Home Lifts

[Alan L]

Originally Posted by nickelplated5s

Thanks for the replies and I'll do some research based on brands above. It will either go in the 4 car or shop. Bought the acreage and out buildings more than the house. One local person said I might have to saw cut the slab for a 6" pad. I don't think that is necessary since I don't want a lift for my 8.4k one ton.

Yes - I have a full 2 post hoist, and it is supposed to be bolted in to 6" of concrete.
4" bolts require.
Depends how you get it installed, but I got away with not having to cut the slab. But basically if you want to install a post hoist you need to know in advance before pouring the slab. It is about the weight and balance on the hoist - not tearing the bolts out of the slab.
If you know what you are doing you can work around it.
Best money I spent. Would not be without it. 930 is on it now waiting for clutch bits (last 2-3 months). Once that is done another vehicle will move in, for sure.
Alan

[Bucketlist]

Your ceiling height, the size of your space and your budget will dictate most of what you need. If you are in good shape on all of these you could buy a new 2 post lift which is sometimes better for maintenance or a 4 post lift which may be better for storage.
If you are like me, short in all 3 categories, maybe you can find a good used scissor lift which will still be the best dollar you ever spent on your car.

[Rusty Heap]

My High Bay is crying out for a lift.

[digitaldgp]

Scissor Lift and best thing I did for my back. No more creeper work.

[pgeorgeson]

In my experience, a 2 post is better for working on our cars based on more open access to underneath, particularly for engine pulls. 4 posts are better/easier for storage.

[wallra]

[nickelplated5s]

What's the brand on the post just above? Right now I'm thinking a 2 post. I've already got a slab and high trusses. MaxJack seems nice too.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by mepstein

If the lift is settled on the locks, it shouldn’t matter if it bleeds some air. The locks will keep it in place. The old maxjax only had a manual locking bar but your lift looks like the newer model.
At my shop, we leave cars up at night and slide another car underneath. It’s the locks that secure it no matter what happens to the hydraulics.

The locks keep it in place until you need to lift it off the locks. Then the side without the air starts lifting and the one with air sits there a while, then starts jumping up 1/2 an inch at a time. By the time both posts are off the locks one side of the car is 6" higher than the other. This is disconcerting enough without a second car underneath, I would not want to experience it with a valuable car stacked underneath.
It's easy enough to run it up to the top and bleed it so I'm waiting until I have time to delve into why the one cylinder keeps getting air in it. Until then, it stays on the floor at night.

[RDM]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

My High Bay is crying out for a lift.

And a place to store ladders!

[ADDvanced]

Originally Posted by nickelplated5s

What's the brand on the post just above? Right now I'm thinking a 2 post. I've already got a slab and high trusses. MaxJack seems nice too.

Dude if you can fit a 2 post get a 2 post. There's nothing better.

[ADDvanced]

Originally Posted by RDM

And a place to store ladders!

[superninety]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Dude if you can fit a 2 post get a 2 post. There's nothing better.

I agree 100% !!

I have a BendPak scissor lift at the house. I did two motor drops with it on my 964 and then the 1970T coupe. Very useful.

Then I put a Rotary SPOA10 two post in at my shop. It's game changer.

[wallra]

Originally Posted by nickelplated5s

What's the brand on the post just above? Right now I'm thinking a 2 post. I've already got a slab and high trusses. MaxJack seems nice too.

It's a direct lift. I have them at my shop and they are 30 years old and look just like the on I have in that picture. I also had the tracks on the door raised up so when open It will not hit the car. 10' ceiling

[porschedude996]

I installed my scissor lift 12 years ago. All those years prior, on my hands, on my knees, on my back, on my stomach. Good to be young, but now i’m old.

[kevbo]

[Funracer]

If you are ceiling limited this is the way to go. If you have 12 or more feet get a four post.

[chrismorse]

I agree with the two post lift being the most convenient, if you are going to work on the family vehicles, as your first priority, (not storage).
Afterr moving into an old farm house, with a three bay garage with scissor trusses, (11 foot headroom), I started looking around, asking FLAPS if any businesses's were shutting down. in very short order, i heard of a local shop shutting down, ("Honest Engine"). I talked to the owner and offered $1000. for one of his 9K, Rotary, asymetric lifts, he accepted and i paid a couple of hundred for one of the employees to disassemble it and load it into my truck.
I suspected that the funky concrete might not be stout enough/reinforced with rebat, so cut out a 10x 12 foot section, after dirlling a few test holes, to confirm depth, 3-1/2 to 4 inch, crappy finish and suspected no rebar. I then dug down a foot to provide for a footing and dug out a bit to enable a 6-7 inch slab, doweled into the old slab and laid out a 2x2 grid with two runs of rebar in the footing. Poured and finished the slab, stole the 30 apm service to the hot tub, rigged a block and tackle to stand the two posts and bolted it down with 10 inch wedge anchors.
Best money i've spent on my car problem - no more getting up and down, crawling on my back.......
As you get older, you really start to appreciate the convenience.
chris

[kent olsen]

I needed to do a little modification with my rafters but any one of the cars fits on or under, and very easy to get under and work on them.

[Alan L]

Yes a hoist is one of those 'no regrets' money spent. I am 70+yo these days and could not/would not be doing this stuff with an old back and cranky knees, without a hoist.
Current work in progress. Easy with a hoist.
Alan

[PeteKz]

Having owned and used several of these, I can say that like most other things, each design has its pros and cons.

2-post lifts give the best access under the car, but you have to bolt them to the floor solidly, which means you need a sound floor without cracks nearby. Once you install them, they are hard to move. They take up a lot of space because the columns have to be wide apart. But if there's enough shop space, these are my fave.

The "Maxx Jack" is a short version of the 2-post. I've used it, and the space under it is tight and you usually sit on a stool while working. I'd much rather be able to stand up and get a better angle and better leverage on things, or stand away from some spot I'm welding or draining oil from. However, if you don't have the overhead clearance for a higher lift, these are a fair compromise. They are advertised as "portable" but they aren't really. You must bolt them to the floor for use, and moving them involves removing those bolts.

4-post lifts are great for getting under the center of the car, and for creating another storage spot underneath. Most of them don't need to be bolted to the floor, and have attachable casters, so you can move them around the shop. They also take up a lot of room. But, the car is still resting on its wheels, so to do suspension or tire/wheel or brake work, you need a bridge with a scissors jack to raise the car off the treads of the lift. That's more complicated, so if you do a lot of that work, then maybe you should look at the other options.

Scissors lifts or Quick Jacks: These are great for working on suspension, wheels/tires, brakes and the like. They take up less space, and most of them are "portable" to some degree. But they block some or much of the center of the car. If you don't drop your own engine/trans then these are a good choice.

Side lifts or "1-post": since the lift column is on one side, it takes up less room in your shop. But the arms have to extend all the way under the car, so they restrict access under the center of the car. I haven't used one of these, but they look like the have more cons than the other designs.