wkohler
Member
Howdy. Figure I'll start with a bit of background. You'll soon realize that I might have undershot it with "a bit."
Over the last couple of years, I've somehow had all these old BMWs follow me home. I was getting frustrated only being able to store two cars inside my garage and having sometimes up to four outside, so I began searching for a place to keep at least a couple inside. I started looking into the possibility of renting a commercial space and discovered there was no way I could afford to for what amounts to a hobby. Certainly, it has potential to bring in sufficient money, though I have dedicated my life at this point to less-enjoyable pursuits. Another story for another day. Then, I looked into getting a place with someone else, but the one time we got really close to renting a place, I got the, "Well, how many cars do you want to put there?" It was a no-go for me unless it was equitable and I started fearing I'd be stuck with a lease I couldn't afford so after getting stressed out, I tabled that thought.
It made sense since I thought why not take the money I'd throw away renting and use it to make my house more usable? I know. Quite the concept.
My garage is in disarray currently mostly due to half of the ceiling missing following the aftermath of a frozen pipe above the garage. I decided to really think about what I wanted in there before spending the money to fix it. That happened January 1, 2011. I'm still thinking.
So, a couple months back, I started getting that wild hare again that I needed a lift. I had pretty much set my mind on a two-post Rotary lift, but where would I put that? My garage is deep enough for a two-car, but the ceiling is 8'9" from the drywall to the floor and it's a hip roof, so I've got a couple of beams I could work around, but with it only being 20' wide, I had to decide if I wanted to turn my usable 2 car garage into a 1 car with a lift that really doesn't do what I want it to do. Not really. I started looking at four-post lifts. I figured my whole life is a compromise, so why stop now. I could get the bridge jack and still be able to do a lot of the things I want to do, but I wasn't totally sold on the idea. That's not to say I'm completely ruling it out for a storage lift.
With my dreams crushed, I decided to go back to the original plan I had when I first saw the backyard before buying the house. "I could put a lift back here." I have an RV gate to the alley and a decent spot directly behind my garage where the lift could go. Sure, it's outside in Phoenix, but we don't get much precipitation and during the summer, yes, it's hot, but it's not unbearable. Add a Port-A-Cool or something and there you go. I could put a nice awning back there too.
Between researching new lifts and checking Craigslist for whatever might pop up, I had one thing on my mind it seemed. I had plenty of work to do, too. A couple weeks back, on a Sunday, I was feeling pretty defeated on the idea of finding something that wasn't Chinese. I knew I wasn't going to end up with a Mohawk since I just don't have that kind of money. Period. That said, I just couldn't see myself going over to Greg Smith and buying what was in my price range. Maybe reading thread after thread here had me feeling that way. I certainly learned a lot throughout my research. That's for sure. Anyway, I decided to try some combination of search terms I hadn't yet tried. Having seen some pretty odd descriptions or titles on Craigslist and eBay over the years, you start to think about how people will list stuff. I decided to try "Above Ground Lift." "Two Post Lift" wasn't being fruitful. First thing that pops up is "Mohawk 7,000lb Above Ground Two Post Lift. - $700 (Mesa)” No way. I just searched for “Two Post Lift” and nothing came up. It's been up there for 35 minutes. It's $700 and there's no phone number. There are two photos in the ad. One is of the lift lying horizontal on wood next to a house and the other is of the original brochure/instruction manual. It's certainly not a current model given that it has a floor plate. I wasn't too put off by the floor plate. I fired off an email immediately asking if the lift was available and giving my phone number. Then came the waiting game.
About two hours later, received a reply. "Yes." That's it. So, I sent another email saying I was very interested and that I'd like to speak over the telephone and discuss the details. To my surprise, I received a call about five minutes later. I got the story. His girlfriend's late husband got the lift from where it had been in operation. It was working when they took it down and moved it. It had been sitting about five years or so, but the power unit was kept protected in another spot. Her kids lost interest after their dad died and it's just been sitting. I found out it was a TP-9 (a 9,000 lb lift) and actually found a thread here where a member had purchased one in 2012. That was about it for info though. They were supposedly moving and it had to go. I had made an arrangement to come out and look at it the next morning (Monday) and also asked for a few days to move it so as to do it right and not damage anything. No problem.
I got to see it and it certainly resembled the photos. Believe it or not, it's used.
I was obviously at a bit of a disadvantage being only somewhat familiar with Mohawk lifts and with their current offerings at that. Also, given it was mostly assembled, it is somewhat tough to really go over it. Plus, for the asking price, I wasn't really sure how deep to get. Everything seemed to be there. The power unit wasn't quite as protected as I was told. Better protected than here, but behind the garage was a cover which went back to the wall. Just outside the cover, was the unit. It still had ATF in it, too. I was a bit worried about the condition of the hydraulics. I didn't give much thought to the rollers. Not the smartest thing in retrospect. More on that later. I really came away from this saying I live in the country it's manufactured in, it really cannot be loaded with bespoke parts. I will be reviving a piece of history (relative, I guess) made by people who cared about what they made. Really romantic stuff. The Star Spangled Banner was playing in the background, and I felt like a great American, so I offered them $650 and asked for a couple weeks to move it given that they seemed to be moving at the most-leisurely pace I've ever seen. Two weeks? Sure.
