Pro's & Con's of 4 post Vs 2 Post

[dejar59]

Hello to all,
I am sure this has been debated at length but I would like some current thoughts.

I have a 27 x 30 area in the shop with 11'-11 3/16" ceiling in the area of the lift. Was shooting for 12' min. but concrete guy got generous. It looks bitchin though.

Now I am 53 and have bad knees and old uncle Arthur has evidently decided to set up house in my knees. So getting up and down isn't near as much fun as the "bends and MFer's" we did at Parris Island, Oohrah!

Therefore the four post lifts seem to be the way I am leaning right now, but I thought I would run it throough here first. Love the site.

I am mainly going to be using as service and setting up a samll track car. May have an occasional farm tractor on it as well. I will post some pics of the build as soon as I find time.

Any thoughts and ideas includng brands and prices would be appreciated.

 

[64dragnwagon]

The biggest disadvantage of a 4 post is that you really will need to add a rolling hydraulic jack option if you want to do any brake/suspension work. This adds a lot of cost, sometimes the jacks are almost as much as the lift. With a 2 post you don't have this problem. I have always felt a little more comfortable under a 4 post but if used properly a 2 post is totally safe. the key is getting the car centered on the lift properly.

 

[dejar59]

Thanks for the reply,

Having spent my fair amount of time under a vehicle, whether it be flat on my back or standing, I agree with you. Maybe that's one more reason the knees don't work like they used to.

GregSmithEquipment and others have some lifts that include the jack trays as well as drip pans. Seems logical that a couple jack stands and a bottle jack or two at chest height would work as well. I haven't used this set up but would think it would work.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Seems logical that a couple jack stands and a bottle jack or two at chest height would work as well.

The thing is you need to put the jack stands and bottle jack on top of something in order to jack up the car, and you may or may not be able to do that from on top of one of the ramps on a four post lift - the jacking point may be somewhere in between the two ramps.

I have a four post lift in my garage that belongs to a friend of mine, he keeps a car stored on top of it and I park one of mine underneath. He fabricated a cross member out of channel steel that fits in between the ramps, and it will support a jack or stands. It works basically the same as what the lift manufacturers will sell you but was less expensive

 

[dejar59]

The ones i have looked at have a jack tray that runs between the runners.

 

[dejar59]

Direct lift

Pro Park 9 Plus



ProPark 9 Plus Four Post, 9000 lb capacity vehicle lift. In Stock Now!!

The Pro Park 9 Plus has been designed for those who need the height, length and width to accommodate a crewcab longbed truck on top or underneath. The double lock ladder safety system is the same as found on our commercial style 4-post models and allows you to level the lift to an unlevel floor while being in the locked position. Includes; Jack tray, Caster Kit(polyurethane wheels), and 4 Drip Trays!

The ProPark 9 Plus is ALI/ETL certified. Manufactured in Direct Lift's ISO-9001 CE certified facility and backed by a 5 year warranty on structural components and 1 year on hydraulic cylinder/power unit. Direct Lift is a VSG company and is a subsidiary of the Dover Corporation (NYSEOV) which is the largest auto/truck lift manufacturer in the world.

85" lifting height, 218 1/2" overall length w/ approach ramps, 133" overall width with motor, 121" overall width w/o motor, 187" length without approach ramps, 21 1/2" runway width, 188" runway length, Black Powder Coat Finish.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Generally speaking, a four-post is better for storing cars and a two-post is better for working on cars. But either will do for either task.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I just ordered a new lift last Friday and wound up with a Challenger 2 post for several reasons. They are easier to do suspension work on, easy to lift a body off the frame, easier to drop a transmission or take an engine out the bottom, easier to drop the rear end, they take up less real estate and can be had to fit your ceiling height.

Even better, they are generally cheaper than an equivalent 4 post lift.

 

[c39er]

Yea but you don't have 2 real long parts benches to store parts taken off the car!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Someone in a thread last year remarked that six months after you get a two post lift, you will be wishing you had a four post. The reasoning is that you will end up using it mostly for oil and trans/differential fluid changes and its much easier to put a car on a four post than a two post.

Four post, drive it on, chock it, lift it.

Two post. Position it, nope, too far off center, reposition it, nope, still not right, third try, Ok, close enough. Lay on floor, position lift arms/pads at four different places (lay down and get up four times), raise lift up to vehicle, raise a couple of inches, again lay on the floor at each of the four positions, checking the lift pad position. Hmmm, one isn't quite right, let it down, reposition arm, back up, finally get it all the way up. What a pain in the ****.

Charles

 

[Goobzilla]

Someone in a thread last year remarked that six months after you get a two post lift, you will be wishing you had a four post. The reasoning is that you will end up using it mostly for oil and trans/differential fluid changes and its much easier to put a car on a four post than a two post.

