Easiest lift to live with

hd54kh · Mar 5, 2014

Planning my garage build and need to plan the area of the slab to anchor a future lift to. In all the experience here what do you all find the easiest lift to live with in a general use grage bay. I do pretty much all aspects of service and repair. My cars range from a Porsche 911 to a full size Dodge Ram Club Cab.
This bay is also used for daily parking when nothing is on the lift.

My thoughts:
Mid size scissor - maybe too low without use with ramps. Pain to aim and park on daily.

Two post - Posts in the door swing area and trip hazard of the arms.

Four post - Four posts in the area and not sure how the aim and park ease is and how are they height wise for low car clearance.

I don't like the idea of recessing the scissor as I do wash cars inside and hose the floor down. The two post asymmetrica puts the posts in the center as an obstruction. Four post doubles the posts but can be used to double up car storage occasionally and maybe better for suspension work and home alignment .

So from experience what are your thoughts?

Terry

rburke65 · Mar 5, 2014

Everyone's thoughts are just going to be opinions and the final choice will be yours. I own a two post lift, but I am new in ownership so not much experience. So far I like it. Good luck.

pattenp · Mar 5, 2014

You're going to get responses in both direction as to 2 post vs. 4 post. I went with the 2 post because I have no need for storing a car and I like that the 2 post has a smaller foot print. I park my car between the post and have no issues with the post interfering with the doors.

Edit: If I don't see the lift being used for awhile I'll remove the arms and store them out of the way.

*

irregardless · Mar 5, 2014

Are in-floor scissors not able to get wet?

I understand that you'd need drainage in the pits, but if the water was draining it shouldn't cause issues, correct? Really hoping, because that's the way I'm leaning.

lynnbilodeau · Mar 5, 2014

"The two post asymmetrica puts the posts in the center as an obstruction. Four post doubles the posts but can be used to double up car storage occasionally and maybe better for suspension work and home alignment."

No reason you can't use the two post for car storage as well.

jjpp · Mar 5, 2014

This is just my opinion but I am a mechanic and can not see why anyone would want a 4 post at home other than for storing vehicles on or as an alignment/oil change rack?????
They take up 4 times the space and you always have to work around it.

countryroad82 · Mar 5, 2014

^^ this!

Diesel Dan · Mar 5, 2014

hd54kh said:
So from experience what are your thoughts?

Terry

In ground two post, with the posts outside the track width of the vehicle.
By far the easiest to live with. Period.

Jack Olsen · Mar 6, 2014

By far?

There are trade-offs with any lift you choose. I have what might be the absolute easiest lift to live with. There is nothing to bump into, ever. It's just flat floor when the lift is down. And when I want to lift the car there is nothing to do but push the button. I don't need to worry about the car's position (there's only one place it can be). I don't have arms to swing into position, or blocks to set up, or anything.

So mine is VERY easy to live with.

Now you see it; now you don't.

But it has trade-offs, like any other lift. A four post is an obnoxious roommate who's always in your shop, whether you want it there or not. A two post is still a bunch of metal to bump into when you're doing other stuff. But a four-post lets you park two cars in one space. And a two post is awesome for access when you're working on the car.

But you have to decide what you're willing to put up with, in terms of inconvenience. And you also have to decide what kind of work you want to be doing on the car, or how important it's going to be to double-up your parking space.

dankicksass · Mar 6, 2014

Two post asymmetric is the easiest to work with IMO. Door bashing concerns can be mitigated with foam. I just ordered a mid rise for my garage though, because I want to be able to take it with me when I move to the next one without too much work. I try not to work too hard at home, so it's a decent compromise for now.

Scud67 · Mar 6, 2014

I think the 2 post is the best of the choices because it works in MY situation. It allows access to the entire underside of the vehicle, is wide enough to open the doors, and I can leave a car up on it to drive another under when I need to. If you have a bay that is wide enough, it is minimally intrusive to "work around".... I have at least 24" on both sides (one side is 4', but I have my toolbox and bench on that side, which is 24").

Always_Thinkin · Mar 6, 2014

I have no experience with lifts at home garages. However, I don't see an issue with washing cars inside a garage with an in-floor scissor lift setup. A little up front planning like you are doing is all that it would take. I don't see why you couldn't put a perimeter trough recessed into the floor around the perimeter of the in-floor scissor lift. Also maybe install a drain inside the recessed area beneath the scissor lift. Just some thoughts to consider.

Autorotica · Mar 6, 2014

I like that the deck on a 4 post acts like a workbench for when a car is on it or not...

Chris

TheShrine · Mar 6, 2014

lynnbilodeau said:
No reason you can't use the two post for car storage as well.

