Technical Old time in-ground single post lift

I have a chance to pick up one of these dinosaurs but, there is a real lack of information on the www. Anyone have any info related to parts breakdown, installation, maintenance and such? No, I have not determined the brand.
Any info appreciated.

 

You will probably find it real hard to get parts and seals. The few that I dealt with years ago were dangerous to use. They didn't like to go up and down like you preferred them to. That and the single post are difficult to work on a car!

 

I have a double post in ground and I love it, you cant run them on air alone. some have the reservoir built into the ram and some require a tank. Which ever type you have you will need to make sure you have an adequate amount of oil so that there is never air in the rams. With practice you get used to how they operate. For some jobs a 4 poster is
better.

 

To start out you have to have a concrete pit in your shop floor that the hoist sets down into. That double post that Desotot has has pretty much a cement vault in the floor that the front post rides on a track above it, you move the post to match the length of the vehicle as the rear axle sits in the saddle in the rear post with the saddle holding the axle tubes. I had one in the school shop I taught in. It developed a pretty bad oil leak and lost a lot of oil though. The tank held about 55 gallons and maybe more. That one did have safety locks to lock it up so it wouldn't drop.
I used several single posts over the years and when they get old and tired and I used some old ones they tend to want to drop a little after sitting in one spot for a while if you don't have the safety locks working. One that I did a lot of brake jobs on had a stand that someone had made that you sat under the hoist and let it sit on to keep it from dropping. The cheapskate manager in that shop wouldn't spend the money to have it repaired.

At one time I was given one that I hauled home and ended up hauling for scrap because I decided that I didn't want to deal with the hassles of it. I wouldn't want one at home now and the only real advantage is that they don't take up a lot of floor space. A single post is right in the way of a lot of jobs you might want to do. Great for front end work and brake jobs though.

 

Depending on how they were installed, rust can be a real problem. Moisture from the ground and condensation in the oil......pin holes develop over time and they leak.
I have an old one here that was pulled from an old garage.....too far gone to use.

 

My experience mirrors the others. One shop had a 2 post that slid to wheelbase. It was outdoor and probably from the 40s. Worked well, but was useful only for HAMB stuff, not Ford twin I beam let alone FWD unibody.
Had a single post inside a quickie tune and lube shop. That one was also old, probably 60s era and an accident waiting to happen. As mentioned, the in ground containment and support are extensive and parts/service is a big concern. Some old stuff is great and better than modern replacements. In ground lifts are not something I'd put in that category. Just the fact that most rods and customs are lowered means that this style is going to be an issue. I'd rather have a pit, with the attending modern safety upgrades than a single post lift. Both are big money in construction compared to adding more floor, roof and a 2 post or 4 post. I'd guess that if you checked into building codes and permits (your location may vary, and you may be an outlaw) it would be difficult or impossible to do in a residence.

 

Turn around and walk away. Remember that line from Star Wars “This is not the hoist you are looking for “.

 

I have one in my garage/shop, it was installed by the previous owner.
I know very little about it but research tells me it holds 60 gallons of hydraulic fluid. I check it every few months and hasn't shown any loss.
I do put a steel post under it as a safety when in use.
and it's not the lift you want for some jobs, clutch replacement for example but it's nice to have for most other under car work.
you may want to check local codes if having it professionally installed.

 

Good info, Thanks guys.
I would like though to see a system schematic to see what all is included in a system. I am told this is an air powered unit, IDK if that means air over hydraulic. Still low on the learning curve.

 

Any that I have worked under were air over hydraulic.

