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I sold my 4, 4 post car lifts before I moved. I’m going to be buying 3 or 4 again in the Spring. Have any of you done research on the currently available lifts? There seem to be 50+ companies selling them now, vs. 10 or fewer when I bought my lifts before. I want the X-tra tall/X-tra wide 4 post lifts with wheel kit, jack tray, drip trays and ramps. 110 volt pumps. I had 2, Eagle Lifts and 2, Direct Lifts before. I’m guessing many of the lifts currently made, come from the same plant in China and are sold with various names.
i just moved and installed a new 4 post in my new home. It was sold by JMC but seems to be a rebranded Tuxedo lift out of texas. When I called JMC I was forwarded to Tuxedo for customer support. I paid 2200 picked up locally after they delivered it to a warehouse within an hour of me. It cam with the castors, jack tray, and drip trays. I plan on getting the other attachments next year. https://jmcautomotiveequipment.com/j...our-post-lift/
I originally was gonna get one from greg smith but they told me they were out of stock till the end of the year?? I didnt want to wait and from what some of the reps at several other brands told me the lifts for the most part are the same.
Last edited by punkmaster98; 12-10-2019 at 04:23 PM.
I added a lift from Advantage Lifts this summer. I got the 9000XLT (9000# extra long, extra tall). It cost $4000 delivered. I had them coordinate the install as well for another $800. After watching the guy install it, it was pretty easy. It would have taken more time to read the directions and think about it than it took him to install it. I love the safety latch system with this lift. Not sure how the other brands work, but I like this one. It didn't hurt that it is scarlet and grey to represent my Buckeyes!!
I have always had lifts where the crossbars/slides were contained within the posts, rather than the Advantage style where they wrap around the posts. I’m not sure if one or the other is better, but I prefer them being contained in the posts.
I'm following this as well. I have 8' garage door with a 10'-6" ceiling for one.
I have been looking at Rotary Lift 4-Post - but it never hurts to shop around.
Last edited by K_trip; 12-13-2019 at 07:09 PM.
Reason: a better link for Rotary - in the message
I have a 2 post lift I bought in 2015 but I use mine more for service rather than storage. Can't drop the motor out the bottom with a 4 post. I like Dannmar (BendPak clone) It's an ALI certified lift. On a 4 post however that means the locks are air not cable released I believe.
The knocked of a couple of hundred buck by calling them to order rather than getting it off the web site. Not sure if they still do that but no harm in asking. Especially if your getting more than one lift.
I have a 2 post lift I bought in 2015 but I use mine more for service rather than storage. Can't drop the motor out the bottom with a 4 post. I like Dannmar (BendPak clone) It's an ALI certified lift. On a 4 post however that means the locks are air not cable released I believe.
The knocked of a couple of hundred buck by calling them to order rather than getting it off the web site. Not sure if they still do that but no harm in asking. Especially if your getting more than one lift.
Why all the 4 post lifts and no 2 post options? You guys don't have enough concrete for one? I have a 2 post and find them to be 100x easier to deal with than 4 post lifts.
I can move 4 post lifts anywhere I want them. I can fill the area between the runners and store things other than vehicles on top. I feel they are much safer to use than 2 post lifts. Those are just my thoughts on them and may not apply to others that are looking at lifts.
2 post versus 4 post is a fair question, each has it's advantages and disadvantages.
I live in the Santa Cruz mountains and I work in Silicon Valley, which means I cross the San Andreas fault twice a day. In earthquake prone areas you always want to error on the safe side. It applies to storage or working on a car, you never know when the next big one will hit. Folks in other parts don't have the same concerns. I also like the reasons LeonardS mentioned, too.
Yah I get it now. You guys are thinking storage/cleaning/light repair and I'm thinking major repair/drivetrain swaps etc.
A 4 post is just inherently safer, but in my view 2 posts are safe if you know how to use them and you can mount them safely. Either way, any lift beats a floor jack and jack stands...
okfoz has also now purchased an Advantage lift and from what I hear, he loves it.
