HF scissors lift, dumb question

scottbooth · 10:23 AM

I just ordered the Harbor Freight scissors lift that has been mentioned in several threads on this forum.

How difficult is it to move the lift around to get it set up? Can it be done by one person? Two? Or does it require equipment that the delivery guy will have, but I don't?

My car is currently on jack stands in the garage. I'm trying to figure out if the lift could be pushed under the car as it sits, or whether I need build ramps, put the wheels back on the car, and roll it out into the driveway before the lift shows up.

Those that ordered from HF - did they contact you to set up a delivery time or did the truck just show up?

Thanks
Scott

edited to remove 80's era characterization of this forum as a "BBS"...

jmshepard · 03-03-2007, 10:22 AM

I had one delivered last autumn. The delivery company called to coordinate a time. I can’t imagine moving it under a car, it is very ungainly and was very heavy. I used a furniture dolly and a 2 wheel truck to move it about 15 yards up a shallow incline into my garage. The 15 yard move completely wore out me and the truck driver. It was a struggle. Buy a couple of heavy furniture dollies.
On a bad note, and I am going to post a separate thread on this one if it is every resolved.
My lift had a bad motor. As I first tried to use it, it would trip the breaker. I thought it was a wiring problem so I called in an electrician to improve the service in the garage. He determined that the motor was faulty. I disassembled the hydraulic unit and tried the motor and it was indeed bad.
I have been waiting since October for a replacement motor from HF. I have made many phone calls to the customer service line, with repeated promises of delivery dates. As it stands at this point, they say that the motor is on a ship that should arrive in CA on 6 March. I will see if they can finally deliver the goods.
Just beware that dealing with this outfit has pitfalls. I have had an 800lbs piece of junk in my garage since Oct 2006. Their service techs lie and will not return calls although they promise the same. They may have good pricing but it comes at a cost of good after sale service.
Jim S.

jbirkett · jbirkett's Garage

I'm sure someone will chime in sooner, but I have a co-worker, who posts on the BB that could answer. He has one but is fortunate enough to have built a pit in his shop and just drives over the top of it. There was also another post and there is a roving repair guy in the Sacramento area that uses one and caries it around in his van, so they must not be too hard to move around. The picture indicates that there are steel wheels on at least one end, don't think they swivel.
I think you only need about 4" of clearance to move it under the car, but not sure. I'll look for the post that talked about the lift and post the link later.

scottbooth · 03-03-2007, 10:24 AM

Jim,

Thanks for the info. I figured it was going to be really heavy.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Overall people here seem satisfied but I guess there is a reason that more expensive lifts exist. Hope your problem gets resolved soon.

Scott

jbirkett · jbirkett's Garage

check this thread:
Scissor Lift - Brag About Yours and Your Set Up

scottbooth · 03-03-2007, 10:27 AM

Thanks John. The HF site says the lift is 3 7/8" collapsed so lacking a pit I will probably screw together some 2x12's as others have done. I am going to lower my car when I finally get it taken apart and put back together, by then I am sure I will need the ramps.

Scott

jmshepard · 03-03-2007, 10:43 AM

Scott,
Here are the ramps that I had to build for my SC.
The car is lowered and would not clear the lift.
Jim S.

Todd Simpson · 03-03-2007, 02:54 PM

The lift is about 900 pounds, so you need to be determined to move it. The hydraulic portion of the lift has wheels and works like a handtruck to lift one end of the lift. That and a floor jack with wheels and you can move it anywhere.

I had to return mine to HF as well, the hydraulic cylinders were leaking after about a week. I replaced it with a Bend Pak that appears exactly the same in terms of the steel portion but the cylinders and other accessories look a little nicer for a little more money.

I didn't mind spending extra for the Bend Pak after I dealt with HF service AND had to pack up the lift back into the crate and move it to the end of the driveway by myself.

BMWDavid · 03-03-2007, 03:33 PM

Since we are talking about lifts...does anyone have experience with the "Quick Lift" seen in the back of Excellence? Its an inclined ramp that you lift with a floor jack. Looks simple and strong.

David

RoninLB · 03-03-2007, 07:31 PM

i dug a pit, etc.

fwiw.. i also built 4 platforms for the wheels that are perfectly same height with each other for wheel alignments. WTF, as long as you're in there.

I also bought a used Snap-On mid rise lift for 1/3 of new in great shape. There is a large used market for lifts. The Snap-On lift arm rubber spacers can be purchased separately. They work great.

jbirkett · jbirkett's Garage

Nice car jmshepard, are the ramps 2x12 with 2x4 spacers underneath. I need about 5" height to get my jack underneath and those look good.
Also where did you find the tail lights, i've seen them on several cars and can not seem to find them?
Take care,

rfuerst911sc · 03-04-2007, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BMWDavid
Since we are talking about lifts...does anyone have experience with the "Quick Lift" seen in the back of Excellence? Its an inclined ramp that you lift with a floor jack. Looks simple and strong.

