Buying A Car Lift

No experience with those brands.
But I bought a 2 post, takes less room and with attachments it can lift from the wheels also.
2 post is better for working on the car.
4 post may be better for parking/storage.

 

Agreed, a 2 post is always better for working on the car. I find myself tripping over the ramps and platforms constantly or something is in the way. Storage is Just as reliable with a 2 post and in some cases the 2 post has more room as there is no platform to clear as well.

I have been in the service industry over 20 years. The majority of the shops I have been in use the BENDPAK and they are used pretty hard for 10 hours a day 6 days a week.

David

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have a 2 poster and no facility to lift by the wheels, you'll have a hard time removing the engine undertray on a 360/430. Is this correct?

 

I have used a 4 post lift to store and work on my BB512i for over 10 years; I park my DD 991s underneath. All is you need are some stands and a jack to lift the wheels if needed for maintenance or repairs. You should never store a car on a 2 post lift as leaving the wheels hanging will damage the suspension over time

 

Couple of questions. What is the exact intended purpose of the lift ? If just to provide space saving in your residential garage by double-decking, occasional light undercarriage maintenance or oil change, 4-post lift is the ticket. But if you plan to do more extensive work or repairs, 2-post will most likely provide better for it.
Also, if the intended placement is indoors, what space allocation (especially height) is available ? Most conventional 2-post lifts require 12 ft ceiling height.
Probably the best overall engineering design and quality lifts (especially 2-post) are by Rotary, the brand I chose for my shop 10-15 years ago after extensive research and studies of all makes/models available at the time. Several clients have since bought same for their collections/garages, as they apparently felt it must be the right choice since I wouldn't buy anything less than the best quality ;-).
Of course at the end, they all do the same, lift the car and hold it up for awhile.
Timo

 

massive resources and endless discussion of lifts over on The Garage Journal (select forums, general garage)

Search by brand or type.

Everything from high end Rotary, to portable MaxJack to Bendpak, Mohawk and in between.

I had a unique problem of wanting mainly a storage jack that preserved maximum floor space, so got a single post cantilevered BendPak. A pretty specialized item but still allows access to undercarriage. I really dislike four post lifts for anything but pure storage since they hog so much floor space.
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Need minimum of 11 ft for a regular car and a sports car on top. Also conside how flat your floor is. 4 post need less than 1% grade in the span or you can hang up the mechanics. I learned from experience. You really need a flat surface. Added cost is to convert your garage door from a typical garage door opener to the direct shaft unit ($800 and up) Convert your rails, pulleys, and cable for the gargage door to go all the way up to the ceiling another $1000. Another point is to see if the reserve is on the side of the post sticking out or running parallel to the rails. Side mount stick out another 10" making it more difficult to pull in another vehicle next to it, or walking between the two. Some companies do sell a bracket to convert and rotate the reserve 90 degrees for about $45.Well worth the cost in space savings.

 

+1

Based largely on recommendations from an excellent Ferrari mechanic I just bought & installed a Rotary, 2-post asymmetric, with the lowest-profile 2-section arms.

me = happy as a clam

 

+1

I have the same lift an it is outstanding. Service is exceptional too with HQ's in the US.

 

i have the 7,000 lb., 4 post backyard buddy.
no issues after 6 years.
i suggest you bolt the "feet" to the floor, or fix rubber pads to the bottom foot plates.
Car and Truck Lifts, 4 Post Auto Lifts for the home garage | Backyard Buddy