small car garage lift

[awdblazer]

so i would like to get a lift if possible in my garage
it is 14 feet wide and 32 feet long with a 8 foot workshop in the back so the main garage is 14 by 24
and its only 8 feet tall
what does everyone recommend?
i saw this one
http://princessauto.com/en/detail/dannmar-equipment-maxjax-trade-2-post-vehicle-lift/A-p8275612e

 

[txvwnut]

With an 8 foot tall garage a lift purchase seems a little out there to me as you are only going to get about a two to three foot rise due to your ceiling height. Now I know a lift beats a jack and jack stands any day but you really need to look at it fully and see if a lift is actually right for your shop. That being said you could look at a low to mid rise scissor lift as they are portable and kill shop space like a dedicated two post lift does.

 

[Jinks]

Kind of depends on the weight of the vehicle you're planning to lift. The MaxJax is a pretty popular lift for home garages, just look closely at the anchoring requirements. You may need to reinforce the floor. Another option if you're lifting a lighter vehicle is the Bendpak QuickJack available in 3100 lb & 5000 lb capacity, or several portable scissor lifts. I have the QuickJack BL5000. It stores easily, is easy to set up, & requires no anchoring.

 

[32roadster]

Try the Kwik-lift.

www.kwik-lift.com

We build it all in the USA. No hydraulics, no electricity, and completely portable.

 

[Top_Fuel]

With an 8 foot tall garage a lift purchase seems a little out there to me as you are only going to get about a two to three foot rise due to your ceiling height.

What he said.

I don't know what vehicle you are lifting, but how high can you get it with an 8 ft ceiling? You won't be able to take advantage of the MaxJax lifting height.

You may want to consider the EZ Carlift. It's not the cheapest solution, but may be the most versatile lift for your situation and it has an extremely small footprint when stowed away.

 

[zkling]

What vehicles will you be working on? A Blazer by chance? In a narrow space a scissor type lift is nice because you don't have to keep avoiding the support columns. BUT if you can't get the car at least ~2.5' off the ground, your under car access becomes limited and the unobstructed floor space of a two post is nice for total access from the floor (on your back).

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Honestly, I'd just watch Craigslist... I bought all of my lifts for between $250-$700... I still have my SO Midrise (Wheeltronics) and an old autolifters.....

 

[awdblazer]

it will be mostly used to lift my 83 cutlass
and probably use it to change oil/tires on my 01 rav and 07 uplander

 

[Jgoss]

I also have an 8' ceiling in my garage. The garage is part of our walk out basement. I hope to someday build a real garage when I have the money. In the mean time this lift was my best solution. http://www.naautoequipment.com/mid-rise-scissor-lifts.html

It is a mid rise scissor lift that is somewhat portable. Somewhat meaning, I can use the casters it comes with to pull it 10' feet out in to my driveway. I don't use it in the garage except as a workbench or to lift a lawn mower or snowblower. In my case the combination of low ceiling height and garage door tracks are to limiting.

I considered the ez car lift and other options, what I liked about the lift I chose it the lifting height, 6009lb capacity, portability, and the fact that when I do someday build a garage it will fit in the space well. Also, the lift feels and seems more stable to me then other sicsdor lifts, just my opion. I hope to someday install it flush in the floor of a detached garage. For now I pull it in and out and workoutside. Not ideal but the best compromise for me. Here is a video link I got off YouTube.

 

[south_paw]

This is one of the best things i ever did for my low ceiling garage. It's made by Bendpak

 

[Jagmandave]

I'll second that, although mine is not recessed into the floor and my ceiling height is also limited, I use the heck out of it. Also, mine is a no-name brand, but it looks to be made exactly like the name brands and it works perfectly....

View media item 35553
View media item 46166
View media item 35510

 

[awdblazer]

scissor lift is out of the question as if i have to drop my transmission in my car thats a no go on a scissor lift
i like those kwik lifts but shipping would kill me

 

[Shadowdog500]

scissor lift is out of the question as if i have to drop my transmission in my car thats a no go on a scissor lift
i like those kwik lifts but shipping would kill me

Do you have a picture of your garage. Could you have a taller lift go up into the ceiling and just not lift the car all the way.

I know you don't need a Mohawk lift for the weight you are lifting, but the fact that mohawk uses hydraulic lines that can be routed anywhere to equalize the two sides instead of chains may make it a good choice for your space. A used A7 would work.

I see you are in Canada, are pits legal up there? I've used a pit years ago and if they were legal in my area I would have had one in my home garage years ago.

Chris

 

[south_paw]

scissor lift is out of the question as if i have to drop my transmission in my car thats a no go on a scissor lift
i like those kwik lifts but shipping would kill me

Not all lifts are the same. You can do transmissions all day long with this one.

 

[LWW]

On a side note, how can EZ Car Lift still charge $1900-$2100 when you can get a KwikLift for $1100 or a new powered hydraulic Ranger Quick Jack for $1300? At $2k+ for the EZ Car Lift you're in traditional above ground lift territory...

 

[Top_Fuel]

On a side note, how can EZ Car Lift still charge $1900-$2100 when you can get a KwikLift for $1100 or a new powered hydraulic Ranger Quick Jack for $1300?

I've said this before... The EZ Carlift is certainly not the cheapest way to get your car up in the air. But it's the most versatile lift for my situation.

I don't use a lift all the time. So 98% of the time when I'm not using it, I don't want to see it, trip over it, or work around it. The EZ Carlift darn near disappears into the corner of my garage when not in use. This was one of the main reasons I bought it. You can check out this thread for more reasons why some people still chose the EZ over the QuickJack...even though it's more expensive.

