[moegoat]

Originally Posted by wfbarto

Tell us more about the lifts. I see that the twin post lifts are "Rotary Lifts" ...what make are the 4 post lifts...are they "Backyard Buddy"? Seeing that you are keeping up the cars for the owner, tell us the plus and minus of using the 2 post versus 4 post lift. Also how well do you like the Rotary Lifts and the 4 post lifts in terms of quality and features that they have? Thanks!

The 4 post lifts are from Superlifts (so so cust service). They are generic Chinese manufactured lifts that alot of companies are selling & putting their name on (you get what you pay for). If Rob & I did it all over again he would have spent the extra money on the Backyard buddy lift which is much safer & more stable, super high quality. FYI the 4 post lifts were primarily bought for storage only. The 4 post being a drive on has its pro's & cons. If you are over 5 1/2 feet tall you should work with a hard hat. The jack trays are bulky & heavy & hard to use at the front of the car, the rear is fine. There are solid deck available but not good if you work on your car. There are aluminum panels that are not weight bearing & also just plastic drip trays that fit between the platforms.

The Rotary twin post lift's are the standard of the industry. Go into a dealer or independent shop & ask anyone most people will tell you they are the best. The advantage is it is totally clear under the car, tires & suspension hanging for ease of service. Not good for storage, you should allways have the suspension sitting at ride height when stored for long periods. If not you can damage bushings & shock seals among other things when the suspension is at full extended travel. You can still park a car under it but no provisions for a drip pan, you would have to put somthing on the car underneath.

I personally have 3 twin post lifts (not rotary, purchased with my business) & 1 in ground X lift at my shop, no drive on at all, remember these are in a auto repair shop & used on a daily basis for general service & repairs.

I hope this helps everybody

[pontiaccollector]

Originally Posted by moegoat

The 4 post lifts are from Superlifts (so so cust service). They are generic Chinese manufactured lifts that alot of companies are selling & putting their name on (you get what you pay for). If Rob & I did it all over again he would have spent the extra money on the Backyard buddy lift which is much safer & more stable, super high quality. FYI the 4 post lifts were primarily bought for storage only. The 4 post being a drive on has its pro's & cons. If you are over 5 1/2 feet tall you should work with a hard hat. The jack trays are bulky & heavy & hard to use at the front of the car, the rear is fine. There are solid deck available but not good if you work on your car. There are aluminum panels that are not weight bearing & also just plastic drip trays that fit between the platforms.

The Rotary twin post lift's are the standard of the industry. Go into a dealer or independent shop & ask anyone most people will tell you they are the best. The advantage is it is totally clear under the car, tires & suspension hanging for ease of service. Not good for storage, you should allways have the suspension sitting at ride height when stored for long periods. If not you can damage bushings & shock seals among other things when the suspension is at full extended travel. You can still park a car under it but no provisions for a drip pan, you would have to put somthing on the car underneath.

I personally have 3 twin post lifts (not rotary, purchased with my business) & 1 in ground X lift at my shop, no drive on at all, remember these are in a auto repair shop & used on a daily basis for general service & repairs.

I hope this helps everybody

Moe, we have to get the parts dept. organized so you can post pics of that too!

[wfbarto]

Originally Posted by moegoat

.....I hope this helps everybody

Thanks Moe....real good info to pass on....any other recommendations on lifts for the average garage do-it-yourselfer?

[moegoat]

Originally Posted by wfbarto

Thanks Moe....real good info to pass on....any other recommendations on lifts for the average garage do-it-yourselfer?

Always research first, google is an excellent tool for opinions & customer complaints about quality. Decide first if it will be primarily used for storage or service or get both kinds if budget & space permits, more convenient to do everything for an advanced DIYer. Always meausure first, width & height to see how practical it will be in your garage, especially ceiling height & garage door clearance at full height with a car on the lift (really bad to scrape the roof of your pride & joy or break the window). If you are building a storage building or house plan on making the space for easy access & always make sure the concrete is thick enough to hold the load (plan plan plan), especially if it will be bolted down. Get the optional aluminum ramps for a drive on if available they are less than half the weight of steel.

If you plan on removing the body from the frame the twin post is the only way to go, you can lift the body & roll the frame out or just work on it underneath & store the shell above out of harms way. The twin post are available 2 ways over or under with a floor plate for the cables to pass through, the under being the best choice for low ceiling heights but the concrete must be thick to support the load. The overhead 2 post is safer from a rigididy standpoint though, I have seen older floor plate 2 post's bowing in at the top after years of use in service environments, at that point the lift & or concrete will need replacement or repair, this could be a tragic situation if anything breaks resulsting in death, serious injury & damage to the car & surrounding areas. remember saftey first your life is worth more than a crappy lift. Same goes for the portable 4 post drive on lifts, if it is not bolted down or level they are kind of scary when you are working trying to pry or force something as they do move around alot. They can tip over also causing a tragedy as mentioned above. So if you plan on working with a 4 post I would bolt it down just for safetys sake, they are kind of tipsy & most that I have seen already have the mounting holes in the base of the posts. Get/borrow a hammer drill & go to home depot/menards/lowes, anywhere they are sold & get the proper concrete stud anchors in the largest diameter that will fit & bolt it down at least 6 inches deep in the concrete or recommended depth, any less they can pull out a chunk of the floor & its all over.

Any more ??? or insight please comment, I could have left something out. Hope this is helpful. REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST LIVE LONG & HAVE FUN DOING IT.

[1967Clone]

Originally Posted by moegoat

*snip* REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST LIVE LONG & HAVE FUN DOING IT.

Excellent advice, and take these last word to heart. I've never seen any catastrophes in person, but have heard plenty at the guys from work.

I am a newbie rotary lift owner, and have used it extensively in the few months I have owned it. It came with a slew of manuals and warnings, I read and re-read them all.
It's just like any other power tool that can kill you, common sense reigns supreme.

Most lift companies will post manuals, or at least specifications on their sites.

I only allow myself, or a very select few tech friends operate it. More relaxing that way.

I don't know what the hell I did without one for all these years.

[Colin]

Originally Posted by moegoat

The 4 post lifts are from Superlifts (so so cust service). They are generic Chinese manufactured lifts that alot of companies are selling & putting their name on (you get what you pay for). If Rob & I did it all over again he would have spent the extra money on the Backyard buddy lift which is much safer & more stable, super high quality. FYI the 4 post lifts were primarily bought for storage only. The 4 post being a drive on has its pro's & cons. If you are over 5 1/2 feet tall you should work with a hard hat. The jack trays are bulky & heavy & hard to use at the front of the car, the rear is fine. There are solid deck available but not good if you work on your car. There are aluminum panels that are not weight bearing & also just plastic drip trays that fit between the platforms.

The Rotary twin post lift's are the standard of the industry. Go into a dealer or independent shop & ask anyone most people will tell you they are the best. The advantage is it is totally clear under the car, tires & suspension hanging for ease of service. Not good for storage, you should allways have the suspension sitting at ride height when stored for long periods. If not you can damage bushings & shock seals among other things when the suspension is at full extended travel. You can still park a car under it but no provisions for a drip pan, you would have to put somthing on the car underneath.

I personally have 3 twin post lifts (not rotary, purchased with my business) & 1 in ground X lift at my shop, no drive on at all, remember these are in a auto repair shop & used on a daily basis for general service & repairs.

I hope this helps everybody

Good info on lifts. Always seems to be people on here looking for info on lifts.
I have a 2 post lift in my shop.......I use it only for service not for parking. I would have to say that unless I were going for storage space the 2 post lift is the way to go. For working on a car the 4 post in my opinion is a pain.