hey guys, saw this thought I would chime in on a few things we have done at work, while not for under a lift, was a source of light that was not going to burn us. anyway warning this option is NOT CHEAP. but worked well for us.
we used a Wet Location T8 Fluorescent Fixture ( will supply a link of similar units, lots of styles available and price ranges )
and then used a set ( 2 ) of flat mounting magnets with male studs, one on each end of the fixture, with a cord wired to just a standard cord end. some units we double corded with male on one end and a female on the other end, so we could daisy chain lights. cords on the units were between 15-30 feet of SOOW cord.
you could tweak the units yourself for your needs, when needed just stick the unit to the hoist or vehicle where needed,when not in use, stick it to the outside of a post so its close but out of the way.
Hope this make sense to you guys.
Our fixtures we used were around 200 bucks a pop, but the company had lots of money to throw at them. watch for sales you can often find the units for 75 ish anyway links to the items to help give you a visual. these are just random links I found on the web, lots of choices out there.
the fixtures.
http://www.superiorlighting.com/Wet...nt_Fixture_4_32W_T8_3_La_p/wl4wa332unihsp.htm
the magnets
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MMS-C-X0
good luck.