There'll be some push back on that opinion. I do it all the time but there is concern surrounding the frame flexing and suspension issues from long term storage. I've not witnessed it but my autos aren't up in the air more than a few months.

I'm a 2 poster.....

pattenp · Mar 6, 2014

I agree. It seems to me storing a car for long periods on a 2 post lift would be hard on the suspension bushings. I know when lifting my cars, the front control arm bushings really get twisted to the max with the suspension hanging.

TheShrine said:
There'll be some push back on that opinion. I do it all the time but there is concern surrounding the frame flexing and suspension issues from long term storage. I've not witnessed it but my autos aren't up in the air more than a few months.

I'm a 2 poster.....

PurdueSD · Mar 6, 2014

I bought my bendpak 9k xw because I thought it would be great for car storage when not using it to work on a car. I wouldn't by a 4 post again for my personal shop. It is great to have the additional car storage, but what happens is the car on top never gets driven because it's a pita to get down. Ya it only takes a couple minutes, but you are in and out of two different vehicle 4 times just to drive the car u want.

It is nice for working on a car, especially pulling a ******, exhaust, etc. I own the rolling air jack and it's nice, but super heavy and cumbersome to move much. With only one, doing things like tire rotations becomes a juggling act.

If I were to do it again, I would probably buy a 2 post. My experience with bendpak has been great. FYI

The 4 post has turned my big service bay into a parking lot 99% of the time. For example, Who wants to move both of these, to do a 10 minute oil change on another car...

holdover · Mar 6, 2014

A lot of good ideas posted here. Fore-thought about the build is as important as which lift you want. Do you have the room to build big, for whatever may be in the future? When I built my 40 X 60 I had a plan to create a work and storage area in the back of the garage, and parking in the front half. I put sissor trusses in the back half so that I had over 15' clrnc. in the center section and still had a low profile for the building. (3/12 inside pitch 5/12 outside) Presently I have 2 4 posts placed on the right rear and center. The right 4 post is used for storage of my '65 Mustang FB and my '84 RX7 302 hot rod, the center lift is where my Explorer is usually parked and used as a work lift also. The left hand bay is where I work on projects. My plan is to put a 2 post lift there in the future. The whole rear section of the garage is poured 6"+ with extra rebar so lift placement can be anywhere, the sissor trusses provide clrnc. on the side walls for most everything other than vans/ tall SUVs etc. As to the problem of triping on lift arms when the lift is not being used, I plan of raising them up, out of the way when not needed. Best of luck with your garage.

12ozd · Mar 6, 2014

Rotary smart lift
Best of all worlds - unless you are into stacking cars.

ScaldedDog · Mar 6, 2014

What 12ozd said, particularly if you haven't placed the slab yet, and want to lift a full size truck.

Mark

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Hpozzuoli · Mar 6, 2014

At home I prefer the 4 post. It is a great way to store a vehicle and also work on them. Granted you have to use additional jacks to get the wheels up, but I am willing to do the extra work for the storage. In the summer snow blowers and such can go on the lift to get them out of the way. This is my dad's garage with my lift and Vette. Yeah I bought the lift and it didn't fit in my garage. I thought I measured correctly, but obviously not.

Diesel Dan · Mar 6, 2014

Jack Olsen said:
By far?

There are trade-offs with any lift you choose. I have what might be the absolute easiest lift to live with. There is nothing to bump into, ever. It's just flat floor when the lift is down.

Yup, by far for what the OP stated.

I do pretty much all aspects of service and repair. My cars range from a Porsche 911 to a full size Dodge Ram Club Cab.

Try doing a transmission or transfer case service using your lift on a full sized LWB truck. The Porsche is an anomaly that requires very little access to the center of the car for maintenance.

BTW, I think your lift is cool and installed very cleanly.

Money permitting I'd rather have a 10-12K in ground two post lift in my next garage.
It just doesn't fit the bill for what the OP is asking, IMO.

Kennybill · Mar 6, 2014

I have a 11k capacity 2 post lift. I have had a car on it with another vehicle parked under it. It's not like chicken little. I only wish I'd got one 40 years sooner. Ken

domer911 · Mar 6, 2014

Autorotica said:
I like that the deck on a 4 post acts like a workbench for when a car is on it or not...

Chris

+1 Just replaced the exhaust on my 911TTS and once the back end was completely disassembled, I had parts and hardware strewn out carefully on the tracks/deck. Very very convenient.

my58 · Mar 6, 2014

Yup, lots of opinions... It depends on many factors. Personally I love my Dannmar 4 post lift. It has worked great for me to work on cars and I never intended to store a car on it, however it turns out storing a car on it has become a great advantage for me. I have a small garage and now work on many projects under the lift with my project car out of the way above. I have built workbenches on casters and can easily move them to the side when lowering the lift or working on cars. I have built Trough lights that illuminate the underside of the vehicle when needed and then flip to illuminate the work area under lift when need be. So for me a 4 post has been the perfect addition.

