Single post old school car lifts???

[NASTYZEN]

Hey everyone!So far I have not come across a single one on here.You know the kind that came out of the floor and was pneumatic.They seem to have gone the way of the Dinosaur.They must be a pita to put in and service but they take up so little space.
I found they were great to work with when I did my time in muffler shops as opposed to two post ones where you were always having issues banging into the posts and having a ***** of a time fitting things to a car without being impaired by one post or the other.
My space is small,20x 40 and this style of lift would be great for what I need it for.I would build a sturdy work table top for it and it could be used as a work table or just plain retracted and sitting on the floor when not in use.
So,does anyone have or use one?Do you like it?Where could I find one?Does anyone still manufacture them?Good idea?Bad idea?
They are dirt simple mechanically so shouldn't be all that expensive I would think.The main thing must be the big hole in the ground it needs.Also you can't take it with you if you move, but I don't care,I plan on dying here anyway if I can help it.

Thank's for your input in advance.

 

[viking01]

Maybe you haven't seen this garage renovation, it has a restored single post lift, I'm sure you could contact BB767. Maybe he will chime in here with his impressions of the usage

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&highlight=lift


~johan

 

[sharpshooter]

Dont they pose some type of environmental concern??? Something to do with the oil leaking into the ground? I would assume you would have to speak with someone from your county about obtaining some type of permit to be able to use it....

 

[tatra]

http://www.challengerlifts.com/CS1020WV_fb.shtml

not cheap but they still do make them...........ask at a dealership that has them, most wouldn't do it again..........

 

[evildky]

I've heard noting but bad anbout single and 2 post in ground lifts, mostly they are far more expensive to install and repair and when you leak hydraulic fluid under ground the epa gets heavy handed with fines

 

[tatra]

the new cassette style is epa approved as it has a plastic tub...........

 

[PCO6]

Is this the kind that you mean? I certainly remember working with them back in the 70's ... in garages built in the 50's & 60's.

http://www.maneklalexports.com/English/ServiceStn.htm

 

[nehog]

Not totally gone at all, last time I checked, Rotary still made them.

 

[NASTYZEN]

It never occurred to me that they might be air hydraulic.I always taught they were air only from the wwwwoooossshhh sound they would make going up.
Here's a few shots of what I had in mind.But ideally I would like the drive thru style.These had a U that gave you about 18'' clearance as opposed to the pictured models.The drive thru had doors on the floor to accept the U.That would open when going up and close again when going down.hiding most of it.You could even use the U flat as a shelf for your tools and parts while working.
I remember one in particular that always had water in the rectangular hole and would swallow bolts n clamps with a plop.I never reached into it even when my Zippo fell in it.

 

[sberry]

I wouldnt want one, just plain in the way for clutch/****** work. There is a reason one doesnt see them much anymore, somewhat obsolete. I really dont find a 2 post in the way as much as one might think.

 

[boostedgt]

the shop i used to work at had them but they were replaced with twin post electrics. funny thing is even a year after we had the new lifts i would try to raise/ lower a car with the old lift handle and think WTF when it wouldnt work

 

[bgott]

They are great for doing under dash work. You can raise the car waist high and save yourself from doing the under dash limbo.

 

[NUTTSGT]

air/hydraulic. They do make it easy to laod a barrel of used motor oil into the back of the truck.

 

[glntom]

I have one of these in the ground at my office, hasn't been raised in more than 25 years. I would love to see it gone, but lack the "want to" to dig it up. It is in the slab in what is now my trucks parking place, never in the way except if I drive my corvette, which won't clear it for parking.

 

[Ocho]

The reason you don't see them much any more is because there is are better alternatives. Compared to the alternatives, in ground lifts are much more difficult to install, use, repair and move. We replaced the last of ours at work a couple of years ago. Good riddance.

 

[wssix99]

I do agree, there is something attractive about having one.

For building owners, the lifts are a nightmare because they are legally considered an underground storage tank by the EPA. http://www.epa.gov/oust/

If you try to sell property with one of these on them, you run in to a lot of trouble with the need for environmental assessments and agreements to take on future liability for any past leaks. Speaking from the other side of things, I just had to go through a lot of this business when I purchased a former service station site for a new home.

I've also talked to a number of shop owners who say the maintenance cost on the hydraulics is a killer and quickly exceeds the cost of the actual lift.

In case you are in an overhead situation where you can't go with any other style, you'll end up going through tens of thousands of dollars worth of headaches for the novelty of having one.

 

[Steve from Socal]

My old shop had two in ground single post lifts and I help a friend who has a couple in his shop as well. They are good in some ways and in all the wrong places for other work.

