scissors lift

[donbraymer]

I am going to redo all fuel lines next summer (1976/82 911S/C with 3.0). I am thinking about getting a floor scissors lift so I can push a button and get her up and down. So I am looking around. does anyone have experience with a private owner type lift, like a TMG ALS-61?

[Dpmulvan]

I have a Snap On I picked up for $900 off Craigslist. Not ideal for fuel lines but perfect for engine drops, suspension work,brakes et if you have 8 or 9 ft ceilings one of your only options. I use some homemade jacks for safety when I’m underneath. If you’re looking at imports the HF one is no worse than others goes up higher and is more affordable at least that use to be the case especially with a 20% off coupon.

[GH85Carrera]

I have a Bendpak MD 6XP in a pit, and I love it.



One thing to understand, with most lifts, they use pads on lift points. So my process if to pull the 1/2 plywood cover off of the pit, and then pull the car directly over the pit. Raise the lift pads up close to the lift points, and then position the pads precisely. Then finally, raise up the car.

If you don't have a pit, or a model of lift that drops down into the floor, it is a bigger pain in the butt.



At first I used two 2x12 boards to get the car up to have the clearance to clear the lift itself.


Also by using a board to cover the pit, it is great to lift other things for maintenance. I use my lift a lot. Electrical work is a lot easier if the area is at a comfortable level, and I don't have to bend over to see it. Waxing the lower parts of the car is tons better sitting on a roll around chair and having the part to be waxed at face level.



With the lift in my pit, I can still raise the 911 up to where the roof is just under the light for the garage door opener. For my El Camino, I have to stop lifting to avoid hitting the light for the door opener. My wife's Macan can't go up very much with our 10 foot ceilings.


When I had the pit installed, I had a trench cut to the wall so I could put in 1.25 inch conduit for the hydraulic lines and a 110 volt power source in the pit.

There are a ton of threads on lifts on this site, Search them out, and read them. Lots of great ideas and models discussed.

[MBAtarga]

Don,

There are a lot of threads on the Garage Journal forum site as well.

[superninety]

I have that dame BendPak. Used it to drop the motor in my 964 and later on my 1970T coupe. Solid piece of gear.

[stownsen914]

I bought a crappy old scissor lift off Craigslist a few years ago. Best piece of garage equipment I've bought.

[DaytonaCoupe66]

I picked up a Danmar Maxxjax years ago. Handiest piece of kit in the garage if you plan to spend time under the car. More work to gear up than a scissor lift but it is portable, and you can run the creeper underneath without obstructions.

[Bucketlist]

Originally Posted by stownsen914

I bought a crappy old scissor lift off Craigslist a few years ago. Best piece of garage equipment I've bought.

Did this also and agree its the best use of space you can have. My car lives on it.

[kevbo]

here's the one i settled on. had a friend put a 220 in for it. works great!

https://www.autokato.com/wheel-balancer-tire-changer-lift-garage-equipment-AK-X80-p.html

[Hotshot]

Love my MP6. Older unit but redoing front end and it’s awesome. PO gave me the ramps too.

[Cairo94507]

I installed a BendPak mid-rise scissor lift in my last garage with a 10' ceiling. It worked quite well and was never an issue. We are in the permit process for a new garage, 1550 sq. ft. with a 14' ceiling. This time we will install a 2-post asymmetrical lift. Better fit of this garage.

[Bill Verburg]

I had a solid deck Snapon, great for wheels and tires and lawnmowers and snowblowers but not much else

I built flat platforms on either side, makes working much easier and you could drive on drive off w/o any hassle


concrete is pretty soft so I used 1/4" Al plate under the rollers and pivot


I had a bunch of Al deck left over from one of our boats, great for the car but 1/2 -3/4"(depends on underlying support) plywood on 2x4s or 2x6 s is just as good, wider is better if you have the room



carpet that can be rolled out of the way for messy stuff is good too

[Hulley]

I have a Bendpak MD6XP on order, looking to sink it into the floor as well.

[CBA]

Following. Thanks

[digitaldgp]

[Aircooled4evr]

Originally Posted by Hotshot

Love my MP6. Older unit but redoing front end and it’s awesome. PO gave me the ramps too.

I've bought a modle similar to this. Well used, but only superficially worn. And for around $900.
It's the best thing I've ever bought for the garage!
Never lie on a cold concrete floor again! It can raise the car up to 1025cm. More than enough to do most operations from an office chair! I have the engine & gearbox out + all wheel suspension. And funny enough, I'm also changing out those fuel lines this winter!
It's now a breeze to work on the car!..

[Bill Douglas]

I think I'm gunna cut a hole in the floor Glen style.

[Funracer]

Love my Twin Busch midrise scissor. I only have 8ft ceilings so a four post was not going to work. Used it for 3 years now and love it. Notice it had slide plates so the scissor rollers don’t mar the floor. TB customer service has been top notch as well. Note: you do need a dedicated outlet to make it work. I had an electrician put one in for $150.

Also my 83SC parks right over it, no clearance issues.

[LukasM]

The Twin Bush is a pretty well done copy of the older German Nussbaum Jumbo double scissor lifts, made in China by Ever Eternal. You used to be able to order them directly from EE quite a bit cheaper, however TB is now the exclusive distributor for Europe last I checked, don't know about the US.

I have one of the old Nussbaum lifts, a 1995 Jumbo II model, that I got from the local Toyota dealership when they closed shop and sold 15 of these. I actually bought 2 but one of them was leaking oil internally from one hydraulic chamber to the other.

The lift design itself works great, doesn't take up much space on the floor, except for the control box everything is under the car, and it's really nice that you can lift the car up 6 feet and walk around and stand under it fully upright. I wouldn't have a problem buying from EE / TB either, would be nice if it came with an actual warranty in case of problems, and quality is ok from all I have read. I got mine cheap but it was a pain to uninstall it, load, transport and unload it, and then find out that one was not working correctly....