Lkdelta · Mar 6, 2014

hd54kh said:
Planning my garage build and need to plan the area of the slab to anchor a future lift to. In all the experience here what do you all find the easiest lift to live with in a general use garage bay.

My cars range from a Porsche 911 to a full size Dodge Ram Club Cab.
This bay is also used for daily parking when nothing is on the lift.

My thoughts:
Two post - Posts in the door swing area and trip hazard of the arms.

So from experience what are your thoughts?

Terry

Can you set the Two post lift so that the posts are by the front tires or back tires when the bay is just being used for daily parking?
I could see how the lift would be in the way while getting the groceries out.

IndyGarage · Mar 6, 2014

I have a 2 post lift for my hobby shop. It's a 12K Mohawk, but I think most of the others are similar.

First - I store cars on it all the time. It will lift a car or truck above my head, so I just drive another one underneath. I'm not sure why a 4 post is any better from that perspective. Your car doesn't care if the suspension is hanging down or compressed.

I do know it's so much easier to work under a 2 post than a 4 post - with a 4 post, if you don't get the sliding jacks, you can't work on the suspension - in fact you can't get to the tires/wheels/suspension all that easily - which is a large percentage of the work you do on a lift.

Also - I'm not sure why you say you can't do an alignment on a 2 post. I bought an old hunter computer alignment machine a year or so ago and I've done several alignments with it successfully. The only tricky part is that you have to have some "slip pads" that allow the wheels to align once you drop the car down to the floor.

I use industrial rubber tiles I bought at the home store with grease between2 tiles under each tire and floor.

Even with a 4 post lift you'll have to buy the slip pads - which run about $500 and up. My solution was 8 tiles at 66 cents apiece and probably a dollar in grease. It works great.

The only negative for the 2 post is that mine is not asymetrical, so sometimes it is inconvenient to get in and out of the vehicle.

theoldwizard1 · Mar 6, 2014

Personally, I would go with an in-floor scissors lift. Just make sure there is somewhere for the water to to drain to.

Jack, what did you do for drainage, or maybe you can link your installation.

Scud67 · Mar 6, 2014

Again, I think it all depends on the individual situation. My lift is in a dedicated bay, I have plenty of room in the other bay for "getting groceries out'. The two post allows me to get at the wheels/tires, brakes, suspension, transmission, exhaust, etc. without anything in the way. It allows me to store a car up on it and have another underneath. In my situation a scissor lift would not work.... I need to be able to have access to the entire underside of a vehicle.
You will get MANY opinions on this question, and everyone thinks that their set up is the best - and it is - for what THEY want.

jjpp · Mar 6, 2014

IndyGarage said:
I have a 2 post lift for my hobby shop. It's a 12K Mohawk, but I think most of the others are similar.

First - I store cars on it all the time. It will lift a car or truck above my head, so I just drive another one underneath. I'm not sure why a 4 post is any better from that perspective. Your car doesn't care if the suspension is hanging down or compressed.

I do know it's so much easier to work under a 2 post than a 4 post - with a 4 post, if you don't get the sliding jacks, you can't work on the suspension - in fact you can't get to the tires/wheels/suspension all that easily - which is a large percentage of the work you do on a lift.

Also - I'm not sure why you say you can't do an alignment on a 2 post. I bought an old hunter computer alignment machine a year or so ago and I've done several alignments with it successfully. The only tricky part is that you have to have some "slip pads" that allow the wheels to align once you drop the car down to the floor.

I use industrial rubber tiles I bought at the home store with grease between2 tiles under each tire and floor.

Even with a 4 post lift you'll have to buy the slip pads - which run about $500 and up. My solution was 8 tiles at 66 cents apiece and probably a dollar in grease. It works great.

The only negative for the 2 post is that mine is not asymetrical, so sometimes it is inconvenient to get in and out of the vehicle.

How can you do a proper alignment with the suspension onloaded????
You can do an aligment on the floor if you want but an alignment rack is supposed to be properly leveled when set on the locks.

crepr12 · Mar 6, 2014

PurdueSD said:
I bought my bendpak 9k xw because I thought it would be great for car storage when not using it to work on a car. I wouldn't by a 4 post again for my personal shop. It is great to have the additional car storage, but what happens is the car on top never gets driven because it's a pita to get down. Ya it only takes a couple minutes, but you are in and out of two different vehicle 4 times just to drive the car u want.