I took what I could take and got a bill of sale. Now I had to get the thing out of there. I call our local dealer here. Says on the site they have sales parts and service, so I need service. I briefly lay out what I just did and what I'd like to have done (moved, inspected, etc). He has his doubts about it's authenticity given the floor plate since all current models are clear-floor and hydraulically equalized. Fortunately for me, I had done some research on it, and was even able to direct him to a link on the site showing the 7,000 lb version. He seemed cautious at this point, but asked for my contact info and said he'd get in touch with Mohawk and see what they said. He said they weren't "gonna haul it around" for me but said they'd install it after I asked.
Great. On my own for the move, but maybe they'll install it. I started looking elsewhere and soon discovered I might have bit off more than I could chew. Buyers remorse started settling in since getting this damn thing was going to be a monumental task. The next day, just before I decided to call my tow guy (since I know they move lifts), I called the dealer since I never heard back and we have all these great devices like phones and The Internet, so he shouldn't have had to write a letter. Said I just wanted to follow up on our conversation from yesterday and he said that they confirmed it was one of their lifts and that he was actually waiting on a manual for it. Just then I was thinking he was a bit more pleasant. So, I decided to ask for some thoughts on moving the lift. I explained that I was running into some issues finding someone that I felt could handle it without damaging either the lift or the driveway at the seller's house (which was cited as a concern for the moving process). He said that it's something I should have considered before buying the lift. I flat out told him that I wasn't expecting to find a Mohawk lift for sale and had I been able to afford a new one, I'd have contacted them to discuss, but this popped up and it didn't leave me much time to research it. I explained my next move (the rollback) but I was concerned about the idea of dragging/rolling it up on the bed, etc. He asked what I thought they'd charge to move it and I said given the distance and how it would be more difficult than a car, probably not more than a couple hundred dollars. Suddenly, I guess he discovered I wasn't wasting his time and he said, "Well, we could move it for you." He didn't have a firm price in mind, but I asked for a ball park. He said $150. Sold. I'll take two. Made arrangements with him and the seller for the next morning.
Over the last couple of years, I've somehow had all these old BMWs follow me home. I was getting frustrated only being able to store two cars inside my garage and having sometimes up to four outside, so I began searching for a place to keep at least a couple inside. I started looking into the possibility of renting a commercial space and discovered there was no way I could afford to for what amounts to a hobby. Certainly, it has potential to bring in sufficient money, though I have dedicated my life at this point to less-enjoyable pursuits. Another story for another day. Then, I looked into getting a place with someone else, but the one time we got really close to renting a place, I got the, "Well, how many cars do you want to put there?" It was a no-go for me unless it was equitable and I started fearing I'd be stuck with a lease I couldn't afford so after getting stressed out, I tabled that thought.
It made sense since I thought why not take the money I'd throw away renting and use it to make my house more usable? I know. Quite the concept.
My garage is in disarray currently mostly due to half of the ceiling missing following the aftermath of a frozen pipe above the garage. I decided to really think about what I wanted in there before spending the money to fix it. That happened January 1, 2011. I'm still thinking.
So, a couple months back, I started getting that wild hare again that I needed a lift. I had pretty much set my mind on a two-post Rotary lift, but where would I put that? My garage is deep enough for a two-car, but the ceiling is 8'9" from the drywall to the floor and it's a hip roof, so I've got a couple of beams I could work around, but with it only being 20' wide, I had to decide if I wanted to turn my usable 2 car garage into a 1 car with a lift that really doesn't do what I want it to do. Not really. I started looking at four-post lifts. I figured my whole life is a compromise, so why stop now. I could get the bridge jack and still be able to do a lot of the things I want to do, but I wasn't totally sold on the idea. That's not to say I'm completely ruling it out for a storage lift.
With my dreams crushed, I decided to go back to the original plan I had when I first saw the backyard before buying the house. "I could put a lift back here." I have an RV gate to the alley and a decent spot directly behind my garage where the lift could go. Sure, it's outside in Phoenix, but we don't get much precipitation and during the summer, yes, it's hot, but it's not unbearable. Add a Port-A-Cool or something and there you go. I could put a nice awning back there too.
