4 post lift

[Chris_ATL]

Hi,

I'm running out of space, and my wife vetoed buying the house next door to store more cars, so I am thinking of installing a 4 post storage lift.

There seems to be a large variation in prices and quality, and my thoughts are that a lower end one would be fine for these relatively light weight cars and little use compared to a commercial application.

Does anyone have any recommendations on lifts they have and anything to consider as part of purchase due diligence?

Thanks

Chris

[waltklatt]

There are many out there, but you need to find the one that is built very well and safe.
Seen some that are so flimsy, while they hold the car in vertical, their lateral can be very poor, and you can push from side to side and it wobbles.  And cabling systems need to be very durable and exceed the weight of the car + platform, if you plan to park another car underneath.
You need to decide the best for you, the 4 post or the 2 post.  All up to you.
Also need to pour a new footing for either of them for a sturdy frame.
Talk to the lift company reps for more information.
Many of us collectors(not me) have those lifts in our garages(not me) and can offer a plethora of lifts.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Chris,

My friend out west has one that allows him to park another car under his corvette parked above. As you are looking for additional space I assume you are looking for that type of lift. Anyway, I find if you Google your question you get quite a bit of feedback like the site below:-

Here ---> https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183124

Good luck in finding what you need,

Dieter

PS, I hate autocorrect had to make some corrections lol

[Bonnyboy]

I investigated a 4 point lift and realized that my allowable height wasn't enough so I decided not to go that route.   Now that I can't have one I am finding used lifts popping up.  two types that seem to be suitable for a home use are as follows:

1 - items that no longer meet certification for use in garages and are sold for home use - these are typically heavy duty but very well used and sometimes sketchy on individual components - may need some minor restoration

2 - items used in car dealers for storing vehicles and even though lighter duty seem to be much better than the discount lifts offered by some firms.

I don't know if you need a bendpak quality so check out the web and become knowledgable about the latching and locking mechanisms.    Good luck

[Jonny B]

To give a specific recommendation.

I have a Backyard Buddy four post lift. I think they have a superior design set-up. The post of the lift are box sections with the holes for the stop heights cut into the box. This eliminates the welded stops on most other lifts. To me a better approach. They are located in Warren Ohio, but ship world wide.

www.backyardbuddy.com They have a complete listing of specs on the web site.

I bought mine when I was living in NE Ohio, and they were able to deliver the fully assembled lift to my garage. When I moved to SoCal, with the help of the moving company, we disassembled the lift put it on them moving van, and re-assembled it ourselves.

[Tomnistuff]

I, too, did not really have the space to raise the four-post lift to the top because of my ceiling height.  Since I could not make the three car garage into a four car garage, I decided to buy one anyway so I could work under my Ferrari (gone now) and now my Pagoda.

I designed and built a limit switch to interrupt the lift motor power when it reached a certain height and reconnect when the car was lowered a bit.

Mine is a Rotary Revolution RFP7 which isn't made any more.  They are now RFP8 (8,000 lb) and greater capacity.

I love mine and have used it to restore two cars.  In 2009, it was about $3,000 U.S. new but last year's model still in the manufacturer's crate.

Tom Kizer

[Jordan]

Some things you may want to consider wrt a 4 post lift are:

Will you ever want to move the lift?  I have a 4 post lift that can be secured to the floor with bolts but doesn't need to be.  It comes with heavy duty casters that can be fixed to each post for moving the lift as well as a car.  I've moved cars on my lift by myself.

What is the distance between the ramps?  The engines in some cars can be removed by taking them out from under the car (early Porsche) so if the engine is narrower than the distance between the ramps, you can lift the car and drop the engine much easier.

What is the gauge of steel for the ramps and the lift capacity of the cables.  Is the lift painted or powder coated?

What accessories do you get?  My lift came with drip pans (a lighter gauge steel that sits between the ramps used for holding parts, tools, drip trays etc) and jacking pans. The jacking pans are the same gauge steel as the ramps so they can be used to jack up the car on the ramp (supports bottle jacks and axle stands) for wheel and brake service if you can't do it on the ramps themselves. 

What is your power source?  Some lifts are only available in 220.

What is the size of the sole plates at each post.  Unless you have low strength concrete on your floor or it is really thin you shouldn't have a problem supporting a 4 post lift.  A car would likely put more stress on the floor than the lift would because the sole plates should have a much larger foot print.  Your supplier should be able to confirm this.

A lift certainly makes life so much more enjoyable when working on a car.  No lying on your back or hunched over for long periods of time.  You just keep adjusting the height of the car so whatever it is you are doing you are doing it standing up.

[BRYANH815]

purchased a 4 post over 12 years ago. spent 1900 plus 700 for jack stands  for lifting the entire car off ramp and 3 or 400 for wheels. to move it around never an issue... used for my corvettes and now my 280 SL. these lower end line mine are low duty lifts...Bryan Hepper

[specracer]

I have 4 of these:

http://qualitylifts.com/home-storage-lifts.shtml

The rolling jack is nice to have if your going to work on the car.