It is nice for working on a car, especially pulling a ******, exhaust, etc. I own the rolling air jack and it's nice, but super heavy and cumbersome to move much. With only one, doing things like tire rotations becomes a juggling act.

If I were to do it again, I would probably buy a 2 post. My experience with bendpak has been great. FYI

The 4 post has turned my big service bay into a parking lot 99% of the time. For example, Who wants to move both of these, to do a 10 minute oil change on another car...

Nice Jeep... :thumbup:

hd54kh · Mar 6, 2014

What great perspectives of lift life you guys have here. I need to re read this and digest what you all have said but than 12ozd added yet another idea here.
When I worked in a body shop years ago we had a single piston in floor lift, worked great for auto body and suspension. When it came to exhaust, driveshaft and any other centered repair it didn't work out so well. The 2 piston kind of makes sense but I'm sure it is $$$. The garage will be 40 x 28, right bay clean storage for the wifes car and set up clean and vented to double as a paint booth of sorts with a partition wall to the center bay where my car will be stored and projects worked on. Third bay also partitioned from the center will be the both of our hobby, household project cleaner type area. So the center bay will be my motorcycle and car area. If it is anything like we have today I spend a lot of time there along with my preferred car. The other daily use beaters and will be the existing car port and one to be added next to the garage for the veggie van. Clean area 12 x 28 center area 14 x 28 and paint area 14 x 28 so the lift will be in a 14 x28 and that leaves me able to maybe move the lift forward or rear ward.

So back to re-read and I'll be back.

Thank you all, I knew this was the right place to start.

dankicksass · Mar 6, 2014

jjpp said:
How can you do a proper alignment with the suspension onloaded????

You can do an aligment on the floor if you want but an alignment rack is supposed to be properly leveled when set on the locks.

The Hunter computer has options to allow you to align the vehicle with wheels in the air, wheels removed, sensors blocked and so on. It just takes a little longer. I've never used a non-Hunter alignment computer, but I imagine the others are similar.

Spottty · Mar 6, 2014

Geez, those Rotary Smart lifts are nice but $7500!!! Thats a 2 post and a 4 post combined!

nolimits76 · Mar 6, 2014

Do you race or have the need for portability? If so maybe a MaxJax makes sense. Being portable means you can move out of the way when not in use.

Btw agree on 2 post being bad for vehicle storage. Over time it can cause suspension droop.

And nice freaking Jeep!!!

PurdueSD · Mar 6, 2014

crepr12 said:
Nice Jeep...

nolimits76 said:
And nice freaking Jeep!!!

Thanks fellas, it's for sale

jjpp · Mar 7, 2014

nolimits76 said:
Do you race or have the need for portability? If so maybe a MaxJax makes sense. Being portable means you can move out of the way when not in use.

Btw agree on 2 post being bad for vehicle storage. Over time it can cause suspension droop.

And nice freaking Jeep!!!

You can always strap the suspension to keep it from fully onloading.
In my 20+ years as an auto technician I rarely see anyone load the suspension when tightening the fasteners so in theory the suspension on most older vehicles probably is in its natural state when unloaded.
And yes I do try to load the suspension when I tighten the fasteners

Autorotica · Mar 7, 2014

jjpp said:
yes I do try to load the suspension when I tighten the fasteners

I wait until the suspension is tightened before the suspension and I begin drinking...

Chris

gml1998 · Mar 7, 2014

I am leanings to words this scissors lift. Not the cheapest but movable with a car on it.
www.cartar.com.au

lynnbilodeau · Mar 7, 2014

jjpp said:
You can always strap the suspension to keep it from fully onloading.
In my 20+ years as an auto technician I rarely see anyone load the suspension when tightening the fasteners so in theory the suspension on most older vehicles probably is in its natural state when unloaded.
And yes I do try to load the suspension when I tighten the fasteners

I have HEARD guys say that about suspension droop. Have never talked to anyone who actually experienced it. Also, I am not buying the statement about car frames bending on a two post. The only REAL downside to leaving the suspension unloaded is a compressed snubber. As stated, all you have to do is strap it so it doesn't load the snubbers. Besides, anything that I double park will get rotated from time to time. What is the point having cars if you don't DRIVE them. I realize there are those guys who want a garage queen with 16 miles on it. Not me. Sherri and I just got back from the ice cream store in a fully restored 69 Z/28 with 28,000 original miles on it. Got to take these things out from time to time.

If it is primarily for storage, go 4 post. If it is primarily for working on the car, go 2 post.

Diesel Dan · Mar 7, 2014

jjpp said:
In my 20+ years as an auto technician I rarely see anyone load the suspension when tightening the fasteners

The suspension is unloaded on the assembly lines as well.

Easiest lift to live with

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