The myth about four post lifts...

[DARK AGE 53]

We've all read where a four post lift is only good for changing oil, stacking and cleaning the undercarriage of your car. Well, I must be doing something wrong, here's a few of the things we've been able to do with the four post lift.

1. Front suspension.
2. Rear suspension.
3. Brakes.
4. Remove/install rear ends.
5. Remove/install transmissions.

Can't forget those oil changes and detailing the undercarriage, I'm not sure what you have planed for a lift but I can't complain about my four post lift.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I think I'll just keep doing it that way.

As far as safety I think the average shade tree mechanic is better off with a four post lift, I also wonder how many two post were installed incorrectly? JMO


Al

 

[Luckydevil]

don't four post and two post lifts raise the car using the same mounting points on the car?

 

[sca037]

Hi Al,

I don't think the consensus is that you can't do major work with a 4-poster, just that other types have strengths in some areas....especially when working on something that requires the wheel(s) be removed.

All types have their inherent advantages & disadvantages, eh?

Brian

 

[DARK AGE 53]

don't four post and two post lifts raise the car using the same mounting points on the car?

If I understand your question correctly the answer is no, a two post lifts from the undercarriage of a car while a four post is a drive on type. Besides www.backyardbuddy.com here's another excellent four post company. www.doublepark.net

 

[Luckydevil]

Ah, okay.

I have seen four post lifts at tire shops that lift at the sides of the undercarriage and still allow you to remove the wheels. Best of both worlds.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

Not sure about anyone else but my 4 post has a sliding jack tray for it so that I can remove any wheel(s) I want to and work on that\those areas.

To the excellent list above I will add, completly replace fuel system from the filter back and all new Brake Lines as well. I do have access to a two post at a friends shop but I find for most things the four post works just fine for me AND a two post cannot be moved out inot the driveway. So both styles have advantages and disavantages. The ultimate would be to have a two post for brake work etc... And a four post for detailing and other work. And I'd like a pit as well for oil changes and a Frame rack sure would be nice.

Some day when I win the Lotto!

 

[DARK AGE 53]

Wile 1 Coyote, Might be interesting to know what brand of lift you're using, I have a www.backyardbuddy.com lift.

 

[fred26t]

My lift came with a jack pad that slides from end to end of the lift. I can use a bottle or small floor jack and lift one corner or one end of the car to work on it. It just fits between the two ramps and hook on the edge. I have never tried to lift the whole car at one time. I don't have one but a tall post lift like Northern sells can be used. I do use my lift more for additional car storage. Terrible thing to many cars and tools. Fred26T

 

[Yotaforce]

For MOST jobs, the 4 post can be handy. I think that a 4 post with 2 rolling air over hydraulic jacks is "handier"!
I only desire a 2 post over the 4 so I can easily remove bodies off the frame to put on a rotiserie (sp?). I think a good shop should have both. Lol

 

[JCQuick]

well a 2 post takes up less gargae space...IMO

 

[stingry]

Another use for the 4 post: I find that it makes a great buffet table and/or bar for those parties "out in the shop"!!!


Cheers

Steve

 

[R6 Racer]

Wow ! This might be some kind of record.
6 + years!
Like... time between posts, or "Oldest Resurrected?

Doesn't matter, I hadn't seen it before, brings up good points for both.
I will be going with a 4 post when the time comes. Biggest reason, storage, but I don't think there is very much you can do with a 2 post that you can't do with a 4 post. Definitely a bunch of stuff would be a lot easier with the 2, than with the 4.
For most DIY'rs (like me) who need another parking spot, I think the 4 is a better choice.

It'd be nice to know what a 2 could do that a 4 couldn't... anyone?

Steve

 

[tdkkart]

I sure was wishing I had a hoist, any hoist, this weekend when I had to re-plumb the rear brakes on my F150. A 4 post hoist would have worked juts fine for this job, as well as most jobs I do.

2 post hoists scare the **** out of me, even worse than the old single post units.

