Warren GTS

I have a Revolution by Rotary 4-post lift, RFP-7, that included the longer 44” ramps for lowered cars, jacking trays, drip pans, and standard 110V outlet for the pump. I paid a little over $3K (from a group buy discount) plus another $500 to have an authorized installer put it up. I could have saved another grand if I went for a cheaper model, but the welds and locking tabs looked less than standard and didn’t feel like taking this risk especially when you have a car overhead. So I went for the best quality I could find plus I wanted to stick with a reputable brand that’s been around for years, just in case if something needed to be replaced years later. On the cheaper lifts, who knows if the company will still be there next year. Other quality lifts I considered were Eagle and Bend-Pak (as seen on Monster Garage TV). I heard someone had a lift fall from Autolifters due to improperly installed bearing. All it takes is one fall and there’s potential for the car to fall off, serious damage to the garage, and/or bodily injury or death. Definitely do the research and consider the better quality lifts.

I would carefully measure the ceiling height and any hanging obstructions like a beam or garage door opener. My garage is a standard 2-car; 18’ wide, 21’ deep, and 112” ceiling. I also have a 1-foot overhang beam that runs horizontally down the center of the ceiling, so that gives me only enough room to stack two sports cars (each 50” or shorter height). I have the lift set as far back to the garage as possible with the car center-balanced on the lift, but I did have to adjust the garage door opener so that it will clear the hood of the car when the garage door is up. Another consideration for the garage door clearance is to get a contractor to raise the door rails another foot higher.

Here’s a picture of mine, cars just for example purposes only, hope I won’t get any flack for being on the “dark side”

pic of lift

Info and specs:
http://www.revolutionlifts.com/four-post.asp

THE LEGEND LIVES

That's really the only pic I have...the others are just variations of that one. No assembly pics, but it's fairly easy and the instructions are good. It took myself and 2 buddies a solid afternoon to put 'er together.
You bet!

Adam Boca

The NCM sells Stinger Lifts..If you are a NCM Member you can save 10% or a NCM Lifetime Member you can save 15%.

We have been using 1 lift for all of our PDIs. Over 800 cars up and down and it still works flawless!

Big Lebowski

Thanks for the info...but the picture of the lift comes up "forbidden" What gives...is this the dark side you spoke of?

Warren GTS

Sorry about that, perhaps it's my imagestation blocking the link? Try right clicking on the link, properties, and copy the address to the address window. Hope it works this time.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...0/f451f2f1.jpg

1carguy

I have 2 stinger lifts and one single post lift in my 4 car garage. Ceilings are 10'6" and I can stack 2 cars easily. I also I had a commercial opener added which opens the door from the spring shaft instead of over the center to insure adequate clearance.

I especially like the single post next to where my wife parks. Losing the side post makes it much easier for the wife to park. I am also very pleased with the Stinger lifts.

Big Lebowski

Very Nice! They make a nice couple. I'll assume the girl is the one on top...they usually like to be on top.

BlackMark

Dlinderman,I'll get some pics of my single post on asap.I just became a supporting member last night,and will need my daughters expert assistance to download them to this site.I had the garage door guy out today because I too found that even with the tracks angled,I couldn't fully utilize max height of 71" under lift.He is going to add a couple more panels to the door,and pull straight up and back ,with door track height of 12'(my ceiling is 14') instead of angling up from door to opener as it is now.I forgot to mention that this lift has a 220v/2hp motor that really doesn't appear to be the least bit strained under the weight of the Vette.

Big Lebowski

Excellent...I look forward to it.

Now your single post goes into the ground correct? How much did it cost?

BlackMark

Note my previous post...I now have a photo inserted that was taken the first time my new car graced my garage and is parked under the lift.

I will have more pictures later.

The post itself does not go into the ground, it is bolted to the floor with monster size bolts and has a "foot" that is bolted at both ends and it is the width of the lift. The car that is parked on the bottom, drives over this foot that is a couple of inches high and less than 2 feet long.

Go here and download the PDF manual.
http://aclifts.com/Parking/M1-65.asp...%20FOR%20QUOTE

Big Lebowski

Very cool! You say the plate is a few inches tall that the lower vehicle drives on to? It looks pretty sturdy. I was looking at their spec's and I have a jeep cherokee that would be up there in the summer, and the weight limits are right there...I love that it is open all the way around.

bz94z28

Question - is there something you can put under the car on top to keep it from dripping fluids such as oil or trans fluid on the car below? I have been thinking about a lift - I have a 79 t/a that has a rear main seal leak, but I would want to put it on top. Thanks...