Four post, drive it on, chock it, lift it.

Two post. Position it, nope, too far off center, reposition it, nope, still not right, third try, Ok, close enough. Lay on floor, position lift arms/pads at four different places (lay down and get up four times), raise lift up to vehicle, raise a couple of inches, again lay on the floor at each of the four positions, checking the lift pad position. Hmmm, one isn't quite right, let it down, reposition arm, back up, finally get it all the way up. What a pain in the ****.

Charles

I've owned both but wouldn't go back to the 4 post unless I was needing extra storage.

 

[Steves32]

I have a Bendpak 4 post with the rolling jack. Best of both worlds IMO.
I've done brakes on it- mufflers & exhaust on it & even removed the 9" Ford rear from a friends car for a replacement. I don't have to worry about removing a rear end & now the car load is too front heavy. Also- some 2 post lifts are a PITA working around doors.
I would never go back to a 2 post again.

 

[shampoop]

asymmetrical 2 post for sure. 4 posts are good for alignments and storing 2 cars in one space. 2 post has better access to wheels/brakes/suspension. You can drop anything from the middle of the car, and the lift takes up less floorspace.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I have a Challenger 9K two post. Now wishing I had a four post on casters for about ¾ of the stuff I do.

Question for anyone with a 4 post on casters????? since they are not anchored down, do they attempt to slide when you first hit the ramps with the front wheels?

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Hello to all,
I am sure this has been debated at length but I would like some current thoughts.

I have a 27 x 30 area in the shop with 11'-11 3/16" ceiling in the area of the lift. Was shooting for 12' min. but concrete guy got generous. It looks bitchin though.

I guess you poured the floor after the building was up? Pole building?

Now I am 53 and have bad knees and old uncle Arthur has evidently decided to set up house in my knees. So getting up and down isn't near as much fun as the "bends and MFer's" we did at Parris Island, Oohrah!

Well, with a two post, you will be up and down at least four times to position the lift arms. Easiest to position I've encountered yet was a Dodge 3500 Quad oddly

Therefore the four post lifts seem to be the way I am leaning right now, but I thought I would run it throough here first. Love the site.

I am mainly going to be using as service and setting up a samll track car. May have an occasional farm tractor on it as well. I will post some pics of the build as soon as I find time.

Don't know about the "small track car" but I would think you need it sitting on the wheels to get things set up properly. A four post with a rolling jack would probably do you nicely on this. The farm tractor won't go on a two post, but I haven't found much reason to put a tractor on a lift of any kind, they sit high enough to not be a problem.

Any thoughts and ideas includng brands and prices would be appreciated.

Charles

 

[buzz4041]

I like the 4 post. I have 2 rolling scissor jacks for mine and can do virtually anything I want with it. I have the Propark 8 and am very happy with it. Many of the 2 post post require a larger height requirement so you need to check this. You need to have a 2 post securely fastened and the slab must be within manufacturer specs so check that also.

Charles I have my lift post marked and have not seen any movement of them in 3 years of service.

 

[Johnny chaos]

I definitely agree with the earlier post that stated......... 2 post for working on cars and 4 post for storage. How many repair facilities use 4 post lifts for regular repairs? We have ten asymmetric lifts at work and one alignment rack. It's more difficult to do regular repairs on the four post even with rolling jacks, there always seems to be some part of the lift in the way.

 

[koolkev12]

Just throwing my 2 cents in. I worked for 12 years as a transmission tech for Ford. We only had 2 post lifts. I always felt a little unsafe under them. I saw 4 vehicles fall off of 2 posts lifts over the years. I worked as a Land Rover tech for 6 years. We only had 4 post lifts. I did everything from minor work to removing transmissions, all kinds of brake and suspension work and even replaced a complete frame in a Range Rover. 4 posts can be a little pain ducking under them but you get used to it. You can anything on a 4 post you can do on a 2 post. You just have to do things differently sometimes. I would take the 4 post anyday just because it's much safer.

 

[Skyking1992]

I have an American made, certified two post lift and love it. I agree that generally a two post is great for service work and a four post for storage. A couple of comments about points listed above:

Safety - I think the two post lift is as safe as the operator. I always check the placement of the arms before I go under the car. I use a stand to steady the car if I'm doing anything serious.

Bending over - If you have a different car on the lift every time you use it you will have to bend over to place the arms. I have a Corvette that we autocross pretty much every weekend of the summer. Every Monday, I put the car on the lift to check brake pads and bearings, bleed brakes, etc. I have a line on the floor to show me exactly where to stop the car and marks on the arms to tell me exactly how far to extend the arms and how far to rotate the arms under the car. I can pull up, use my foot to push each arm under the car, and have it in the air without bending over and be done in a matter of seconds.