 

[Cryptic1911]

^ works great for doing brakes if you have a bridge jack:

 

[Strouty]

well a 2 post takes up less gargae space...IMO

This is the reason most would go with a 2 post, it was my reason.

 

[AndysMBgarage]

^ works great for doing brakes if you have a bridge jack:

I got my Bendpak 4 post delivered last week with the jacking beam for just that reason!


The handy car storage is just an extra bonus

 

[t100]

you can have sliding air jacks jack up where ever you want.

 

[zmotorsports]

Wow ! This might be some kind of record.
6 + years!
Like... time between posts, or "Oldest Resurrected?

Doesn't matter, I hadn't seen it before, brings up good points for both.
I will be going with a 4 post when the time comes. Biggest reason, storage, but I don't think there is very much you can do with a 2 post that you can't do with a 4 post. Definitely a bunch of stuff would be a lot easier with the 2, than with the 4.
For most DIY'rs (like me) who need another parking spot, I think the 4 is a better choice.

It'd be nice to know what a 2 could do that a 4 couldn't... anyone?

Steve

I just noticed the date, WOW, your right this is an old post.

Oh well good points are still valid.

As far as two vs. four post there are jobs that cannot be done on a four post but they are not as frequently performed by the DIYer anyway.

One is the heads on a Ford powerstroke, the cab must be lifted off to gain access which is not feasible on a four post lift. I have also found this to be easier on the Duramax diesel trucks as well.

Another issue is trying to lower the engine/transaxle cradle assembly. On a two post it is quite easy to unbolt everything from the car and support the assembly then lift the car up and off of the engine/transaxle assembly to perform repairs.

Like I said these are not common for DIY to perform but just to show the difference between two post vs. four post. If I was mainly using for storage and a little repair work the four post would definately have been my choice. I chose the two post because I am using it to do repairs/make money not storage.

Mike.

 

[Stilwell]

I've said it before and I'll say it again (can't resist the bait); it's mostly personal preference unless your real *********.

Four post lifts cannot raise bodies off of chassis (okay there was that one guy that tried to strap the body of his car to the underside of the four post lift ramps), lift a car up off of it's front engine and cradle assembly, set a vehicle at ride height while you customer fabricate new suspension (okay probably can on a low-slung race car but not a 4x4 and crawling on and around the ramps would be fun).

Other work than can be done on a four post lift but is less convenient, the ramps are in the ideal spot to stand when doing brake work, the ramps make other work inconvenient like rocker repair, getting front and rear axles in and out can be done by muscling them up and down the ramps and into place (a whole lot easier to just roll them in & out on a jack under a two post).

The two-post however does take more effort to get the car in and out of.

Mohawk has solved the two post storage issue with their wheel adapters 9you do pay a premium for their USA made lifts and of course extra for the adapters).

As I said at the start it is use and preference. If a person uses a lift more for storage and spends more time getting a car on and off the lift that they do working on it a four post is the way to go. If a person spends more time doing heavy work on vehicles then a two post is likely the way to go. If a person needs both then the premium price (and quality) of the Mohawk might make sense.

No, I do not work for or have any other affiliation with Mohawk other than their lift meets more of my needs in a better fashion than any of the others at this time.

 

[darkk]

No, I do not work for or have any other affiliation with Mohawk other than their lift meets more of my needs in a better fashion than any of the others at this time.

hey....every once in a while you run into a guy that just has to have a Cadillac, I don't see that as a problem.

 

[chadman]

Can you do most of the work on a 4 post you can on a 2 post? Yes. Is it the best and most efficient tool for most jobs? No. I mean sure you can use a set of vice grips to remove nuts and bolts instead of a wrench but why?

There is a reason that you see a 10:1 ratio of 2 posts to 4 posts in professional garages and dealerships. I look at the 4 post as more of a hobbyist type of lift. I personally like professional grade tools for my home shop. To each his own. JMO.

 

[justanengineer]

There is a reason that you see a 10:1 ratio of 2 posts to 4 posts in professional garages and dealerships. I look at the 4 post as more of a hobbyist type of lift.

Something Ive noticed is more than half of the four post lifts I see dont have a bridge. They require the vehicle to stay on its tires.

