Need advice on buying a car lift.

You routinely check them for tightness. Hit them with the gun.

 

One issue with fastening stuff to concrete slabs is the slab thickness and if there's reinforcing steel in it. If you're in a commercial building, chances are fairly good it has steel and is thick enough. But anything under 5" thick I would consider marginal. And whatever you use to fasten, make sure it's all-steel construction. Lead or die-cast inserts can have the strength, but don't like movement or vibration (if the lift flexes at all, that's 'movement') and will loosen and probably eventually fail or pull out. Personally, I'd use a 6" x 1/2" 'quickbolt' (that's a brand name, but any supplier will know what you want) as that will put at least 4 1/2" of bolt into the floor. Properly installed, these won't loosen and the flange on the lift will fail first.

 

I have had a Bend Pac 10,000# 2 post for about ten years now I love it. I use it for all kinds of stuff. I think the drive on four post are good for storage not so much working on. The two post is great for lifting bodies off.

 

4 post is great for doing oil changes, muffler work and pulling tranny's.

2 post, you can do anything on it..... UNLESS it is one of the old ones with the cables that run across the floor and have a "ramp" that covers them... AVOID THOSE !!! Almost impossible to use a trans jack under one.

Yes, it is possible to have a car come off of a 2 post. You have to learn each vehicle and find its sweet spot and how to pick it up to be balanced.... most factory shop manuals will show you the lift points. If you aren't sure, raise the vehicle up a few inches off the floor and bounce it from the rear (push up and down on the bumper) and see if you can tell if it is light in the front or not. Trust me, if it is light on one end, you can feel it.

 

I'm a hobby shop guy.I bought "Direct-Lift" 4post.the positives,reasonable price, stores 2 cars, can move lift around if needed, I have not bolted mine down, very stable, just drive car on, don't have to get down on floor to position arms,pads, both of my cars sit low, I don't think my 32 would work out on a 2 post, 2 post arms req some ride height, and to be able to see where you put the arms, pads, its easy to jack up car w/ steel jack tray that comes w/, I have not had any negatives yet. I'm sure there are + - w/ each type, ideal answer, would be, buy both. A used commercial quality lift might be a better purchase if you are a business that really works the lift day in day out year after year. John

 

I have never bought a lift but I've spent many a year under and using them.To answer the question you would have to know what the lift was being used for and the amount of time the Ride is going to be on it.I started out working in a pit so anything is better than that.If you are doing mostly quick Jobs and the Ride is not going to be on it long with another one waiting 2 post because you can get on and off fast and get a lot of jobs done.If you are doing jobs that only two or three Rides a day 4 post

 

Concrete anchor bolts. I get mine from mcmaster-carr 3/4" diameter and I buy the grade5 ones. That was the cheapest place I could find them. You can get them @ HomeDepot but they aren't grade 5 and are about 2x as much $. You usually need @ least 4" of concrete floor.

as mentioned after me (and I forgot) the 2 post is good for lifting bodies off frames if you tend to do that alot.

 

If you are using it to remove bodies from frames, a 2 post is what you want.

 

Those are all very good points. I knew you guys would know.

Don

 

You can use a 4-post lift to remove a body from a chassis/install a body onto a chassis. Vehicle sits on the floor, lift is used to pull the body up off the chassis. Roll the chassis out, drop the body down onto your cart. Easy.

 

I bought a bend pac 4 post lift and love it.....I didnt want to crawl under and place the arms every time I used a 2 post lift....I'm getting too old for that

 

No need for either, just stack some cinder blocks and...

OK, seriously. Bought my first lift a year ago, a 2 post from Greg Smith. LOVE it, best tool I bought in years. I added a support to place under one end of the car when I am doing anything that might cause it to tip but I have never had an issue with it.

Lifting the body off the frame is a 10 min task and SO easy now.

As you can see from the myriad of opinions, there are pros and cons to each...shades of gray as opposed to there being a 'right answer'.

One point, I had a concrete floor laid before I added the lift and dug footers where I knew the posts would sit. The footers are 12" deep. Just added insurance etc.

Good luck with whatever you opt for.

 

I have a 4 post that I use for storage and maintenance. VERY stable working under it and never had a problem doing anything from brake work to pulling engines. With my lift casters installed, I can move the lift around the shop, WITH THE CAR ON THE LIFT! Very convienient.

