Car lift

[zims23]

Anyone have a 4 post car lift? Any comments, suggestions? Will be using for storage mostly. A lot of the brands look very similar. Maybe all made in same factory in China.

[crazy_davey]

I have a 10 thousand pound 2 post Lift King lift. Very happy with it. Also know a local guy who has 4 or 5(cant remember for sure) Lift King four post lifts that he is very happy with. He’s the guy that kind of sold me on my lift. Still thinking one day I might want a four post as well.

You’re probably right, all probably made by the same chinesium factory. Lots of the ones I’ve looked at are very similar.

[Ken07AOVette]

I have a liftking 4 post from Calgary. Have had it 13 years and it has been great. I also have the sliding air jack, which is awesome.

[crazy_davey]

I have a liftking 4 post from Calgary. Have had it 13 years and it has been great. I also have the sliding air jack, which is awesome.

If you don’t mind me asking, which four post? Pounds etc..

[Flatlandliver]

If you don’t mind me asking, which four post? Pounds etc..

I have the 8000lb 4post lift king. Very happy with it. If you have something heavier or wider then a passenger car or 1/2 ton look at the 9 or 12 K models but the cost goes up pretty fast with those.

[Dean2]

I have a 4 post Lift King, 10,000 pound version. Have had it since 2004. Works great, even moved it once from Calgary to Edmonton. Biggest advantage is they come with a set of wheels that makes it easy to move them around in case you want to reposition them and they don't need to be bolted to the floor to be steady and secure. I store my summer vehicle on it all winter and still have room to park another underneath. I put a high lift track on the door so I can raise the car up further. Works good for working on the vehicles too and you can sheet in the opening with 2x4s and plywood to make a large storage pad for blowers, quads etc. Also works good for hanging Elk and deer from.

There is a dealer in Calgary, which is where I bought mine. Don't know if there is still one in Edmonton.


http://liftkingusa.com/why-choose-lift-king/

[Peace Meal Farm]

I have a 14 000 lb BendPak from Babco. While it's not quite a Rotary or a Mohawk, bang for the buck it is hard to beat. Mine goes up and down dozens of times daily, 5 days a week.

My advice is to get a hoist much larger than you think you will need. It isn't that much more $$$ to go up to a 12 or 14 000 lb unit compared to the small 8 000. They often come with longer runways as well. It's nice to take a one-ton long box, crew cab dually diesel and not think for a second about 'will it lift' or 'will it fit'.

Beyond the higher capacity it is reassuring to have the heavier grade components. Larger cables, sheaves etc etc all provide peace of mind, but also represent longevity.

Downside of a larger lift is often requiring 220v and shop air for the locks.

I say this all out of experience. When I opened my shop I drove to Edmonton and bought the only 4-post ALI certified lift that I could find. It was an 8k Chinese made 'Rotary'. I had that thing absolutely buggered within a year of opening my shop. Its only redeeming quality was that its locks were mechanical release instead of pneumatic. The difference between that and my BendPak is night and day.

live action!

https://i.ibb.co/Sm8SXBL/20210318-104726.jpg

[fed]

I have a 10000ld bendpack chinese and it works fine but the locks are really stiff. Does it work yes but I had Mac hoists at another shop before I went on my own and they where good lifts. I put in a 18000 ld alignment hoist and wheel alignment machine. The hoist we found used and it is definitely a way better quality than the bendpack one as it’s a rotary brand. The 18000 ld hoist is overkill but a crew truck with a picker is a heavy truck. Peace of mind lifting vehicles and has dual 9000 ld jacking beams

[Armorman]

I have a 4 post Bendpak HD9. What a nice unit for general repairs, oil changes, brake jobs, etc.. According to Bendpak the HD9 is the highest capacity model they offer which doesn't require to be bolted down to concrete. Having the ability to move the hoist around was important to me. If you buy a hoist a few useful accessories include a rolling air jack, a sliding oil pan, and a mobile oil drain. If you plan to use the lift for storage then a couple drip pans would also be good idea.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[coalminer]

I have a bendpak with so much stuff jammed under it it takes a couple of hours to get the car down.

[HuyFishin]

I have a lift king four post 8000lb capacity I believe. I raise and lower it on a weekly basis. I purchased it new at the end of 2011. Around 2016 I had a hydraulic leak and had to get it replaced. Still have it and I’m still using it till this day. No problems since that one issue. It’s a low profile or so lowered cars can drive on very easily. Also comes with caster wheels to move it around. Doesn’t need to be bolted down for light duty work.


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[HyperMOA]

What height of wall would a guy need for a lift out of curiosity? Planning a garage as we speak and never really considered a hoist before. Now would be the time if I were gonna do it. I’m guessing at 12’, but a hunch says 14’.

[Dean2]

What height of wall would a guy need for a lift out of curiosity? Planning a garage as we speak and never really considered a hoist before. Now would be the time if I were gonna do it. I’m guessing at 12’, but a hunch says 14’.


Depends a bit on how tall the car you want to store is. A ten foot ceiling works for most and still leaves room to park underneath, 12" is better. Biggest trick is to make sure you use a high lift track set that goes very close to the ceiling and a side pull opener. In most garages, no matter how high the ceiling, the overhead door opener and low tracks is the biggest limiting factor. Very inexpensive to do when you are building, costs about the same as conventional track and opener, but a little expensive as a retro fit because you are buying a new opener and having to redo the track. I did it anyway as the house I bought was already built.


High lift side mount versus conventional garage door opener and tracks.



https://i.pinimg.com/originals/24/39/53/243953ce4d76f78001b8e8507d2d0554.jpghttps://www.commonwealthgaragedoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/garagedoor-opener.jpg

[Dean2]

This garage has a 12' ceiling. As you can see the car has at least another 2' it can go up, you can see the quad parked under it and it is also high enough to pull the Grand Cherokee under it without lifting it any more. You can also clearly see the difference between the high lift side pull centre door and the near side conventional door motor mount. That would severely limit the upper side of the lift and you have to back the car on so the low hanging motor is over the hood in order to get enough clearance. The other garage is a detached with a 14' ceilings and that is way more than necessary for a lift, it was done to get a trailer or Motor home into it.


https://i.imgur.com/O264xvcl.jpg.

[HyperMOA]

Thanks for the info Dean2. If I wanted to stand under a 3/4 ton do you think I could get away with 12’?

[crazy_davey]

Thanks for the info Dean2. If I wanted to stand under a 3/4 ton do you think I could get away with 12’?

LOL! Depends how short you are. Go with 14’, trust me.

[HyperMOA]

LOL! Depends how short you are. Go with 14’, trust me.

6’. If I go with 14’ I won’t be able to have a second level. I have height restrictions. Most trucks have probably 18” of ground clearance. So standing under a 3/4 ton only requires lifting it say 5’ (All assumptions).

[Dean2]

Thanks for the info Dean2. If I wanted to stand under a 3/4 ton do you think I could get away with 12’?

It would be tight. My 3/4 ton dodge is a good 3 feet taller than the car you see on the lift and I can just stand under the car at the height it is at. I am only 5'8" so anyone taller is going to be a little hunched but not much. I would go 16, put the lift at one end and make a second level in the other two stalls, would give you 8' on each level, sort of like the old story and a half houses. With a 14' wall you could go 8' main 6' mezzanine or a 7 and 7 but 7' garage doors really suck. Had them on one house, never again. Truck with a canopy JUST fits, the boat didn't, you had to decouple, lower the hitch and hand roll it in.