Home Garage Lifts

How portable? Move around the garage, or load into a truck?

I have a 4 post lift - free standing, no drilling required. It has 4 cantilever wheels you can attach so that it can be moved, but I've only moved it once in 4 years.

My 3 car garage is standard height, but I switched one garage door opener to a side shaft mount (Chamberlain), and gained enough overhead clearance that I can use it for storage in winter - one car on top lifted to within 6" of the ceiling, one car underneath.

I also use it for maintenance, but the type of maintenance you expect to do most will determine which is the preferred lift (2 or 4 post). It's much easier to do suspension/brakes work on a 2 post, where just lifting the car by the chassis side lift points leaves the suspension hanging. With a 4 post, you still need to jack up the car and put jack stands in place.

 

single post lift

 

4 post lift is fine for storage but really should be bolted down if you plan on doing any type of service work, the columns can twist and the locking systems do not seat as they should.

 

Why the hesitation to drill into your floor? IMO the MaxJax 2 post is the bomb. You just insert 5 female anchors into the floor for each post and you are good to go. Look up their website. When you are done with it you just pull out the bolts and roll the towers out of the way. You could even make some plugs for the floor anchors so you wouldn't even notice them when the lift is stored.

 

max jax

 

Costco has a porable 2 post lift that looks pretty decent for what it is.

 

I have a 9'4" ceiling and using a Bendpak HD-9 series lift. I have a 348 on top (i have approx. 54" to 58" in clearance below). No way you're going to put a SUV under there with 355 on top. It will be REALLY tight with the 355 on top and M3 below, assuming that's what you're attempting. You need atleast 4" or more of free space above to raise the lift to release the locks so you can lower it down. Good luck.

 

I can't speak for the OP, but in my case it's because my garage has radiant in-floor heating. Since we aren't the original owners, I have no idea where the water circulation lines run, and don't want to risk hitting a gusher...

 

Yes. I have the Bend Pak MD-6XP scissor lift. My garage ceiling height is limited, I cannot fit a standard lift. That said, given my situation, the MD-6XP works very well. I have completed a major engine out service on my 355 using this lift system. No problems. Good quality tool.
Only drawback is the limited lift height 48". Cannot stand under the car but adequate for any job I have undertaken.

 

Most important question: why do want a lift? If it's for car storage, the 4 post is the way to go. You clip the little ramps on the end, then drive right up and you're done... easy on , easy off. Also it is presumed it's better for the suspension over long periods of time not to left hanging like on a 2 post lift.
If you want a lift for just sevice work, the 2 post is the way to go. Much easier to pull wheels off etc. and better access under the car. You can do it with a 4 post lift by using jacks, but it's certainly more of a production.
For car storage measure carefully to make sure you have enough clearence for the 2 cars, plus the thickness of the lift is about 4 inches, plus clearence for garage door/opener.
When I did mine, I just re-rigged the door rather than pay a bundle for new hardware and motors. I bought a replacement chain, and spiced it to the old chain (you will need a chain tool). Then I pulled the motor back as far as it would go with the double chain length, and bolted it about 2 inches from the ceiling (you will need some more nuts and bolts, angle iron, brackets, carrage bolts etc. The old springs work fine). I then cut about a foot off the end of the horizontal track, and spliced it onto the vertical track just before it makes the bend. That allows you to move the horizonal tracks up near the ceiling. I then made some little rollers attached to the ceiling to keep the now double length chain from hanging down and hitting the car. It does take a while to adjust brackets etc. to get it all to work OK. Watch out for the door handle on the outside of the garage door to make sure there's enough clearence that it doesn't hit the top of the outside garage door trim.
When all is said and done the 348 goes on top, but the top has to be down to clear the arm extension from the chain to the garage door. The Mercury Sable wagon sneaks in below with about 1 1/2 inches to spare. And I have a sign hanging off the end of the lift as a reminder to lower the antenna on the wagon before going in.

 

I have a four post lift that I use for parking 2 cars. I also use it to drop the engine out of the 348 and 355 four times now.

 

I have the backyard buddy 4 post lift with a 9' ceiling. HOWEVER...
I don't don't know how your garage is set up relative to your house, but I had space above the garage ceiling that was basically attic space. I cut out a large rectangular opening for my bay and went up 2' into this space.
As for service, you can perform work with the suspension hanging with the use of a scissor or bottle jack on a rolling platform.
The backyard buddy is a very good lift for a reasonable cost.
No, it's not a Bendpack, but it is good enough.

 

Has anyone here got the Maxjax lift? I was looking at it and I noticed it keeps saying they are sold each. Does that mean $2K per post or is it $2K for the complete system? I know this may sound like a stupid question but companies are getting more tricky all the time with their ads. Thanks

 

MaxJax has worked great for me. Just completed a major on my 348 a couple months ago, now the columns are neatly tucked away in the garage. Though, keep in mind the 6,000lb capacity if you have a large vehicle. Total cost for the complete system is about $2k.
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Go maxjax, I have a scissor lift and wish I would have gotten a maxjax. The scissor is ok but very there is little access to the belly of the car.

 

I'd love to see photos of this, I want a four post but was wondering how well it work work for an engine-out on my F355.

Thank you

Rob

 

Hey Ric, I'm thinking about a scissor lift too. I've looked at the Bendpak LR60, but I've also been considering the Titan scissor. The Titan appears to have different lift height locking points, which is desirable if you don't always want the car up at the full height. Good luck on the search and I will start a separate post if I pull the trigger on either.

 

Does the free shipping include to Canada?

Also, they are NOT bolted into the ground? Interesting.

 

My Bendpak has several different locking points. Not just full height.

 

$1800 shipped? I'm VERY interested in this..................as soon as I see pics of a major being performed on a 4-post.


Rob

 

Good to know! I re-visited the Bendpak site and saw that they also have a mid-rise scissor lift, not just the low version. I'm leaning (no pun intended) towards Bendpak because they are in Santa Paula, CA. about 15 minutes east of where I live.