Small car lift

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by ScottinBend, Apr 6, 2012.

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  1. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    I am interested in maybe starting to look around for a small car lift for my garage. I don't have a lot of headroom, maybe 3.5 feet above the car, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.
     
  2. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    #2 Minidave, Apr 6, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2012
    I came *this* close to buying an Atlas lift, the cool thing is that they're portable and just plug into a 120V outlet - so if you move it's easy to take with you.

    I also only have about 3 ft of height to raise, so it seemed perfect to me.

    Greg Smith equipment sells them, but if you look on Ebay you might find a "deal". The one I was looking at was in a small shop and being replaced with a 2 post - I talked to the mechanic who used it and he said it was very stable, and that he'd had everything from a MINI to a ful sized pick up on it with no problem...unfortunately when I decided to pull the trigger it was already gone....plus this guy wanted $1100 for his,, and they're only $1195 new!

    Here's a link..

    Atlas MR-06 Portable Midrise Lift

    and a pic...

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    The next alternative up is called a Max Jax, which is a short 2 post lift, much like you find in a shop, only half sized. It also is considered portable - but it must be anchored to a concrete floor when in use. You set it up mark the holes, then use a drop in anchor. When you want to use it, you roll it into place and bolt it down, when done you can unbolt it and slide it over to the wall. it lift's a little higher than the scissor type, and of course the entire underside of the car is exposed.

    Linky.... MaxJax Portable Two Post Lifting System by Dannmar

    here's a You Tube vid showing how it works...

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSUAXQOoXuY]MaxJax Car Lift - YouTube[/ame]
     
  4. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    These are popular in Europe, I've never seen one used here but I like the concept! The downside is having to step over the counter beams on the floor....

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlqBkpvOuX4&feature=related]Bradock 5 series portable car lift - YouTube[/ame]
     
  5. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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  6. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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  7. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    What is the point in having a lift that blocks access to the underside of the car?

    The whole reason I want a lift is to work underneath the car...along with wheel well access....
     
  8. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    ^^ Agreed ^^ to some extent...

    I will say, though, for someone in need of doing basic tire rotation, brakes and an oil change here and there, those scissor jacks are the cat's a**. It beats the floor jack/jack stand drill. Much safer too!
     
  9. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    How many times do you have to get to the middle of the underbody?

    Most times whatever you need to get to are at either end......and they are a whole lot smaller in foot print than the double post ones.

    And thanks Nathan for the post link.
     
  10. SMOG

    SMOG ZOOOOOMMMM
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  11. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Yea guess you could get to the underside of the motor for services too....ummmmm.
     
  12. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    I like that one......about how long does it take to lift it to full height?
     
  13. SMOG

    SMOG ZOOOOOMMMM
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    A couple of minutes maybe??? Never timed it, but what I do know is that it is way quicker than a floor jack and jackstands! Way more stable too.
     
  14. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Raise To 26" In Under 90 Seconds.

    I clicked on the link for the info. $ 1995 :wink: :Thumbsup: http://ezcarlift.com/
     
  15. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    The Atlas is only $1195......I raised a car up on it to check it out and it was dead easy to do, fwiw. The four pads go right onto the jack pads on the car, and while it would be difficult to get to the middle parts of the car - it is possible. However on our cars it really works well because the entire front of the car is accessible, and you can easily raise it to a height that doesn't hurt your back!
     
  16. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    The other beauty with lifts like these, is that it allows you to be able to work inside a garage rather than outside or in a larger shop. The couple I've looked at come in two heights. I've got good ceiling height in the garage and will likely go for the taller of the two lifts.
     
  17. Octaneguy

    Octaneguy New Member

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    Here it my Atlas lift in my old shop when I first acquired it. Although it IS portable, you need to consider it weighs about 1,000 pounds. So moving and transporting it requires a forklift, although you can use the included dolly to move it forward or back to position it.

    [​IMG]

    You can see how much is "blocked" while replacing my OEM exhaust with a Magnaflow..still have full access and the lift isn't permanently mounted to the floor.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  18. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Wow, nice pics! Not quite as full access as a two post setup, but it's better than I thought it would be; looks like you can pretty much get at everything underneath--seriously considering buying one of these.

    With the dolly, you say its fairly easy to move it forward and back--how about side to side (ie does the dolly swivel?)?

    Hate to impose, but if you have any pictures of the dolly, or the lift attached to the dolly, I'd really appreciate it!
     
  19. Octaneguy

    Octaneguy New Member

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    #19 Octaneguy, Apr 7, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2012
    Thanks!

    I wouldn't say fairly easy lol..it's about as easy as pushing a MINI I guess, depends on the surface. Unfortunately my concrete floor has carpet on it which increases resistance. I mean, I weigh around 200 pounds and to get the lift moving requires good shoes, and quite a bit of effort. It's easier to pull than push and no the wheels are mounted for forward and aft movement only. No side to side. That means you need to drive your car as centered as possible over the lift.

    The dolly is integrated into the hydraulic motor unit which is seen in this pic at the lower right corner. See the handles on it? You position this into a hole on the lift itself and you can move it. The attachment point is immediately to the right of the black hose coming out of the lift in this picture.

    (edit...the pictures here show my lift in my old shop without carpeting, but in my new shop, there is carpet...either way...it does take a bit of effort to move the lift around...I wouldn't want to move it up or down an incline nor have to move it often.)

    [​IMG]

    I bought it from Greg Smith Equipment. Mine is the TDMR6 and there is a video showing how you can move it with the dolly.
    http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-TD6MR-Portable-Scissor-Lift

     
  20. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    I am considering having part of my garage floor cut out and repoured as the slab has lifted a bit from frost heave and no longer slopes correctly and at the same time have a small section of it recessed to accommodate a lift so I can leave this in place.

    Thanks Richard for the info.
     

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