Lift Advice

[wake74]

As I get older, crawling under cars isn't as fun as it used to be. I'm on the prowl for a used lift, but am struggling given the garage size. We live in a typical new subdivision, on about 3/4 of any acre. There is not a ton of "yard" stuff in the garage currently. We have one of those newer design 3 car garages, with 2 bays parallel to the road, and 1 at 90 degrees.

Vehicles:
'02 BMW M3 Vert - My daily
'15 Nissan Rogue - Her daily
'96 BMW E36 Track Rat - The two BMWs get worked on. The Rogue goes to the dealership.

Restrictions:
The wife won't park in the single garage (I'm working on it). While her Nissan will fit through the door, she has to back up the length of the driveway. The slight off-set doesn't help. No way she is parking out-side. Let's not discuss the fact that her car has 6 cameras

The single bay is a tad over 10' x 20'. The double side is about 20'x20'. I do have 13' foot ceilings, but have typical doors. I'd need to convert those. Layout is below (yes, I know that is a Mini not an E36). I was contemplating a Mini track car when I drew this.

Generally speaking the single side is currently used as the "workshop", and I park the M3 on the left hand side of the double, wife parks on the right.

I'm open to opinions, but I see a mid-rise scissor lift in the single bay as the only real option. If the misses would park on the single side, I'd park one of mine outside, and install either a two post or a 4 post in the middle of the double bay

My biggest concern with a mid-rise is being limited to what I could do on the track rat underneath the car. People seem happy with them, but I don't want to spend a thousand dollars on a used scissor lift, and then be frustrated by it's limitations. There is an Atlas MR-06 used locally for about $750.

Am I missing any other options?

 

[rnscustom]

4 posters can be on wheels , you can move it around or take it outside in the nice weather , I have a two post in a very tight area and wish I had done this ( well maybe once I had it I would wish the opposite ) might buy one just to try it and if it works out better I'll sell the other .

 

[54stude]

How big is the third stall? Total size from inside wall to inside wall.


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[polizei1]

Yea you're probably SOL on a traditional 2-post, most require 12' width. I would probably look into a MaxJack. You could fit a narrow BP 4-post, but it's a PITA to do stuff on a 4-post so I definitely would not recommend it, especially since you have a track car...even with the bridge jacks, not to mention the added cost, it would be more than a 2-post.

 

[wake74]

How big is the third stall? Total size from inside wall to inside wall.

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The single bay is ~10'4" x 20'5"

 

[wake74]

4 posters can be on wheels , you can move it around or take it outside in the nice weather , I have a two post in a very tight area and wish I had done this ( well maybe once I had it I would wish the opposite ) might buy one just to try it and if it works out better I'll sell the other .

Dragging a 4-post outside isn't possible for a couple of reasons. The house sits on a bit of a hill, so the driveway is pitched towards the front. And it's in one of the evil HOAs (Sarcasm, let's not turn this into another HOA thread)

 

[edcantu9]

Look into the HF mid rise scissor lift. It is great, cheap, moveable.

 

[rnscustom]

There is a post here with a flush with the floor scissor lift setup , that is out of the way when needed . That one is great but the pads look large and might be a little restrictive in the middle but ideal for tight spaces

 

[54stude]

The single bay is ~10'4" x 20'5"

I love my 4 post lifts. But in that stall I cannot recommend them. You need to be able to walk around the outside of the posts, in a bay narrower than 14', it would not be good for anything but stacking storage of cars.

Same thing with. 2 post, too narrow.

Go with a Midrise lift.

 

[wake74]

The MaxJax lift looks good on paper, but makes me nervous putting it so close to the exterior wall. While I "suspect" my new house has a 3.5-4" slab in the garage, who knows if the lowest bid contractor didn't pour it 2" in some places in 4" in others. I have contractor trust issues from my day job

I'm trying to figure out the stuff I couldn't do with a mid-rise:
- drop a drive-shaft to replace a center bearing or guibo
- drop the exhaust
- pull the ******

Every time I've pulled a BMW engine, I've just pulled the engine / ****** combo out the front. Those top bolts on a BMW ****** are a bear with the engine in place.

That in floor scissor lift is sweet, but I suspect I'd have to just fill in the holes when I went to sell the house.

The more I think this through, a mid-rise would probably handle 90% of the stuff I am under the car for now.

 

[tstaude]

I have a snap on mid rise and do 95% of my work on it.

When I have to do a RWD trans swap, I just **** it up and do it on jack stands....

it is very easy to drop a FWD/AWD cradle on the mid rise. It is also perfect for brakes and suspension. I can even lift full size pickups and this thing is stable!
I picked up my Snap On for $800 used.

 

[wake74]

I have a snap on mid rise and do 95% of my work on it.

Thanks. Another data point is nice.

 

[unlvrebel]

In floor scissor lift in the middle of the double bay - http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35433

Move cars when you need to use it and have lots of work room, park on top of it when you don't...