Car lifts - what's best for a hobby workshop?

[Burdekin]

all you need is the sizes to play with to see whats best

note call up to mechanics up the rd and get some measurments

with 4 poster its H, x W, x L
with 2 post its H, x W and then you need to know internal leg stick out from post you can push back the legs but you still have stick out

It's getting cars in and out with a permanent lift in there. I'll have a better look when I get the caravan out in a few weeks.

 

[armalites]

If you've got a car that rolls then you should have no issues if you had a 2 or 4 post in a door way. With 2 post all you would have is hump a bit lower than a speed hump unless you get a baseless one but you'd need more height for a baseless unit. With a 4 post all you would need to do is build some sort of ramp at the other end and roll right over it.

Obviously not as easy as if it wasnt's there but no dramas.

 

[Burdekin]

If you got a car that rolls then you should have no issues if you had a 2 or 4 post in a door way. With 2 post all you would have is hump a bit lower than a speed hump unless you get a baseless one but you'd need more height. With a 4 post all you would need to do is build some sort of ramp at the other end and roll right over it.

Obviously not as easy as if it wasnt's there but no dramas.

Yeah I need to see. I can comfortably fit two cars in my new area with other stuff so it's just making sure I can get either car out through the entrance with a lift. I think I need to physically see a few styles working and go from there.

 

[mr haynes]

You do also get mobile 2/4 poster hybrids. Essentially 2 single posters with ramp options
Also the mobiles for commercials, post under each wheel

 

[armalites]

There is a lot of variants out there, this is completely the wrong end of the country but these two lifts are cheap as chips and have a very small link between the two uprights which would be ideal in a situation where you wanted full access beyond the ramp.

They are both hydraulic too so not lift nuts etc to worry about.

£350 each
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Post-Vehicle-Lifts-For-Sale/362887140961?hash=item547dc25661:g:XIcAAOSwAj9eJC0i&LH_ItemCondition=3000

 

[stuvy]

My mates a lorry mechanic and has had a few lorries fall off the wheel lift ones I wouldn’t use them as they flex loads

we have a 2 and 4 post lift and will be getting a few more two posts as there invaluable

I’m either going to be buying a scissor lift or the drive up ramps as I’d like the cars to be at a taller working height for me

on Thursday we used an engine crab to hoist a car up on to a chassis jig it’s now the perfect working height

 

[gaz1]

sturvy you use them loads like i have

can you state the advantages and disadvantages between them both when working on vehicles on them

ive only stated what ive noticed while working on them for loads of mixed jobs

 

[slim_boy_fat]

This any help? There'll be lots of ads & the usual 'dross' but hopefully a few useful ones.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=car+hoists+for+home+garage

 

[stuvy]

sturvy you use them loads like i have

can you state the advantages and disadvantages between them both when working on vehicles on them

ive only stated what ive noticed while working on them for loads of mixed jobs

I’m 6’2 and and can only stand under one of ours. We have 2 of 2posters and one 4 post I can only comfortably fit under our German 2 post lift

my mate has a 2 post and I can stand under that

for mechanical work a 2 post is great for things like exhaust changing, clutches even servicing as you can lift it up to save stooping granted you can do it on a 4 post but having big feet you can’t stand as close and knock your shins

you struggle like hell doing exhausts on a 4 poster, but you can easily do arches and skills as your not climbing over the arms

Iv seen at another garage they made a big rectangular frame so it can lift a kit car up via the wheels but using a 2 post lift

if your struggling with say drop links or cv joints it’s always in the back of your mind that you might knock it off a 2 post lift

if it was my money it would be a 2 post but a scissor lift is close behind as I do body work as well as spannering

 

[mangocrazy]

https://www.costco.co.uk/Tyres-Auto...ck-2268kg-Capacity-Model-BL-5000SLX/p/1268102

Costco lift

I have to say I like the look of that. I'd need to make sure that it was compatible with vehicles I'd want to use with it, but one of its big advantages is that it can be easily and unobtrusively stored.

