pull the motor and I didnt have much room at the back end. I got it out but it would have been easier from the front end of the barn where the slider is. plus then I could have put the truck on the ground and rolled it back.

 

[kbeefy]

I've lifted backwards plenty of times. I installed my current lift with enough room so I could lift either way as I have doors on both ends of my shop.
Just follow safe lifting techniques.