LIFTS: delivery and installation | FerrariChat

LIFTS: delivery and installation

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by spike308, Jul 25, 2004.

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  1. spike308

    spike308 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    4,461
    Austin TX!
    Full Name:
    Mike Z
    Those of you with lifts...
    did the delivery of the lift have anything to do with your decision to buy it?
    I'm looking at the Autolifter M6, which seems to be a great lift. BUT: they deliver it, YOU get to take if off the truck (all 1300 pounds of it, 2 pieces weigh 400 pounds!), then put it together. They suggest having 4 guys there when it arrives. There are many good things said about this particular product in the archives.

    How about the ones (there are, right?) that deliver AND install? Are they worth a darn (mechanically/safety)?
     
  2. Cavallino Motors

    Cavallino Motors F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    May 31, 2001
    14,143
    Florida or Argentina
    Full Name:
    Martin W.
    I recently purchased a used lift off a Ferrari mechanic and installed it in my warehouse.
    The installation I had done from a guy that does it for a living. I would not, under any circumstances do it myself. Just piece of mind. Not that it is terribly complicated but I would not want to have a 4000Lbs car sitting on top of me for some dumb arse mistake I did installing the darn thing.

    Delivery is a great thing. They are heavy and there again, if you have the right guy to handle them he knows how. We put the posts up and then he rocked them into place. Rocking 700Lbs posts inch by inch.
     
  3. bill365

    bill365 F1 Rookie

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,319
    Chicago area
    Full Name:
    Bill
    There is a Chicago area company that sells, delivers and installs two post Benwil 7000 lb. commercial lifts, like in the garages and dealerships. They can get good used lifts and install them for around 2K. If you are interested, I can get you the info.

    Bill
     
  4. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Apr 3, 2001
    11,237
    Austin, TX
    Full Name:
    Randy
  5. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    you've asked the autolifters guys, and they have NO contractors available to take delivery of and install your lift?

    i've found that most of the lift companies have a network of people they use for this stuff if you don't want to DIY.

    doody.
     
  6. twatson

    twatson Karting

    Feb 3, 2004
    70
    I have 2 of the M6 lifters and have been basically happy with both. The first one I picked up at the shipper and when he put it in my pick up (3/4 ton Ford at the time) and did bend the bed a little when it was dropped in. I took it home and was able to take the parts off one by one. The heaviest parts were the side ramps and I used a hydrolic pad to lower them off and position them in place. You won't be able to lift them by your self but maybe with one or two friends (and lifting aids). The second one I bought was about 5 years later and had it delivered to my house. By that time I had moved to the country and had a big tractor to take it off their truck. It was still an ordeal moving the side ramps. I was able to do every thing by myself but had the lifts and equiptment to do it. If you don't have the right equiptment you will be much better off having someone else do it. It otherwise is not very hard to do - just bolting some parts together and running some cables and with the right equiptment takes about 5 or 6 hours.

    If you get the Autolifter get the cross rails that run from side to side so you can lift the wheels up off the ramps to work on those things that require tire removal and you may want to get the adjustable jack stands. I also built some ramp extentions so I could drive my low ride height race cars on without hitting the nose area of the cars. They also have oil drip pans that are worth getting to prevent things leaking on the cars underneath.

    Also, look at your garage ceiling height to make sure things will work out when you raise your car up.

    I really am glad I bought mine. One I use to store my race cars in one stall and the other I use in the shop for working on my cars. If you work on your cars or even detail them they are worth every penny and if you have storage space problems in the garage it is a lot less expensive than adding on a garage.
     
  7. spike308

    spike308 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    4,461
    Austin TX!
    Full Name:
    Mike Z
    Doody -
    I asked the autolifter guys...
    No go on help installing it.

    I'm with Schatten... my back is more valuable than a few hundred dollars for an install. Ask my dad, who is contemplating a 4 level lumbar fusion!

    Bill365 - I'm here in Chicago... does this company sell 4 posters? They are basically only for storage.
     
  8. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    well, shame on the autolifters guys.

    buzz backyardbuddy.com - they definitely have local installer types.

    i'm 98% sure the revolutionlifts.com guys have local installer types as well.

    those are both solid-post lifts like the autolifters.

    doody.
     
