Old Mohawk or New Chinese

[Josh.Holloway]

I’m not sure if this is where I post, if not just let me know.

But I’ve found a deal for a old Mohawk. I’m not sure of the year. It’s a 12k low ceiling style for $3000. It’s looks pretty old and $3000 seems a little steep to me.

My question is do y’all think it’s worth going with a old mohawk for the price I could probably get a pretty nice used one of another brand. Another question I had was I now very little about these no top bar style lifts. I’ve heard they are harder to set up. I’m also kind of tall so I’m hoping it will go high enough also.

Any advice would be great. I want to pull the trigger on this mohawk before someone else gets it, but I feel like I’m over paying for such a old unit and I don’t know how I feel about the low ceiling no top bar concept.

It also is chain over drive instead of direct drive.

Thanks for any help or advice! I would be willing to admit I’m new to the car lift game. Just getting really tired of working in the dirt everyday.

 

[u2slow]

One especially cool feature of the Mohawk is no floor track or overhead bar. You can route the hydraulic and air lines on the ceiling of you wanted.

I don't see this style in other brands.

 

[Josh.Holloway]

One especially cool feature of the Mohawk is no floor track or overhead bar. You can route the hydraulic and air lines on the ceiling of you wanted.

I don't see this style in other I'm

Yeah I thought that was a pretty neat design also. I just didn’t know much about them. I didn’t know if they just did that for low ceiling and if there were any benefit or drawbacks. I have 13ft ceiling so height is no problem

 

[u2slow]

I think it's done like that mainly for high ceilings so you can lift tall vehicles. I found a Ford Smith that type (now obsolete) but that's why I got that design.

 

[Josh.Holloway]

I think it's done like that mainly for high ceilings so you can lift tall vehicles. I found a Ford Smith that type (now obsolete) but that's why I got that design.

That is a very good point. That does make me start to like that style a little more. Thanks for the info and thoughts.

 

[Mytvrs]

I just purchased a used Mohawk LC-12-3SA . 2016 vintage with 3 stage arms. Lightly used and in great shape, paid twice what the one your looking at. These lifts are built like tanks and parts are available (If you ever need them) for what seems forever. A new comblock 12 K would have probably cost close to the same.

 

[Lt CHEG]

I would much rather have a used Mohawk over a brand new lift from China. My Mohawk A7 (7,000 pound) lift makes my buddy’s 10,000 pound Chinesium (ALI certified even) look like a tinker toy by comparison. There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that my lift would safely lift 50% more than his lift, even though his is rated higher. A used but serviceable Mohawk lift is unquestionably a better built, safer lift than any no name Chinese lift.

 

[zkdiesel]

Depends what your lifting

If your lifting medium suvs and larger. Or 1/2 ton-1 tin trucks I’d get the mohawk all day long. No second thoughts.

If your lifting small sports cars and economy cars(miatas, mustangs, corvettes, smart cars, bmw, mercedes, Audi cars I would get the appropriate asymmetrical China one


The mohawk is great for brute strength and functionality
BUT it is bulky and clumsy on arms. You will have trouble reaching euro or swb cars. Pad height will also be too tall for some of these vehicles and require blocking under tires to rack...

 

[iadr]

I've seen 3 hoist failures, all of which *looked* better than that Mohawk. And 3K is well over what it would fetsh here in Canada where stuff is pricier. But that's taste. In many cases I do prefer older H/D, well made product. ...Although the downside of having to have a rubber ramp for each wheel (or for two in a bay I am very familiar with an uneven floor) is a major pita.

What I do feel I have a handle on is we went through the height thing at the dealership I worked at until November. What we found was raised trucks are taller to stand beside but the vertical height from frame rail/undercarriage is very little "deeper" than the same vehicle in 2wd stock tire form. Therefore, in practice the vehicle roof doesn't hit a top cross bar of the hoist when at working height. Logical, but caught me off guard. ... What does happen is the bottom of the tire is significantly lower in the instance of raised, big tire truck (vs 2wd truck of same make/model).
I saw this, and I'd actually over reacted to replacing what appeared to be taller hoists with newer shorter ones...so I had to climb down in a way that was a little awkward.
I'm curious if any posters have experienced real world problems with being limited by a top cross bar height?
If so with what vehicle? Box truck, maybe?

 

[Mytvrs]

I've seen 3 hoist failures, all of which *looked* better than that Mohawk. And 3K is well over what it would fetsh here in Canada where stuff is pricier. But that's taste. In many cases I do prefer older H/D, well made product. ...Although the downside of having to have a rubber ramp for each wheel (or for two in a bay I am very familiar with an uneven floor) is a major pita.

