Removing a body using a 4-post lift.

[tlmartin84]

Is it possible?

I like the 4 post because I can drive on it, and don't have to crawl under it to set the arms. With casters they can be rolled to a wall and out of the way.

But, my main draw is being able to lift a cab, bed, or body off of a frame with a 2 post and the lower them back down on to dollies. to be moved around the shop.

In my mind you can't use a four post for this, however I know I have seen some guys do some stuff on here that I didn't think was possible so I am asking.

 

[LXCam]

You can sling the body off if the lift goes high enough. Pull underneath, wrap your slings over the ramps, grab the body at good locations and lift away.

 

[ryan77]

I have, I use straps and lots of them in multiple locations, raise the lift to just clear the car or truck, roll unbolted car/truck under, strap from runway to roof or body at lots of locations ( I removed doors and anchored to the door hinge areas, and ran straps under the body but over the frame) be careful to even the weight and carefully lift the lift high enough to roll the frame/chassis out.

 

[rsanter]

You can sling the body off if the lift goes high enough. Pull underneath, wrap your slings over the ramps, grab the body at good locations and lift away.

This is what I was thinking

Bob

 

[kool55]

I used my 4 post to pull a 72 corvette body off the frame. Used nylon straps. After the lift topped out I had to remove the rear tires and lower the chassis a bit because the vette gas tank sits high on the frame. Then I drug the chassis out from under the lift and made a frame dolly to mount the body on.
More work than a 2 post but I feel safer with a 4 post.

 

[AldeanFan]

We pulled the body off a grand wagoneer in my garage with only 2 floor jacks, 6 axel stands, lots of 2x4s, a chain and a lawn tractor. Any lift would have been better than what we had.

 

[911mike]

We did a 57 T-Bird. Worked out really well but get a higher than standard lift. A standard lift will only work on the shorter cars.

 

[don long]

I have gone a different route when I pulled the coe cab off the frame. I rolled the truck up on the lift, unbolted everything ,used a porto-power and lifted the front of the cab high enough to shove a 4x4 that was about 3' longer than the width of the lift on each side between the frame and the cab.
Then I lifted the back up and shoved another 4x4 across the back of the cab. raised the lift high enough to put 55 gallon drums under the ends of the 4x4s and lowered the lift to suspend the cab on the 4x4s lowered the lift to the floor and pulled the frame out

 

[jonjon1]

We pulled the body off a grand wagoneer in my garage with only 2 floor jacks, 6 axel stands, lots of 2x4s, a chain and a lawn tractor. Any lift would have been better than what we had.

lol, no midgets riding ponies? I never did it with a 4 post, the 2 post is easy obviously. What kind of vehicle is it? maybe post a picture of the car sitting in the lift..

If the car is low enough and the lift is high enough I dont see why putting the lift up, pulling the car under it, strapping it up and pulling it off wont work, but I think I would put some hooks in the ceiling, maybe 6 points through the joists (depending what up there, if you dont have anything solid dont bother lol, ), lift the car, hook it to the ceiling at the lowest level you can get it to work and lower the car... My garage has a floor above it so there is plenty of strength there to do something like that, you just have to get into the joists, or you can build a frame out of 2x's from the ground over the lift...

I used an engine hoist to pull a body off once, I pulled the car to the dock, had the hoist on the dock and strapped to the dock, it came right off, then pulled the trailer under it and lowered it back down...

My father used to have 4 hooks in the ceiling over his work bay (no lift, pit in the floor, this was a long time ago), he would hook 4 come alongs to them hooks and lift bodies off trucks, beds and tanks off tow and oil trucks, he did mostly diesel and truck work, but that system worked, time consuming, he put the crank side of the come along closer to the body, I remember him pulling an aluminum oil tanker body off of a truck, it was like 2900 gallon body (empty obviously), and he was standing on top of it, cranking each come along a little ways at a time, he got it off that truck and onto the other one..

 

[Autorotica]

I am going to be pulling the entire body off of a 1999 F350 with my 4 post when I get done insulating my building. Not sure how I will be doing it but I will figure something out.

Currently using the 4 post with a plywood deck as a raised work platform holding my table saw for cutting the insulation board. Reduced trips down to the floor to use the saw is cutting out about 50% the time to do the work.

Chris

 

[85stu85]

I would rather not have to do it this way again, After doing it with a standard two post. But you have to work with what you have at the time. I slung the cab from the ceiling and lowered the frame once I had everything undone underneath.

 

[tlmartin84]

Did some work on this today...

Maybe I will make a set of these......... be the best of both worlds......

 

[astroracer]

If your main draw is removing bodies then go for the two post. With all the monkey-fiddling you have to go through to do this with a four post taking 5 minutes to move some arms under the vehicle prior to lifting isn't even a "sweat it" point. Get the 2 post.
This is an Astro I am building.

Lifted it up in air on the two post, unbolted "most" of the subframe up in the air, set it back down, repositioned the arms under the body and lifted it off. Took half an hour. You can't do that with a 4 post.
Sliding the new chassis under the van while it is still on the rotissirie.

Lift the van up, roll in the chassis lower the van and bolt her up. You can't do that on a 4 post.
Mark

 

[tomshep]

Maybe I will make a set of these......... be the best of both worlds......

This is genius!

Why don't any of the vendors expand on this and come up with a ramp system to fit a 2 post?

Does anyone know of a vendor that makes a system like this?

Tom

 

[86turbodsl]

Rotary had some 2 posts with ramps. More for alignment that i have seen, but they do exist.

 

[Chevy72pu]

I have a four post lift. Used it to remove the bed from an '03 Silverado Ex Cab. Drove out from under it to r/r sending unit/fuel pump. Backed up under it again and sat the bed down. Same with a '72 Chevy pickup to install a Blazer fuel tank under the bed. Did both jobs alone with straps, and 2 x 4's.

 

[Dandy1008]

Am I the only one that saw the title and though the OP may have a body that he needed to get rid of? I thought to myself, what kind of machine is he going to run it through that he needs to use a lift on it, wouldn't it just be easier to chop it up in pieces and run it through...yeah, probably just me

 

[Innovate1]

Am I the only one that saw the title and though the OP may have a body that he needed to get rid of? I thought to myself, what kind of machine is he going to run it through that he needs to use a lift on it, wouldn't it just be easier to chop it up in pieces and run it through...yeah, probably just me

I had a fleeting thought of the same thing. LOL. Too many CSI shows I guess...

 

[glentre]

In the early 50's, my dad and I had to replace a body on a wrecked Ford sedan in our back yard. Unbolted everything, cut and labeled all wiring and got a bunch of guys to lift it off and put the new one back on. Can't remember just how many guys it took but recall that it was fairly easy to do. No lift needed.

Glen

 

[bwringer]

Am I the only one that saw the title and though the OP may have a body that he needed to get rid of? I thought to myself, what kind of machine is he going to run it through that he needs to use a lift on it, wouldn't it just be easier to chop it up in pieces and run it through...yeah, probably just me

Yeah, I started reading the thread and it took a minute for my diseased brain to say, "Oh. CAR body. I guess that makes more sense."

 

[ScD]

Here is how I lifted a '56 Chevy body before i had a 2 post lift.