  9. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    I bought a 4 post lift from www.teamlift.com for $2600 and that included the lift, delivery and installation. I did nothing. I park my Boxer on top and my M5 under it . I have 10 foot ceilings in my garage, but I did have to have my garage door modified to a "ceilng hugger" type which cost me an additional $350 . FYI, the TeamLift company makes a lot of the lifts for other companies who then put their own names on the lift, add a markup and sell them to people as if their company made the lift. I have had no problem with mine and highly recommend their lifts.
     
  10. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    the teamlift 4-post residential lifts are c-channel lifts. the autolifters, backyard buddy, revolution lifts are almost certainly worth any extra money they cost (if any) to get a solid-post lift.

    the basic physics involved are pretty straightforward to consider.

    doody
     
  11. spike308

    spike308 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    4,461
    Austin TX!
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    Mike Z
    Other comment about Autolifters....
    I plan on buying 2 at the same time. I asked about working with me on the price... they said they could not work with the price of the lifts, but could with the accessories (read: spend more money to save a little money.).... kind of annoying.
     
  12. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    Doody, why? While I'm no engineer, I do know that a hollow tube for example is a lot stonger than a solid tube of the same diameter and material. So, the laws of physics favors a hollow post lift over a solid post lift by a large margin. That being the case, why wouldn't a "C channel" (read hollow) also be stonger than a solid channel? In any event, since most all of the residential lifts are rated at 7,000 pounds, it is not likely that any vehicle you put on such a lift will even be 1/2 that rating. Even an H2 weighs less than 7,000 pounds!
     
  13. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    the solid post lifts are hollow as well. the problem with c-channels are that the post is incomplete - it's only three sides plus a bit rather than a solid four-sided hollow post.

    the c-channel post can spread apart with force - obviously a solid post cannot.

    in addition, i've never seen a c-channel that has what i'd consider a "reasonable" stop-lock mechanism. it's usually a tab of metal that rests on another tab of metal. the solid post lisfts generally have substantial metal rods/blocks that slip (substantially) into holes cut in the solid post (okay, so it's 98% solid instead of 100% solid) and the bed lowers down onto that to lock it in place.

    and so on and so forth.

    does this mean every c-channel lift is going to fail? absolutely not. does this mean every solid-post lift will never fail? probably not, though i am unaware of any such failure ever happening (and some of the vendors do tout in their marketing material that they've never had a lift fail). can't say the same re: c-channel lifts, albeit the failures are for sure few and far between.

    when you look closely at the differences b/w a c-channel and solid-post lift, it's pretty clear, even from a pure common-sense perspective, that the solid posts with external collars are more structurally optimal than the c-channel designs.

    one man's opinion. i am not a structural or mechanical or materials engineer.

    doody.
     
  14. lotustt

    lotustt Formula 3

    Aug 28, 2002
    2,026
    Full Name:
    TRM
    Try Eagle Lifts.
     
  15. GWat

    GWat Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    252
    USA
    #15 GWat, Jul 28, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My Eagle lift was delivered to my garage and off loaded by the driver, who was very helpful. I had friends there to help, but with the lift gate on the truck it came off with a fork jack in 10 minutes. Assembly was simple and straight forward, it took about 2 or so hours between my wife and myself. As stated in a earlier post the safety requirements far exceed the 7000# rating so I am confident in the construction (c-channel) and the durability.

    I do work on cars while under the lift with little concern due to the fact that more than one of the safety locks would have to fail at the same time for the car to fall on me, I seriously doubt that would happen given each post and lock is supporting at most 800# of my heaviest vehicle. Of course if a failure did occur the next lock would have to support the extra weight, but still each post locks should be capable of a rated 1750#.

    Eagle has great customer service and I could not be happier with the lift. I am considering adding a 2 post for wheel and brake work. Then I would be set.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  16. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    My TeamLift has the same looking type of posts as the Eagle Lift in the photo above. Call Team Lift and they can advise as to whether or not they actually make the Eagle lift and Eagle just puts their name on it? And, my lift has solid blocks welded to the post that acts as stops.
     
