General information on Car lifts?

I was pondering getting a car lift for my garage, but I don't know jack (pun intended) about them.  What do I need to know? Cost, clearances, saftey issues, etc. Please enlighten me.

I have a 4 post and like it. It has removable casters so I can roll it around the shop if I need to. Cost: If you buy a more expensive one, like a Bendpak, you get a quality unit that's well known and used by a lot of professionals. I bought a Direct Lift brand more than 15 years ago because of cost (didn't have deep enough pockets) and haven't had any issues, but it also doesn't get used every day, several times a day. Clearance: You want to determine the height of your ceiling (at the door opener or other obstructions on the ceiling) and the height of the tallest vehicle you expect to put on the hoist. If you get a two post, the cross bar can't be higher than the ceiling or anything that might be below the ceiling where the cross bar will be. Add at least another foot for clearance on either style. That's the highest you can go with your lift. Safety Issues: You want to make sure the locks are good quality. If you're under it and it falls, your day gets ugly in a hurry. Check for online reviews, other than on the manufacturer website. If you buy a 2 post, you'll want to cut the concrete under each post and pour reinforced footings. The size of them will be determined by the lift capacity of the hoist you get. If you buy a 4 post, I would recommend a 6" thick floor. Some lifts may say they work with a standard 4", but you're putting a lot of weight on 4 small pads, so you may crack the concrete. 

PS.  I've also seen several pictures, and one actual incident in a Costco service bay, of cars falling off two post lifts that had the arms placed incorrectly or the vehicle wasn't balanced correctly.

Rvr covered it pretty good. I’ll add the use of a scissor lift if you are doing lots of general maintenance. The good thing about the scissor lift is that most cars can drive right over them for parking purposes when not in use. Of course my convertible in the picture can’t because it has the factory 14” wheels and the factory look exhaust I had made has one bend that sits a little lower. I made a set of ramps to drive on when bringing this car over the lift. I’m very wary of two posts for the reasons noted above. Lots of options out there…

Yeah, the 2-posters make me a little nervous too. They are a lot cheaper though...it would just be really nice to not have to lay down on a creeper anymore. There's just so many damn brands out there, hard to know what is junk and what is quality. That's an awesome garage setup you have there!

I have a Titan 7000 lb, 4 post lift.  I use it almost every day, for general maintenance on all out vehicles, including my daughters. I originally bought this model back in 2009 or 2010, but when I moved in 2015 it stayed with the house. A year later, bought the same model for the new place.

It was around $2700 delivered. Mine has the caster,s plus i spent an extra $600 for a sliding hydraulic jack (so I could lift the front or rear off the deck plates for things like brake work). No issues/complaints, I like it.

My experience has only been with a four post lift. It was nice because the car sat on its wheels ( we didn't have jack 71coop mentioned). For rusty or flexible cars, I would much rather have it on the wheels than try to lift by the body. Plus, you can stand on the thing to get into the car or under the hood, can't do that on a two post. 

I would ask you to go to the working shops out there and see how many have 4 post, NOT MANY. The four post allows you to lift the car 6' up and then you can jack it up to work on it. That is the craziest thought I have ever heard of.
Needless to say I have a two post. I have worked on anything from my F-150 super crew to Hondas. I use it when just wiping down my mustang. It is a Dannmar asymmetrical 10,000 lb. lift that is certified. The asymmetrical allows you to get in and out of vehicle easier.
I installed mine at 69 years of age with no help but an engine lift. The cut laser slots in the base to use to align with a chalk line you snap on the floor. No rocket science. I rented an impact drill for the anchor bolts and was done in 30 min. I have heard member talk about their Benpac units having the oil tank just burst at night and gallons of oil all over the shop. No pressure in the tank just oil storage.
Like I say no issue with mine. They say 4" concrete but I went more where the columns were. Go talk to shops that work on cars every day and you will hear the same thing get a 2 post lift. Cheaper to build a larger building than stack cars on a lift with oil dripping down on the car under it.
I can send you all kinds of pictures and info on the lift. I do not know anyone that works on cars that has a 4 post and yes they have accidents also. Saleen uses Dannmar lifts. My son works at BMW the use only 2 post lifts at the factory. Waste of your efforts to have a 4 post. The ramps are always in the way. Nothing in the way with two post.
They have two post for low ceiling also. I will be using mine tomorrow to put in a rear seal in the automatic transmission.
Here is a great example of how a two post is better. I used the two post to lift the chassis and mount onto the rotisserie. Impossible on a 4 post.