I have pulled the entire rear differential, transmission, and torque tube from late model corvettes (C5, C6) several times. Vary convenient with a two post lift. I have also dropped the entire running gear (rear end, ******, torque tube, engine) out the bottom of corvettes several times. I'm not saying it can't be done on a four post lift, but I'll bet it's not as convenient.

I wouldn't give up my two post lift for anything, but I wouldn't mind having one or two four post lifts also.

Skyking

 

[chadman]

As was said before, two post for actually working on the car. Four post for storing the car. Look around at car dealerships and service stations. You will see 10:1 two posts to four posts.

 

[Matt M PA]

I have a BP HD9, and while I'd agree it's not as easy to do suspension, brakes, etc with the 4 post as with our mid-rise.

That being said...as another with knees that aren't perfect...you have to get on your knees to set-up a car on a 2 post. With a 4 post...you could raise the car...then position the jacks.

Another poential consideration would be the slab in the garage. I don't know how the slab is poured and you require some things to anchor a 2 post.

 

[isaac338]

Two post. Position it, nope, too far off center, reposition it, nope, still not right, third try, Ok, close enough. Lay on floor, position lift arms/pads at four different places (lay down and get up four times), raise lift up to vehicle, raise a couple of inches, again lay on the floor at each of the four positions, checking the lift pad position. Hmmm, one isn't quite right, let it down, reposition arm, back up, finally get it all the way up. What a pain in the ****.

Charles

You make it sound like a nightmare. On all the two posts I've used (at two different shops and my Maxjax) I've only ever had to reposition a car a handful of times, and I have no idea why you'd be laying on the floor to see where the lift pads are contacting - they go straight up so if you get them underneath the rocker or lift point, they're going to hit it (if the gap's too big to judge, that's what the extensions are for).

Two posts offer the most access to under the car but they sure make it hard to check things in the suspension in any position other than full droop - sometimes it's nice to be able to bounce the car to listen for clunks or what have you and a four post makes that possible.

 

[J66442]

I have a two post asymmetric lift (I don't know the knock off brand name off the top of my head). I think for working on stuff it is ideal. I can use it to take the body off frame, tire changes, brakes, oil changes, etc.

I might buy a 4 post in the future for additional storage.

I don't think I could use my two post lift to lift my Yanmar (compact) tractor, the arms wouldn't safely support it. I don't know any service that would need it lifted. Big floor jack takes care of tire changes. Splitting tractor to change clutch would not allow use of lift. Tractor has good ground clearance so oil changes are easy, except bracket for front end loader gets in way.

 

[tonycastec]

This is an interesting alternative. You get the best of both types of lift.It is similar to what we might call an alignment lift.They are more common in Europe. This video is for a JIG SLA309. The script is hopeless but the video is instructive.

I inquired and it is $8000 !
http://jinhua.en.alibaba.com/product/327076408-209463584/Scissor_Lift_SLA309_9000LB_4_0Ton_CE.html

 

[tdkkart]

Considering some of the 'tards that work in some shops I'm really surprised that dumping cars off lifts isn't more common........

I can see all the advantages to the 2 post, but they scare the hell out of me every time I see someone tugging a wrench under one.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This is an interesting alternative. You get the best of both types of lift.It is similar to what we might call an alignment lift.They are more common in Europe. This video is for a JIG SLA309. The script is hopeless but the video is instructive.

I inquired and it is $8000 !
http://jinhua.en.alibaba.com/product/327076408-209463584/Scissor_Lift_SLA309_9000LB_4_0Ton_CE.html

Yea, right, its going to be able to fit a Smart car, and still lift a (possibly) loaded Sprinter. The concept is excellent. The synchronizing of the cylinders by using the "top side" output of the main cylinder to drive the secondary cylinders is good, gotta be some math involved in that since the output is less from the mains than the input, the secondary cylinders have to be smaller, by just the right amount.

Also laughed at the concept of being able to fit an additional lift in the same space for every 5. I guess they think that techs don't need any room on the side of a car to open doors, remove wheels, etc.

The automated voice is a text to word reader program. The first I ever saw was one that ran (pretty good actually) under Windows 3.1, and the most common voice was "Paul" which is the voice used for the NOAA automated weather broadcasts on the weather bands.

Charles

 

[PCMusicGuy]

Really, if you want the best of both worlds, there are in ground 2 post lifts or mid-full rise scissor lifts, albeit almost always at a higher price point once installed.

 

[darkk]

Honestly, my reason for going with a 4 post is that 2 posts scare me while I'm under a car trying to yank something out. Cars just seems to move arounf to much. I haven't had any jobs hindered by using a 4 post. Plus you don't have to worry if the slab is thick enough or strong enough. And you can get caster sets for the 4 post and move it if need be.

