Anyone own a 4 post garage lift for their Z?

[mgmoreau]

I need to find a home for the Z for the winter. We have a two car garage that has a ceiling tall enough to accomodate one of these 4 post car lifts. I would like to have the Z in the garage so that I can work on it over the winter. Also I would think it would make working under the car a snap even just to change the oil.

I would love the hear from anyone that owns one of these lifts?

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/SearchResults.asp

Questions I have:

1. How is it parking and getting into and out of the car that would be under the Z?

2. Do the posts get in the way? My garage is only 20' wide by 24' deep.

3. What brand do you have an are you satisfied with it?

Appreciate any and all comments,

Marc

[mgmoreau]

No one on this site uses a 4 post car lift to store a car??

[Arne]

I probably would if the garage were tall enough. Then again, our climate is mild enough that I can (and do) drive my car regularly throughout the winter. So storage would not be my goal.

[mgmoreau]

Hi Arne, living in New England my Z is going into hibernation for the winter so I need a good place to keep it. I want to get a lift so that I can still tinker on her during the winter months. Need to insulate the garage and find a space heater:)

[zguitar71]

I do not have one personally but my girl friend's father does. His is about 10' wide all together so the space left over will be tight in your garage, 24' deep is plenty of room, he has a door in front of his that can open fully and leaves room to move too. You have to be careful to place the lift forward enough so you can close the garage door without hitting the car on the rack, with a z that is probably not a problem (the transitional area from horizonal to vertical is where he had trouble). As far as getting in and out of the car below, no problem. He has a `37 Ford hot rod below a `65 Tempest, access to the car below is good including under the hood and trunk, doors open fully without interference. If you are tall you will have to watch your head getting out from under the rack. With a Z on top you should be able to go pretty high with the lift. One thing to do is order the optional pans that can be inserted between the two racks (the runners that the car sits on). If your car has any leaks at all then the car below will be covered in oil ect. The pans are deep enough to contain quite a bit of fluid before they over flow, more that your car should ever be able to leak. He bought the optional larger motor for the hydraulics, it is still pretty slow but, according to him, much faster than the smaller motor (110 vs 220 volts). Sorry I do not know the brand he has. Hope that helps.

[ncolz]

I have a 4 post lift. Mine is a huge beast (Rotary brand, 19 feet long, 12,000 pound lift) that I got a good deal on from a muffler shop that was going out of business. The sad part is it's just about a foot short of being able to hold 2 Z's. (kind of an issue for me).

Right now I have one Z on it and the twins are underneath while I paint the '73 on the other side of my 30x40 shop (which is too damn small!) The posts don't get in the way at all. Make sure you can remove the ramps - those DO get in the way.

I'm very happy with mine.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Glen

[beandip]

One of the couples in my Club has a four post lift. they have a 240Z up top and his muscle care on the ground. there garage is a typical 2 car. With the high ceiling the electric garage door rolls straight up and out of the way. The four post do limit movement around in the garage . Getting in and out of the bottom car is not a problem. I don't know what brand it is , but from the looks of it , it looks vary heavy duty . It uses compressed air to latch the safety latches as it rises and it has a large hydraulic ram attached to a cable system that lifts the ''runners''. I am 5' 10'' and there is plenty of room to walk around and under the lift.

I personally would shop around and look at the 2 post lifts. Just for comparison sake . As long as the posts are off set then there is no problem opening the doors. This is the type brake shops and tire shops use so they can access the suspension and work . I wondered about stability and have been assured that the 2 post are vary stable. I don't own either , these are just my observations.

I was surprised that they are not really that expensive.

The two post lifts do not take up nearly as much room, this is a positive in there favor. I can get the brand that they have if you want. Just send me a PM

Gary

[mgmoreau]

I do not have one personally but my girl friend's father does. His is about 10' wide all together so the space left over will be tight in your garage, 24' deep is plenty of room, he has a door in front of his that can open fully and leaves room to move too. You have to be careful to place the lift forward enough so you can close the garage door without hitting the car on the rack, with a z that is probably not a problem (the transitional area from horizonal to vertical is where he had trouble). As far as getting in and out of the car below, no problem. He has a `37 Ford hot rod below a `65 Tempest, access to the car below is good including under the hood and trunk, doors open fully without interference. If you are tall you will have to watch your head getting out from under the rack. With a Z on top you should be able to go pretty high with the lift. One thing to do is order the optional pans that can be inserted between the two racks (the runners that the car sits on). If your car has any leaks at all then the car below will be covered in oil ect. The pans are deep enough to contain quite a bit of fluid before they over flow, more that your car should ever be able to leak. He bought the optional larger motor for the hydraulics, it is still pretty slow but, according to him, much faster than the smaller motor (110 vs 220 volts). Sorry I do not know the brand he has. Hope that helps.

Zguitar, thanks for the feedback. Do you know if his lift was made in the US or China? Is it stable with the car in the raised position? This is my debate now because most all the lifts that sell between $1700 and $2000 are made in China. The brand Backyard Buddy is made in the US but the price is $4450, more than double. But the quality of the US lift looks superior to the imported lifts.

[ncolz]

I would avoid any lifts made in China. I've heard a lot of bad things about them - some of that could be fear and doubt by US suppliers. Since me and my vehicles are under the lift, I really want to do all I can to make certain it's safe, the vendor has a good reputation & long history.

FWIW

[Mike]

Hiya Marc,

Here's a post started a few years ago. It has some great links and I actually considered buying one..

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24125&highlight=auto+lift

Hope this helps, I had to run search a few times to find the one I was looking for.

m

PS: Also look at the bottom of this thread (scroll down) and you'll see a box with "similar threads" that were found by the system.

[mgmoreau]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for that link. I should have done a search myself. It was a very helpful thread. I am still searching as there are so many companies that sell these especially the imported version made in China. I spoke to a dealer this morning and he said the big thing is to get a lift wether made in US or China with the ALI certification sticker to ensure you are getting a quality lift. Not too many of the units made in China have these stickers.

[whamo]

This is the one I have. Its easy to park under. I bought the high lift version because I dont have a lot of floor space. I needed to be able to lift the rack up high enough that I could comfortably walk underneath it and Im 6 ft tall. Im afraid that the lower lift model would have had me hitting my head when working below it. Its made in china (I believe) and the quality and workmanship are just fine. If you call some of the companies selling USA manufactured lifts they may give you a line of crap in an effort to scare you, thats what they tried to do to me. After seeing a side by side comparison I made my decision to buy the bendpak.

http://www.bendpak.com/products/automotive-lifts/four-post-lifts/hd-9stx.php