I need a lift!

[Rookie]

Hey guy's I know that this probably allready came up somewhere but here it is anyway.
I want to install a lift in my garage. 2 or 4 posts? what are the differences pro and cons of eachother. I'll be working on the cars a lot. 110 or 220v? I have a 2 doors 21 by 28 ft, 10ft high garage. I want to hear from your experience.

 

[mikeyr]

search engine is your friend, there are probably hundreds of threads about lifts and 2 vs. 4 posts.

Some people say only 2 posts and 4s are worthless, others love their 4posts. The advantage of 2 posts is suspension and brake work, I try to do that type of work correctly the first time so its pretty rare for me and 4posts is much easier to deal with, for drive on and lift which is great for storage.

Its not a big deal to use a jack tray and lift the wheels off the 4post, you can see pictures of my car with all 4 wheels off on my lift in at least 2 previous posts here.

Oh yeah, in my town I need a permit for a 2post since its bolted to the floor and is a "permanent" installation according to the city, 4post does not need a permit but that is a detail since they would never have known anyway.

Decide what you really need, do you want it more for storage and some work or will you have the wheels off everyday ? Check your garage floor thickness most (maybe all) 2-posts require 6" concrete.

 

[jstbecauz]

Tell us what you need it for then we can advise. Your use will dictate which lift is best suited for your needs.

 

[BigEd]

A 10 foot ceiling seems a bit low for a full height lift. Also check to be sure you will have enough room on the sides. You may want to check out:

http://www.kwiklift.com/

 

[AndrewM]

My shop's ceiling is just over 11 ft, so I couldn't do a full height lift (they're typically 144"-146").

I have one of these:

http://www.geminilift.com/2post.htm - scroll down to the GP-9F

It works very well. Yeah, I can't go "full height", but I can park a car under it (my 98 Z28 is usually on the lift, my 94 Z28 can drive right under it). The only annoyance is the floor plate - and it's only bad when pulling / installing the transmission - and even then, I can work around it.

I bought it used, had it professionally installed (which was worth every penny he delivered, installed, leveled, adjusted the safeties, and had it operating in about an hour - I'd have spent an entire weekend doing it). All I had to do was get 220V to the motor.

 

[Chucksdart]

Not trying to hijack the thread , but could someone tell me the difference between a symetrical and an asymetrical two post lift ? Thank you

 

[carcentric]

This thread is a duplicate of http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3872

There are also some answers there.

 

[jstbecauz]

An asymmetrical design allows you to open car doors fully without banging them on the lift columns, increasing interior access and reducing vehicle damage. The lift columns are rotated 30-degrees, allowing the short and long off-center arms to position the car far enough back from the columns that the doors cannot hit them.

But the asymmetrical lift that is perfect for passenger cars may not be right for other vehicle types. For example, some full-size vans may be so long that you cannot position the van doors away from the columns and still place the vehicle's center of gravity properly on the lift. On a symmetrical lift, you can position full-size vans so the doors are ahead of the columns, preventing the doors from hitting when opened.