I work on Mercedes and my friend does as well, the post in the center of the car really hinders a lot of work where you have to move the exhaust or get to the center support and drive shaft. I have pulled many transmissions on these lifts but it is a lot more work than with a side lift.

Overall they are handy and do make 80% of the jobs under a car much easier. I suppose that a used lift installed would be more expensive than an above ground side post but it would save a lot of dead space. The lift frame does hinder the space in the area to some degree, I don't know if I would want one in a small shop?

Steve

 

[moopa]

Beggars can't be choosers...mine happened to be in place when I bought the place....I'll try to use it as much as I can... It's nice to be able to remove the above ground apparatus, and the cylinder is flush with the floor.
Mark

 

[bazzateer]

Beggars can't be choosers...mine happened to be in place when I bought the place....I'll try to use it as much as I can... It's nice to be able to remove the above ground apparatus, and the cylinder is flush with the floor.
Mark

That's a nice set-up. I suppose you could have it set into the floor a bit so that the whole thing is flush when not in use.

 

[wssix99]

Sorry - missed that the OP is in Canada. If that's the case, then this is even more of a problem. It looks like any underground tank has to be registered with the government and inactivity of 180 days, etc. has to be reported: http://www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/pn_1055_e.pdf

 

[kap]

I used many of these over the years, and now have a twin post above ground in my barn.
In my opinion, the benefits of the above ground lifts outweigh the negatives. With most styles of the "in ground" lifts, the lift arms and piston are in the way when you're working under the car (exhaust, ******, etc.) The beauty of the above ground lifts is that nothing is in your way.
At the high school auto shop which I taught at years ago, we had two in-ground lifts - one of them was the "deep yoke" style you mentioned (the one with the trap door.) While these were good for exhaust work, etc. the seals around the piston had to be replaced quite often (a dirty job - I can tell you from personal experience.)

 

[c39er]

That's a nice set-up. I suppose you could have it set into the floor a bit so that the whole thing is flush when not in use.

This one is set in the floor.

 

[NASTYZEN]

This one is set in the floor.

That's a cool setup!That's what I had in mind,exept the drive thru style is what I would really want

 

[Steeg]

Hey everyone!So far I have not come across a single one on here.You know the kind that came out of the floor and was pneumatic.They seem to have gone the way of the Dinosaur.They must be a pita to put in and service but they take up so little space.
I found they were great to work with when I did my time in muffler shops as opposed to two post ones where you were always having issues banging into the posts and having a ***** of a time fitting things to a car without being impaired by one post or the other.
My space is small,20x 40 and this style of lift would be great for what I need it for.I would build a sturdy work table top for it and it could be used as a work table or just plain retracted and sitting on the floor when not in use.
So,does anyone have or use one?Do you like it?Where could I find one?Does anyone still manufacture them?Good idea?Bad idea?
They are dirt simple mechanically so shouldn't be all that expensive I would think.The main thing must be the big hole in the ground it needs.Also you can't take it with you if you move, but I don't care,I plan on dying here anyway if I can help it.

Thank's for your input in advance.

Hi re .. ingrounds lift s. Svi in dekelb,il sells parts and new inground lifts..still in 2021..yes. I have one in my home garage..I had to open up the floor dig down 9ft..pour some concrete in then I dropef the clyinder in the hole ..leveled it..sides top..etc poured in some pea gravel.. checking level..as a constant..I used copper tubing for the air line to the clyinder....used a flare tool..as well before I poured the new concrete I tested it for leaks over night...next morning I poured 12' of 3000 psi concrete...waited a week..all worked well...did it all myself with a friend...my lift was about 5 yrs old .when I got it used .it had fiberglassed coating around the cly..that was in 1999. It still works today..and love it..I have a 12 ft cieling in my garage..had the garage door track lifted in my home 8 ft door ..in my house.. now I can lift my car with the door fullly open...I hope this helps..info...svi.sell s globe old school lifts ..sell parts for all old type ingrounds..and still makes parts ..I don't like aboveground s..tryed it wife didn't like the looks of her garage..with it..

 

[428PI]

Never add used diesel oil to the reservoir and can't get it all in and pull the "up" lever!!!!!!! I seen it happen once.

