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Need vendor reference for installing 4 post lift in garage

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic Region - USA (PA, DE, MD, DC, VA)' started by toggie, Oct 24, 2007.

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  1. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    Nov 30, 2003
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    Virginia
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    Toggie (Ron)
    #1 toggie, Oct 24, 2007
    I'm looking for a local vendor/contractor that will deliver and install a 4 post lift in my garage in Leesburg, VA.
    Any help with referrals would be appreciated.

    I'm thinking of a Bend-Pak, Revolution/Rotary, or Back Yard Buddy lift.
    Something in the 7000 to 9000 pound range - purpose is to store two cars on top of one another.
    The web links for the various car lift products are:
    - http://www.bendpak.com/products.php?cat_id=45
    - http://www.revolutionlifts.com/
    - http://www.backyardbuddy.com/

    It's hard to tell which one of these 3 lifts is the best - they all seem very good choices to me.
    If you have any opinions on why one of them (or a different brand) would be the best, let me know.

    What I'm most interested in is an installation firm that will make it a "turn key deal". That is, they assist in the purchase of the lift, the delivery, the installation, and show me how to work it once it is all set up.

    As far as lift options, I would want the following:
    - drip tray (this is a cross-section made of light metal or plastic that keeps the car above from dripping oil onto the car below)
    - extended loading ramps (typically these are aluminum for weight-saving and are needed for sports cars with low ground clearances to get on the upper parking rails),
    - caster wheels (these typically attach to the bottom of the parking rails and allow the lift to be repositioned inside the garage when the rails are fully lowered)
    - jack platform (this is a strong metal cross-bracket that goes between the parking rails where small separately-purchased hydraulic jacks can be positioned to lift one end of the car up off the parking rails so that you can remove a wheel from the car)

    Thanks for the help.
     
  2. barcheta

    barcheta F1 Rookie

    Nov 15, 2003
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    #2 barcheta, Oct 24, 2007
    Rotary is what FOW and Competizione use. I have an Eagle 2 post which is similar to the BendPak. Check with Darron (MDShore348) as he also installed a 4 post lift in his own garage. I would recommend going for the 9000lb or even 10 if the price difference is modest. Just gives you more options down the road.
     
  3. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #3 LetsJet, Oct 24, 2007
    I have a BendPak 9000lb casters, aluminum ramps, rolling oil drain, two rolling jacks instead of jack platforms. Let me know if you want to stop by and take a look.

    Competizione uses http://www.nussbaum-lifts.de/front_content.php?idcat=80 nussbaum lifts. They are nice.......
     
  4. bst1

    bst1 Formula 3

    Aug 13, 2005
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    #4 bst1, Oct 24, 2007
    Very nice lifts, but Fernando told me they are hard to get. I think they might be what I end up with.
     
  5. WCH

    WCH F1 Veteran
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    Mar 16, 2003
    5,186
    #5 WCH, Oct 24, 2007
    Installed a Rotary Revolution 4 post earlier this year, handled by ultimategarage.com, nice guy, found an excellent local installer for me. I also wanted turnkey.
     
  6. barcheta

    barcheta F1 Rookie

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    #6 barcheta, Oct 24, 2007
    Good catch on Competizione's lifts but I left my german to english dictionary at work.... now I remember seeing the Nussbaum name on them. As another option I used these guys below. They were also very helpful in directing me to someone local to pickup and install. It was additional to install (about 300 bucks) but worth it.

    http://eagleequip.com/page/EE/CTGY/LI-EFP
     
  7. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
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    #7 LetsJet, Oct 24, 2007
    Shouldn't be too hard. I think I have the name of the guy who installs them if you want it.

    BTW- I called you last Thurs. and left a message on a VM.... did you get it? It wasn't your voice so I'm not sure I have the correct number.
     
  8. Dr_ferrari

    Dr_ferrari Formula 3
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    Nov 2, 2003
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    #8 Dr_ferrari, Oct 24, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    If you check with the company that you purchace the lift from, they usually have a list of venders in your area. I ordered my lifts direct and had a Bend-pak certified installer that was in my area install it. Most definatly worth having someone who knows what their doing install it.

    regards, Jim
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  9. modena2904

    modena2904 Formula Junior
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    #9 modena2904, Oct 24, 2007
    Here's an earlier thread I started about installing my 4 post lift.

    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164423

    So far, I have had zero issues with the lift. The company I bought from, Greg Smith Equipment, did have a list of recommended local installers. However, I found that the four-post lift is pretty easy to install yourself because it does not have to be anchored to the garage floor.

    The lift came with the drip trays, casters (a must have, IMHO), and the jacking platform. The "standard" ramps that came with my lift are easily long enough to accomodate the nose of the 348. They are a bit on the heavy side, though, because they are made of steel rather than aluminum.

    If you have any detailed questions, just send me a PM.

    - Eric
     
  10. Alxlee

    Alxlee F1 Rookie

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    #10 Alxlee, Oct 24, 2007
    My friend with the TT Viper also put a lift from Greg Smith in. They delivered it to his house (in DE though) and he and his brother installed it in one afternoon. No complaints so far.

    http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Vehicle-4-Post-Lift-s/36.htm

     
  11. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    #11 toggie, Oct 25, 2007
    Thank you everybody. The feedback is very helpful.
    It appears each of the companies has a local installation firm you can use if you want a turn-key deal. The 800 number on their websites is how you find out the name & number of their closest installation partner. For example, for Revolution it is a company in Gaithersburg, MD.

    So now the hard part is to pick which brand lift I'm going to go with.
    The five brands of lifts that are mentioned in this thread (Bend-Pak, Revolution/Rotary, Back Yard Buddy, Eagle, and the Greg Smith Equipment Direct Lift Pro Park 7) all appear to have local satisfied customers, so I'm likely to be okay with choosing any one of them.

    The next step for me is to check out the total turn-key costs and schedule availability of the local installers.

    And another hard decision is which car is going to go on top?
     
  12. barcheta

    barcheta F1 Rookie

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    #12 barcheta, Oct 25, 2007
    Guess that'll depend on which one leaks less oil. :)
     
  13. KKRace

    KKRace Formula 3

    Aug 6, 2007
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    #13 KKRace, Oct 25, 2007
    Rotary probably has the best name but in a 9000lb 4 post I'm partial to the Bend Pac. Very nice good quality lift you can get for around $2500 delivered if you search the internet. Not very hard to install yourself, does not need to be bolted to the floor. Takes at least two guys. We set the ramps up on cinder blocks in place and built the rest of the lift around them.
     
  14. modena2904

    modena2904 Formula Junior
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    #14 modena2904, Oct 25, 2007
    When I was shopping, I compared the Revolution, Eagle and Direct Lift. As far as I could tell from reviewing the specs and installation manuals, these three are essentially the same product, differing only in some of the details (fittings, hoses, fasteners, etc). Don't know about Bend-Pak or BYB.

    I ended up going with Direct Lift because it was the least expensive, and because Greg Smith was able to deliver it directly into my garage (unassembled).

    - Eric
     
  15. J. Salmon

    J. Salmon F1 Rookie
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    #15 J. Salmon, Oct 25, 2007

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