 

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/316505-single-center-post-in-ground-garage-lift/

one for sale
https://smittysequipmentsales.com/product/globe-fs10-single-post-semi-hydro-lift/
full manual PDF for it. This should answer a bunch of questions
https://smittysequipmentsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/9420-90-FS-10-Original-Manual.pdf

Getting rid of one
https://www.currenenvironmental.com/services/hydraulic-lift-removal

video of installing one

 

I sold lifts briefly 50 years ago. There are pneumatic, air over oil, and straight hydraulic. Yours is either air or air over oil. If yours is straight air I would walk away. Rotary Lifts was in business back then and is now. I would contact them for a schematic. Weaver was the biggest then and now gone. I would imagine unless you know the make the seals would be impossible to get

 

You will likely spend more to install this than buying a brand new BendPak 2-post lift.

About your only source of parts now will be an elevator company, as new hydraulic elevators for short hauls are still a thing.

Don't expect them to do any work though. They are unlikely to want to take on the liability.

 

I did find the chinese install...entertaining. I did not find the 'smitty' stuff, thanks.
And, according to the schematic, the parts pile is missing some stuff. Good info, just what I was looking for!

 

If one is "on in years" a decent 2-post lift can be sold off by heirs.

A decent cemented-in single post could turn out to be an expensive nightmare for them.

Excavaion, extraction, soil remediation, and disposal are not anywhere near free.

 

The local auction yards have had 2-post lifts on a regular basis, and often sell around $1600. Not too bad.

 

...gimpy, all good points, as usual .....

 

I was totally serious when I said walk away. Running away maybe even.
This hoist isn’t worth the effort.
It’s not worth it for any reason whatsoever not even for nostalgia.
Just a series of complications and headaches.

But if you’re like most of the other people who make boneheaded decisions in spite of good advice to the contrary then you’ll likely go and get it.
If that’s the case good luck.

Even if you get paid to take it away it’s still not worth it

 

I really try to avoid the 'bone-headed' deals and thus the reason for asking the group about the subject at hand. We all see things from different perspectives...

 

Please, sir, the man has a car!

 

Also with an in ground single post lift, you cannot put another car under the one on the lift. This is very handy for storage.

 

...and trucks, don't forget about the trucks....

 

Brief history lesson refresher.
The days of a full service gas station with a lube rack and hoist, are long gone.
There wasn't really any thing, that truly assured the car would not shift on the hoist, and potentially fall off of the hoist.

I believe the one we had at my dads business was made by a company called " Wayne "

Metal on metal slides, trust me on this.

That is why you never see these single or double ram hydraulic hoists in use anymore.
Modern day jiffy lubes etc, have the pit in the ground that the car can drive over.
Indeed, I suggest you walk away from that free single ram car lift !
Your results may vary.

 

The ones where I worked at some 40+ years ago, had a single big (guessing maybe two foot in diameter, cylinder. I know it was air driven, but there were always remnants of oil on the cylinder when coming up. They had a foot “catch” that you’d flip over to keep the cylinder from dropping down.
The “arms” kinda spidered out from the center and we’re adjustable.
There was room to do a clutch job, I did one on my J3000 and a customers car. The two bosses I had both said “open doors on a corvette before easing the lift”.
That was the only precaution I’d heard about in the late 70’s/early ‘80’s.
But as mentioned, man, even if it was brand new, sure would be an undertaking to install I’d bet.

 

At the Shell station I worked at in the late 60's we quit putting rusty cars on the hoist, after 2 of them broke in half when lifted.

 

You just sped up the inevitable, probably saved some pain in the future.

 

I bought a new scissor lift for $1600. A floor display for an industrial supply store in Grand Rapids MI. It's great for body work, tire rotation, brakes, exhaust work. It's portable (sort of), it required no concrete work, doesn't leak oil into the ground and has positive stops.

 

Single post lifts are good for about 3 things; oil changes, tire rotation and waxing the bottom half of your car so you don't have to bend over.

 

I've just searched www.garagejournal.com for an old post on a restoration / refurbishment of one of these hoists by a member. I couldn't locate post however I seem to recall that piston (?) was resleeved after everything was excavated from ground.

 

I was considering a modern single post lift. This would fit well in the narrower part of my shop, and can be moved.