 

[mangocrazy]

Thinking further on the Costco lift - would the 4 jacking points on the car sills be up to the job of taking all the weight of the car? I guess that because the load is spread over 4 points that it should be OK. In terms of load isn't this effectively the same as using a 2 or 4 post lift with the lifting arms on the same jacking points?

 

[armalites]

Thinking further on the Costco lift - would the 4 jacking points on the car sills be up to the job of taking all the weight of the car? I guess that because the load is spread over 4 points that it should be OK. In terms of load isn't this effectively the same as using a 2 or 4 post lift with the lifting arms on the same jacking points?

The same principle as a 2 post, with a 4 post the vehicle is supported on it's wheels unless you are using a jacking beam.

 

[mangocrazy]

Thanks, that makes sense.

 

[Ruffian]

The quick jack is a great idea.

I have been planning on buying one for my garage setup due to restricted height.

Only thing worth remembering is Costco is plus vat also.

(Buying from quickjack uk may be a better option)

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I wanted a 2 post and a 4 post but didn't have the space for either, so opted for a scissor which worked out to be the best compromise for what I needed to do, a complete car restoration.

Got it delivered 5 years ago from BH Repairs, it is available from a few suppliers but they gave the best guarantee.

They fully test the unit on import from China before delivery which is great as if it has a problem it would be a pitas to try to ship it back.

Set up and ready to go, it does need a flat pad.

First try out, it goes up higher with the garage door shut, 1.2m max.

I bought it to work on the merc though which needed work to the sills and floor.

Dropping the front subframe, easy access.

Dropping the rear.

I had to drop it on to stands to strip and paint the underside so a 2/4 poster would have been better here.

Beck up on the lift for fitting the exhaust, this lift has only one cross member which gives better access than the ones with two.

Invaluable!

 

[Farside]

front wheel drive cars can hang over the front of the four poster on chocks with a ratchet strap holding the back down.

Cars can also hang off the front of single-post hydraulic lifts (the type with a massive central post and a large H-shaped lifting platform the car rolls on to), entirely by accident if the careless clot who puts the car on and raises the lift then waltzes off into the canteen and has forgotten to a) apply the handbrake and b) put any chocks under any of the wheels.
I caught the movement out the corner of my eye and leapt for the control lever to jam the roof of the car up against the roof beam before it toppled off the front and squashed the lad who was working on the car in front of the ramp. Lucky it was an estate (Simca 1300, iirc) and not a saloon, as he would have been jam.

 

[mangocrazy]

I like the look of that, as well! It would take up substantially more storage space (although I suppose you could just leave it sitting under the car when not in use), but does lift the car higher. Is 1.2 metres the max lifting height? And is there a locking mechanism to hold it in place without relying on the hydraulics? And what is the product name?

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Hi, Yes the max lift is 1.2m, it's got a ratchet so the car doesn't rest on the hydraulics. It's called mid rise lift from bh repairs.

 

[3000alloy]

Hi, Yes the max lift is 1.2m, it's got a ratchet so the car doesn't rest on the hydraulics. It's called mid rise lift from bh repairs.

I am Thinking of this or a quickjack, what I prefer about the quickjack is it's ease of storage when not in use. However the midrise lift offers higher lift but would mean recessing the floor to prevent tripping over it etc.

 

[James1979]

I had an Auto AL-2006 for several years and thought it was brilliant. Mobile scissor lift - there's a video on Youtube of a guy towing on round behind a small tractor with the car on the lift full up!

Made in Netherlands, I think. I've still got the (very hard to track down) manual.

I've used several lifts over the years, including the single post ones, and they all have their plus and minus as covered so I won't go over it all again. However for doing my own vehicles I got on alright with the scissor. That one did everything from a Mini 1 to an XLWB Hi Top Iveco Daily. I made some big stands to go under the chassis so I could drop the lift to do gearbox / exhaust etc.

Sold it to a mate and regretted it ever since. As a side note, I was told by a LOLER man that all the lifts that aren't fixed to the floor aren't allowed over 1m any more. This may or may not be accurate.