More 4 Post Lift Questions

[Skellyii]

Finally getting ready to order a 4 Post Lift, but I have two questions:

I have a 3 car garage approx 33w x 28, and the lift is going into the stall the furthest away from the house, so the two other stalls will be used for daily vehicles. I've already laid out some tape on the floor, so I should have plenty of clearance.

However, I was wondering, when you're not using the lift for parking, servicing or storage, and you're just fumbling around in the garage, do you leave the runners down and just be mindful not to trip over them, or do you raise them so that you can walk under freely? I'm 5'11, so I'm thinking that I might need to pay more attention to the clearance height under the ramps.

What's works out better for you?

Second, I'm seeing that some lifts are specifying 120v, but require a 30 amp breaker?? Is this a misprint? What circuit are you guys actually installing these things on, a standard 15amp, a 20amp, or something custom? Also, does it have to be a dedicated circuit?

Thanks!

 

[racecougar]

The correct answer to the first question is that you've gained another parking space in your garage, which must be filled with another vehicle.

I leave mine stacked with a car top and bottom when I'm not actively using it.

My Forward EFP9 / DirectLift Pro Park 9 Plus has been plugged into a 120V/20A circuit since I bought it 4 years ago. No issues, even when running it while running another appliance on the same circuit.

 

[kabinenroller]

I have a BendPack 7 series tall unit. I leave the runners in the up position when I am not using the lift. I have had guys in my shop over 6’ tall that did not have to duk when walking under it. It also works better for having usable space. My posts are maybe 7’ tall.

 

[Skellyii]

The correct answer to the first question is that you've gained another parking space in your garage, which must be filled with another vehicle.

I leave mine stacked with a car top and bottom when I'm not actively using it.

My Forward EFP9 / DirectLift Pro Park 9 Plus has been plugged into a 120V/20A circuit since I bought it 4 years ago. No issues, even when running it while running another appliance on the same circuit.

Ha, ha!
MOST of the time there will be a car parked on top and bottom, those two spots are already spoken for.

I'm thinking ahead of when I'm clearing out the garage to roll out the table saw.

BTW: @racecougar I greatly appreciate your spreadsheet, it's been helping me a ton to make a final decision!

 

[wssix99]

I take my ramps off. I drilled holes in the rods that pin the ramps in place and have a cotter pin through them to make it easier to pop them off and on.

Second, I'm seeing that some lifts are specifying 120v, but require a 30 amp breaker?? Is this a misprint? What circuit are you guys actually installing these things on, a standard 15amp, a 20amp, or something custom? Also, does it have to be a dedicated circuit?

Code requires a separate circuit for your direct wire lift and an extra cut-off switch installed.

The power you use is a function of your voltage times the amperage. So, you will generally need a higher amperage circuit if you are running a 120V version of a lift vs. the 240V version. The lifts call for a larger breaker than the motor unit calls for because there is a surge of power when the unit kicks on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inrus...ut surge current,cycles of the input waveform.

Will the inrush current always trip an undersized breaker? No. But Murphy's Law dictates that this will happen as your are lifting a load with your locks screwed up and the table crooked across your 4 posts.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

I lean the ramps against the wall when not in use.
I have my lift (Tuxedo 8K) plugged into a 20 amp outlet without issue. It worked fine in 15 amps also.

 

[RPH]

Same here, leaned against the wall or stored on lift bed.

 

[finn]

I keep the aluminum ramps on the lift runners, and the lift in the up position so I can work or walk under it without stooping. I sought out an XLT version specifically for that. Mine are Advantage lifts.

The only downside is that occasionally you spend an inordinate amount of time looking for a tool you eventually find over your head, out of sight, on the raised lift.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

My 120v lift is plugged into a shared 20 amp circuit. The breaker has never tripped, but the starting current inrush is large enough that a tv monitor (or, before I moved it, my stereo receiver) would shut off whenever the lift was activated. The monitor displays a camera image to help me line up cars on the lift, so now I simply shut the monitor off before raising the lift.

 

[Ran when parked]

Concerning the electrical supply, my 4 post plugs in (not hard wired) to a 20 amp circuit about 60' from the panel. Nothing else is in use on this circuit when a car is going up in the air. It will trip the breaker occasionally during the first second after pushing the button to raise the vehicle. If you are installing a new 120 volt circuit consider using 10-2 wire on a 30 amp breaker.

