Looking for opinions. 2-post vs 4-post lift

[mark '87 930]

It looks like a new garage is going in.. (I love my wife)..

I want a lift for a variety of reasons, but a couple of the main ones are:

1) work on the car(s)
2) parking our daily driver underneath in the winter time

all that said, I don't know which lift is better, so I'm looking for pros and cons of both.

The two post lift gives you so much more room, and lifts the entire car off the ground. The 4 post lift has ramps, so you need to get additional options to lift the car off the ramp for suspension work.

SO......

For winter storage, would it be better to have the 4-post lift which ensures the car is on it's wheels?
Two post lifts have the post right where the doors are, is that a problem? Can you do an engine drop with a 4-post lift, or are the ramps too close together?

If all of you with experience here could chime in, it would be nice.

Bill (wcc), how do you like your new lift?

[mb911]

I have the same lift as bill and have had it for about4 years now. I like it allot with the exception if you need to adjust valves it would require you to have the additional options to do so.. Everything else works well with it though

[Jadams1]

2 post alows better access to service vehicle, 4 post is good for storage. I have a 4 post and I built a homemade tandem scissor jack tray that allows me to service the vehicle while it is on the lift. I store the 911 for the winter and park my daily driver under it. I like it a lot, it turned my 2 car garage into a 3 car garage. My ceilings are 12' and the clearance under the lift is 6'-2".

[3.2 CAB]

All that I can comment about is a two post lift. I had a Mohawk brand lift, the post did not obstruct the doors, it also was clear span(no cables, tubes, chains, etc, on the floor between the post) unlike a lot of the "blue" two post type lifts. The clear area between the post was very nice to have, because there was no humps, or channels that you would have to try to push an engine hoist or other implement over. They also had lifetime replacement service on the hydraulic cylinders. But, which ever way you go, you need to plan to have a ceiling that is higher than what would normally be, due to the extra room needed for the lift and a car on it. You will enjoy it, which ever way you go! Good luck!! Tony.

[Kevin Saunders]

I am considering a four post lift but I only have 9' ceiling. Both my cars (1977 911S coupe and a 1969 TR6) are under four feet. I calculated that I should have four inches clearance. Can these lifts be stopped in any position? - if yes maybe I can squeeze them in.

West Kootenays of British Columbia (Porsche Heaven)

[3.2 CAB]

I believe that they can be stopped at almost any position, then they usually have to be lowered just a bit, so the auto-locking pawls, can be engaged. This is to prevent all of the weight just being supported by the cylinders, and as a safety, to prevent collapse. When lowered they also need to be raised just a bit, to be able to disengage the locking safety pawls.

[sdenton]

Everyone who has written is correct, however two post lift can be very hard to get the arms under most P cars. You must know what you are doing or you will crush the rockers or floor pans on your car. typically it is very hard to store two cars on a two post lift . Check the height of your garage. Most two post lifts have to have at least 12.5' to install. Also they need to be screwed to the ground where most 4 post lifts do not. I have a 4 post and am able to drop the engine between the runways. Most lift companies post the width in between runways and you can do the calculations yourself if it will work. Most 4 post lifts still give you the ability to raise the car off the runways to service suspension. My opinion is unless you are a professional mechanic you would be happier and safer with a 4 post!

[brendon]

When budget allows, I will be getting a four post lift mainly for ease of use. Most of what it will be for is storage (I'm tired of going out to a cold daily driver in the morning...)

With the four post lift you can still do most of what you can with a 2-poster if you get the jack trolleys, etc; but the four post is actually somewhat portable. There are caster kits so you can move it around when there is nothing on it.

[dagriff]

Originally Posted by Kevin Saunders

I am considering a four post lift but I only have 9' ceiling. Both my cars (1977 911S coupe and a 1969 TR6) are under four feet. I calculated that I should have four inches clearance. Can these lifts be stopped in any position? - if yes maybe I can squeeze them in.

West Kootenays of British Columbia (Porsche Heaven)

I have 9' ceiling as well. I am toying with the idea of a "skylight" type of deal, so the roof of the car can go a bit higher, giving me a few vital extra inches (I get e-mails telling me I need some extra inches).

I have decided on a 4 post. I have used both & know the pro & cons.
On the whole, for my usage a 4 works best (I'm sure there will be occasions when I will wish I had a two...!)

[drl911]

I bought this used 2 post 9000lb "Rotary" brand lift several weeks ago for my new shop and have no trouble at all lifting the 911. It is 11' 10" at the highest point, but I built the building with this in mind. The assymetrical arm design positions the car behind the posts so opening the car doors is not an issue.