  17. Steve King

    Steve King F1 Rookie

    Feb 15, 2001
    4,367
    NY
    Got an Eagle 4 poster and had it delivered. The truch had a hyd. lift gate which the driver took off all of the parts. I assembled it myself using a floor jack in about 4 hours. Simple and works great.
     
  18. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    GWat -

    Dang! That's a tight fit. BUT, it gives me great hope that I can fit my 348 on top of a daily driver BMW 740i. Do you recall what your ceiling height is? I assume you needed to back the Viper onto the lift because of the way your garage door swings open, right?

    -Daniel
     
  19. mbarr

    mbarr Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 11, 2004
    222
    Texas
    Seems like most of these lifts are made in Jasper, TX and simply rebadged. Took delivery of mine with only two people and assembled in approx. 2 hours. If your too busy, its worth a couple hundred bucks, otherwise I would do it myself.
     
  20. GWat

    GWat Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    252
    USA
    I don't quite recall what the exact measurement is but I had to raise the rails for the door. I do back the viper in to give me a little more room near the door, though I think it will fit either way.

    The problem I do have is limited space on the bottom due to the beam in the garage. luckly I measured everything around the viper and a corvette. The Stradale is 1/2" shorter than the vette.

    Let me know if you would like exact measurements.
     
  21. pma1010

    pma1010 F1 Rookie

    Jul 21, 2002
    2,559
    Chicago
    Full Name:
    Philip
    Mike
    I bought a Team Lift residential lift. Besides a different color (I went with Blue) it looks like the red one from Eagle, pictured below.

    We did bolt it into the floor with concrete anchors. I did the job with my mechanic and his son. Alternatively, you can have it installed. From memory it was $2300 for the lift, 3 ft aluminum ramps, a lift shelf and some drip trays and a further $600 (quoted) for the install.

    It works well, runs off 110 voltage. Ferrari sits on top, and we park another car (my wife's Audi) underneath. 10 ft ceilings.

    FYI, it is fairly easy to jack the car up on the lift to remove wheels, do brake jobs etc. I have the car on the rack with no wheels on, suspension apart currently. We've just fitted a new length of brake line and bled the brakes. Taking all 4 wheels off needed a bit more creativity, but it is quite stable.

    You are welcome to come around and see it.
    Philip
     
  22. GWat

    GWat Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    252
    USA
    Hey Daniel,

    I just measured the clearance in my garage and the beam is at 8 feet and the ceiling is at 9 ft.
     
  23. Pantera1523

    Pantera1523 Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2004
    432
    Virginia
    Full Name:
    Scott Carpenter
    Gwat,

    Your garage looks almost exactly like mine... I too have a beam running across it that I will have to compensate for.

    I am looking to stack my 308 and my Pantera.. I have already decided that, due to how low the door has to open (because of the beam), backing the top car onto the lift will give me a better chance of everything fitting.

    I already have measured several times and am still thinking that it will work. The clearance from the floor to the garage door when it is opened is my only real concern. Therefore I have two questions for you if possible... 1) What height to you raise your lift to to be able to park the 360 under it? 2) When the garage door is open how much clearance do you have from the floor to the lowest part of the door?

    Thanks in advance,
    Scott

    '85 Ferrari 308 GTS
    '71 Detomaso Pantera
    and some others.. :)
     
  24. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    I bought my lift from www.teamlift.com and they delivered and had it installed all for only $2600!
     
  25. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
    6,687
    North shore, MA
    Full Name:
    THE Birdman
    I had the same dilemma. Autolifters has a good lift and advertises a pretty cheap price but when you put in the upgrades and the shipping, it's a thousand bucks more and they have no installers PERIOD. They ship to you and you take it off the truck and bolt it in. Furthermore, they had (as of 2 weeks ago), a 6-8 week back-log until my lift would have been shipped, meaning 8-10 weeks for me to get it!!

    So I called a local installer and bought one locally (used!) and had them install it--2 days later. Nothing like instant gratification. I saved $500 and someone else brought it here, unloaded it and installed it. All I had to do was wire it.

    On the other hand, now that I have seen one installed (how they level it with shims, drill big holes in the floor with a hammer drill and install "wedge" bolts) it's really no big deal.

    A picture of mine is here:
    http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41070


    Birdman
     

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