Bendpak also is a good option.

My advice is to find a local dealer, and buy it from them. They might represent one or another that might narrow your choices.  While the set up isnt hard, the pieces are HEAVY. Watching the tricks they use to manage the pieces, its clear, I wouldnt want one of these to show up on the back of an 18 wheeler and fend for myself.

Also the difference between 220v and 120v is lift speed. Ours are 110v faster lift would be nice, but not crucial. One other detail to know is if the lift needs air or not. Some brands / models, the locks are released with air.

[Jack Jones]

4 post is great for storage but 2 post will allow you to perform a wider range of work and still provide the storage option. I have a Bendpak 2 post and work on many different vehicles and it is ALI Certified meaning it is a commercial lift. I store 2 cars in one bay otherwise. I figure since I am working underneath a car I want to rely on a lift that provides the latest in safety equipment.

[specracer]

Totally agree with the comments above about a 2 post (we have one of those also, but not for storage). Two negatives of a 2 post, it must be attached to the floor, meaning you cant move it easily, if you need to. The other is it's more difficult to have drip protection for the car below. With a 4 post most lifts come with drip trays that span the open area in the middle protecting the car below.

A plus of a 2 post, is it takes up less floor space.

[Chris_ATL]

Really appreciate all the feedback advice... I've trawled the internet but trusted first hand experience is always best.

Based on the feedback, I think I've narrowed it to a 4 post with casters, which could be very useful as my needs evolve. I've also found a couple of local dealers and will talk to them - It seems install assistance pretty much offsets shipping costs, so it would be a net benefit.

I'll admit, I never even considered a 2 post, as I assumed (I know, never assume!) that one could not use it for storage - I will investigate a bit more now. Oil dripping is currently an issue but i hope to resolve that soon... Is there any issue with the suspension "hanging" for long periods?


Thanks again, as usual priceless information on this forum

[ja17]

There is an interesting brand "Back Yard Buddy" which is made in the USA. It has some very innovative features. The four post version has a small gantry crane which attaches to the top of the posts for engine removal, body removal etc.  I have only seen the adds, but the company has been building lifts for over thirty years.

[wwheeler]

I have heard many good things about Back Yard Buddy from friends. If I were to buy a 4 post lift, it would be that one.

[Tomnistuff]

Really appreciate all the feedback advice... I've trawled the internet but trusted first hand experience is always best.

Based on the feedback, I think I've narrowed it to a 4 post with casters, which could be very useful as my needs evolve. I've also found a couple of local dealers and will talk to them - It seems install assistance pretty much offsets shipping costs, so it would be a net benefit.

I'll admit, I never even considered a 2 post, as I assumed (I know, never assume!) that one could not use it for storage - I will investigate a bit more now. Oil dripping is currently an issue but i hope to resolve that soon... Is there any issue with the suspension "hanging" for long periods?

Thanks again, as usual priceless information on this forum

Hi Chris,

The hanging suspension is the reason I got a 4-post.  I was worried (perhaps without reason) about the front suspension weight hanging from the two mounts almost all the time.  I also do my own alignment so that requires a four-post to do it easily.

I also have the casters but I don't use them.  My garage, because of the weather in Quebec,  has about a 2 degree grade toward the center drain that goes into the sewers.  I don't know about Georgia garage floors.  With the casters, my entire 4-post lift started walking across the floor to center itself over the drain.  I really needed it to be about two feet away but it argued with me, so I positioned it where I wanted, removed the casters and anchored it to the floor after carefully shimming the post pads to make the posts perfectly vertical.  Works great now and does not tend to wander off.  Like karma, gravity is a pita sometimes.

By the way, once you release the safety lock bypasses and lower it onto its safety locks, there is no pressure on the hydraulic system, so it can sit there with a car on it for months.  You just have to raise it a couple of inches and bypass the safety locks to lower it to the floor.

Have fun and enjoy what you buy.

Tom Kizer
Levis, Quebec, Canada

[Shvegel]

I noticed that quite a few of the 4 post storage lifts have rolling jack options which can be used to jack the front or back wheels up s you can do sustension work etc.  For an occasional mechanic this might be the better way to go.  I personally like working off two post lifts but having to kneel down and set the pads every time I wanted to store my car would be a drawback if I was not going to be doing a lot of work off of it.

[clunker]

My 2 cents is that I have a BendPak 4 poster and it is solid as heck.  The rolling jacks are pricey for these - instead I bought a plain solid heavy duty steel cross tray (BendPak option) for $150 or so.  I put the lift down and have two substantial 4"x12"x24" approx wood block put together in center channel. I put a regular trolley jack on this block (the block raises the trolley jack to sorta the tray level), lift the car from center point, then put jack stands in place using the cross tray to position them securely, remove the trolley jack and the car ready to go.  I may get another cross tray to dispense with the wood blocks and add flexibility. Still cheaper than the rolling jack option...