Personally, I really dont care either way on lifts. Ive simply found that in many newer vehicles its easier to drop things out the bottom than lift them from the top, which often requires a two post. I also find two post lifts easier to get on and off of, especially with vehicles that sit rather low.

 

[Ign]

Can you do most of the work on a 4 post you can on a 2 post? Yes. Is it the best and most efficient tool for most jobs? No. I mean sure you can use a set of vice grips to remove nuts and bolts instead of a wrench but why?

Exactly. I found it amusing when the OP listed things he was "able" to do with a 4 post.

I am able to dig an entire house foundation with a shovel - doesn't mean it's an ideal situation.

 

[ket-tek]

The ultimate would be to have a two post for brake work etc...

Of course people just get used to what they have at their disposal, but I love doing brakes on a 4 post, because the runway is a workbench. All the tools and brake parts are laying at wheel height right where you are working, so no turning around or bending over to use a cart next to you, everything stays at your fingertips. Not that the other way is difficult, but a 4 post is absolutely no worse. (and any discussion of real work being done on a 4 post vs a 2 post has to compare a 4 post with a POWERED BRIDGE JACK, this is what can bring it up to par for ease of working)

Another use for the 4 post: I find that it makes a great buffet table and/or bar for those parties "out in the shop"!!!

Good point, when in a home situation the 4 post is very versatile for various things other that cars, where as in a production shop they don't have these additional benefits or value.

Four post lifts cannot raise bodies off of chassis (okay there was that one guy that tried to strap the body of his car to the underside of the four post lift ramps), lift a car up off of it's front engine and cradle assembly, set a vehicle at ride height while you customer fabricate new suspension (okay probably can on a low-slung race car but not a 4x4 and crawling on and around the ramps would be fun).

Not sure if your talking about me as I have mentioned it before, or if someone else here has done it as well? I pulled the frame off my bagged ranger with the 4 post, I strapped the cab and motor to the runways above (motor still wired to the cab, trans in still, fenders, radiator, core support, etc all still intact) and lifted it up enough to roll the frame backwards out from under it to redo some stuff on it and then roll it back in and set it all back down. I could not have done it with a 2 post, I could have lifted the cab but not the motor all at the same time. (I have done this years ago with out a lift at all, by jacking the truck up and hovering the motor by a engine lift, and setting the cab down on boards and jackstands, pulling the frame out from underneath to bag/Z/blast/paint the frame and slide it back in.)

There is a reason that you see a 10:1 ratio of 2 posts to 4 posts in professional garages and dealerships. I look at the 4 post as more of a hobbyist type of lift. I personally like professional grade tools for my home shop. To each his own. JMO.

Unfortunately the ratio of shops that actually do professional work is easily 10:1 as well, no matter what kind of lifts they have.

I have also worked on many of cars that have dented floor pans, crushed rockers, and just plain ol f*cked up spots all under the car where various shops put the 2 post pads in the wrong spots to lift it with. Of course this is the user not the equipment, but I see this all the time working on people cars that have been to professional shops.

 

[ket-tek]

I also find two post lifts easier to get on and off of, especially with vehicles that sit rather low.

I don't see how this is true, as I've worked on 2 posts with lowered vehicles and it is a pain, have to jack up the car to get the arms under it. When the rockers are lower the arm thickness without the pad even on it?

With a 4 post worse case is just lay some long 2x10's on the ramps and drive on like normal?

 

[Cryptic1911]

I don't see how this is true, as I've worked on 2 posts with lowered vehicles and it is a pain, have to jack up the car to get the arms under it. When the rockers are lower the arm thickness without the pad even on it?

With a 4 post worse case is just lay some long 2x10's on the ramps and drive on like normal?

this is one of the exact reasons why we decided to go with a 4 post rather than a 2 post

 

[haugy]

Wow, Zombie thread.


But if you build rockcrawlers a 4-post is tricky as the jacks that you can have in them won't reach to my axles, and if they do, I barely get off the ground. I'd rock a 4-post for storage and work, but not with crawlers.