Hey kids, I'm really enjoying working on my 308 gts, but am getting too old to crawl around putting jack stands under it. My baby lives under the wing of my Cessna so the space is limited. I would appreciate any input as to where I might find a portable car lift that would raise about 3 ft. It would have to be portable in that it can't be anchored to the floor. I have checked around locally but not found one small enough to fit the need. Thanks in advance. Rob Old guys need love too.
The guys at allamericanlifts.com make a nice collar-over-post design four post lift. While it doesn't bolt to the floor, and you can get casters for it to roll it around a shop, I wouldn't exactly call it portable. Take a look at thier website for pictures. There are also scissors lifts available from other sources, my Dad has one from Snap On, but they are more restrictive to access to the middle of the car. Each type has its merits, and if you need a low lift the scissors might be more to your needs. If you call AllAmericanLifts, tell them Bob in Huntsville, AL sent you. Woody
This belongs to a friend of mine Bob. This is very ideal for low ceiling garage and it's portable. Bob if you're here chime in Image Unavailable, Please Login
That's the scissors-type lift I referred to. It is movable, but heavy enough to need a few people and a truck to relocate. Sometimes I wish I had one. It is better suited to wheel, brake, and suspension work than my four post lift, but I can stand up and access the middle better on my four post lift. --Woody
What about that lift you can use a drill with... Here it is... http://www.ezcarlift.com/ Anybody with any experience? About $2k and they have a yellow 308 on the demo! Ace
bend pak is the perfered lift here. many have it and as far as i have read all are pleased with them. they run around 1500 delivered. do a search for bend pak or check out their site.
I reseached out bendpak a few years ago, but never proceeded with purchase since we decided to move again. The ezcalift is worth a comparison, for what I can see. I'd still like to have a carlift.
Go online to americanautomotiveequipment.com . Their good people and prices are real affordable. I could not climb under any more with my back and eyes. I got a 9000# lift for 1195 complete and it took a couple of hours to anchor it down. It's GREAT . They have smaller lifts and other styles. Enjoy your new lift in advance, Gilligan
Hey Gilligan, It sounds like you and I are in the same boat. Maybe we should start an old guy thread. Rob You are never too old to look and enjoy.
Thanks for posting this - this is amazing - I didn't think there was anything even close to this. I have contacted them to see if I can get this in Canada.
I have just started kicking around the same idea. My garage floor is pitched ever so slightly a bit for drainage. Do you think this poses a problem? Thanks.
I'm looking for feedback here and I was also considering this lift. I'm a little leary about the gearing needed for a drill to lift a car and the reliability of such a system. I'm also leary about heavy hydralics with my small garage. So it's floor jacks and tired backs for now. Ace
I'm sure Bend-Pak have thought of this when they designed it, plus once you have a vehicle on there, with all that weight it's going to take alot to tip it over.
With all that weight up there, the structure becomes top heavy when fully extended. Left alone and inside a structure, it wont tip but suppose someone bumps it with a vehicle or something else that is large and heavy. I am sure the designers considered tipping but accidents do happen. The lift appears to be about 3 feet wide assuming the boards in the picture are the cars track. This means the cars center of gravity is 1.5 feet from the edge where one would sum moments to determine how much force it would take to turn it over. At full extension, the center of gravity of the car might possibly be 6 feet in the air. That means there is a 4 to 1 advantage when you sum moments to see if itll tip if the force is applied to the raised vehicle at its center of gravity. If something bumps into it, you get an impact loading which is a multiple of the weight of the object that is doing the bumping (impact loading). Naturally, if the vehicle is not centered on the lift, the 4 to 1 leverage would be greater if the force is applied in the advantageous direction. Also note that one end of it does not have as wide a stance as the end that has the hydraulic cylinders. That complicates the issue. Given those eyeballed dimensions, a vehicle weight of 3000 pounds, and equally spaced front and rear legs, a constant force of 750 pounds would start it tipping. I would purchase either a 4 post lift or the other variety that attaches to the floor.
You points are well taken. However, it seems very unlikely that a force of anywhere near 750 lbs. would be applied to the cars cg at full height. Having said that, were this the hoist I chose, I would be adding some type of outriggers, 'cause it just don't look right.
I agree. I would prefer that it was fastened to the floor. The odds of something hitting it are very slim but stuff happens. Murphy is out and about. I don't think I'd use it in California. I have a 4 post lift in my basement. When I'm under it, I am really edgy even though it has a lock at each post. Once my wife turned on the central vacuum system while I was under the lift working on a car. The unit is in the basement. The sudden noise, that I did not instantly recognize, caused me to exit rather quickly bashing my head on one of the tracks. She always warns me now before she starts it.
I've lived So Cal since 1964, and yes a good shaker would be dicey for the lift, however, I would prefere the lift to jack stands because with the increased clearance I could exit faster, and since the lift is a single unit, it would not be able to fail like the stands which could lose one corner. So, it becomes a matter of need. In my case I cannot use any other type because of where I must work on my car. With practically no overhead clearance it is jack stands or the EZ lift. I think I will just subscribe to the "Earth Quake Early Warning Service" Right????? Rob The older I get, the smarter you guys seem to be.
I went with a 4-post lift from Direct Lift (http://www.directlift.com/Four-Post-Lifts-C9.aspx). It has wheels so it can be moved around, but I mainly wanted to park 2 cars in a 1-car space. It was $2150 delivered and set up in my garage. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Can the four post lift be used to do wheel work or do you just jack up the individual wheel off the lift? I like the idea of parking two cars, but would also like to take off a wheel and do that type of work. Also, is it adjustable so you can use it on different cars? Thanks, Bob
My 4 post lift has a couple of sliding cross members that are designed for the purpose of jacking the car when it is on the lift. I use bottle jacks supplemented by stacked boards for safety when a wheel is off. The standard issue 328 scissor jack can also be used. The heavy cross members can be slid from front to back so either end can be raised. This is the arrangement I use when I do my timing belts. Works well. Just make sure you don't jack it into the ceiling.....
Portable and very stable. Wide base and parallelogram configuration. Retracts very low for good drive-over clearance. http://www.bendpak.com/products/automotive-lifts/specialty-lifts/lr-60.php
