Four post lift- bridge jack or tray?

greglepore · 08-01-2018, 02:08 PM

My impending move is going to result in a four post lift purchase to allow storage of my 911 above my SL. I have a set of quickjack 5000 extended which I REALLY like, but there's no reason to keep them and have a lift.

For wheels off service, is it worth the 700 bucks for a 3000 lb. bridge jack, or should I just buy two air actuated bottle jacks? The lift comes with a tray.

If anyone is interested, I'd like to sell the quickjacks for local pickup, either near allentown pa before 8/23 or in Charlottesville Va. after. They have maybe 5 or six lifts of use, I'll take 1,000 cash if you pick them up. 1350 new.

fastfredracing · 08-01-2018, 02:41 PM

I would think that bride jack would be that cats meow . Ill bet some cars will be near impossible to grab their lift points with a bottle jack sitting on the ramps of a four post lift. That will leave you punching holes in rocker panels and trim panels .

jwasbury · 08-01-2018, 04:47 PM

Greg, if the 4 post you're considering has a bridge jack option, I'd go for it.

I bought the smallest Revolution 4 post for my garage and it comes with a jack tray, but there isn't a bridge jack option. I use an air powered bottle jack and it works well, but there are some challenges. I think for street cars it may be fine, but I run into clearance issues lifting the front end of my race prepped 911 because its too low for the bottle jack. I have to get creative and drive the car up on pieces of wood to get the necessary clearance for the bottle jack.

Eric Coffey · 08-01-2018, 05:03 PM

Conversely, you might consider getting a 2-post lift and adding a set of drive-on ramps.
It would take up less real estate, and you would have the option of converting back to a 2-post for wheel-off work. YMMV...

onewhippedpuppy · 08-01-2018, 05:36 PM

Bridge jack for sure. I have a four post and a tray and it’s very hard to find a good jack point within the reach allowed by the tray. I need to buy a bridge jack but they aren’t cheap.

Chilling in VT · 08-01-2018, 05:36 PM

My experience with the bridge jacks is that they are too tall for any car with any kind of sporting suspension. See if you can get a measurement of the collapsed height. On a friends Bendpak and another friends Challenger they are too tall for anything but trucks and SUV's.

stevej37 · 08-01-2018, 05:45 PM

On my 4-post the ramps or the tray have always worked. The ramps are wide enough that it's easy to reach a jacking point. That includes a pick-up, p-cars, and a couple hondas.

greglepore · 08-01-2018, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwasbury

Greg, if the 4 post you're considering has a bridge jack option, I'd go for it.

I bought the smallest Revolution 4 post for my garage and it comes with a jack tray, but there isn't a bridge jack option. I use an air powered bottle jack and it works well, but there are some challenges. I think for street cars it may be fine, but I run into clearance issues lifting the front end of my race prepped 911 because its too low for the bottle jack. I have to get creative and drive the car up on pieces of wood to get the necessary clearance for the bottle jack.

Thanks. Yeah, even when I had a 2 post, I had to drive my 911 onto wood to get enough clearance. I'm closer to Euro height now, so maybe not. The two post option doesn't work because of the extra height of most, plus they require serious anchors and a good reinforced pad. Gave one up in the divorce, luckily my ex's boyfriend is a good guy and I'm happy that he has it.

greglepore · 08-01-2018, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Bridge jack for sure. I have a four post and a tray and it’s very hard to find a good jack point within the reach allowed by the tray. I need to buy a bridge jack but they aren’t cheap.

Correct. Hoping the quickjack liquidation pays for it, otherwise I keep the qj for wheel off work, but man, that's overkill.

Jandrews · 08-01-2018, 05:55 PM

I have a 4 Post with a bridge jack, and as mentioned, it is the cat's meow. It is low enough to easily get under any of the jacking points on my GT3, and in fact, there is plenty of room for the 2 inch rubber pads that go between the jack plates and the vehicle. The jack plates slide side to side for easy and precise positioning, and the tray it sits in roll fore and aft with ease. There is a manual lockout on the bridge jack as well.

Not cheap, but worth it, for sure.

JA

froggert · 08-02-2018, 07:12 AM

+1 for the bridge jack. Although I find it easier and quicker to jack the car up on the ground with a floor jack when swapping wheels.

bleucamaro · 08-02-2018, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Conversely, you might consider getting a 2-post lift and adding a set of drive-on ramps.
It would take up less real estate, and you would have the option of converting back to a 2-post for wheel-off work. YMMV...

This is the better way to go. Unless you don't have the ceiling height.

Working on cars on a 4 post lift feels like the lift is always in the way. The bridge jack is a really cool add-on, but consider where it will be and where the ramps will be when doing work on the car.

greglepore · 08-02-2018, 07:29 AM

After pricing the bridge jack, I might just keep the quickjacks and set them in the ramps when needed...

onewhippedpuppy · 08-02-2018, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greglepore

After pricing the bridge jack, I might just keep the quickjacks and set them in the ramps when needed...

Getting a Quickjack is actually something that crossed my mind. My lift is in a deep but narrow 3rd car garage that I added on, with a high ceiling designed for a lift. It's fine for storage but sucks for working on either side. As bluecamaro noted, working on anything but the underside of a car with a four post can be irritating, the ramps are always in the way.

greglepore · 08-02-2018, 11:22 AM

Yeah, the bridge is 550. The quickjacks aren't light to lift over the rail of the ramp, but once in place you could lift the car up a couple feet with the four post, then use the quickjack to get clear of the ramp.

Eric Coffey · 08-02-2018, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

It's fine for storage but sucks for working on either side. As bluecamaro noted, working on anything but the underside of a car with a four post can be irritating, the ramps are always in the way.

Precisely why I mentioned the 2-post lift option earlier.
Using a 2-post with add-on ramps and/or wheel adapters gives you the most flexibility IMO.
It would also take up less space and if ceiling height is an issue, a 2-post lift will get a car higher before maxing out your clearance.

onewhippedpuppy · 08-02-2018, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Precisely why I mentioned the 2-post lift option earlier.
Using a 2-post with add-on ramps and/or wheel adapters gives you the most flexibility IMO.
It would also take up less space and if ceiling height is an issue, a 2-post lift will get a car higher before maxing out your clearance.

Two post adds some installation challenges though, and it's not as convenient if you use your lift more for storage than for wrenching.

jwasbury · 08-02-2018, 01:29 PM

I realize that the 2-post is superior to 4-post for many types of services, but other than the challenge of jacking the car while its up on the lift, I haven't found it to restrict my ability to service my cars in any insurmountable way.

For a small 2 car garage like mine (roughly 20' x 20'), I believe the 4-post has advantages over a 2-post (aside from the installation challenges). Biggest one for me is flexibility. I can move the lift over to one side if needed and squeeze more vehicles in the garage. I can even move it outside and work on my car in the open air if I want (caster kit included). Since I'm usually here are work (browsing PPOT), most of the time I am not wrenching and my lift is used for storage.

stevej37 · 08-02-2018, 01:58 PM

^^^ About how I use my 4-post. Storage is the biggest factor...adds another stall to the garage.
With the casters on..I have also moved the car to another stall..while on the hoist. With a smooth floor, it moves easily.

greglepore · 08-02-2018, 02:21 PM

I'm shying away from the two post because:
1) I didn't pour the floor and have no idea whether its appropriate for a two post lift and anchors.
2) The two post lifts that I've seen that are specifically set up for storage use are a good 2k more than a decent 4 post.
I don't disagree that for service they are superior. For storage, which is this unit's function (turning a wide 2 car into a 3 car) I think the 4 suits better.