lifts
- Thread starter jawdoc
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Adam McLaughlin
Well-known member
TWO post lift, that way you can do brakes and suspension work.
FOUR post is nice for transmission work, oil changes, etc. but you are limited by what you can do with them.
Ada,
FOUR post is nice for transmission work, oil changes, etc. but you are limited by what you can do with them.
Ada,
GeorgiaHybrid
Well-known member
That's easy, get one of each.....
You can buy jacks that will pick up the car on a 4 post lift but they are two dfferent styles and your needs will dictate which you should use.
As noted, if you plan to mainly do oil changes, ****** and exhaust work, a 4 post is simple to use, drive up and lift.
For most anything else, a 2 post will give you more options but does take more effort to use and does have more inherent dangers involved than a 4 post.
You can buy jacks that will pick up the car on a 4 post lift but they are two dfferent styles and your needs will dictate which you should use.
As noted, if you plan to mainly do oil changes, ****** and exhaust work, a 4 post is simple to use, drive up and lift.
For most anything else, a 2 post will give you more options but does take more effort to use and does have more inherent dangers involved than a 4 post.
ghnl
Well-known member
What is your intended use for the lift?
Four posts are easy - drive on, push a button and the vehicle is up. Good access to the underside, you'll need one more step if you want to remove wheels (jacks/jack stands). A four post excells for storage - raise one car up, park another underneath. Four post lifts don't need to be bolted down (most come with caster kits so you can move them if desired). Four post lifts don't need anything special other than a 'standard' concrete garage floor.
A two post lift excells for working under and around a vehicle. Easy to remove all four wheels, excellent access to the underside. The vehicle must be lifted correctly/carefully (proper balance). It will need to be bolted down and the floor may need to be 'heavier duty' than a typical residental concrete garage floor. A two post is not usually advised for long term storage. Leaving the suspension at full droop may not be good for it.
Four posts are easy - drive on, push a button and the vehicle is up. Good access to the underside, you'll need one more step if you want to remove wheels (jacks/jack stands). A four post excells for storage - raise one car up, park another underneath. Four post lifts don't need to be bolted down (most come with caster kits so you can move them if desired). Four post lifts don't need anything special other than a 'standard' concrete garage floor.
A two post lift excells for working under and around a vehicle. Easy to remove all four wheels, excellent access to the underside. The vehicle must be lifted correctly/carefully (proper balance). It will need to be bolted down and the floor may need to be 'heavier duty' than a typical residental concrete garage floor. A two post is not usually advised for long term storage. Leaving the suspension at full droop may not be good for it.
e-tek
Well-known member
TagMan
Well-known member
I have a Backyard Buddy 4-post lift. I acquired two pieces of channel iron, each about 15" wide. I place them between the ramps and use a bottle jack to lift each corner of the vehicle and then place large hardwood blocks under either the frame or axles to keep it the wheels in the air. I've had all four wheels up at once for brake jobs on many different cars & trucks and can work in complete safety, while having the ease of a drive on lift for other uses.
jethro29
Well-known member
it depends on what your planning to use it for,if for storage or minor exhuast work then the four post would suffice, but if your planning to do repair work then it's very limited.
gsport
Well-known member
i like my four poster.... and an easier way to get the wheels up, rather than to jack the car/truck up and put blocks under the frame... is to raise the lift with the car on it three feet or so off the ground and, what i use is a 4x4 piece of wood about three feet long and place that on the ground standing up and position it under a front or rear cross member.. slowly lower the lift back down till the cross member comes into contact with the 4x4 and slowly lower the lift (the post will hold the car up now) until i can put a jack stand under the frame of the vehicle, raise the lift back up slowly till the car rests on the jack stands... and only do one end at a time for stability.. here's a picture of my 50 on the lift, on jack stands....
ScaldedDog
Well-known member
Well I only have a four post and prefer that!!
And I'm thrilled with my 2-post in-ground...
To the OP, my joke to E-tek aside, I do like my in-ground 2-post for working on the cars and trucks we own. Obviously not for everyone - like anyone who already has a floor - but worth considering if you're building a garage and want a 2-post.