Between researching new lifts and checking Craigslist for whatever might pop up, I had one thing on my mind it seemed. I had plenty of work to do, too. A couple weeks back, on a Sunday, I was feeling pretty defeated on the idea of finding something that wasn't Chinese. I knew I wasn't going to end up with a Mohawk since I just don't have that kind of money. Period. That said, I just couldn't see myself going over to Greg Smith and buying what was in my price range. Maybe reading thread after thread here had me feeling that way. I certainly learned a lot throughout my research. That's for sure. Anyway, I decided to try some combination of search terms I hadn't yet tried. Having seen some pretty odd descriptions or titles on Craigslist and eBay over the years, you start to think about how people will list stuff. I decided to try "Above Ground Lift." "Two Post Lift" wasn't being fruitful. First thing that pops up is "Mohawk 7,000lb Above Ground Two Post Lift. - $700 (Mesa)” No way. I just searched for “Two Post Lift” and nothing came up. It's been up there for 35 minutes. It's $700 and there's no phone number. There are two photos in the ad. One is of the lift lying horizontal on wood next to a house and the other is of the original brochure/instruction manual. It's certainly not a current model given that it has a floor plate. I wasn't too put off by the floor plate. I fired off an email immediately asking if the lift was available and giving my phone number. Then came the waiting game.
About two hours later, received a reply. "Yes." That's it. So, I sent another email saying I was very interested and that I'd like to speak over the telephone and discuss the details. To my surprise, I received a call about five minutes later. I got the story. His girlfriend's late husband got the lift from where it had been in operation. It was working when they took it down and moved it. It had been sitting about five years or so, but the power unit was kept protected in another spot. Her kids lost interest after their dad died and it's just been sitting. I found out it was a TP-9 (a 9,000 lb lift) and actually found a thread here where a member had purchased one in 2012. That was about it for info though. They were supposedly moving and it had to go. I had made an arrangement to come out and look at it the next morning (Monday) and also asked for a few days to move it so as to do it right and not damage anything. No problem.
I got to see it and it certainly resembled the photos. Believe it or not, it's used.
I was obviously at a bit of a disadvantage being only somewhat familiar with Mohawk lifts and with their current offerings at that. Also, given it was mostly assembled, it is somewhat tough to really go over it. Plus, for the asking price, I wasn't really sure how deep to get. Everything seemed to be there. The power unit wasn't quite as protected as I was told. Better protected than here, but behind the garage was a cover which went back to the wall. Just outside the cover, was the unit. It still had ATF in it, too. I was a bit worried about the condition of the hydraulics. I didn't give much thought to the rollers. Not the smartest thing in retrospect. More on that later. I really came away from this saying I live in the country it's manufactured in, it really cannot be loaded with bespoke parts. I will be reviving a piece of history (relative, I guess) made by people who cared about what they made. Really romantic stuff. The Star Spangled Banner was playing in the background, and I felt like a great American, so I offered them $650 and asked for a couple weeks to move it given that they seemed to be moving at the most-leisurely pace I've ever seen. Two weeks? Sure.
I took what I could take and got a bill of sale. Now I had to get the thing out of there. I call our local dealer here. Says on the site they have sales parts and service, so I need service. I briefly lay out what I just did and what I'd like to have done (moved, inspected, etc). He has his doubts about it's authenticity given the floor plate since all current models are clear-floor and hydraulically equalized. Fortunately for me, I had done some research on it, and was even able to direct him to a link on the site showing the 7,000 lb version. He seemed cautious at this point, but asked for my contact info and said he'd get in touch with Mohawk and see what they said. He said they weren't "gonna haul it around" for me but said they'd install it after I asked.
Great. On my own for the move, but maybe they'll install it. I started looking elsewhere and soon discovered I might have bit off more than I could chew. Buyers remorse started settling in since getting this damn thing was going to be a monumental task. The next day, just before I decided to call my tow guy (since I know they move lifts), I called the dealer since I never heard back and we have all these great devices like phones and The Internet, so he shouldn't have had to write a letter. Said I just wanted to follow up on our conversation from yesterday and he said that they confirmed it was one of their lifts and that he was actually waiting on a manual for it. Just then I was thinking he was a bit more pleasant. So, I decided to ask for some thoughts on moving the lift. I explained that I was running into some issues finding someone that I felt could handle it without damaging either the lift or the driveway at the seller's house (which was cited as a concern for the moving process). He said that it's something I should have considered before buying the lift. I flat out told him that I wasn't expecting to find a Mohawk lift for sale and had I been able to afford a new one, I'd have contacted them to discuss, but this popped up and it didn't leave me much time to research it. I explained my next move (the rollback) but I was concerned about the idea of dragging/rolling it up on the bed, etc. He asked what I thought they'd charge to move it and I said given the distance and how it would be more difficult than a car, probably not more than a couple hundred dollars. Suddenly, I guess he discovered I wasn't wasting his time and he said, "Well, we could move it for you." He didn't have a firm price in mind, but I asked for a ball park. He said $150. Sold. I'll take two. Made arrangements with him and the seller for the next morning.
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