Most liked posts in thread: The Lift Thread

I have a few observations......

I teach automotive courses at college so I work with all of these lifts and more, plus I have a scissors lift in my garage.

One type not mentioned is a two post in-ground lift, they now make these in a cassette form, everything contained in a box so that if it ever leaked the oil would stay in the box and not leach out into the soil - this lift is the best of both worlds, giving complete clearance under the car and no posts to prevent you from getting into the doors or working on the sides as Dave said. (The hydraulic fluid used in these is actually propylene glycol, which is not toxic even if it did leak.) It's also really expensive to buy and expensive to install!

I would have one of these in a heartbeat if I had the money and ceiling height.

An example.....



My scissor lift has been a godsend to my back, as I work mostly on Classic Minis, and I used to just sit on the ground to work on it!

Here's mine....





I bought this no-name generic lift for $600 off of Craigslist, I have low ceilings and no budget so it has worked out perfectly!

If I had celling height and plenty of budget I'd have several lifts, a two post in-ground, a scissor and a drive-on lift for alignments. BTW, a 4 post does not need to be anchored to the floor, many are sold with caster kits, but they are the preferred choice for storage as the suspension is not hanging down as on a two post.

No lift is perfect for every job, but my scissor lift has been a great value and help to me - the one thing I would like to do yet is recess it into the floor so I don't have to use ramps for clearance.

The Max Jack is another great choice and I like that it gives complete access under the car and of course, it's portable - the only downside to me is the intrusion of the posts for interior work when on the lift....that and the cost. A scissor lift can be had for under $1500 brand new - Max Jacks are $2200 or more.

 

My neighbor has an in ground garage lift.

He was driving by an old gas station that they were tearing down and asked about it.
They gave it to him! He had to get a boom truck and a jack hammer to take it out of the ground, but he already had a one ton flatbed truck to get it home with. He built a shop with 16 foot ceilings over it. I use it a lot, and it's right next door!

 

GREAT information, Paul. Thanks a bunch...

 

Scissor lifts are used by good detailing shops because you can polish the whole car without posts in the way or having to bend over so much.

 

Nice Write up!

I have the EZ car lift, and Paul is right, it doesn't go up high enough to sit underneath the car. But, it's get's high enough to easily do brakes sitting on a mechanics stool, and it gets high enough that working underneath the car is easy, plenty of room to get to tight spaces and swing a wrench, although yes, you do have to use a creeper. You can get to any part of the car with ease, with the exception of the trim pieces underneath the doors. The center of the car is COMPLETELY open, and if need be, the front cross piece can be removed for more access once the car is up, but it's never been in the way of anything (yet) up front. The rear crossbar can't but it's not in the way of anything, there is nothing you can't get to in the back.

It has no hydraulics--which is why I like it over scissors lifts. There is nothing to leak, it's purely a mechanical lift.

It is low profile--with the drive over kit, I simply drive right over it. Although it is light enough to move and place against the wall.

Why did I go EZ-lift over MaxJax? Space. I have three kids, and I just don't have the room for posts at the moment. In the future, maybe, but to be honest, the EZ lift takes care of everything I need in a lift.

Downside of the EZ-lift is mainly cost. I love the lift, but it's not a bang for the buck purchase. Then again, they're easy to sell when it's time to get rid of it; many people take them to the track they're so portable (which is the first place I saw one), so there's a market for them.

I am not a fan of scissors lifts or the race jack setup, they are prone to hydraulic failures (relatively cheap hydraulic setups) and stability failures, especially the ones that don't lock.

 

Thank you Paul for the nice comparison. My ceiling height is just over 10' which limits my choice of lifts somewhat. I'll end up with a 4-post because I am not sure about the thickness of my floor and I'm not enthused about cutting the floor and installing the necessary steel reinforcement require for a 2-post design.
Thanks for the tip to look at the cross-braces on the 4-post designs and their possible interference with service locations. I've raised my garage door so it's tight to the ceiling; just need to pick a lift, as I'm tired of crawling around under the cars!

 

A good friend installed an Eagle lift in one of his outbuildings. Worked great for the Mini, but he uses it for his crew cab Chevy P/U, jeep, and his wife's Volvo. Fairly easy installation and the price was good. <$1500, but we saved on delivery costs by driving down to Greensboro and picking it up. At 6'4" I can walk under it easily. The only experience I have with it is when we were working on the Mini, but my bud is really happy with it. I don't have a picture of it all the way up but I'll post the two I do have, and a link to the company.



View from beneath.


https://www.eagleequip.com

 

You can find lots of car lift info at garagejournal.com