 

[smschriefer]

I place the ramps on the lift, behind the car. I sometimes don't raise the lift to max height and I don't want to get in a habit that will end up with me needing stitches if I forget to remove them. If I have a habit of removing them, I am safe. I also use a 20 amp dedicated circuit with no issues.

 

[pbon]

I have HD9-XL and it gives almost 7’ clearance underneath when fully raised. I use race ramps in 4’ length since I have a couple of cars that are lowered — longer approach helps. Super light. Store them behind the car rear wheels on the runners. Don’t forget to unhook them — they aren’t sturdy enough to be accidentally raised hanging from the lift too many times. Bendpak bridge jacks are expensive.

 

[e015475]

I keep the ramps on the lift all the time. There's about a half inch clearance to the garage door so the lift can be raised with the door closed, I've never experienced bumping into the ramps with the lift up. Ideally I'd like to have a set of aluminum or plastic ramps that I can hang on the wall when not in use, but leaving the steel ones on works ok

My lift would do fine with a 3000 lb vehicle, but pop the 20amp with anything heavier. I put in a 30 amp receptacle and a 30' cord on the lift so I could run it in any of the stalls in the garage

 

[Mikes61]

I believe the OP is talking about the runners and not the ramps. You’ll want to loft the runners up high, otherwise you’ll have difficulty stepping over them, the drip trays, and the jack tray that are all attached to the runners.
As far as the ramps, order your lift with aluminum ones or buy some Race Ramps, the steel ones are stupid heavy and unruly.

 

[Skellyii]

I believe the OP is talking about the runners and not the ramps. You’ll want to loft the runners up high, otherwise you’ll have difficulty stepping over them, the drip trays, and the jack tray that are all attached to the runners.
As far as the ramps, order your lift with aluminum ones or buy some Race Ramps, the steel ones are stupid heavy and unruly.

Thanks for pointing that out Mike!

I was reading the responses, and was wondering if I had inadvertently said ramps, but I checked my initial post, and I clearly said RUNNERS.

I have already decided to order aluminum ramps, I had already scoured GJ threads and picked up that advice.

Just wanted to get some feedback on what others are doing when there's nothing stored on the lift.

Thanks!

 

[SILVERPLATE]

i have had a Direct Lift for ten years now. It generally is worked once weekly. It has been flawless. It plugs into a dedicated 20 amp outlet with no issues. I have the sliding jack which is extremely useful. I have aluminum ramps which are an absolute must. I raise the lift about three feet high and simply stack them on the rear of the lift when not in use. I never leave on, someone will walk into them everytime.

 

[finn]

Just wanted to get some feedback on what others are doing when there's nothing stored on the lift.

Thanks!

Obviously, if there’s nothing stored on the lift, you jump on Marketplace and scour the listings for new projects.

 

[Skellyii]

Obviously, if there’s nothing stored on the lift, you jump on Marketplace and scour the listings for new projects.

Ah yes...The GJ motto.

More tools, more projects!!

 

[BruceMc]

Direct Lift 9 here. 20 amp breaker hasnever been a problem and there's 7' of clearance under it. I leave the ramps on only when it's empty and lifted to full height. One bonus of a 4-post over a 2-post nobody mentions is that it also makes a great steel workbench when there isn't a vehicle on it.

 

[Poolshark314]

Get a 20-amp high magnetic breaker, and it will never trip because of inrush current.

 

[Kaline74]

I always keep a car in the air on my Challenger lift. If it were empty, I would keep it up so I don’t trip over it.

I always take the ramps off as my garage is tight and I want the head clearance. I also don’t trust them to “just hang there”. My lift has a backstop which installs over the ramp installation pins For additional roll-off protection.

For power, mine is on a 220V / 30 amp circuit. It shares an outlet with my welder. I unplug the lift to plug in the welder.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Wrt. power, I am adding a sub panel and new circuits for the compressor, lift, welder and general use equipment. For the lift, I ended up doing a suspended box that is attached to the lift post with a 3 inch diameter magnet. If I need to move the lift, I can just stick the box on the ceiling box since it has that 3 inch magnet screwed on its back.
A curved shelf bracket takes off all the stress from the cable end that is attached to the ceiling box, and since there is slack in the cable, the outlet end of the cable has no stress either.