challenger SA10 2-post lift orientation

[tff]

I'm about to order a challenger SA10 lift. Finalizing the lift placement and orientation. I'm probably over-optimizing, but I figure why not make it the best possible.
So... what I'm looking for:
-ability to have one car on the lift while having the second car in the garage
-ideally I'd be able to pull the car on and off the lift without moving the other car
-pad placements for the lift are pretty much fixed as the concrete is deeper in those areas (and the garage is fixed... can't make it bigger. )
-I'd like to keep 24" from the left post to the wall

Below are 3 potential options.
-First one is what I started with.
-Second one looks odd but makes it easier to pull the lifted car in and out, and would allow me to place a small cabinet/chest in the front left corner.
-Third one... is this 'allowed' or safe? - center of gravity would be preserved.

Comments welcome.

 

[tff]

The sa10 is a versymmetric lift and therefore can be moved another foot forward as the front arms are shorter than the rear

So good point. This particular model can be installed as symmetric or asymmetric. (They do have another model that can be either with the same installation.)
Regardless, my question is for a lift in symmetric installation, should the center of gravity of the vehicle be aligned with the two posts or centered fore-aft based on the lift pad locations on the arms? I assume it's the latter. (But no where in Challenger's manual does it actually talk about this).
Thanks.

 

[CraigStu]

I think this. ".. the center of gravity of the vehicle be aligned with the two posts.." My reasoning goes like this. Let's think of a car where the bottom is perfectly falt and we can put the arm pads anywhere we want. To me, if that is the case, we park the car in relation to the lift posts. Lift it and grab the rear bumper to push it up and down to check how much it moves. I think that within a pretty wide area of pad location the movement will be the same. On to your diagrams. I agree w/ IEQUIPU, use it asymetrically and move the posts forward a foot. W/ a 10,000# capacity you can put dang near anything on it assymetrically. That will really help w/ the second car parking. I'd also look at putting the posts 4-6 inches closer together as well as cutting the left post to wall clearance by 4-6 inches. The way it is in all your diagrams the most important criteria of next car shopping is going to be overall length. I would hate to be constrained like that.

 

[brownbagg]

pull the car in straight, where it clears the door. that where i like them, I want it closer to door than back of shop. because all the engine works on the front, work benchs, lights tools are in the back

 

[HotrodHR]

Move the left post closer to the wall (use most of the 2'), narrow the distance between the two posts if possible, orient lift perpendicular to the side walls.

Other options, consider side lift (single post), or portable two post setup.

 

[tff]

Thanks all for your comments. I've decided on the following: first, I've got a Rotary SPO10 lift (symmetric) on order. The 3-piece arms for both front and rear make that Rotary fit my two Porsches (944 & Boxster) lift points much better. I ended up paying about $1000 more but I think I'll be happier with it. And it's made in the US. Second, I'm going with the lift angled by 5 degrees (installer agrees it makes sense given my narrow garage)... sketches below show how's it's going to be oriented.

 

[tff]

Re: challenger SA10 (now Rotary) 2-post lift orientation

So, finally, Friday my Rotary lift was installed. (Unfortunately it took a couple of months from the time of order to the install. Mainly due to they originally shipping the wrong lift, delays in getting that corrected, and some vacation of mine). Anyway... all is great now. Really happy with the install. I need to wire up the electrical now so I can actually use it.