TGiuliante

Planning on purchasing a lift for my garage at home. Curious on thoughts of brand and 4 post vs 2 or 1 post. Anything I should be aware of while looking to purchase one of these?

jvp

Do you plan to store your vehicle on the lift, work on it, or do both? If you plan to store it, you'll want a 4-post. Otherwise, save your sheckles and get a 2-post.

I have a BendPak 2-post that I can't, for the life of me, remember the model. But the cross-member is actually on the floor versus up in the air. It makes it easier to deal with a slightly lower garage ceiling that way.

Make sure:

• You have enough ceiling clearance
• You get low-cut arms or "pads" so that they'll slide under the Corvette
• You have at least a 4 inch thick garage floor, preferably more

Other than that, you should be good to go.

Short-Throw

You're going to get a plethora of answers here.






For 4 post , my favorite is Backyard Buddy
For 2 post, my favorite is Rotary.

We purchased a total of 14 lifts for our track garage and have had no issues for 5 years. Customer service for both is good and parts are available which is something to really consider.

There are cheaper options but you never mentioned cost as a factor.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.

Mike

drivinhard

ideal would to be have both, I see a 4 post good for storage, quick exhaust work/inspections, oil changes and good for alignments/set up.

2 post for 1/2 of the above list and everything else (and you can store a car under it as well, if you need to)

Bill Dearborn

I use a mid rise scissors lift due to room considerations. If I had the room I would probably go with a two post since there are still areas under the car I cannot access with the scissors lift. The idea of a single post lift intrigued me before I bought the scissors lift but at the time the single post lifts were a lot more expensive. I see there are more variations now and if you don't have the room a single post lift might be the way to go.

Bill

rasrboy

4 post Backyard Buddys are great as my friend has 3 of them for stacking. Rotary I havent heard of but If Mike uses it, you know its good.

I am just over that garage and cars, love it Mike!

Hope to see it and you in person when I come up for the NCCC convention this June as a spectator for the week.

Aaron

Poor-sha

I have both a scissor lift (Bendpak MD6-XP) and just got a 4-post (Greg Smith PP8S). Honestly they both have their uses and depends on what you plan on doing.

For wheel swaps, brakes, suspension work I really like the scissor lift since it's the easiest way to get the car up and those bits accessible. You can do this with the four post but it requires a second step of putting jacks under the car on the lift.

The scissor lift isn't good for oil changes (at least on the vette and the boxster) because the oil drains are over the lift which means you have to hold a bucket under the drain or try to prop up a drain and inevitably get something like 10 quarts of oil everywhere! The scissor lift also isn't any good for doing exhaust work or if I decide to any serious engine/tranny work.

I got a great deal on the 4-post so now I have options

Oh, I also considered a two or one post but I'm not certain how thick the concrete is in my garage and I just couldn't get comfortable with those bolts in concrete being all that kept that car from crashing down on me.

KY-Traveler

I have a two post Direct Lift.

http://www.directlift.com/Pro-9D-Two...ift-P53C8.aspx

JDIllon

I can do anything on a 4 post that can be done on a 2 post for less money and less space! Also I can do wheel alignment and corner balance on the lift. Just my .02 JD

drivinhard

ever done a C5/C6 clutch on a 4 post or dropped a front or rear cradle

how does a 2 post take up more space, especially if not being used? it's just 2 posts sitting in the shop floor. I could turn 2 cars sideways and park them on either side of the posts. The 2 post takes up much less of a footprint.

JDIllon

The 2 post has to be mounted to the floor and can't be moved vary easy. They both have there place but for my situation the 4 post works best. And yes I can remove the cradles and engine, and clutch. On my 4 post. I have a sliding jack tray and jack the car up as high as I need and put the chassis or body on jack stands and do what ever I need to do. I would love to have both. No room! Everyone needs to decide which one is best for there needs. JD

Addicted to track

Make sure you get low profile arms for you lift. I have a Bend Pak 9F 9000 lb lift and its more designed for trucks. It can be difficult to get some low profile cars on it...

kmagvette

I am days away from pulling the trigger on a Bend Pak 9ST...then the 2 vs.4 post thingy starts up again. My thinking is in line with that of JDillon with the possible exception of drive train work; seems like a two post would be real convenient for that kind of work.

In the end I am limited by 10 ft ceilings and like the mobility options you get with a four post with a wheel kit.

If anyone has experience, good or bad, with the Bend Pak 9ST I would really like to hear it.

TGiuliante

Thanks for the input. My intentions for this lift is firstly storage of my two cars and secondly for oil changes, nut and bolting the car etc after track days. The purpose of this lift is not to do major work on the car.

1991Z07

Then I think you just answered your question...

I bought a 2-post because I expected to do a LOT of repair work, on everything from ranch trucks to Corvettes. My main intent was NOT storage of a car on it.



A 4-post w/wheel kit would be a good option for you. Get one that you can stand up fully under when the car is in the air. If you can't do this IN the garage you can roll it outside the door, plug it in and work there. I'd order it with the "Optional 4,500-lb. air / hydraulic rolling jacks available". That way you can lift the car up safely on the lift, get the wheels up and work on it. Jack Stands Not Required.

The BendPak HD-9SWX is the high-lift one. Holds 9k lbs. Should work on just about anything short of commercial vehicles.

If I get this other car, I might have to get a 4-post so I can stack 2 Corvettes in the other section of the barn. Hard to believe that with 3,600 sq/ft of space that you can run out of room to store things

The 42' bus takes up a HUGE chunk of real estate in the center of the room, too.

And Aaron...NO, you can't move into my shop (even if it is A/C and heated).

rasrboy

C'mon Joe, pleeeeeeeeeeeze!

bsalie99

I have a Mohawk lift, it is by far the best 2 post, but you pay for it

Bill Dearborn

Keith, a 4 post might be a good thing since you do your own alignments. However, you can still do them with a two post or even a scissors lift. I have a 10 ft ceiling and I would have a problem using all the height a 4 post or even a normal two post would give me. With the scissors lift the Vette's hood when open actually touches the flourescent light fixture that hangs over the car. The scissors lift gets the car up 4 ft. Mine is an Eagle so I can change all of the fluids under the car with no issues but exhaust work isn't going to happen. There is a portable two post that has been noted on the forum so you can get the big post out of the way when the lift isn't being used. It's called the MaxJax and raises the car about 4 ft so it would work with a 10 ft ceiling. Here is a link to their web page: http://www.gesusa.com/Dannmar-MaxJax...-p/1375659.htm .

There is another thing to think about as well. I have the 10 ft ceiling but my open garage door only sets a foot above the door opening height. This limits how high I can go since the garage isn't deep enough to get the car far enough to clear the door and at full height on the scissors lift the car touches the door. I have been thinking about raising the door close to the ceiling but that requires new track, spring, etc. Even then it will lower the usable height to some degree if you can't get clear of the area it covers. I can close the door to work on the Tahoe or Vette but it gets hot in the summer and the light isn't as good as when the sun light blasts in through the open door. With the door closed and the raised truck pads on the lift I can get the Tahoe all the way up but it is very close to the ceiling.

Bill

1991Z07

Only if you bring me a free GTP

John Shiels