Some thoughts on this used lift please.

[Bad Eye Bill]

This is for sale about 3 1/2 or 4 hours drive round trip from me. Says it's very slightly used and in very good condition for 1700 bucks no tax private sale. They are around $2400.00 + tax new which comes to roughly $2760.00 here. Anybody got one? Do you like it? Any info and opinions would be great. Thanks.

Edit: 6000 lbs lift.

 

[tc-cad]

I had the Mohawk version of that and paid only $600 for it. Sold it for $700. Worked very well. Little trouble getting vehicles on lift because of ground clearance.

 

[Colin Len]

Price seems high to me - definitely seen similar in the $500-1000 range locally. But I've also seen absolutely beat down, rusted ones for $1000+ Asking prices seem to be all over. I was tempted many times to get one but it'd be an obstacle in my garage more than being helpful. Plus, the main car I'd need it for I doubt would even be able to drive over it.

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

Just to add, Canadian vs American dollars as well. We always pay more here. Googled American price, $1925.00 vs $2400.00 here. But yeah, I don't want to pay 1700 either if at all possible.

 

[rburke65]

To me, that price seems high.....by 2!

 

[Hotsauce]

That's the going price in Canada. I have been looking for 6 months on Ontario. Seen used ones go for more than 1700 cad OR 1300 usd.

Maybe you can find one in Maine and bring over?

 

[87GN]

My opinion: I would only buy a Rotary lift.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

That type of lift limits access to the drive train / middle of the car. Great for brake work or wheels. Good access to engine below as well. But they are *heavy* and awkward to move around. Some are light enough to tip on end to store against a wall. I don't have any wall space luxury like that.

Today, I'd go with a Quick Jack, which is very portable, open center access, and light enough to put in your trunk. The heaviest capacity unit costs less new than your scissor lift does new, and that's in US dollars.

I do want something though. The MaxJack I have now in the garage isn't going to be moved outside for quick work, so a portable solution is something I'm watching out for too.

 

[Colin Len]

That type of lift limits access to the drive train / middle of the car. Great for brake work or wheels. Good access to engine below as well.

Today, I'd go with a Quick Jack, which is very portable, open center access, and light enough to put in your trunk. The heaviest capacity unit costs less new than your scissor lift does new, and that's in US dollars.

I always hear the access issue complaint with this type of lift and seems funny to me cause I pretty much exclusively work on FWD cars so unless I'm working on the exhaust or the shifter I could care less about access to the center of the undercarriage. On the flipside I see people very happy with 4 post lifts and I look at that as crazy - a 4 post would be utterly useless for me other than for stacking cars. I suppose why there are so many designs because there are so many different people's uses.

Regarding Quickjack - I have one and I love it. It definitely has it's drawbacks and IMO it's 100% a compromise type of setup. By definition a compromise isn't going to be 100% what you want but for many of us (like me) what we wan't isn't really possible due to other factors. For me, Quickjack was hands down the best compromise for my situation (mainly that I have a very small garage).

 

[6768rogues]

For used I would not pay more than half of the new price.

 

[brownbagg]

not worth it, maybe $800

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

For used I would not pay more than half of the new price.

That was my first thought. I haven't contacted him about it yet, still thinking about it.


Good input from all here, thanks.

 

[Rod B]

I'm in Canada too and have been watching for a sale on a scissor lift. I had a four post lift in my old place, but it was more for storing a vehicle. I hated dealing with the posts all the time, and as a previous poster mentioned, the four post is good for storage and only a few other things. I used it for oil changes and even wheel alignment on my race cars. But it was a real PITA for anything else where you need to remove wheels (i.e. I couldn't use it much for working on the car).

I picked up one of these last week and am super happy with it (Herkules L1200P):

http://www.gradeatools.com/Herkules-L1200P-Vehicle-Lift-p/hku-l1200p.htm

It has a clearance of 4.6 inches, which is OK for my current vehicles. Can always drive up on boards to provide some more height. I got it for $1700 (CDN), which I think is a good deal. It's air operated, so sits a bit lower than other scissor lifts. I figure if I need to work on exhaust or something central (very rare), I can use it to put the vehicle on jack stands. It's got a nice flat surface, so can also be used for a table, if I want to put it in a corner of the garage. It moves around quite easily, but it is extremely heavy, so would not be able to put it leaned up against a wall. I just put it under where I park my truck and I don't even notice it (way less intrusive than a 2 post or 4 post, but I do park my truck in the garage all the time).

Anyhow, I know it's not the same as the one you are looking at, but can be used for comparison.

Cheers,
Rod

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

Thanks for the link Rod. That's interesting, I've never seen one like that. The air operation seems like a good idea, no hydraulic system stuck in the way. One thought is how the airbag will stand up to grease/oil, etc.

Anyone else seen/used one of these? I'd like to hear some more.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Some scissor jacks have a bag. We had a bridge jack with a back. It seemed to lean more than the hydraulic one if it wasn’t dead even.

 

[Rod B]

Thanks for the link Rod. That's interesting, I've never seen one like that. The air operation seems like a good idea, no hydraulic system stuck in the way. One thought is how the airbag will stand up to grease/oil, etc.

Anyone else seen/used one of these? I'd like to hear some more.

Yes, it was new to me as well. I bought it from a paint shop. They are used there to avoid issues with overspray clogging anything I guess. I thought about it and it seemed to me there is alot less to go wrong compared to hydraulic system. I think airbags are pretty much figured out with regards to durability. They are on many vehicles including big rigs. Grease and grime with not be an issue. Dry rot will be the main concern I would think.

Only time will tell for me I guess!

Cheers,
Rod