 

[shampoop]

Also, the thing that annoys me most about doing work on 4 posts other than alignments is that if the 4 post lift is wide enough to accommodate full sized trucks, and you have a compact to average sized car on it, the lift really does get in the way of your access to the wheels/brakes/suspension. you have to lean over to get in there. Makes doing brake/suspension work seem like it would be better to do on the ground with jack stands.

 

[darkk]

Also, the thing that annoys me most about doing work on 4 posts other than alignments is that if the 4 post lift is wide enough to accommodate full sized trucks, and you have a compact to average sized car on it, the lift really does get in the way of your access to the wheels/brakes/suspension. you have to lean over to get in there. Makes doing brake/suspension work seem like it would be better to do on the ground with jack stands.

Our 4 post has one side ramp that is adjustable for width...I have a compact late model and a full sized pick up. I don't have a problem with either...

 

[Rodbuilder]

I have an American made, certified two post lift and love it.
Skyking

Sky, can I ask what brand you went with? I have a MaxJax now but I want to add a 4 poster and would like to buy US.

 

[solidaxel]

Our 4 post has one side ramp that is adjustable for width...I have a compact late model and a full sized pick up. I don't have a problem with either...

What brand lift has a moveable ramp?

 

[dirttracker18]

Well, I too am debating this issue, although it will still be a while before I have saved up enough for either. I am about half way there

I often hear the arguement, go and see what any big shop has!
Just to add a twist to the thought process, back in the day when I was spinning wrenchs for a living, our national chain shop had 5, 4 posters and 2, 2 posters. We rarely ever used the 2 post lift, although it did have its place. It was just so much easier to pull a vehicel up on the 4 post and up it went. It saved time and was easy to work around and on. I personally love have the "table top" of the runner for parts and tools. The safety "feeling" of being able to really torque on a tight fastener, not that we ever had a vehicle fall off the 2 post, but they did move around a little.

All that being said there were times when the 2 post was a better option and times when it was the only option.

I am still torn myself. Two factors are weighing heavily for me. I have in floor heat and no mapping of the runs so intalling a 2 post will be tough and a little scary. However, the footprint of the 4 post is huge and takes up a lot of room. Casters, to move it into the corner and lift it up, will minimize that but it will still take up valueable space.

 

[dirttracker18]

What brand lift has a moveable ramp?

Lots that I have seen. Very handy feature. Not sure you can get that on a moveable (casters) 4 post though. Can you?

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

It all depends on what you are doing. If you are a repair shop, then a 2-post is the way to go. If you are doing your own maintenance and/or restorations I really prefer a 4-post lift because it allows me to set up a car for any type of repair or restoration. I have done at least 5 full frame-off restorations on my 4-post lift. It's real easy to set a car on jack stands with my air hydraulic jack and two jack trays. I also will bolt down jack stands to set up a body or chassis without worry of anything shifting.

I am in the midst of restoring my 67 GTO and the body is on the lift getting the undercarriage restored and refreshed. In a week or two, I'll slide the frame under it, readjust the jack stand positions and lift the frame into the body. One the frame is in place, we'll shift the jack stands from the body to the frame and complete the bolt up.

There is something inside of me that says 4 posts firmly planted on the ground are more trustworthy that two unbalanced legs held into the concrete with simple expansion lag bolts. I always have the fear that a weight shift could cause the two posts to pull loose an topple.

I have a friend with a 2-post lift and have seen him chain vehicles to the arms so it would not shift, lift up, or otherwise move around on the arms when a lot of force or weight shift occurs. That scares me.

IMHO
Joe

 

[svtrichie]

^^^good post. I am searching for my first lift and on the fence between the 2 and 4. I thought that the 2 post would be better for working on cars but like the idea of the safety of the 4 post. Is it a pain to jack up the car on the 4 post without buying the 500-600 jacks?

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

It is really not a pain to jack a car up on a 4-post lift. A good air-over-oil jack is about $200 and you will wonder how come you never bought one before. The 2-post is great for mechanics to do general repairs and brakes on. I can drive a car onto the 4-post lift and jack it up in about as much time as it takes to set up a 2-post to do the same, all while never getting down on my hands an knees to fiddle with the arms.

And besides that, I end up with a work surface on the ramps.

 

[dejar59]

Thanks for all the great responses.

I now need to find a good showroom or shop where I can find and inspect a couple of these lifts before making the final decision.

Thanks again.

DJ in VA

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

My final comment would be to Buy American!!! Yes, you will pay a little more, yes it will be made better, and an American will still have a job.

Good luck on your lift project. What ever way you go, you will wonder how you ever got by without one.

Joe