 

[Neggy]

we still have one, it has its purposes but they are few and far between

One shop I worked at in the 80's had one that lost 5 gallons of fluid A WEEK, if that property ever gets sold they will never get a clean 21E certificate for it

 

[Steeg]

My dad had 5 ingrounds..in his service station..untill he sold the building..in 1999..in chicago.area..he opened in 1959..till retired..I got mine from his station..in 1999..when they were pulling them out..none were ever leaking..in 50 yrs ..lucky us..but my dad replaced all of them over the yrs .before there were bad issues..I still have my single Post in my home garage..I built my house in the same yr..I have a 4 stall garage..over size attached to my home..and a fire prof wall..I use my lift for my old cars I have to do maintenance..etc..I have a 12 cieling..but I have never had issues..when the building inspector came I told him I was installation of my inground.globe.single post lift....because it was fiberglassed casing..and used copper tubing for the air line...

 

[CraigStu]

The epa is the reason they are gone. 35 yrs ago I worked at a dealer that had maybe 15 of them. They were being replaced one at a time as they slowly died w/ modern 2 posts. There was a business nearby that was put out of business by the cost of cleanup after one had leaked and they spent maybe 10 years topping up the fluid. Once the epa became involved the fix was going to be to demolish most of the concrete
floor, remove the lift, and then dig out all the contaminated soil. I never heard the details but the owner couldn't afford that, and he couldn't sell the property until it was cleaned. This was suburban DC and once that story was shared at auto dealer association meetings, there were a LOT of 2 posts installed. The head of the lift was removed, fluid pumped out and replaced by sand. Floor filled in w/ new concrete.

 

[Steeg]

Gm..I comply understand about the e.p.a. and oil tanks..I'm getting ready to built a replica service station on my property..3 bays with the glass panel doors weather tight..for air conditioner..HVAC..I got old Texaco glass gas pump....I've been planning this for 10 yrs because I'm now retired..I'm ordering 2 dlb post inground lifts the oil tanks will be above ground..the cly caseing s. Will be fiberglassed..so there no oil leaks in the ground.. because I have gotten country permit..to build I have 10 Acers..in fl.if a inground leaks u don't keep adding oil..as my dad would say..u have someone come in and see what's what..I'm looking forward to our build out..so I can keep my cars I have from the 1960s in great shape..yes old school lifts are mostly in the past..but I like them..and in keeping with the past ..it's in my blood to enjoy the good old days gone bye.. yes there costing me about 10 thou per lift.globe 2 posts..and a wash bay..svi,in dekelb ,il. Builds globe lifts. They make parts for all old school lifts per there web site...

 

[finn]

We had one in the engine dyno lab at the R&D facility I worked at.

Pulled it and scrapped it in the early 2000s when it was probably less than 10 years old. Don’t remember what brand it was, but it was leaking and nobody wanted the liability involved with repairing it, and parts were already becoming scarce.

Pulled and scrapped it at the same time we spent several million dollars remediating the factory floor to clean up hydraulic fluid that had contaminated the ground after leaking since the factory was built as a defense plant, as part of the War preparation efforts, in 1939.

 

[Steeg]

Svi in dekelb,il make parts for all inground lifts..if yours dosnt go up..and been sitting for many yrs check the safty leg..it might be rusted in the pipe it's in. Remove the bolt..but make sure the no air in the lift.. exhaust the lift completely..I've seen this happen before..back in the early 2000s..at an old service station..that was closed in the 1970s and was something else.. storage room ? We removed the bolt on the non Roter safty leg...and the lift went up....it's can be a ***** to free out the leg..once the lift is up..the old lifts didn't come with fiberglassed. Casings..untill the 1990s. I recalled..my dad had1 installed in 1995 ..it was fiberglassed..casing..we removed all of them in 1999..when he sold the property...I kept that one ..for my house garage..I had built-on..give it a try..

 

[Steeg]

Hey everyone!So far I have not come across a single one on here.You know the kind that came out of the floor and was pneumatic.They seem to have gone the way of the Dinosaur.They must be a pita to put in and service but they take up so little space.
I found they were great to work with when I did my time in muffler shops as opposed to two post ones where you were always having issues banging into the posts and having a ***** of a time fitting things to a car without being impaired by one post or the other.
My space is small,20x 40 and this style of lift would be great for what I need it for.I would build a sturdy work table top for it and it could be used as a work table or just plain retracted and sitting on the floor when not in use.
So,does anyone have or use one?Do you like it?Where could I find one?Does anyone still manufacture them?Good idea?Bad idea?
They are dirt simple mechanically so shouldn't be all that expensive I would think.The main thing must be the big hole in the ground it needs.Also you can't take it with you if you move, but I don't care,I plan on dying here anyway if I can help it.

Thank's for your input in advance.

