Garage car lift

[rdefabri]

Anyone have experience or own a car lift for their garage? I've seen a ton advertised in the classic car mags, but I am nervous and there's some good FUD out there (e.g., lift collapsing) that makes me want some references.

Here are some examples:

http://www.superlifts.com/

http://www.americasprideonline.com/

http://www.pantherlifts.com

http://www.rhilifts.com/

It has to be a 4-post lift, and I have something like 16 feet from ground to ceiling, so I should be ok. I have a neighbor that has one, but I can't ever seem to find him home to get more data.

It's critical I get this right, my E-Type will be on top and my 240Z on bottom - if something catastrophic happens I am screwed.

Any thoughts?

Rich

[BillD]

I got a metro lift 7000 series last year and have really enjoyed it. Just about everything I do on the car is much easier and more pleasant. It feels very secure and I have no qualms about parking another vehicle under it.

http://www.metro-lifts.com/four-post-garage-lift.html

[7T1240]

It has to be a 4-post lift, and I have something like 16 feet from ground to ceiling, so I should be ok. I have a neighbor that has one, but I can't ever seem to find him home to get more data.

It's critical I get this right, my E-Type will be on top and my 240Z on bottom - if something catastrophic happens I am screwed.

Any thoughts?

Rich

Rich, and Bill D, hello.

Please educate me a bit. I've been interested in lifts as well, and a friend has a 2 post lift. I have been attracted to it because of the ability to work on wheels, brakes, suspension etc., and I'm quite certain my friend uses his 2 post for over/under car storage as well. Why your preference for the 4 post?

Thanks, Gary S.

[BillD]

I debated the two styles and finally chose the four post version because it made me feel more secure about vehicles parked in the bottom slot and I didn't need to anchor it in the floor. In fact, my lift has removable (enormous) wheels that allow me to move it around -- even outside. I was also attracted to the ease of getting cars on and off on the ramps. On the other hand, it is very hard to use with jack stands so work on the wheels is usually done the old fashioned way on the floor. For everything else, including lifting other stuff like lawn tractors to a convenient working height, it has been as functional as I had hoped. Bottom Line: The style is a compromise, but it works for more things that I need to do.

[Mike]

I would think you need to anchor the 4-post lift to the floor as well. What's to keep the bottom legs from kicking out if there weren't bolts into the floor? The 'racking' tendency would also cause me to worry (if it wasn't bolted down).

I like the idea of a 2-post for working on wheels/suspension and things. But, the 4-post seems more convenient as you can simply drive the car onto the rack and push the button.

In either case, a lift would be pretty sweet. My only problem is ceiling height. Can you use one of these in a 8' garage efficiently? I'd think you need at least 10'-12' ceilings.

-- Mike

[a7dz]

The other thing you want to we aware of is how it picks up your car. The frame rail under my passenger side floor pan was flattened using a lift like these. The two post lift was not set up right Sure created a lot of work for one little mistake.

I am looking into the four post types but, I am also concerned about ceiling height. There must be a way to put a mechanical and electrical stop to keep the cars from hitting the ceiling.

[Carl Beck]

Depending upon the design of your roof, and the trusses that hold it up - - it is quite possible to re-configure four or five of them to allow space for the car to rise above the standard ceiling height of 8'.

The Z needs about 4.5' of clearance sitting on the ramps of the usual 4 post lift. You need about 5.5' of clearance below the top of the drive on ramps (as the Z sits an additional 0.5' above the top of the ramps. So it would be easy enough to re-configure about five of your trusses to a scissor type for example and that would do it.

There may not be a need to put "stops" in the lift - if you re-configure the trusses.. because most 4 post lifts don't lift the car higher than 6 to begin with.

The main problem with the four post lifts in standard garage is that the Posts themselves are over 6' 8" high. If you add wheels to the lift - they raise the height even more. The standard garage door opening is 6' 8" high... so once you set the lift up inside, you can't roll it outside unless you have taller openings in your garage.

FWIW,

Carl

[BillD]

The design is very solid with guides inside of the posts that prevent racking. It comes with floor bolts and I was initially tempted, but it is solid as a rock.

Ceiling height is a problem. My garage cieling is 10' 2" and I can only lift my 240z's wheels 5'7" off the floor. It would be very limited with an 8' ceiling. The lift has mechanical locking tabs on the legs forcing you to lift beyond your resting point and then lower down on the tabs making the 8' ceiling even more problematic. I have caution and stop points marked in day glow on the post adjacent to the hydraulic controls, so it is pretty easy and quick for me to get it into position.

The garage door height is more of a problem. If you look at the picture, you'll see that the door rails are about hood level when the car is raised. In order to lift the door high enough to bring a car in the lower slot, the top car has to be moved all the way away from the door (and the lift was also moved in that direction). This is annoying and has caused banging of the top car with the door more than once -- I now have a removable stop on the door rail to prevent me from forgetting this limitation of two objects occupying the same space simultaneously.

I have really large carport on the side of the garage that has much higher ceilings (15'-16') and my next project is to enclose it, install a much taller door, and move my lift to its new home where I don't have to worry about these things. Of course, Carl's correct observation about the current door height and the additional height when the lift is raised on its wheels will require partial disassembly of this incredibly heavy piece of equipment (original assembly of the main rails took four very burly men), but it will be worth the effort for my peace of mind.

I've wanted the convenience of a lift for most of my life and kept postponing because of the expense and concerns about use. I should have gotten one a long time ago. I use it for everything - you haven't lived until you have detailed your wheels with your car at exactly the correct height. This is a truly great tool/toy!:laugh: :laugh:

[rdefabri]

Great feedback guys!

Bill, I will definitely go with a 4-post, for many of the reasons stated above. In my case, it's more about storage space, since I only have a 2-car garage. My ceiling is EXTREMELY high, 16+ feet, so no problems fitting anything.

I would prefer the bolt down, but the idea of the unit having wheels is intriguing, especially if I need to move the unit out.

Right now, I have both bays occupied (240Z one side, E-Type on the other) and my wife's car is outside. Since my kids are very young, it's a bit selfish that I make them park it in the cold, so the lift is a great compromise and very reasonable in terms of price. If I can work on the car from underneath, that's gravy, but my preference is to work on the ground or jacks on the ground.

[rdefabri]

Bill,

One more question - what made you pick Metro? Any specific quality/feature or was it something else?

Rich

[BillD]

Gary:

You can always bolt it down, but you won't believe how solid these things feel. I eventually put mine on four pieces of carpet so it doesn't scratch the floor. The wheels are removable so they don't get in the way and they are a really great design. They sure came in handy when I had to change the lift's position because of the garage door problem.

Rich:

I scoped out a lot of possibilities and decided on Metro because of price and convenience. I'm in Georgia and the shipping point was in Alabama so the reduced shipping costs really tipped the scales in their favor. Also, the technical support was from their engineering staff was really good. It has been trouble free except for the sound my box fan made when I forgot it (running) under a rail while lowering the lift. <I was able to fix the fan, although it does look a little "used".>

[xray]

Rich, Bill

I am in a similar situation, especially in regards to risk of hydraulic failure of the lift...Do you think it's feasible to bolster the posts with removable 6 x 6s while the lift is at max extension? Is there a metal flange that flips into place so the load is born by the posts and not continuously exposed to the hydraulic cylinder? I'm obviously ignorant of a lot of these details, but the diagrams I have looked at in Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Sports & Exotic, etc don't really address that very well...

Thanks,

Steve