I found the root cause of the BendPac hydraulic fluid canisters failing and letting oil all over the floor: they are made of plastic that under the stress of holding nearly 5 gallons of fluid and exposure to ozone and various shop fluid vapors, fatigue, crack, and fail.  I had 2 fail on me, and then back to the factory parts manual: there is supposed to be a METAL reservoir that doesn't have these problems.  I ordered one on-line and it worked well for the few years I had it. 

midlife said:

I found the root cause of the BendPac hydraulic fluid canisters failing and letting oil all over the floor: they are made of plastic that under the stress of holding nearly 5 gallons of fluid and exposure to ozone and various shop fluid vapors, fatigue, crack, and fail.  I had 2 fail on me, and then back to the factory parts manual: there is supposed to be a METAL reservoir that doesn't have these problems.  I ordered one on-line and it worked well for the few years I had it. 

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Good to know. I will keep an eye on my reservoir.

Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs said:

I can send you all kinds of pictures and info on the lift. I do not know anyone that works on cars that has a 4 post and yes they have accidents also. Saleen uses Dannmar lifts. My son works at BMW the use only 2 post lifts at the factory. Waste of your efforts to have a 4 post. The ramps are always in the way. Nothing in the way with two post.
They have two post for low ceiling also. I will be using mine tomorrow to put in a rear seal in the automatic transmission.
Here is a great example of how a two post is better. I used the two post to lift the chassis and mount onto the rotisserie. Impossible on a 4 post.

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That's a good point I hadn't thought of, with a 4 post the ramps would always be in the way.

I choose to purchase a four post for home for the same reasons others have mentioned and because I store the Mustang on top during the winter; parking my daily driver underneath. Drip pans can be added to keep the fluids from ending up on the car parked underneath. Mine is an inexpensive unit, it is not fast going up or down so I definitely would not have it in a working shop. I taught auto tech and may favorite lift was a Hunter alignment scissor lift.



That one came with two pneumatic jacks that rolled along the inside rails to lift under the suspension. I am low tech at home using two of those small Harbor Freight aluminum floor jacks. One thing I wished I would have considered is getting the wider option to make getting a full size pickup on it easier.

I've had both.  A good two poster will run you a bit more money than a 4 post.  There is no comparison for working on your car; two post all day long.  It is a rare dealership indeed that doesn't exclusively use two posts in their mechanic bays.

If you need dual use to store/stack a car then four post is the way to go.

When I built my dream garage I went with an asymmetrical two post and paid up for USA made.  I am really happy with my setup.

4 post double wide is what I use but I use mine for storage primarily. I could raise it to at almost 7' on the locks but stop at the one lock below it. I am ceiling limited but I can walk under it without ducking (I am over 6'). You will need a taller than normal garage ceiling and a high lift door setup (can be a normal door but uses a wall mounted rotary lift unless your garage is extra deep and the doors are not a problem). I pocketed my ceiling to about 12.5'. Research it and measure, measure, measure. Shops have 2 post because they are using them to work on the cars. Very high end dealer here (think many $1M cars) uses 4 post lifts.

A car lift can be a great addition to your garage! Here are some key points to consider:Types of Lifts: Choose between two-post, four-post, and scissor lifts. Two-post lifts are great for easy access to the undercarriage, while four-post lifts provide more stability for long-term storage. Scissor lifts, on the other hand, offer a versatile solution for various maintenance tasks.

I know it's been a while, but I’ve been diving into car lifts recently, and I have to say, they’re a game-changer if you love working on your car or just want an easier way to get under it.

