Lift, two or four post?

My main concern with a two post lift in my case was that you have to secure it to the floor. The four post lift can be moved around with the casters and that is a big plus for me. If you park it transverse to the garage lenght you can park the lower vehicle with only the Hood or trunk Under it.
Two things you can't do with a two post.
The two post is much better to work under the car.

 

The compromise is the four post lift with bridge jacks to lift the car off its wheels.

4-Post Bridge Jacks Car Lift Accessories - Lift a Car with BendPak Products

So if the primary use will be storage, with service as a secondary function, then a four post lift with both bridge jacks (for service) and catch pans (for storage) might fit the bill.


For best access under the car for service, the two post is the way to go.
But you have to have a static garage layout. You can park between the posts, but the posts don't move. So your "service bay" needs extra width, even if just used for parking (one car).

 

I went with a 4 post for the extra parking . It works great for under car work but is a pain when doing wheel off service. I purchased a jack tray which helps when I need to remove the wheels and I've come up with various methods to support the car during 4 tire off service. The other feature is I can move the lift outside to do under car power wash work using the caster kit.

 

I have a 4 post lift and frankly...wish I'd gotten a 2 post. The amount of real estate the posts takes up limits your garage....I no longer have space to detail my car when it's cold out for example and I'm always doing the limbo around the posts. If you have plenty of room it may not be an issue. It's fine for storage and oil changes, but no wheel removal/brake work without the jack tray.

 

Love my 4 post. I can do everything with it as well as a secure parking structure.
An engine drop on the 4 post is 1 hour slower than on a 2 post.
Suspension work on the 4 post is a bit more hassle but very doable:

Lift the car, place jack stands underneath the car support, lower the car onto the stands, place support (block of woods) under the car and on the lift rails, lift car up to working height, remove the wheels and suspensions ...

Sure beats the $500 rail lift.

 

I have a 2 post in my shop x 10 years Invaluable. A 4post in my garage for storage only. The only down side of the 2 post is the permanently mounted posts. DONT SKIMP with a cheap lift; you dont want the car on your head. The newer 2 posts are in ground. The advantage is there are no posts sticking up on which to dent your doors-ask me how I know. A partial compromise is an assymetrical 2 post which gives one door clearence.

 

I have a 4 post, as does a friend of mine. If you are not prepared to start jackhammering the floor of your garage to pour the footings that you need to secure a 2-post lift, then go for a 4 post. If you are seriously considering a 2 post, check the manufacturer's website and download the installation requirements. I think you will find that they have some very specific specifications on the size, depth and construction of the pads for the list posts, and the bolts that must be installed to hold it.

With a 4 post, just put it together and you're ready to go. For me, that's the main reason I went with a 4 post, and I'm very happy with it. Also, I prefer to store the cars with their wheels sitting on a rail, not hanging down like they do on a 2 post.

 

2 post for service 4 post for storage

We have had many 2 posters mess up over the years and it is not pretty

 

Yes the anchors must be solid. If the car on the lift is not balanced( 2 post) it will stress to the front or rear and weak anchors will pull out. I have 6" of steel reinforced concrete and have lifted 7000 lb trucks with no problems

 

This X 100
Two post MUST have a solid installation with deep anchors. Typical residential slabs are NOT adequate

 

Luckily I have both...

4 post, drive up and lift

2 post, drive up, position arms, maybe move car a little, position arms and finally lift.

4 post wins for extra parking.

4 post, drive up and lift, now position bridge jacks under car and lift car, remove wheels

2 post, drive up, position arms, maybe move car again, position arms, lift, remove wheels.

To me its about the same work once you have a bridge jack.

For serious work on the car, the 4 post has some advantages but the 2 post has many more and I tend to more work on the 2 post then the 4 post. For a engine out on a 355 (for example) the 2 post wins easily, can be done on a 4 post but I would not try it.

