PatternDayTrader

Not a good excuse. Making life harder for yourself is just that.

bosshog8

We'll just have to agree to disagree because I would NEVER chose a 2 post lift over a 4 post and you clearly feel the opposite. This post isn't about us so the OP can make up his own mind.

PatternDayTrader

Agreed.

thurman_merman

I have a 2 post and a 4 post at home and both have their merits. A 2 post makes the vehicle more accessable for work and a 4 post is a must for storage. You can use a 4 post for light work and a trolley jack will give you access to the suspension but I would rather use a 2 post for work 10 times out of 10. Cleaning is easier on a 2 post as well. If you use your lift mainly for storage and light work get a 4 post. If you have higher mechanical skill and plan on doing some real work you'll be much happier with a 2 post. Or, if you have the room, get both and have the best of both worlds.

thurman_merman

I have a 2 post and a 4 post at home and both have their merits. A 2 post makes the vehicle more accessable for work and a 4 post is a must for storage. You can use a 4 post for light work and a trolley jack will give you access to the suspension but I would rather use a 2 post for work 10 times out of 10. Cleaning is easier on a 2 post as well. If you use your lift mainly for storage and light work get a 4 post. If you have higher mechanical skill and plan on doing some real work you'll be much happier with a 2 post. Or, if you have the room, get both and have the best of both worlds.

When it comes time to buy do a lot of research and spend a little extra and get a model that is ALI certified. Also, get one that is overrated for the weight you intend to lift. 9k lbs is what I have and I don't put anything on it heavier than my Tahoe.

gpierce

I'm in Australia, but I have this one:

https://advantagelifts.us/SS-9000-Four-Post-Lift

I'm really happy with it. All these home lifts are not made equal that's for sure. The main reason I got this one is the decent price, and the locks that it sits on are really robust. You can see the beams are fully welded and the locks sit on holes in the beams. It is easy to work on suspension and wheels as I also have the jack:

https://advantagelifts.us/lift-acces...Hydraulic-Jack

The jack has a lock on it so you can lift the car by the frame with it and lower it back down and you don't need jack stands. I got two jacks as well so I can lift the whole car up at once if I want to (rarely need to)

The whole thing is really well made.

RichS

I have a Back Yard Buddy, Superior, and Atlas. I like them in that order and their pricing is that way as well. They all have 2 jack bridges, and the Atlas has a sliding pump jack. The BYB bridge slides on wheels and is flush with the deck. The others slide on the deck with Teflon pads and they are lower than the deck. The BYB is a extended height lift and my Lightning fits under it, but not the others. I've had the BYB for over 16 years now. I had to replace one of the pulleys that wore out last year.

I have radiant floor heat in my big garage and house garage so drilling holes into the concrete isn't happening. I have done everything on these lifts, Pulled engines out the top out of C4/5/6's, pulled entire suspensions, drivetrains ect. I'm not your average "hobbyist" and do a lot of side work. I have never not been able to do a job because I don't have a 2 post lift.

64Scout

A four post gives you a place to put tools you are using.

Tom400CFI

I sure am. Why? B/c YOU said:

But they CAN be beat...with a lift that is more versatile and consumes less space. How could someone NOT make that comparison?

Oh yeah...add to ^that, you're comment to PDT that he'd only comment about a two post b/c he hasn't tried a 4 post.

Tom400CFI

Snowcat for grooming ski slopes. That particular one is a "winch" cat...hence the winch on the back of it. The winch is infinitely variable in both pulling force and speed. It pulls up to ~12,500 lbs of force, can pull up to as fast as the cat can go. Also, the winch's drive system is load sensing so once you set the desired pulling force, it will manage it's speed by itself as the cat changes speed...and direction. The winch helps for moving snow up hill and grooming super steep slopes. The winch, drive system and tiller area all hydrostatic drive so all driving controls are infinitely variable in all directions and the cat can counter steer i.e. "turn on a dime". There is a lot to love; they FBA machines! Here's a quick vid of one in action from back when I worked at a different place than I do now. This was one of my guys in the vid..not me. EDIT: IDK what happened to the aspect ratio in the first vid...it's "too tall" for some reason. (?)

Another the gives a good idea of what goes on at night...






It's unbelievable that someone would be dismissive about advice given by a professional...because "this is a hobbyist/enthusiast forum".

Using tha tlogic, would you dismiss engine building, suspension tuning, drivetrain advice from a professional and instead, do the the way "Back Yard Billy" did it?

The experience gleaned from someone who has used lifts daily is extremely valuable to....ANYONE! I've had and used both, professionally; you've seen my current 4 post...I've used two posts before and I'll have another 2 post in my work shop shortly. They both have benefits but you can do more, faster/easier with a two post and it consumes less space.


.

Mr. Peabody

Thank you for an informative post with some great info. This is so much more valuable to the rest of us who are considering a lift for our home garage rather than a simple declarative statement with no useful supporting information.

PatternDayTrader

Sounds like you found someone telling you what you want to hear.
No one with a meaningful amount of experience on each variation would ever choose the four post, unless there is an issue with the concrete it sits on.
This bs about trolley jacks, and so on, is silly, and more expensive. They do nothing but get in the way. God forbid you have to do something like use a long prybar, then everything related to the hoist will potentially be in the way. God forbid you need a pole jack under a control arm or anywhere else you might have already positioned the trolley jack.
There is a very good reason why you can walk into any autoshop and the only four post hoist will be the lube rack with a minimum wage earner underneath it.
The reality here is the four post is an inferior substitute for the real thing. People are attracted to it because you don't need to set the lift arms under the car. Its a bit like riding a bicycle because driving a car is to complicated. Pedal away ...

Kevova

Evidently you didn't do alignments, work on dualies, work and box trucks , custom vans.....or did they have a pit to deal with them? Maybe you got a 5 ton floor jack, jack stands, and a creeper, when it needed come the ground, no thanks been there. Here in the land of rust, a two post can cause all kinds of fun pick ups that fold and sub frames that fall to earth. You don't like 4 post that's you. He wants to stay off the ground, tinker and be able to store a car not a business.
A lift is like a trailer or a pick up once people know you have one ....you have plenty of friends who what to use it.

PatternDayTrader

​​​​​​​I worked on all of those types of vehicles, in Michigan, the epicenter from which all rust originates lol.

Kevova

I happily left the rust in the 80's. I have returned to be reminded why I left. The 8 inches of snow piled on the 3 we had. Snowmen they say ....I'm thinking sand castles and umbrella drinks sound better.

81c3

Its simple really....
2 post if you want excellent accessibility and do alot of work
4 post if you want to change oil clean and store a car under it

.......and yes, I have experience working on both... I was a lead fleet mechanic for Anheuser Busch years ago.

PatternDayTrader

Oh yeah I didn't even see that. Near the thumb is where your at. Mi is nice in the summer but that's it.

RichS

I guarantee I do more than change oil on my lifts! I'm not telling anyone something they want to hear, Also in my years I've found usually the guys patting themselves on the back all the time really shouldn't be......
Giving pros and cons on stuff is one thing, To blatantly tell someone they are junk just because you don't like them is just being a ahole!

PatternDayTrader

That's a pretty good summary. In the real world of auto repair; the lube rack is typically a 4 post or equivalent lift, and its fine for that.

PatternDayTrader

You must realize the original poster is asking for recommendations, hence the name of the thread. Plus four posts actually are junk so the two post wins ....