The boxed columns are more stable than the C channel columns. The holes are stamp cut into a 5" box beam providing a very stable lock. The Advantage Lift comes with the 4 wheel casters, 4 drip trays, a "rolling" 4000 pound jacking tray and wheel chocks. Many of the other companies have sliding jack trays. The Advantage Lift also has 5/8"x12"x12" foot plates, 5/8" welded plates over the locking tabs (in pic below) to prevent any movement, and a drop safety system that won't allow any one corner to drop. Notice how the lock plate, being 5/8" thick, is not as thick as as the lock itself. It also gets locked into the hole, so there is no movement at all. I would have no problem using full force pushing on any corner with my car on top. The total movement is less than 1/8".
I had my lift installed and a car on top in less than four hours of a self install.
With Advantage being headquartered in Elk River, Minnesota, I'm sure you'll get what you need in a timely fashion. Their customer service is great. I did research all of the major brands and settled on Advantage as the best option.
Many lift companies advertise that they are ALI certified, but if you learn what that certification is, you'll find that all of the safety features of the Advantage Lift exceed ALI requirements.
Last edited by scottmoyer; 12-11-2019 at 08:34 PM.
Why would you consider Advantage now,vs previously? Weren't they working on getting some sort of industry certification?
Previous versions of the Advantage brand lifts did not have the redundant safety secondary locks. Backyard Buddy does. Now they both have them, and so then it comes down to cost. BYB is more expensive. Is it better? I don't see it any more.
That said, no regrets on my 3 BYB lifts. The 4 post w/ the slider design vs. three-sided channel with added or welded tabs just didn't seem safe. Flimsy, actually. I could spread the steel with bare hands on the others. Not BYB. It's SOLID.
okfoz has also now purchased an Advantage lift and from what I hear, he loves it.
The boxed columns are more stable than the C channel columns. The holes are stamp cut into a 5" box beam providing a very stable lock. The Advantage Lift comes with the 4 wheel casters, 4 drip trays, a "rolling" 4000 pound jacking tray and wheel chocks. Many of the other companies have sliding jack trays. The Advantage Lift also has 5/8"x12"x12" foot plates, 5/8" welded plates over the locking tabs (in pic below) to prevent any movement, and a drop safety system that won't allow any one corner to drop. Notice how the lock plate, being 5/8" thick, is not as thick as as the lock itself. It also gets locked into the hole, so there is no movement at all. I would have no problem using full force pushing on any corner with my car on top. The total movement is less than 1/8".
I had my lift installed and a car on top in less than four hours of a self install.
With Advantage being headquartered in Elk River, Minnesota, I'm sure you'll get what you need in a timely fashion. Their customer service is great. I did research all of the major brands and settled on Advantage as the best option.
Many lift companies advertise that they are ALI certified, but if you learn what that certification is, you'll find that all of the safety features of the Advantage Lift exceed ALI requirements.
How big is your garage? I'm getting ready to have a 24 wide by 20 deep with 10' side walls installed and looking at this picture, this lift might fit nicely for me. I'll have two 9x8 doors offset from one end, was going to try a 4 post lift in one bay next year. By code, I can't go any bigger, so it is what it is. I'm maxed out. I beefed up the concrete though.
My garage is 28'x21' with 10' ceilings. The 3rd garage stall is only 20' deep. My garage door on that side is 7x7, so it's very tight from a car perspective. I can't roll my lift out into the driveway, but you'd be able to with the doors you're getting. You can see my columns are about 9" too tall to get through my door. If I had 8' tall doors, I'd be fine rolling out the double door. My single 7' wide door is also too narrow to get the lift out the 3rd door.
Also, be sure you get the door tracks run up to the ceiling. You can't just add track later. The cables, spools and springs all need to be upgraded. They call it a hi-lift door. You can see my track all the way to the ceiling on the 3rd stall only. Next time, I'll get all doors raised up when the house is built.
Do your math on ceiling height. I have 10 foot tall ceilings, and figure with the fact the platform of each lift is 4" thick, plus it goes a couple inches "above" the keeper, then drops to lock, that's 6" of "lost" space.
Then, I have to "lift" the lift about 4 or 5 inches to get it off the locks to lower. So really, only have 9 feet of height when factoring the usable height.
I can stack the GTA and another sports car, but not a muscle car or other sedan. Wish I had 11 or 12 foot ceilings.
One CHEAP and EASY way to add height to your garage is to use a "vaulted" truss which will give you the added 2 ft+ of height in that critical area.
Also, Liftmaster torsion bar motors are popular now, and lift e track of the door to "hug" the ceiling.
I hope this info is helpful in your considerations.
