Suggestions / recommendations for 2-post lift brands/models

[quakerj]

I'll be breaking ground on my 30x50 garage/workshop build this month, and I've got to get column locations for my lift so I can dig out a generous pad size where they'll be going-- which means I need to choose a lift and get it ordered.

I'm new to lifts, but did enough research to get me started, but I have no experience with brands or what's been working best for hobbyists like myself.

Building is a clear span steel frame structure (Mueller) 30x50 with 12' eave height, 1:12 roof pitch. Front/rear of building is the gable side, 16x10 garage door located on front. I imagine the lift going dead center, as far back toward the rear wall as possible, while still giving me plenty of working room on longer vehicles.

I know there's overhead and baseplate styles, I'm 6'2" tall and want to be able to stand under a normal sized vehicle if possible. I have no issues at all with the baseplate style, if it will give me more working room underneath. I'm not concerned about concrete stability (some say an overhead is more stable/secure); I'll be pouring 5" (2x6 forms) 4000 psi slab and will probably go to 8"+ where the columns will be. Other than that, I'd probably be looking at a 8K weight rating, give or take. The heaviest vehicle I own is a minivan that weighs 4800#, but I'd like the capability of lifting a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup if I ever get one.

Again, this is for hobby/personal use or odd jobs, not professional. Cost is absolutely a consideration, but I don't want junk either.

Can anyone recommend brands/models/etc. that have worked well for them for this type of application? Even just shooting ideas out there that I can research would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[SmackinHondas]

I have a mueller building 30x40x14 with a 2 post lift. The brand I have is out of TX though so probably not helpful.

I wouldn’t put the lift centered in a 30’ wide garage, personally. I assume you are considering that placement because of the extra height gained by the pitched roof, but you’ll have two parking spaces to make sure are empty in order to pull in. I would opt for placing it to one side or the other.


Challenger CL10 series has a maximum height of 143” and some of the other Challengers are made in KY. I’d start looking there.

The baseplate models might get in the way of transmission jacks, oil caddys, tool carts, etc. not the end of the world just an annoyance.

 

[quakerj]

I have a mueller building 30x40x14 with a 2 post lift. The brand I have is out of TX though so probably not helpful.

I wouldn’t put the lift centered in a 30’ wide garage, personally. I assume you are considering that placement because of the extra height gained by the pitched roof, but you’ll have two parking spaces to make sure are empty in order to pull in. I would opt for placing it to one side or the other.


Challenger CL10 series has a maximum height of 143” and some of the other Challengers are made in KY. I’d start looking there.

The baseplate models might get in the way of transmission jacks, oil caddys, tool carts, etc. not the end of the world just an annoyance.

The advice you gave on center placement vs side is much appreciated and had me revisit that plan. After laying things out in a grid on my property (haven't broke ground yet), I can see that center placement would be quite cumbersome if I had a vehicle or two in there already. I laid it out with the lift placed to the side and it's much more space efficient. With 12' eave height, my tallest vehicle will still lift comfortably with room to spare and allow me to work underneath it without crouching. So the lift will definitely go on the left or right side. Again, really appreciate the input.

Do you have any suggestions on how much room I should leave from the side wall of the building to the column of the lift? Just working it out on the ground, I figured 5' would be ample-- give me enough space to move around and carry things through, while maximizing available space on the other side of the lift. Also, this lift will be a baseplate model, how far from the back wall should I place the column, and still give me plenty of space around the front of the vehicle to work, and be able to accommodate longer vehicles, say a 1970's Lincoln Town Car / land yacht -- just half joking on that, but I don't want to limit myself on length-- but still the goal is to minimize space used for the lift / not take up space elsewhere. Hope that makes sense.

I can try to figure this out on my laid out grid, but would rather defer to folks that have actual experience placing these lifts-- I don't want to make any mistakes that other people have made and regret it. I need to get column locations narrowed down so I can dig for deeper concrete in those areas.

 

[kep5niner]

Once you have decided on a brand of lift, the installation instructions will answer many of your questions wrt placement of the lift. The instructions will specify minimum distance from walls.

 

[quakerj]

Once you have decided on a brand of lift, the installation instructions will answer many of your questions wrt placement of the lift. The instructions will specify minimum distance from walls.

Not really looking at minimum distance from walls (which may be limiting in some situations or too crowded on the side), but rather what has worked out well for other folks-- enough working room, without taking up too much space.

 

[brownbagg]

if you get a four post you can put it where ever you want, dont like it, push it to the other side

 

[bctexas]

I'm 6'4", and about the only lift I could find a couple of years ago that would go high enough that I could stand up under the car was a BendPak XPR-10AXLS. It needs 13' of ceiling height. Rise is 75 inches, so the pad height at full lift is just short of 80 inches. It has the versatility to lift a car as narrow a my Lotus Seven replica, or a wide as my 1970 Cadillac. The downside? It looks like it us up $1000 since I bought mine a couple years ago.