 

[jvitez]

I think the MaxJax is all you can do. But it does be the question: would it really be that much better than jack stands? Faster and easier, yes, but then you have the two MaxJax posts in your way with your 14 ft garage width. I'd measure it out in the garage and buid a 2x4 replicas of the posts, place them beside your car and see how it would work.

 

[Jagmandave]

scissor lift is out of the question as if i have to drop my transmission in my car thats a no go on a scissor lift
i like those kwik lifts but shipping would kill me

Depends on the car - a front drive car you could do it with no issues, a rear drive car - not so much.

They make scissor lifts that are open in the middle, those work perfectly for center of the car work like exhaust or trannys....

Edit ops, southpaw beat me to it.....of course, on a Mini or other front drive car you don't even need that style of lift either.

 

[awdblazer]

I think the MaxJax is all you can do. But it does be the question: would it really be that much better than jack stands? Faster and easier, yes, but then you have the two MaxJax posts in your way with your 14 ft garage width. I'd measure it out in the garage and buid a 2x4 replicas of the posts, place them beside your car and see how it would work.

you are actually so correct my door is not centred in my garage
so one side has like 1.5 feet from door to wall and the other is 3.5 feet so it wouldnt work out too well
i like the kwiklift but its a little pricey for me for what it is
i think i will just make tire cribs

 

[32roadster]

awd
The Kwik-lift being fully USA manufactured, instead of chinese, will certainly impact the final price, and the quality of the item.

 

[Wizzard]

I went through this same ordeal. Kwik-lift looks nice but in reality a set of 6 ton jack stands will be equivalent. MaxJax looks nice but then there is setup/take down time, and making sure concrete is up to the task. Transmission access would be a must imo.

 

[jamesr242]

My garage is smaller than yours (each bay is probably only 11ft X 20ft) and I just got an Atlas Kwik Bay. It's going to take some careful organizing because of the small size of the garage but it seems like it will be very handy.

I was looking at other scissor lifts but bought this one because of the open center that I could use it for exhaust and transmission work. I also like that it has built in ramps but I still have to use wood planks because my cars are pretty low.

 

[32roadster]

wizzard
I would disagree with you about a pair of 6 ton jack stands being the equivalent of a Kwik-lift.
I had a car fall from a pair of jackstands years ago, and spent 11 nights in the hospital.
The Kwik-lift is ABSOLUTELY more stable and more safe than jack stands. Not to mention there is far more room as well.

I truly believe that any of the lift designs/models ...2 posts..4 posts...mid rise...are more safe than a pair of jackstands

 

[c39er]

Nothing wrong or unsafe about quality jack stands used properly. Have used them for 40 or more years.... properly.

 

[32roadster]

looks good james !

 

[funks]

+1 for the Atlas Kwikbay - check out my HowTo

 

[Frank Dukes]

i have a 14ft wide garage and wouldn't dream of putting a lift in it. nowhere to go around it.

 

[Falcon67]

For the price of the other types of lifts, I've already decided that if I can afford a lift, it'll be a 4 post. Don't care about only 8' ceiling, getting the car 24 or 36" off the ground is plenty. Why pay $2000 for a tiny two post that I'd have to hit precisely when I can pay the same or less for a drive on 4 post. If I need more lift room , I could roll it out in the driveway. I can also modify the building later - or maybe we move - so why be stuck with a tiny lift.

 

[Jvvmusme]

I'll second that, although mine is not recessed into the floor and my ceiling height is also limited, I use the heck out of it. Also, mine is a no-name brand, but it looks to be made exactly like the name brands and it works perfectly....

View media item 35553
View media item 46166
View media item 35510

I don't know about the lift, but your cars are great !!

 

[fountainpenracing]

MR6k-38 Portable Scissor lift. Bought it on Ebay. I'll provide a picture, if I can figure out how to do that. It is open in the middle between the platforms to allow for muffler access etc. , (similar to the Atlas Quick bay.) Needs compressed air also in order to lower it. Had it about a month. Works great for my needs and my small garage.

 

[Jagmandave]

Why would it need compressed air to operate it? Seems like it's hydraulic like all the others?

 

[txvwnut]

Why would it need compressed air to operate it? Seems like it's hydraulic like all the others?

Probably to release the safety lock.

 

[Jagmandave]

Oh....mine is mechanical.....

 

[LWW]

MR6k-38 Portable Scissor lift. Bought it on Ebay. I'll provide a picture, if I can figure out how to do that. It is open in the middle between the platforms to allow for muffler access etc. , (similar to the Atlas Quick bay.) Needs compressed air also in order to lower it. Had it about a month. Works great for my needs and my small garage.

I've considered getting one of these to go in my middle bay. Since I've started another restoration my lift bay is fully occupied and I'm stuck doing tire & suspension maintenance on jacks... Kinda defeats the purpose of having a lift when it's not accessable and this one I could roll around between the open bays for whichever one needs work done.

Of course, I would have to justify that with the financial officer as well...

 

[AdamL]

Bendpak flush mount pit lift is great.

 

[Wizzard]

MR6k-38 Portable Scissor lift. Bought it on Ebay. I'll provide a picture, if I can figure out how to do that. It is open in the middle between the platforms to allow for muffler access etc. , (similar to the Atlas Quick bay.) Needs compressed air also in order to lower it. Had it about a month. Works great for my needs and my small garage.

This looks like it may allow access to remove a transmission, is that correct? How much do they run? Thanks

 

[LWW]

~$1800

http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com/Auto-Lift-6-000lb-Portable-Mid-Rise-Frame-Lift-p/AL-6K-MR-38.htm