What I do feel I have a handle on is we went through the height thing at the dealership I worked at until November. What we found was raised trucks are taller to stand beside but the vertical height from frame rail/undercarriage is very little "deeper" than the same vehicle in 2wd stock tire form. Therefore, in practice the vehicle roof doesn't hit a top cross bar of the hoist when at working height. Logical, but caught me off guard. ... What does happen is the bottom of the tire is significantly lower in the instance of raised, big tire truck (vs 2wd truck of same make/model).
I saw this, and I'd actually over reacted to replacing what appeared to be taller hoists with newer shorter ones...so I had to climb down in a way that was a little awkward.
I'm curious if any posters have experienced real world problems with being limited by a top cross bar height?
If so with what vehicle? Box truck, maybe?

Overhead height with a Mohawk lift is limitless. One of the reasons I went with a Mohawk Lift, it offers the ability to plumb the hydraulic lines to the ceiling (18 Feet) for unencumbered height,

 

[iadr]

Ha, but you are not saying you've ever used, or have a use case in mind, where you need more height.
I contend many readers need less height than one might think.
I'm making a query for the exceptions.

 

[Mytvrs]

Ha, but you are not saying you've ever used, or have a use case in mind, where you need more height.
I contend many readers need less height than one might think.
I'm making a query for the exceptions.

There are times when I lift small box trucks. I have also the need to lift boats off of trailers and the added height is very handy.

 

[Finally]

Many of us have “Chinese made” lifts with zero issues. That said, that lift looks Heavy duty, very nice. I think whatever fits your needs and budget is what you should get. There is nothing wrong with the many lifts under the multiple manufacturer names as they are all made the same materials (based on their weight ratings) and have good warranties. An equivalent Chinese lift with 12k capacity will cost you over double that price. Sounds like a good deal to me

 

[oilslick]

Mohawk lifts are impressive. The weight of each column is incredible.

 

[zkdiesel]

Overhead height with a Mohawk lift is limitless. One of the reasons I went with a Mohawk Lift is ability to the ability to plumb the hydraulic lines to the ceiling (18 Feet) for unencumbered height,

My 30k mohawk has underground hydro lines so clear top so a crane can swing overhead....

 

[zkdiesel]

I've seen 3 hoist failures, all of which *looked* better than that Mohawk. And 3K is well over what it would fetsh here in Canada where stuff is pricier. But that's taste. In many cases I do prefer older H/D, well made product. ...Although the downside of having to have a rubber ramp for each wheel (or for two in a bay I am very familiar with an uneven floor) is a major pita.

What I do feel I have a handle on is we went through the height thing at the dealership I worked at until November. What we found was raised trucks are taller to stand beside but the vertical height from frame rail/undercarriage is very little "deeper" than the same vehicle in 2wd stock tire form. Therefore, in practice the vehicle roof doesn't hit a top cross bar of the hoist when at working height. Logical, but caught me off guard. ... What does happen is the bottom of the tire is significantly lower in the instance of raised, big tire truck (vs 2wd truck of same make/model).
I saw this, and I'd actually over reacted to replacing what appeared to be taller hoists with newer shorter ones...so I had to climb down in a way that was a little awkward.
I'm curious if any posters have experienced real world problems with being limited by a top cross bar height?
If so with what vehicle? Box truck, maybe?

Very few people will ever need a lift over 14’ of ceiling height. Only people in the commercial truck repair land. Box trucks, sprinter/transits with ladder racks, mobile sign truck... most everything else can be maxed out for lift travel with a 14’ tall hoist. Hell, standard pickup trucks only ever require 12’ hoists.......

Even if you get a random box truck you can still get it up far enough to do chassis work, but I’m not picking a large box truck up on an 8k China lift anyways.......

The style of this lift bs China for too oost design wouldn’t be a factor in my choosing for this guys application

 

[cherokee]

The only thing I will, or can add and not sure if it is even an option for you.

When I bought mine new roughly 15 years ago the price IIRC was roughly $4500, to have it installed was sub $500, I want to say $300, but I just don't remember, only thing I do remember was it was cheap enough for me to say well I don't have to do it.

Three guys came out right after the shop was built, first thing they asked was how thick the concrete was, I told them 8" over the entire floor....that was spendy. Good where do you want it....right there and they went after it. It took three guys with a crane on their truck roughly 8 hours to install the lift. And it went smooth. I cooked them burgers on the grill and all. They knew what they are doing and there was no delays in anything, it just took that long to do, get level get it blead and all. At the time I had not run 220 to it yet, so they used 110 to bleed it.

I don't say I use it every day, but I do use it A LOT. Most I have ever done is have to adjust it so both sides stay in time.

If that option is available, no idea on costs now a' days, but it might be worth looking into.