Do your math on ceiling height. I have 10 foot tall ceilings, and figure with the fact the platform of each lift is 4" thick, plus it goes a couple inches "above" the keeper, then drops to lock, that's 6" of "lost" space.
Then, I have to "lift" the lift about 4 or 5 inches to get it off the locks to lower. So really, only have 9 feet of height when factoring the usable height.
I can stack the GTA and another sports car, but not a muscle car or other sedan. Wish I had 11 or 12 foot ceilings.
One CHEAP and EASY way to add height to your garage is to use a "vaulted" truss which will give you the added 2 ft+ of height in that critical area.
Also, Liftmaster torsion bar motors are popular now, and lift e track of the door to "hug" the ceiling.
I hope this info is helpful in your considerations.
What about clearance for non-power antennas on 3rd gens, wondering if that's a factor?
What about clearance for non-power antennas on 3rd gens, wondering if that's a factor?
Yes, of course. So you would need to remove it, or if it were a constant issue, I'd get a "cut down" version of the antenna shaft. On my one car, I just removed it altogether and put a stainless bolt in there. The CD player is used, or aux input.
Looks like I’ll be getting Direct Lift, 9,000 lb. XLT’s. I can pick them up from the Distributor in Bismarck, ND, because he has them in stock. They are a Distributor for many brands of auto lifts(in fact, he said they can get any brand) and Direct Lift is what he recommends for my type of use.
My three choices were BendPak, DirectLift and Advantage Lifts. After all of my comparison data, the Advantage was the best for me. I don't think I'd be comfortable with C channel tech after having the boxed beams.
My three choices were BendPak, DirectLift and Advantage Lifts. After all of my comparison data, the Advantage was the best for me. I don't think I'd be comfortable with C channel tech after having the boxed beams.
Since I’ve had 4 of the C-Channel ones, with the oldest being from 1993, I’m comfortable with them. I just can’t make myself like the look of the tube style. I guess that’s why they make both. Kind of like Camaro’s and Mustang’s🤓🤓
Do your math on ceiling height. I have 10 foot tall ceilings, and figure with the fact the platform of each lift is 4" thick, plus it goes a couple inches "above" the keeper, then drops to lock, that's 6" of "lost" space.
Then, I have to "lift" the lift about 4 or 5 inches to get it off the locks to lower. So really, only have 9 feet of height when factoring the usable height.
I can stack the GTA and another sports car, but not a muscle car or other sedan. Wish I had 11 or 12 foot ceilings.
One CHEAP and EASY way to add height to your garage is to use a "vaulted" truss which will give you the added 2 ft+ of height in that critical area.
Also, Liftmaster torsion bar motors are popular now, and lift e track of the door to "hug" the ceiling.
I hope this info is helpful in your considerations.
I have to echo this. I have 10'5" ceiling. Luckily my Chevelle is lowered an inch. I don't have as fancy a garage as y'all, but here is my set up with winter hibernation covers in place. I can only lift my garage door 69" when the Chevelle is up top so when I get new doors next year I want to change the track for that, should get me another notch up on the lift too I hope.
Originally Posted by chazman
What about clearance for non-power antennas on 3rd gens, wondering if that's a factor?
I remove my fixed antenna from the Iroc every time for clearance. Also a pain for the cover. I'm considering a power antenna upgrade, love having one on the Chevelle.
My garage is 28'x21' with 10' ceilings. The 3rd garage stall is only 20' deep. My garage door on that side is 7x7, so it's very tight from a car perspective. I can't roll my lift out into the driveway, but you'd be able to with the doors you're getting. You can see my columns are about 9" too tall to get through my door. If I had 8' tall doors, I'd be fine rolling out the double door. My single 7' wide door is also too narrow to get the lift out the 3rd door.
Also, be sure you get the door tracks run up to the ceiling. You can't just add track later. The cables, spools and springs all need to be upgraded. They call it a hi-lift door. You can see my track all the way to the ceiling on the 3rd stall only. Next time, I'll get all doors raised up when the house is built.
Thanks for the info. On mine, the roof will be pitched 3:12, no so flat ceiling and no trusses. It's a pre-engineered steel building with roll-up type doors (coiled), so I should be good on clearance for height and doors I hope. I was most concerned about depth. A friend of mine has a 4 post lift and it is huge, but when I saw yours, I didn't realize they made smaller ones like that. Not looking to use for storage right way, mostly to work on cars, but if I pick up another thirdgen, there is that storage possibility.