With lift all the way up I have never hit my head.

 

Don I have both and with my two post I have a Shop Crane with it. Google Shop Crane Gorbel. I took my model A body off the frame set it on a cart, motor and tranny out set it on a cart, by myself in 6 min 30 sec. That would take 5 people without the Shop Crane. Can also have a car up on the 2 post off the ground and pull the motor handy handy handy. Jim

 

I have four bendPak 4-post lifts in my storage garage. They are wonderful. I bought the extra wide ones to make it easy to drive under them and span the single doors in the garage. I wish I would have bought the taller ones, since at 6'1" I am always hitting my head on the damn ramps .....

In my shop I have the BendPak full rise scissor lift. I do all my fabrication on it. I like it because I don't trip over the posts. It hangs the suspension, ample room to pull a tranny. I paint my cars on it and it works well for spraying the lower half of the cars standing up Some day I will cut out the floor and mount it such that it is flush with the concrete.

Here is the link to the scissor lift:

http://www.gesusa.com/BendPak-SP-7X-Scissor-Lift-p/120212.htm

In my opinion, there are two kinds of lifts... BendPak and all the rest

 

I'm in the planning phase of building a shop and went back and forth on a lift to buy, only going have room for one. I'm going with a 2-post. I work part time at a hot rod shop and we have both, we use the 2-post 10 times more than the 4-post. My father-in-law has a clubhouse/shop that he rents out with a bunch of friends, they have about 15 4-post lifts and one 2-post and he said they are always fighting for the 2-post.

 

Everything that I researched says that BendPak Lifts are made in China.

 

Don check out the Garage Journal as well there are TONS of threads about lifts. What good, bad, etc.

 

There is a ton of info on this subject on the Garage Journal(someone may have already mentioned this). I think the slickest setup is the one than sinks all the way into the floor.

 

I think the 2 post has more versatility have had one for about 21 years now never a had a car fall off if your cars set real low it takes some work to get the arms under them.
Its a vote for 2 post from me and you can still store another car under them.

 

Thanks to everyone for their input. You have given me a lot more to think about with pros and cons on both types. We are just starting to think about one and I found a ton of them on Craigslist. With all the businesses that have closed there seem to be quite a few of both types to pick from. Safety is the big issue but I also want one that is easy to maneuver around.

Again, thanks guys.

Don

 

The only benefits I can see to a four post are move ability, and not having to slide the legs under each time. Sounds like you need a four post.

 

My nephew has a 2 post in his shop mainly for removing bodies. His is bolted to the floor but he can unbolt it when he needs to and I think it folds up out of the way. Good idea if your shop is cramped.

 

Don you can also add the Shop Crane to a backyard buddy 4 post, check out there adds. Jim

 

Bendpak HD-14 4 post here. If I need to do wheel brake work I can pull my diesel dually on, lift it up, slide some heavy duty jack stands underneath and let the lift down with the axle resting on the stands. Quick easy and safe!

Been great for the T-5 swap in my 46 3800 as well!!

 

Good read .....building a shop and was going to install a bendpak 2 post.....now I'm thinking again!....thanks for posting Don!...will check garage journal also....

 

Be prepared to read A LOT

 

Don, Here is my take;
I had both in my shop. I can say for sure that the 4 post got used more than the 2 post, by far. The two post was great for removing bodies in particular, but in a HOT ROD Fab Shop the 4 post was used much more. Suspensions were easier to build as you could set the wheels on the ramps to look at ride heights. With a sliding jack between the ramps it was easy to position crossmembers, rear ends, etc. After 6 years the 2 post still looked brand new from such little use, while there was no question the 4 post had seen lots of use!

When I closed the shop as a business and moved to a smaller building as a Hobby Shop, I sold the 2 post and kept the 4, and have never regretted it one minute.

If I had room for two, it would be one of each again, but with only one, the 4 post works best for me.

As a side note - Here at work we have Two Bend Pak 9000 4 post. I had my 2 post here from my old shop and we never used it so I sold it.

 

My son and I are just starting to get our shop set up, and we bought a two post first and we use it all the time but we find that we need a four post also, so that's next on the list.

 

Additional comment - If I were a general repair shop or did mostly just tires and brakes, it would be a 2 post for sure.