I want to say mine is a Forward, but I actually don't remember. There is no marking on it at all. I bought it from the place that serviced the in ground lifts at the old car dealership I once worked at. I said I want 12,000 lbs and twin post. They brought out this. Never an issue.

Sadly I don't have a good pic of it on my phone.

 

[cherokee]

I've seen 3 hoist failures, all of which *looked* better than that Mohawk. And 3K is well over what it would fetsh here in Canada where stuff is pricier. But that's taste. In many cases I do prefer older H/D, well made product. ...Although the downside of having to have a rubber ramp for each wheel (or for two in a bay I am very familiar with an uneven floor) is a major pita.

What I do feel I have a handle on is we went through the height thing at the dealership I worked at until November. What we found was raised trucks are taller to stand beside but the vertical height from frame rail/undercarriage is very little "deeper" than the same vehicle in 2wd stock tire form. Therefore, in practice the vehicle roof doesn't hit a top cross bar of the hoist when at working height. Logical, but caught me off guard. ... What does happen is the bottom of the tire is significantly lower in the instance of raised, big tire truck (vs 2wd truck of same make/model).
I saw this, and I'd actually over reacted to replacing what appeared to be taller hoists with newer shorter ones...so I had to climb down in a way that was a little awkward.
I'm curious if any posters have experienced real world problems with being limited by a top cross bar height?
If so with what vehicle? Box truck, maybe?

The floor in my brand new building has a fairly uneven floor, walking across it you can tell it is that bad. I think that is what took the guys that set mine up had to spend the most time with.

 

[pl_silverado]

I just priced a Mohawk 10k System 1. $13,750. At $3k, the used ones a no brainer. Same place that quoted me the new one had a used one they wanted $6500 for.

 

[428PI]

2 post lifts usually don't cause problems but can. We had one installed (don't remember the brand) and the pump drive sheared or something like that. Couldn't get individual parts so didn't tear it down. You could hear the motor turn but it wasn't turning the pump. Luckily it was under warranty and didn't have a car on the safety's at the time so could lower it. Had to replace the whole pump and reservoir assembly or it would have been 600 bucks or more. It was only a few months old. The lift I was using at work had a nasty habit of loosing prime. You had to hit the up button a few times to get it to start pumping fluid. Luckily it never let us down.

 

[lowerthanu]

I have a 1993 model Mohawk that I rebuilt that works awesome. Lift everything from Corvettes to 3/4 ton trucks with no issues. You can adjust the width of the post to your liking as well. I have mine set wide so I can put a full size car trailer between the arms for loading.

The lift you pictured appears to be the old 1 line style. This will work fine, but is a pain to keep the arms synchronized. The newer style lift has 2 hydraulic lines and a diverter valve so you can run the non pump side independently. Keeps the arms in alignment and easy to adjust them if they get out of whack.

Mohawk does sell a conversion kit to update this style lift, but it is spendy from what I recall.

Nice thing about Mohawk is they have all parts available. I had a bent arm on my lift that I bought and they were able to supply me a new one with no issues.

Bottom line is I would buy a used Mohawk again without a doubt. Go through it and it will last you a lifetime. Once you see how they are built a normal 2 post will look like a toy.

 

[ycgoat]

I am in the market for a 2 post lift as well, and when I look at used lifts I have several concerns;
1. Does it work? Can I verify it?
2. How can I get it loaded?
3. What model and age is it? Have I heard of the brand?
4. Can I get parts?

Basically if I can get a good deal on a used named brand USA made commercial lift that I can get parts for I am all over it. A nice looking Challenger 10K came up recently but I had to work and could not show up the next morning with cash, so someone who could got that deal.

 

[txvwnut]

Mohawk lifts are made in the USA and like stated above built like tanks. We purchased 2 for the day job and they are quite impressive in build quality and design.

Mohawk automotive garage lifts are American made and built to last | Mohawk Lifts

Mohawk offers environmentally safe above-ground service lifts, with capacities ranging from 6,000 to 240,000 pounds. A Mohawk car lift makes an ideal home auto lift or garage lift.

mohawklifts.com

 

[u2slow]

I'm curious if any posters have experienced real world problems with being limited by a top cross bar height?
If so with what vehicle? Box truck, maybe?

I wanted to be able to put my truck w/camper (or tall canopy), or a small motorhome on the lift. I have nearly 20' ceiling so why throw away that usable clearance with a short lift?

 

[zkdiesel]

I wanted to be able to put my truck w/camper (or tall canopy), or a small motorhome on the lift. I have nearly 20' ceiling so why throw away that usable clearance with a short lift?