Warren GTS

LOL at Dlinderman! I thought all cars were referred to as “she”, so are they both lesbians? Glad you were able to pull up the pic. Thanks for viewing the forbidden “dark side”. Any way I can help your decision on the lift, let me know.

I really like my Revolution by Rotary, top notch in quality, safety and support. That’s why they cost a bit more. They have a double-locking system in case if a cable shall break. The manually controlled catch lock is the one that you control from the locking-release rod. The other catch lock is the Safety catch lock which is automatically controlled only by the cable and is spring loaded. If the cable should snap, this secondary catch will engage and keep the lift from falling. This would be a situation for example if you have the locking-release rod disengaged while lowering the lift and the cable snaps. Another feature is the cable is in the center of the column, lifting force is distributed on the center. The sliders inside are made of a Teflon type material and requires no grease. Revolution Lifts are 3rd party tested and certified to meet the American National Standard ANSI/ALI ALCTB-1998 and ANSI UL Standard 201.
http://www.revolutionlifts.com/liftStandards.asp

You can order the Revolution by Rotary lifts in blue, red or yellow in addition to the standard black, no extra cost for the different colors. Delivery time is usually three weeks, but I got mine within a few, sooner than expected. About installation: The whole package delivered on a crate is nearly 2,000 lbs. altogether, so this tells you that this is a very stout piece of equipment. I had it delivered via Yellow Freight to a loading dock at my work site, where I used a fork lift to load it onto my car trailer, then I took it to my garage. The group deal I got by the way, included freight costs, so I saved a few hundred dollars there. You can also pick up the crate at the freight terminal and then have someone deliver it to your residence, an installer can do this for you. If you have the freight carrier deliver it directly to your residence, you will need a big forklift or some way to unload it. The ramp with the hydraulic cylinder is the heaviest piece, 500 lbs. So if you got the tools, dollies, a floor jack, pry bars and the muscle, it can be done by one person with some ingenuity. But remember, the columns and ramps are heavy so I would recommend a few extra guys to put it together. Because I’ve never dealt with putting up a lift before and didn’t want to break my back over it, I hired an authorized installer to put it up for $500, two guys for a total of 5-hours, plus bought them lunch and drinks. I bought my own hydraulic fluid, they recommended Dexron III transmission fluid, 12 qts. Rotary’s website lists a number of approved installers here:
http://www.rotarylift.com/Service_an...t/RAI_Locator/


More photos here:
http://www.revolutionlifts.com/photo_Gallery/index.htm

Warren GTS

Yes, they're called "drip pans". Mine are made of plastic. Cheap way to do this is simply getting flat sheets of cardboard. Usually large warehouses or WalMart throws tons of this material away.

c2c4c6

Did anyone measure the thickness of their concrete slab to make certain that it would support the weight of the lift?
I did notice that some lifts have a larger footprint, which would seem to be somewhat safer, if the concrete thickness is a legitimate concern.

Blk03Z06

It is not really the thickness of the slab that is the most important point - though it is an important one. You must make sure that the ground under the slab is well compacted. Many builders use poor backfill procedures when finishing garage floor. Drill a few test holes to detect a hollow floor.

If you are not using the space above your garage ceiling then a neat fix can be used. Have a remodeler build a cantilevered ceiling in the attaic above garage which supportes roof, etc. Then cut out original ceiling and you end up with a 13' - 14' ceiling with all of the space you need. Total cost is about $5,000 - $7,000 - a lot cheaper than a new garage addition.

Marc

BlackMark

Dlinderman,this lift will easily support your Jeep.The way the tracks are designed,they are truly of "no sag' design.I am on my way out to take some more pictures now,so hopefully can get them on soon.

Warren GTS

Lift concrete requirements by Bend Pak:

http://www.bendpak.com/custom_page.i...pakconcretereq

Big Lebowski

Cool...I like the idea of the single post the best. Their site doen't really do it justice, so actual photos will be cool.

0Brute

Back Yard Buddy's or Superior Lifts are the best my $.02..