The 4 post does take more space in the garage but if you are using it as a second parking spot for a car, so would the car so not really that much of a problem. I do like have the casters on it, in my old garage I could roll it out on the driveway during nice sunny days to work on the car, my current garage the posts wont fit under the header by about 3/4" so I installed my 2 post in a corner of the driveway.

 

Couple of issues to consider: Height. Most 2-post lifts require 12 ft ceiling height and most home garages do not have such. Even with 4-post lift, many home garage ceilings may not have enough height to allow comfortable access to underside work on the car up on it.
Also, do your home work on quality of different lifts before buying. Stronger is usually better (= safer), but higher claimed capacity doesn't necessarily equate better. Many brands are just "cheaply" built with minimal (if any) real engineering, but able sell well due to enough marketing $$'s spent on right publications or fancy websites.

 

I have 2 4 post lifts my garages have 10ft celings and they work great without any door modifications..i do have to wach the car mirror though so it doesnt hit the garage door opener and take it off..ask me how I know!

 

+1 on the 4 post

I have a very large man-cave and I can wheel the 4 post into the corner if needed. The big plus is not needing to bolt it down - makes installation a breeze (well, took me 2 months, but those parts are HEAVY).
Now that I'm in my 50's, being able to raise the car and not needing to stoop has let me tackle dozens of jobs that I've been putting off because I'm old and stiff. Also drive on, drive off is much quicker than adjusting arms and pads under the car (which also requires stooping - real men don't stoop).

 

+1 for the 4-post. I have a Bendpak with their pneumatic scissor lift. Works great. I've done plenty of suspension work, plus the ease of just driving onto the lift.

 

I too have a 4-post and like it. What I don't have for mine is a means of moving it out of the way. Are there caster sets used for that purpose? Who sells them and how do they work? If someone can provide a link, I'd be grateful.

 

The morbid person in me really wants you to describe "not pretty".

How bad? Anyone hurt? Cause of failure?

 

I have three Backyard Buddy 4 post lifts, I have owned them for eight years with no problems at all. They easily allow me to park six cars in my three car garage.

I haven't done as much work on cars as some if the guys on here but I think I could do almost anything with my setup. On the middle one I have both the hydraulic jack and the rolling jack platform. So I can get all four wheels off the ground if I need to...

I don't need it now but I did recently see on their website that they offer a crane tower for the top of the lifts. Assuming you have the clearance of course... According to the website you can then pull an engine or even separate a body from a frame. Looked pretty cool...

Crane Accessory for Backyard Buddy Lifts

 

What brand 4-post lift do you own? Check their website to see if they offer a caster set...

Backyard Buddy for sure sells a caster style for their lift, though I think it could be adapted to other lifts. It only attaches to two holes drilled into each post a few inches from the bottom. Then the lift is lowered onto the casters an fit raises the posts off the ground so you can roll it around where you need it.

 

A one-post lift is the way to go.

American Custom Lifts Single Post Car Lift, 6500 lb. Lifting Capacity | Single Post Lift

 

Compromise;

3 post.

 

FYI I have an EAGLE Lift which came with a caster set. The casters are separate and are quickly attached or removed. They are all swivel type so you can move the car anywhere in the garage and in my case you can move the lift out of the garage.

 

I have had a four post lift about ten years. As an occasional home mechanic of about average capability (I dry-sumped my 308 - since sold, re did the suspension on my 575 etc), it's been helpful to complete a wide range of tasks and to function as a storage slot for a car. Agree with the comments others have posted about wheel or suspension work. Doable but need the supplemental hydraulic jacks or work arounds. I'm guessing if you are more serious on work to be done, a two-post may be a better solution.

The downsides for me, are as stated. The 4-post takes up a fair amount of room and causes me to make some trade-offs that other solutions may not.

Where I doing it over again, I'd think about a lift table or similar, that can rise out of the floor There's a fellow over on garagejournal that built a beautiful set up that disappears into his (tiled) floor. 2-car, not a mahal. Aesthetically pleasing and functional and likely involves fewer compromises. Can't store a car this way but seems to enable a wide array of jobs. Worth checking out.

Hope this helps
Philip