Dan

[mark '87 930]

thanks everyone. Sounds like the 4 post lift is the way to go. the car will be parked on it everyday, but I won't be lifting it. Only when i need to work on it and store it for the winter.

i may have a ceiling height issue, I like the idea of a sky light, that may give me extra wiggle room. The bi-law here stipulates that the highest point/peak of the garage can't be more than 13' higher than the lowest grade of the property. i can apply for an exception, but it can't be a major one.. i think i ma get 2-3 feet more max.

[DW SD]

If you work on the car, I think that a two post lift is the only way to go. It takes up less room (footprint of two vs. four), allows complete access to wheels, engines and virtually all components.

Ever see a four post in a working shop? Maybe 5% of the time and those are often for alignments only.

Only issue is time it takes to load the car. If your doing this less than 10 X a year, I think the answer is a two post.

It takes less than 5 minutes to properly setup a car for lifting on a two post.

Doug

[mb911]

Originally Posted by Kevin Saunders

I am considering a four post lift but I only have 9' ceiling. Both my cars (1977 911S coupe and a 1969 TR6) are under four feet. I calculated that I should have four inches clearance. Can these lifts be stopped in any position? - if yes maybe I can squeeze them in.

West Kootenays of British Columbia (Porsche Heaven)

That is what I had in my old garage and worked well for my old 914-6 and the 911

[C4 Pazzo]

Originally Posted by mark '87 930

thanks everyone. Sounds like the 4 post lift is the way to go. the car will be parked on it everyday, but I won't be lifting it. Only when i need to work on it and store it for the winter.

Make sure you factor in the extra length needed for the ramps if you'll be parking on it everyday. Alternatively, you can leave it in the up position and park under it so you don't have to drive up the ramps.

Another advantage of the 4-poster for storage is you can easily slide inexpensive drip trays between the rails (don't bother paying extra for "special" drip trays -- pick 'em up at Walmart). Tough to protect against drips for the car below with a 2-poster.

Regarding the comment about needing a scissor lift to be able to adjust valves with a 4-poster, I just leave mine on the rails. It's a little cramped, but doable. Remember, you can raise the lift to a convenient height for adjusting the exhaust valves.

[aftermath]

I decided on a 4 post lift, mostly so I could put another car undeneath. Make sure you get 2 jack trays if you go 4 post lift, they threw the second one in for free to close the deal where I bought mine from. I found it really frees up space. When the lift is up ( always it seems ), I can roll the motor bike , engine lift, lawn mower arond under it to make room to park the cars beside it. I can also drop the spare tires for the ice racer, tools, etc under.Its like having a extra stall if you dont mind ducking. The main thing I think you need to look at is garage height and INTERFERENCE with the overhead door. If you cant use the lift to rasie the car very high without clearance issues , then I think you should lean towards the scissor lift. My lift has primarily turned into storage for a longer term project, so Im glad I ended up with a 4post.

[mark '87 930]

sounds like a 4 post lift (I need the storage in teh winter, so the scissor lift is not an option) will be the way to go for me. I like the idea of caster as well so I can move it. I'm wondering if I should move it diagonally facing a corner. I'll only have one garage door and the other will be french doors (wife doesn't want two garage doors).

i also hear that a two post lift needs special concrete and also has leveling requirements. I plan to put a 2" slope over the 24' lenght of the gargage. I won't have a drain, so the melting snow, or whater ever else will run down to the outside of the garage.

Thanks for all the help guys.

[Fritz Peyerl]

Kevin, ask your dealer to give you the heights for all the stops. MY hoist has one stop which is at 51". that is perfect for my 911 and 912. I havew 114" ceiling height and that gives me 4" to spare.
I bought my from Lift King in Calgary $2550.00 that included 2 trip trays, 2 jack trays and we exchanged the ramps from steel to Aluminium.

Lift King has a branch in Vancouver. I love my 4 poster

Fritz
Turner valley Alberta

[cfries]

Great thread, just what I was looking for. I guess a 4 post is for me as well. I will have to adjust the garage door. my ceiling is 10.5' so it should be fine but I have a support beam going across the garage (left to right) and it runs in the middle. the lowest point is 9'. I dont think that will be a problem since one of the cars is a convertible, I still should have some room if I can line the car up so the beam will not hit the windshield.

[mark '87 930]

I actually think I'm going to go with a 2 post lift now.. I've spoken to a few shops and they all said that keeping the car up there for 5-6 months is fine...

I'll get them to install it for me to ensure it's done right.

That's going to give me LOTS of room to play with.

[real550A]

Can't beat a two post if you have an active shop. More floor space available,
and lots of room to work on all areas of the car. You can leave the car up and
park underneath with ease. Mine has sat for months at a time in the winter.