Mark
BHR4CE1
Well-known member
I had the same question, and decided on a 4 post since I am mainly using the lift to store an extra car under it and to make detailing the cars easier (I have a bad back). Now WHICH 4 post lift should I get? I want something really professional and high quality. I don't mind spending a few bucks to get something that is easy to use, and very dependable. I also have lowered cars, so I need something that will make it easier for me to drive up lowered cars onto without scraping. Any help would be really appreciated!
Skyking1992
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2006
- Messages
- 475
I have a two post lift and love it. I now wonder how I got along all these years without one. I do a lot of tire rotation and brake work. Within the last two months, I have pulled the rear end/transmission assembly from two different C5 Corvettes. The entire rear suspension, differential, trans, and drive tube drops out the bottom. I'm not sure that is even possible with a four post lift. The recommended way to "pull" an engine on the C5 or C6 Corvette is to drop the front suspension and engine out the bottom.
I have my C5 on the lift a lot. I have tape marks on the floor for the front tire. I can pull in, rotate the arms under the car, and have it in the air in a matter of minutes. My knee never touches the ground. It does take a little longer for other cars that I am not so used to lifting.
I'd love to have a four post for the additional storage, but I'll keep my two post for general shop work.
I have my C5 on the lift a lot. I have tape marks on the floor for the front tire. I can pull in, rotate the arms under the car, and have it in the air in a matter of minutes. My knee never touches the ground. It does take a little longer for other cars that I am not so used to lifting.
I'd love to have a four post for the additional storage, but I'll keep my two post for general shop work.
c39er
Well-known member
I'm kinda partial to the 4 posters with dual jacks. This way you can store cars/ get the wheels off the runways and have lots of space to set parts on-the runways provide that, and best of all just drive on and your ready to lift it.
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No one has commented on maintenance yet - maybe for home shop use there isn't any to be done? I'm getting ready to build and would prefer to have an in-ground 2-post, but I've been concerned that lift will require more frequent and more expensive maintenance. Could be wrong, of course?
So, lift owners, what is the maintenance experience/cost on your lift?
So, lift owners, what is the maintenance experience/cost on your lift?
rickycobra
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Messages
- 292
Personal preference really and budget. What lifts are you deciding between?
I like that set up! Who makes it??
bill9860
Well-known member
Depneds on primary concern. If it is storgage, 4 post. If working under the car - two post.
346ci
Banned
Not sure why people continually harp on suspension/brake/wheel work is a problem on a 4 post. A hydro scissor jack makes it a cake walk.
There does become a larger cost spread once going 4 with a jack, but there are other benefits to offset the value, alignments, loaded suspension adjustment and exhaust clearance checks, mobile lift positioning with casters, extra parking space, used as scaffolding in the shop, etc..
2 and 4 are great and as I will always say, wish I had room for both.. Depends on your budget, space, and project uses..
Takes about 2 minutes to get the car up and all 4 wheels off.
There does become a larger cost spread once going 4 with a jack, but there are other benefits to offset the value, alignments, loaded suspension adjustment and exhaust clearance checks, mobile lift positioning with casters, extra parking space, used as scaffolding in the shop, etc..
2 and 4 are great and as I will always say, wish I had room for both.. Depends on your budget, space, and project uses..
Takes about 2 minutes to get the car up and all 4 wheels off.
He posted a Bendpak
ScaldedDog
Well-known member
Essentially none yet, for my in-ground Rotary. I hit the zerks on top with a grease gun one or twice a year, and that's been it. All the hydraulic components (e.g. pump) are on the wall and easy to get to. The top plate of the lift comes off if you ever have to work on anything in the ground.
Mark
Cool deal, what model BendPak is that, the HD-9 or the HD-9ST? I'm on the fence about lifts myself...mostly for storage but may be nice to drop an engine out of the P-cars if needed.
Also, where in VA are you, I'm in Arlington.
It's HD-9XW extra tall/long/wide model.
It's quite large, I mainly went with the XW because it goes higher, and I wanted to be able to stand up fully and walk under the ramps when storing a car on top, so getting in and out of the car below you never have to think about watching your head.
But I'm really glad I went with the bigger footprint as it gets the posts further out away from the vehicle when working, and handles fullsize trucks no problem.
in the sticks about 2.5hrs south of nova
Falcon67
Well-known member
I've been studying this kinda, and it will probably come down to the type of work and vehicles you'll put on it. The local shop has several lifts, on 4 post for exhaust work and the rest two post. With a 2 post you can - for instance - lift a Mustang 4.6 or 5.4 off the subframe to work on the motor and trans. It's quicker and easier than trying to pull the motor. Same with trucks - lots of engine/head work now can be done quicker by lifting the body off the running gear.