The average home owner lift won’t lift s truck with camper or a motor home.
Trucks with tall canopy only usually a foot higher and a pickup truck only requires a 12’ lift. So with tall canopy you’d only need a 14’(which is pretty standard in 2 post world)

 

[u2slow]

The average home owner lift won’t lift s truck with camper or a motor home.
Trucks with tall canopy only usually a foot higher and a pickup truck only requires a 12’ lift. So with tall canopy you’d only need a 14’(which is pretty standard in 2 post world)

I'm content to not be average.

My 5000# truck and 1000# camper are a candidate for my 9k# lift. My tall canopy is more than a foot above the cab, and I'm fitting it with a ladder rack.

 

[zkdiesel]

I'm content to not be average.

My 5000# truck and 1000# camper are a candidate for my 9k# lift. My tall canopy is more than a foot above the cab, and I'm fitting it with a ladder rack.

Go measure it fully up on your rack. Probably still under 14’

 

[u2slow]

Go measure it fully up on your rack. Probably still under 14’

The lift isn't fastened and operable yet. 30" bed height. 7' camper height. Lift stroke is about 6'.

My OH door is 14'. I built my shop on the premise I can drive in a max-road-height vehicle, and put it in the air. I actually reviewed the 10 and 12k# Mohawk specs carefully for my shop design. But I ran out of funds and had to find something more affordable, used.

 

[bb29510]

yes its old, yes its been used hard and put away wet, but its a mohawk, coat of new paint and yes iits a mohawk, yes it $3000 and thats high, but its a mohawk. I have a bentpak, but that a mohawk

me i buy it in a heatbeat and tell everybody huh yes it was $1800.............. its a mohawk

 

[bb29510]

my opinion:
a worn out mohawk is worth more than a brand new bendpak in a box

 

[zkdiesel]

my opinion:
a worn out mohawk is worth more than a brand new bendpak in a box

Not if the lift is too big for his intended vehicles of use. Then it’s a pita....
My Mohawk..... wanna see how big the arms are?

 

[39Tudor]

Okay ZK, you’re just showing off now!

 

[bb29510]

yea but it be nice to have a 2000 pound car on that what...... dump truck lift, talk about safety margin

 

[Sweetcorn]

I’m not sure if this is where I post, if not just let me know.

But I’ve found a deal for a old Mohawk. I’m not sure of the year. It’s a 12k low ceiling style for $3000. It’s looks pretty old and $3000 seems a little steep to me.

My question is do y’all think it’s worth going with a old mohawk for the price I could probably get a pretty nice used one of another brand. Another question I had was I now very little about these no top bar style lifts. I’ve heard they are harder to set up. I’m also kind of tall so I’m hoping it will go high enough also.

Any advice would be great. I want to pull the trigger on this mohawk before someone else gets it, but I feel like I’m over paying for such a old unit and I don’t know how I feel about the low ceiling no top bar concept.

It also is chain over drive instead of direct drive.

Thanks for any help or advice! I would be willing to admit I’m new to the car lift game. Just getting really tired of working in the dirt everyday.

Let me know if you decide against getting it. Depending on location, I'd be very interested.

 

[zkdiesel]

yea but it be nice to have a 2000 pound car on that what...... dump truck lift, talk about safety margin

But the arms won’t go short enough in reach or have even height clearance to clear a car

They have trouble clearing a 3500 Chevy front frame rail

 

[mcbane]

$3k is expensive? When a 10K ChiCom lift fails with a 2k load, you will have far more than $3k in insurance copays, lost work and permanent injuries.

 

[finn]

$3k is expensive? When a 10K ChiCom lift fails with a 2k load, you will have far more than $3k in insurance copays, lost work and permanent injuries.

You’ve actually witnessed an import lift fail with a 2000 lb car on it?

 

[mcbane]

You’ve actually witnessed an import lift fail with a 2000 lb car on it?

I have seen a chinesium jack stand collapse under less than half of its rated load. I've also seen sockets split down the side under light torque. And 1" bolts shear off when being snugged up by hand. No need to see any more since the problem is in quality of steel and competence of welds and is a generic characteristic of the cheapest equipment money can buy.

 

[finn]

I have seen a chinesium jack stand collapse under less than half of its rated load. I've also seen sockets split down the side under light torque. And 1" bolts shear off when being snugged up by hand. No need to see any more since the problem is in quality of steel and competence of welds and is a generic characteristic of the cheapest equipment money can buy.

US built jack stands were failing back in the early seventies, well before Chinese imports were a thing.

Show me a picture of a 1” bolt that sheared when hand tightened. I call BS on that one.

I have personally split US built 3/8” drive 1/2” sockets with a ratchet.

 

[ycgoat]

I work for a gov contractor and we are not allowed to use Chinese material handling devices such as slings and shackles because they are a safety hazard, but there is difference between a Chinese lift designed and built by China and an American design / manufacturing process / QA carried out in China