Scissor lift options?

[scgamecock]

I'm looking at these 2 scissor lifts.  Does anyone have experience with either one?  The HF one has about 8" more height and great reviews.  Being from HF I have had a lot of good tools and a lot of crap.  Having a car over your head is not something to risk crap on!  However; they both appear to be constructed almost exactly alike.

BestAutoEquipment lift

HF Lift

Thanks

Wade

 

[Paul113]

Just ordered the HF one and expect it any day now. I'll let you know. i agree, I dont see too much difference in them and have seen people who have no problem with the HF version.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I do not know about those lifts but that is the company I got my 2 post lift from. They were quick to respond when I reported shipping damage. Paint damage and decals which they replaced. They ship them LTL to off and on trucks several times and they forks damage the paint and peeled the decals.

Any kind of lift will save your back for sure.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I think one of the only drawbacks to a scissor lift system has to do with accessibility to things in the middle of the car, directly in the area of the scissor lift itself.  Pulling or installing an exhaust, transmission, driveshaft, etc., will require some creative finagling to make it work with the scissor lift itself being in the way.  Otherwise, I think it's a great idea for a DIYer who needs to get their vehicle off the ground for working on suspension, wheels, brakes, fluid changes, etc., and has limited garage space to work with.

BUT - I'd also be concerned about side-to-side stability: as you get a car jacked up, the higher you go, the less stable it'll be (top heavy).  Getting on the side of the car and really cranking on something while trying to remove a component, whether pulling or pushing, could have the car coming (or going) over on its side.

Between the two, the Harbor Freight unit requires 220V, whereas the Auto Lift unit runs 110V.  Don't know if that makes a difference or not.

 

[mwilson7]

Looking to pick up a scissor lift for the new garage and wondering if there is any update to this thread?

 

[tony-muscle]

I have a scissors lift and it has proven invaluable. It is very stable. At its highest point i can even ger back on the car with no issues.

You will be able to remove the driveshaft with no issues as well. The one time it was in the way it was to remove the transmission. I needed to roll the lift under the car before removing the trans.

One tip. Place a jack stands under the cross of the scissors as a safety of last resort in case a weld or somethings gives.

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[Pastel Blue]

Did my restoration work on one... Great investment for a low ceiling environment.

 

[mwilson7]

Tony - which one did you end up buying

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[Fabrice]

As my garage is relatively small and knowing the gym I had to perform for the 73, I don't want repeat that for the 71.

I'm in between two wishes atm. Digging a permanent inspection space (approx 1.2 x 4 meters x 1.5 deep) or buy once of these.

For the permanent one, which I would prefer to do, the prob is ground high water pressure.

It ain't Nevada here, if I dig 20 cm deep in garden during rainy months, hole get filled with water in matter of seconds. Improved that by adding drains

in garden and its now much less, but for the 1.5 meter depth required, this would creates a massive lift on the concrete coffin I'd need to build.

short story, its not just dig and poor some concrete. A project on itself as it needs to be very heavy and waterproof too.

So looking at scissors lift solution, but because there is no space to move it aside, it needs to stay under the car the whole time. Ideally it would have to be into the floor.

(highest part of the lift at garage floor level) Any idea if doable? I mean, do you have enough options/freedom to pick the contact points with these?

Do you have some "ideal" tires positions marked on floor, or do you guys say, you need move it a lot depending on the job (position varies a lot in between 4 wheels) ?

As a side note, was looking at the above lift specs. You guys are on 110 v in USA?

 

[tony-muscle]

Mine is Hanmecson. The previous owner had it, so I bought it with the car.

In regards to placement, they are relatively easy to move around when the car is not over it. You don't need to fix it to the floor or place it "into" the floor, just over it. Mine is always under the car. I only had to move it to remove the transmission, or whenever I wanted to clean under it. In regards to parking the car, I have 2x10s along the lift where I drive the tires over. Without the 2x10s the bottom of the car (and headers) will hit the lift. So the 2x10 help with clearance and help align the car. I have marks on the floor where the 2x10s sit since they move over time. I also have a stop on the 2x10s to help with how far to drive . In all, the lift will allow some side-to-side and back-and-forth flexibility if the car is not perfectly parked. When I park I open the door slightly to stick my head over the rolled down window so I can drive right over the 2x10s.

 

[mwilson7]

Ken - did you ever wish your Bendpak P-6 ever went any higher? I have the opportunity to pick up a slightly used on for about $800.

Did you bolt it into the ground?

 

[Pastel Blue]

Good price if it hasn’t been abused. I think mine goes 44” or 48” high, which is pretty good. I worry about them going to high and becoming unstable... I don’t think these are meant to be bolted in the ground. I will say that with the drivetrain in the car, positioning the car properly on the unit is critical. Something about a little extra weight on the front end with a B.B. engine... a couple times I went to lift the car and you could see the two rear contact points were not making contact. This mfr is a good well built unit. I paid about $2500cdn. For a new unit couple years ago.