question on 4 poles lift

rnln · 07-25-2012, 12:08 PM

I have been searching for a while and first thing I "know" is that 4 poles will be more stable for my garage floor condition. The 4 poles in mind is there are 4 poles of course, and 4 bars each on each side. The home garage 4 poles is not required to bolt on the floor, but the prof. use at the shop is. What I ahve not seen is the 4 poles with only 2 bars, one on each end of the lift, but there is none on the sides, as the pic below.
Question is, if there is no bar on the side, is this the same as using 2 two-poles lift? Maybe a little better but not as safe as the 4 poles with 4 bars all around?

yelcab1 · 07-25-2012, 01:47 PM

there are only 2 bars on the 4 post lift.

rnln · 02:56 PM

oh ok, thanks Yellow.
Another question. Usually, those that are not required to bolt to the floor are the home garage, light weight 4 poles. The heavy duty 4 poles I usually see at the shop are required to bolt to the floor. Why, what is the different? Because the light weight are designed to stay straigth when lifting, and the shop used are not designed that way? Or they are all the same, but there are any other reasons?

Red Clubbie · 07-25-2012, 02:52 PM

The four post lift I have can handle a max of 3000kg and it is not bolted down.

The 911 is only about 1200kg, so the lift can easily handle the weight when not bolted down. I've had the car on and off a fair bit and the lift has not moved.

The other advantage of not being bolted down, is that I have wheels that were supplied with the lift and it can be moved around if needed.

Cheers,

Geoff.

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnln

? Or they are all the same, but there are any other reasons?

I bolted my 4 post lift because my garage is on an 6 percent angle. I didn't want my lift to "walk" when I lifted the car. I suspect shops don't want the lift to "walk" after lifting so many cars. Also, I don't think "light weight" 4 post lifts have anything to do with bolting.

Lifts are easy to bolt to the floor. Rent a hammer drill and get good anchors, bolts and nuts.

rnln · 07-25-2012, 02:59 PM

Steph, so you are saying light weight 4 poles lift for home garage is the same as heavy duty 4 poles lift at the shop regards this area? That it is possible to get a shop 4 poles lift and use it without bolting to the ground, if the person choose to?

redridge · 07-25-2012, 03:01 PM

so all 4 posts can walk, with a car on it?... not likely,

Porchcar guy · Porchcar guy's Garage

Another factor in weight is the floor in the garage. Most floors are just 3.5" thick and should be reinforced to a depth of at least 6-8" in a minimum of a 12" square to accept the mounting devices of the lift. A 4 post lift will have less shear than a 2 pole lift as it spreads the wieght over more area...ie: 4 pole vs 2 pole.

PorscheGAL · PorscheGAL's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnln

Steph, so you are saying light weight 4 poles lift for home garage is the same as heavy duty 4 poles lift at the shop regards this area? That it is possible to get a shop 4 poles lift and use it without bolting to the ground, if the person choose to?

No, I'm saying there are situations you may want to bolt. My 6 percent grade causes the 4 post lift to walk, so I bolted it. Many people do not bolt their lifts and they have no problems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redridge

so all 4 posts can walk, with a car on it?... not likely,

I don't know if "all 4 post can walk." I'm not a lift expert; just added my experience on a forum with my cars and lift.

jass · jass's Garage

I also have a 4-post lift and it's not bolted either, and it came with a wheel set so I can roll the lift around and easily move it. That is an advantage I wanted.

rnln · 07-25-2012, 11:59 PM

I am looking at a used 12,000 lbs shop lift and think it's way too big for my garage. On the light weight home garage 4 poles (7,000 or 8,000 lbs), I did a little search and found that my minivan is actually longer than it. I am looking at the "Auto Lift" which is 171" over all, which include the poles. My toyota Sienna is 200". That means the van will stick out more than 15". From wheel to wheel will be 5" to the end of the track. That is hard to deal with daily. Anyone lift a minivan or SUV on these home garage 4 poles lift yet?

redridge · 07-26-2012, 06:51 AM

I lifted an X5 with my home lift... no issues, but lifted only to the first peg. I have a vertically challenged garage.

yelcab1 · 07-26-2012, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnln

oh ok, thanks Yellow.
Another question. Usually, those that are not required to bolt to the floor are the home garage, light weight 4 poles. The heavy duty 4 poles I usually see at the shop are required to bolt to the floor. Why, what is the different? Because the light weight are designed to stay straigth when lifting, and the shop used are not designed that way? Or they are all the same, but there are any other reasons?

I live in California Bay Area, and so do you (in Cal). I bolted my 4 post to the garage floor because ... in 1989, the richter scale registered a 7.3 earthquake. You should do the same.