David

David I have thought about purchasing a Kwik Lift as I really like the strength and simplicity of it. But for the price of it you can purchase a new HF scissor lift ( questionable quality ) or a used Snap On, Bend Pak or others. I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet because I'm juggling my budget between two Porsches and the lift budget is empty!

Quicksilver · 03-04-2007, 05:18 AM

When you are purchasing stuff from Harbor Freight it is important to remember that their chosen market is selling cheap stuff from China. I have a Harbor Freight about half a mile from here and go over there regularly to pick up various items. I would never buy something from them that is large enough that I would think of it as an investment.

I would certainly never buy anything that could cause safety issues if it failed. I have one friend dead from having a car fall on him. That is enough. Just say "No" to cheap lifts and to shiny aluminum jacks designed and built to be dirt cheap. Say "Yes" to hammers, saws, wrenches for one-off projects, etc...

scottbooth · 03-04-2007, 06:33 AM

I suppose if I weren't "investing" so much money into the car I would have more left over to buy a better quality lift.

This is the first I have heard of the manufacturing issues with these lifts, makes me wonder a little. I was suspicious of them for a long time, but had read so many good reports that I decided it was probably a pretty good quality knockoff that should last well under occasional use (as compared to a professional shop).

All that aside I think the safety issues mentioned here may be a bit overstated. Nobody is talking about structural failures, just a bad motor and a leaking hydraulic cylinder. Neither of these is likely to make the car fall on me unless I am sitting under it while I work the lift. As I understand it, the lift has mechanical locks to hold it in the raised position, so the hydraulics are pretty much out of the picture. And my guess is that even if the lift is made of cheap Chinese steel, 800lb of it will hold up a 911.

I would also argue that even a lift of questionable quality (in terms of its electrical and hydraulic components) is probably a safer setup than using a single floor jack and stands as I have been doing so far. So while history will tell whether I should have bought a more expensive lift, I think it's going to be safer to work on the car either way.

My $0.02
Scott

MotoSook · 07:14 AM

Wayne, I'm sorry about your friend, but I can tell you after owning my HF lift for 3-4 years that it is a safe product. I understand its limitations, and I'm very aware that I won't win any battles with a car which has fallen on me. Scott makes a good point that the lift is probably safer than some folks can manage with the jacks and jackstands they have.

The HF lift is a good copy of the Snap-on lift. I've seen older Snap-on lifts which when you compare the HF lift to, you come to the conclusion that HF has improved upon the design. Just like any lift or heavy equipment, the operator is the ultimate safety factor!

I love my lift, and it is very likely the best tool I have ever bought.

As for ramps, here is my solution:

You can read about it here:

Souk’s Ramps for Scissors Lift

1982911SCTarga · 03-04-2007, 09:14 AM

Mine is the same as Souk's. One of the best tools I've bought and you will recoup your investment quickly with it. My experience.
Brian

len911 · 09:58 AM

I have been toying with the idea of a lift also... This thread got me interested again. I went to ebay and stumbled into these folks. They seem reasonably priced and Newark, DE is not to far from NJ. They have a two post lift, 9000# for $1700! Could probably fit it in the back of my Trailex. Lou

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Pro6MR-Portable-Scissor-Lift-p/tppro-6m.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Scissor-Car-Lift-New-Hoist-Portable-Mid-Rise-Lifts-New_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43998QQihZ020QQitem Z300087016499QQrdZ1

scottbooth · 03-04-2007, 11:08 AM

Wayne - sorry to hear about your friend also - somehow I missed that when I was catching up this morning. Safety is actually on my mind here.

Souk and Brian - thanks for the info. I have seen both of these threads before, as I've been putting off this purchase for almost a year now. After the past few weeks of working under the car with it supported on jackstands, the impending engine drop has made me decide it is time. (Actually the right time would have been a month or so ago but what can you do.)

Souk - nice job on the ramps. Maybe I will follow your lead and use a "stack" of 2x4s rather than using a pair of 2x12's (stacked the othe way) as I had planned. It might make it easier to do the miter cut at the outside end. I want to get that angle as shallow as possible as I will have to push the car onto the ramps this first time.

Scott

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Why would you buy a lift from HF when the BendPaks don't cost that much more? I think mine was $1450 delivered, with 3 sets of pads in various heights. I thought I'd only use the flat pads for the 911, but I'm currently using the mid-height pads to get it up a little higher as I'm putting new T-bars on, and wanted room to drop the sways.

As I understand it, the HF charges extra for the various pads.

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by BMWDavid
Since we are talking about lifts...does anyone have experience with the "Quick Lift" seen in the back of Excellence? Its an inclined ramp that you lift with a floor jack. Looks simple and strong.

David

A buddy has one, but you have to have their jack setup to get the wheels off of the ramps, if you need to take the wheels off for anything. Also, it doesn't go very high, and only has the one height. He's actually going to buy a scissor lift now.