You haven't mentioned it, so don't forget you have to decide on symmetric vs asymmetric in order to locate the lift in your shop. My shop is 40 ft wide, and I have the lift just off center. I wanted to leave enough room between the lift column and the nearest wall so I could still park a car along the wall, plus space along the wall for storage. I also needed to get it away from the 12 ft wall for ceiling clearance. This leaves it offset from the door a bit, but that has not been an issue in the least.

This is my first lift - never had room before. It is a game changer - I don't know how I ever got along without it.



Happy Motoring!

 

[haveissues]

I built a 30x50 with a 18ft door on the gable end. I put my lift in the front right bay to the right of center and rotated a few degrees. It works out great for me. Pulling in cars is super easy, my 3/4 ton pickup you have to be a bit careful of but it maximizes the use of space for my uses. I thought about putting it in the back but that would mean I have to keep all the area in front of the lift clear. My lift is a rotary 10k and while I have 14ft ceilings it will just fit under a 12ft. I can stand up straight under vehicles but you have 2 inches on me.

 

[quakerj]

So after a ton of research and working out the best bang for buck equation, I'm pretty dead set on a Weaver W9-KFP baseplate lift (symmetrical). I know I could do much better, but it's not in the budget right now or in the foreseeable future, and a 9K lift is better than no lift. My heaviest vehicle is 4800#. The baseplate style doesn't bother me, and according to the specs, it should lift above my head.

Right now the best I've come up with after messing around in Autocad, measuring vehicles, and laying things out on the ground is this:

outside of column baseplate to be 4' from side wall. Will give at least 4' of clear space to move around on that side / store stuff.

Space from the backwall to column centerline is 16'. After measuring my longest vehicle, that gives me 7' of clear space in front of the vehicle, assuming it is placed exactly center on the lift. That's so I can store tools, air compressor, etc. on the back wall and still have room for an engine hoist or larger stuff in front of the vehicle if I need it.

I have three cars to park in the shop, one will probably be parked over the lift most of the time, and then two at the rear in front of the overhead door. That leaves me a decent chunk of space on the other side of the lift for storage, kids bikes, and my outdoor power equipment (tiller, mower, etc.)

Does this sound logical, or do you think it could be improved on? I don't like the idea of orienting the lift toward the front of the building/overhead door; I prefer to have the area nearest the garage door open for flexibility. The lift, for my purposes, doesn't particularly need super easy access (I won't be rotating cars into it on a regular basis), and if a car is in the way behind it, it can be moved.

 

[formula388]

With the crazy cost of lifts right now, I found Rotary, although expensive, to not be that much more then others… let’s say $5000 vs $6500 I paid the extra money for the known quality. I prefer asymmetric lifts personally, and also I prefer overhead hydraulics.

 

[TobeyA]

Right now the best I've come up with after messing around in Autocad, measuring vehicles, and laying things out on the ground is this:

outside of column baseplate to be 4' from side wall. Will give at least 4' of clear space to move around on that side / store stuff.

Space from the backwall to column centerline is 16'. After measuring my longest vehicle, that gives me 7' of clear space in front of the vehicle, assuming it is placed exactly center on the lift. That's so I can store tools, air compressor, etc. on the back wall and still have room for an engine hoist or larger stuff in front of the vehicle if I need it.

I have a 30x50. My 2-post is almost exactly where you're thinking. It's 4' from the side, 20' from the back wall. It's 90% perfect. The only time I wish it were in a different spot is when I have a non-running car on the lift, but need to use it for another car. That's the only time I wish it were closer to the front, so I could just push the other car forward to vacate the lift. But the rest of the time I like the room behind it. I wouldn't do it different if I did it again. So it depends on your intended use.

4' to the side is enough for tool boxes and shelves. Against the back wall I have a pallet rack with a work bench. Plenty of room.

 

[quakerj]

I have a 30x50. My 2-post is almost exactly where you're thinking. It's 4' from the side, 20' from the back wall. It's 90% perfect. The only time I wish it were in a different spot is when I have a non-running car on the lift, but need to use it for another car. That's the only time I wish it were closer to the front, so I could just push the other car forward to vacate the lift. But the rest of the time I like the room behind it. I wouldn't do it different if I did it again. So it depends on your intended use.

4' to the side is enough for tool boxes and shelves. Against the back wall I have a pallet rack with a work bench. Plenty of room.

Many thanks the input and the photo! I think I'm in the right spot now, every choice is a compromise. No spot is perfect but this should work out best for what I intend to do with it.

Is the green car a Saturn? What are you doing with it, derby car or something?

 

[TobeyA]

Many thanks the input and the photo! I think I'm in the right spot now, every choice is a compromise. No spot is perfect but this should work out best for what I intend to do with it.

Is the green car a Saturn? What are you doing with it, derby car or something?

Good eye. I run it in an entry level FWD class at the local circle track. I race the BMW with some friends.in an endurance road racing series. It's undergoing an LS swap at the moment.