Speaking of width, my son's 2016 Mustang has 315 rear tires that are basically flush with the outer edge of the wheel lip. When putting his car on the lift, there is some tire overhang on both sides. The drive on sections are bolted in place, but Advantage states that you can unbolt them for a wider track. I think I'll leave it bolted together!
okfoz bought the next size up because he has the shop space/height and he works on a Tahoe without issue. Always check the inside clearance based on the use of the lift. This is fine for my needs, but if I needed to put a pick up on it, I'd need the larger lift.
Speaking of width, my son's 2016 Mustang has 315 rear tires that are basically flush with the outer edge of the wheel lip. When putting his car on the lift, there is some tire overhang on both sides. The drive on sections are bolted in place, but Advantage states that you can unbolt them for a wider track. I think I'll leave it bolted together!
okfoz bought the next size up because he has the shop space/height and he works on a Tahoe without issue. Always check the inside clearance based on the use of the lift. This is fine for my needs, but if I needed to put a pick up on it, I'd need the larger lift.
i have an Advantage lift and the cross supports have extra holes pre drilled so you can spread the rails for wider track simple to remove the bolts, slide the rails out and re install the bolts. nice feature
I'm following this as well. I have 8' garage door with a 10'-6" ceiling for one.
I have been looking at Rotary Lift 4-Post - but it never hurts to shop around.
I have a Rotary Lift. I also added the Center rolling jack. It’s been a great lift. My ceiling is also 10.6
I have a Rotary Lift. I also added the Center rolling jack. It’s been a great lift. My ceiling is also 10.6
It's great to see one with a 10'-6" ceiling, thanks. I was looking at the center rolling jack as well, it might be handy. It's nice to see what you have on and around your lift, too!
BTW - I have a '69 SS350 along with my '85 IROC-Z, and I do like the second gen Camaros but I don't know if I would own one.
It's great to see one with a 10'-6" ceiling, thanks. I was looking at the center rolling jack as well, it might be handy. It's nice to see what you have on and around your lift, too!
BTW - I have a '69 SS350 along with my '85 IROC-Z, and I do like the second gen Camaros but I don't know if I would own one.
I definetly recommend the rolling jack. I’ve used it to do my brakes, pull motors and dropped my tank on my third gen. One of the best tools I have.
I used to have a 70 RS z28. Fun car but my heart is with the first and third gens
The Rotary four post lift has a 14,000 lbs capacity. I like overkill for safety reasons. I have the room (minimum bay size 15'x 23') and it seems like they're well built. I also have vehicles larger than a Camaro that I work on, and so I want a really solid platform. It looks like you make good use of your lift.
There are two rolling jacks available, the 6,000 lbs and the 7,000 lbs ... which one did you go with?
The Rotary four post lift has a 14,000 lbs capacity. I like overkill for safety reasons. I have the room (minimum bay size 15'x 23') and it seems like they're well built. I also have vehicles larger than a Camaro that I work on, and so I want a really solid platform. It looks like you make good use of your lift.
There are two rolling jacks available, the 6,000 lbs and the 7,000 lbs ... which one did you go with?
I agree that Rotary is a great brand and the 14,000 lb. rating provides extra margin of error. The downside to it is, it must be bolted to the floor and isn’t moveable like many others.
The Rotary four post lift has a 14,000 lbs capacity. I like overkill for safety reasons. I have the room (minimum bay size 15'x 23') and it seems like they're well built. I also have vehicles larger than a Camaro that I work on, and so I want a really solid platform. It looks like you make good use of your lift.
There are two rolling jacks available, the 6,000 lbs and the 7,000 lbs ... which one did you go with?
mine is a 9000lb and is 110v so you can plug into the wall. The only difference is it’s a little slower to go up.
Cant remember the capacity of the rolling jack, but it’s more than sufficient for what I do. The only thing I don’t like about is Rotary doesn’t carry a pneumatic jack where BendPak does.
I definetly recommend the rolling jack. I’ve used it to do my brakes, pull motors and dropped my tank on my third gen. One of the best tools I have.
I used to have a 70 RS z28. Fun car but my heart is with the first and third gens
12-10-2019, 03:50 PM
