ICEMAN59

Does anyone own a car lift, I'm interested in buying one and there are so many on the market I don't know what to choose. Looking for opinions. I have a GMC Savana 3500 1 ton van I would like to be able to lift it also, I'm guessing it weighs 9000-10,000 pounds.

Thanks in advance,
The Iceman
Keith

69'Silver

I think Bullshark has one.Might want to ping him for this question.

bobs77vet

this guy sells used lifts with warranties...he helped me figure out if i wanted one and gave me good info on one that i was thinking of buying from another vendor...i would call him

www.autoliftparts4u.com

barkingowl

I was thinking about buying a Backyard Buddy.

CGGorman

I was researching this a few months ago and posted a question about it... Might want to search.

I've pretty much settled on a Bend-Pak assymetric two-post, but I've also heard good things about Eagle.

Bullshark

I purchased mine from Lifts.com a couple of years ago. I took the demo unit they had up at Funfest in Effingham. They just dropped it off fully assembled at my house on thier way back to Texas. It is the model SS7000 four post which does fine for what I need. The Eagle lift is a clone of this one. Don't know the full story behind it but, awhile back friends turned into enemies



Bullshark

ICEMAN59

What is the difference between asemetric and semetric?

TheKomoman

An asymetric lift has longer arms on one side so that more of the car is on one side of the post than the other.

These blueprints should make it fairly clear for ya:

http://www.autolifters.com/images/8000_cfTopView.jpg

http://www.autolifters.com/images/8000_cfTopViewOC.jpg

Robbo

Somone posted this awhile back. You can use it to get a feel for what's out there. The names at the top of the table link to their websites.

Lifts Compared

We use an Eagle 4-post at work, and I have an Autolifter M6 at home. Depending on what you want to use it for most (service or storage) will determine if you want 2 or 4 post.




Rob

ICEMAN59

And what is the benefit of this, more clearance from post on the side of the car that your working on?

MIKER

Last year I purchased an M80 from Autolifters out of Kansas. I'm very satisfied with it. It's longer, taller, and wider than the M6. The M80 has enough room for my Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 extended cab, long bed truck. It also lifts high enough for me to walk under it without bumping my head at max lift (6'-4").
http://www.autolifters.com/m80.html

Shop around and you will find one that suits your needs. No matter which one you choose, it will soon become one of your favorite tools.
Be sure to check out this thread. It might help you decide which lift vendors to avoid.
4-post Lift Headache - Now The Runaround
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...um_id=3&arch=1

CGGorman

For me, the benefit of the asymetric was the extra clearance for getting in and out of the car without worrying about hitting the door on a column.

Corey_68

Depends on if you need storage for another car.

Storage = 4 post

Want to work on suspention/wheels/brakes, etc = 2post

True you CAN work on susp./brakes, etc w/ a 4 post but at a added cost of parts plus it's a MAJOR PITA to jack the car up the car once it's on the lift.

That said I LOVE my 2 post and it's rated at 9,500lbs, lifed my 4 door 1-ton Dulley w/ ease.

Sandiego70

I was looking at another post because I was considering a lift and this was the response, you may want to check this out: From another forum poster: available at kwiklift.com. I absolutely love them. It really makes zipping under the car a breeze...

They are about $1300-1500 shipped and will come FREIGHT so you will need ot pick them up at a loading dock.

ffas23

I purchased a new 9000 lb two post lift made by a company called Gabraltor back in 91'. Its a semetric lift with plenty of space between the two posts for the opening of doors. Most people purchase the assymetric lifts for this reason. With them you could fully open your doors. The heaviest vehicle I have lifted with it so far is my 2003 E350 Ford Van without any problems. A 9000 lb lift is overkill for lifting Corvettes and a 7000 lb lift will do just fine but you never know when you are going to need this lift for something else so I recommend at least a 9000 pounder.

vetteonr

This is what I've got. It's from Harbor Freight and it'll lift 6000 lbs. You can check the weight of your van by looking at the door sticker. My Brother-in-law has a Suburban that weighs about 8000 lbs so your van might be right around that. I don't know how I worked on anything before I got this.

Iliad

Would anyone know the minimum ceiling height to stack two C3's on a four post lift?

JoeRags

Recently installed the 8000lb clear floor from www.autolifters.com.

http://autolifters.com/8000_cf.html

Very happy with it so far, took the better part of a day to install, and had the electrician there with me. Up an running the next day.
Throughout my research the major factor I learned is that you want a lift that is manufactured in the USA. I believe even some Eagle lifts are manufactured in Japan or something and shipped over for assembly. U.S. safetey standards for the steel are far superior to that of foreign countries. Find one made inthe good ole US of A.

Joe

Bullshark

I have a 10ft ceiling and have ~18 inches of ceiling clearance from the top of the coupe. I have to back the top car in to clear the garage door but plan to raise the door tracks to gain additional clearance......someday The lower car just clears the lift platform with antenna removed at this setting. This does not count light fixtures etc.

Bullshark

gearheaddroppings

I bought a Rotary. Its a few hundred bucks more but worth it. The others look like and feel like toys compared to it. I researched the death out of this over a year ago.

Stop by any shop in your area. Nothing against the other brands, but you won't see a mechanic standing under a Backyard Buddy. It will be a BendPak, Mohawk or Rotary.

Don't mess around with this. There have been a ton of new vendors selling this things cheap lately. Be careful. Your life is in their hands.

Here are some pictures from my installation. Lift Install