Steeg67 here...I restored an old inground.. rotary single post lift..last yr. I resqude it out of an old garage..that's been shutterd over 35 yrs I tested it before we removed it with a portable gas powered Air compressor it went up held psi over night ..then removed it ..had the piston casing sandblasted..the same for the oil tank..and the tested and painted. It's now aboveground tank..so no EPA issues new seals and piping and coated with truck bed liner do it your self type..casing and piping.. rotary sent me a free seal combo kit .nice ! Now my garage has the feel of a old service station..with a working lift.. and an new saylor-beall air compressor. All made in the USA..I don't like the new above ground lifts .take up floor space..down here in sunny FL.

 

[Steeg]

Steeg67 here...I restored an old inground.. rotary single post lift..last yr. I resqude it out of an old garage..that's been shutterd over 35 yrs I tested it before we removed it with a portable gas powered Air compressor it went up held psi over night ..then removed it ..had the piston casing sandblasted..the same for the oil tank..and the tested and painted. It's now aboveground tank..so no EPA issues new seals and piping and coated with truck bed liner do it your self type..casing and piping.. rotary sent me a free seal combo kit .nice ! Now my garage has the feel of a old service station..with a working lift.. and an new saylor-beall air compressor. All made in the USA..I don't like the new above ground lifts .take up floor space..down here in sunny FL.

If anyone looking for a new inground lift a company called SVI in Dekalb,IL build them new. Globe brand ..around 10 grand.new if u have an old superstructure from an old inground they save u around 4 grand ..even if a dif brand inground they'll make it fit..on a new piston they sell parts for all old inground s ..Joyce, rotary. GLOBE u name it they make parts in there factory.. Google SVI lifts ..or call them.. even Wever band lifts they bought out those old company names to remake parts..oil tanks as well ..all new ingrounds come with a fiberglass coated casing. So no rote outs..or leaks..I hope this answers any questions about inground s lifts the federal EPA exempt..

 

[nadogail]

If Air Over Hydraulic single post lifts used biodegradable vegetable oil as hydraulic fluid; would any leakage be regarded as an environmental hazard?

 

[Steeg]

If Air Over Hydraulic single post lifts used biodegradable vegetable oil as hydraulic fluid; would any leakage be regarded as an environmental hazard?

I was told by the fed EPA that any inground lift that has less then 50 gal of oil is not an issue.. how muck of that is true ? Not shure but my my oil tank is an above ground not an issue from my local city..code office..

 

[Steeg]

Hey everyone!So far I have not come across a single one on here.You know the kind that came out of the floor and was pneumatic.They seem to have gone the way of the Dinosaur.They must be a pita to put in and service but they take up so little space.
I found they were great to work with when I did my time in muffler shops as opposed to two post ones where you were always having issues banging into the posts and having a ***** of a time fitting things to a car without being impaired by one post or the other.
My space is small,20x 40 and this style of lift would be great for what I need it for.I would build a sturdy work table top for it and it could be used as a work table or just plain retracted and sitting on the floor when not in use.
So,does anyone have or use one?Do you like it?Where could I find one?Does anyone still manufacture them?Good idea?Bad idea?
They are dirt simple mechanically so shouldn't be all that expensive I would think.The main thing must be the big hole in the ground it needs.Also you can't take it with you if you move, but I don't care,I plan on dying here anyway if I can help it.

Thank's for your input in advance.

Hi .yes inground s are still built..SVI corp in Dekalb,IL builds GLOBE Lifts ingrounds single ,and double posts. They come with fiberglass casings..now days no EPA issues..they have come a long way...today in 2023..I own a inground lift..and sware by them .. I own a Rotary brand lift inground..SVI corp builds replacement parts for all ingrounds brands..if u have an old super structure..it will save u 4 thou bucks...u let them know u have one they'll build a new piston casing for it with fiberglass casing.. everyone thinks there a dinosaur..today..my home garage has a inground to go with my old school service station look and petroleum stuff I have from the old days my. I have a old school lift with an oil tank..from 1983. Tank is now aboveground..now rusty issues..one pipe to the piston.. covered with do it yourself truck bed liner..for no rusting out..galv pipe..as well as the casing .. restored to new as well and covered with truck bed liner stuff ..down here in Florida..I hope u get some helpful information from. Me..I can use my lift for many things as well. As a work table, to change blades on my riding mower , u name it..oh a buffet table for man cave partys..

 

[seedmech]

I picked up a single post lift and installed it in a slab by my shop. I can get it to go up just fine but it won’t stay up. When you let off the handle it bleeds back down. It does not appear to be losing any oil. Anyone have any ideas