For me - I don't do that. Won't do that, have no interest in it. I maintain a couple of drag cars and would maybe like another play car. Looking at the 2 posts, 4 posts and the MaxJax I come away thinking the 4 post is the best over all deal. Similar in price to the Max with more lift. My ceiling is short, so I could not get full height out of a 4 post, but I'd get enough to stack two cars in one spot. A Max won't do that. And others have already shown that a 4 post is not limited in any way to the type of work you can do on it. Add the casters and you can move the thing around easy. If I needed to go full up, I could pour a pad out front or modify an area inside. The way I built the shop, I could easily open up 8' of ceiling on one end, load a car on a lift, set the casters and spin the thing sideways into the clear span area, then lift it up.
In all, a 4 post - for me and my specific interests - seems like the best long term purchase.
For me - I don't do that. Won't do that, have no interest in it. I maintain a couple of drag cars and would maybe like another play car. Looking at the 2 posts, 4 posts and the MaxJax I come away thinking the 4 post is the best over all deal. Similar in price to the Max with more lift. My ceiling is short, so I could not get full height out of a 4 post, but I'd get enough to stack two cars in one spot. A Max won't do that. And others have already shown that a 4 post is not limited in any way to the type of work you can do on it. Add the casters and you can move the thing around easy. If I needed to go full up, I could pour a pad out front or modify an area inside. The way I built the shop, I could easily open up 8' of ceiling on one end, load a car on a lift, set the casters and spin the thing sideways into the clear span area, then lift it up.
In all, a 4 post - for me and my specific interests - seems like the best long term purchase.
c39er
Well-known member
14,000lb-der with 7000lb rolling jacks. Xtra-Limo long and High.
BHR4CE1
Well-known member
My application will be just to lift the car to make it easier to detail. I don't want to have to mess with getting on the floor to move those little arms under the car so it lifts from the right spot. I just wanna open the door, and drive up on a ramp without having to be too accurate. The 4 post type seems like it is my only choice. I want to get one that is dependable and quiet too. My budget is very flexible, but I want to get quality. I plan on hooking up cameras to a flat screen monitor so I can see that I am lined up to the ramps as I pull into the garage. Is there a lift that comes with cameras?
TCJ1981
Well-known member
How deep is the bay you'll be driving into? 4-posts have a bigger footprint so unless you're over 20 ft., it might be a tight fit w/ the ramps down. I'm assuming you can back straight up to it, but if there is an angle approach involved, then that will also be harder to navigate. As other have mentioned, less room underneath if you have low ceilings.
If I had to choose between a two-post and a four-post, I'd would go 2-post just because they seem a little more versatile for what I would use it for. Or better yet, an inground 2-post would work great also.
As far as lining one up its not that bad after the first couple of times, just take it slow. Most runways are at least twice as wide as tire. After a while you could almost do it blindfolded. lol.
Pulling on a 4 post was tricky for the first few weeks, but it's no big deal now. I can pull on in one shot with my own cars. Takes a little extra care pulling on unfamiliar cars still.
Camera and monitors would be sweet but largely unnecessary. A friend of mine just bought a long dressing mirror usually put on the back of a bedroom door, and mounted it sideways down low on the wall straight in front of the lift. Works great, you just look forward and you can see how centered your wheels are and how close your bumper is to the front of the lift. I will probally end up doing the same in the future once I clear out all the **** stacked up in front of the lift now... Quick, cheap, easy, and very effective.
rickycobra
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Messages
- 292
http://www.gesusa.com/BendPak-HD-9ST-B-Four-Post-Lift-p/119841.htm
http://www.gesusa.com/BendPak-XPR-10ACX-Two-Post-Lift-p/120119.htm
I posted the two links for you to compare. But essential what it comes down to is floorspace and flexibility for what your doing on your car.
http://www.gesusa.com/BendPak-XPR-10ACX-Two-Post-Lift-p/120119.htm
I posted the two links for you to compare. But essential what it comes down to is floorspace and flexibility for what your doing on your car.