Getting ready to install a 2-post lift in my barn. All the cheaper ones are made in China. I'm planning to get the Mohawk- Made in the U.S.. If you look at how it's built, it's like the difference between a 1989 Ford Ranger, and my 2003 F250 Super Duty Diesel 4x4. Yes it costs more, but what is your life worth? You're going to spend hours working under a suspended vehicle that could be 3-6,000 lbs.
https://mohawklifts.com/

I've been happy with a Bendpak two post. I knew a lift was going in when the floor was poured and went thicker than the rest of the building in that area. The only disappointment is the standard arms won't reach in far enough for the narrow frame rails on Factory Five cars. The catalog description said they would but they don't. They are offset "outward". Being able to go further outward than the catalog listing has come in handy so I may try making adapters for lifting the FFRs.

MOTORCITYBADBOY said:

Getting ready to install a 2-post lift in my barn. All the cheaper ones are made in China. I'm planning to get the Mohawk- Made in the U.S.. If you look at how it's built, it's like the difference between a 1989 Ford Ranger, and my 2003 F250 Super Duty Diesel 4x4. Yes it costs more, but what is your life worth? You're going to spend hours working under a suspended vehicle that could be 3-6,000 lbs.
https://mohawklifts.com/

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I went with rotary. Also made in the USA, and just about exclusively what you'll find around town at service stations and car dealerships.

If you are looking for something that'll lift all the huge brodozer trucks, they may bump you up into the area that doesn't work well for smaller passenger cars. The stronger lifts have thicker arms which may not fit under the rockers of some smaller cars without driving the car up on boards first. And the bigger lifts sometimes have arms that cannot be easily adjusted to swing under the car without running into the tires. You may have to play the game of drive the car forward, swing 2 arms under it, drive the car back, swing the other 2 arms under it. Similar issue with the arms being too long to catch the pickup points on some cars. The arms on the big lifts can sometimes be too long that they cannot catch all 4 pickup points to lift a short car.

For the rotary products, once you get much higher than the 10k lb lifts, thats when they start being too overbuilt and clunky for picking up smaller cars. I had no problem lifting up my brother in law's truck on mine. The truck was so long, it was sticking out both ends of my shop.

I’m in the beginning stages of building a 4 bay garage addition. As mentioned, there are advantages to each type of lift. I am choosing both a 4 post and a 2 post. The 4 post I chose is a Dannmar D4-12A alignment lift. It’s rated to 12,000lbs. Bendpak bought the dannmar brand so they do all the welding and manufacturing work, but the steel is sourced offshore. It’s currently on sale for $5999 and includes shipping. I also purchased two rolling jacks with it. I also chose to use the offered 12 month same as cash financing.
I chose this lift because I plan on doing my own alignments. I can also do normal maintenance and transmission work. The rolling jacks will allow me to lift the car to do brake and axle work. The disadvantage is for taller vehicles a higher ceiling is required. I won’t be able to lift my truck high enough to stand under it because I will have 12’ ceiling height. That’s one reason I’m also going to get a 2 post lift. Another reason for the 2 post is it’s open ( no runways in the way) and you can use it to separate a car body, truckcab or truck bed from the chassis.
2 post lifts are safe but you should always check that the vehicle is balanced properly. In the past when I used them, I lift the car just off the floor and then rock it to make sure it’s stable. The drawback is if you want to remove the rear end, that will change the balance, same thing if you want to remove a front subframe.

cjstaci said:

The drawback is if you want to remove the rear end, that will change the balance, same thing if you want to remove a front subframe.

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I use portable jacks under mine. Even if I'm not yanking out a heavy component. There's not really any way to get a 20ft long truck on a 2-post lift and not have it rock around as you wrench on it. Pop a jack under 1 end of it and its rock solid. Just remember to remove the jacks before lowering the vehicle. I have seen lots of stories about guys dumping cars or just smooshing something expensive by leaving stuff under the vehicle when they lower it.