Vehicle Lift Recommendation

[Zero Knievel]

For use in a home garage...what would be a good choice?  Looking on Amazon, there's a lot of choices.  Obviously I'd only want to need 110v power to operate it (some are 220v).  What features should I focus on?

 

I was hoping someone made something like four bottle jacks that operated in unison.  Deploy, use, put away when done, but I don't think that's likely.

 

If jacking up each wheel and using a set of jack stands is my other viable option, I'd want to get good ones so I don't worry about them giving out while under the vehicle.

 

 

Title edit, because I doubt anyone had any "vehicle list" recommendations for you. You've been edited by Redbird, your patch is in the mail.

[blackhawkxx]

1 hour ago, Aunt Zero said:

Title edit, because I doubt anyone had any "vehicle list" recommendations for you.

Hey, I could have a vehicle list.    BMW, Ford GT, AC Cobra, AMG, Ferrari, etc.

Aunt, if you want a two post lift, there are some things to think of.  Ceiling height is one, another is your cement thickness and condition.  If you are serious, I can ask my son what type he got.

[Zero Knievel]

10 minutes ago, blackhawkxx said:

Aunt, if you want a two post lift, there are some things to think of.  Ceiling height is one, another is your cement thickness and condition.  If you are serious, I can ask my son what type he got.

 

Yeah, I saw that in some of the descriptions. 

[Furbird]

I've got a lift, and I'm telling you right now, do NOT go cheap on a lift.  I've witnessed arms bend due to being rated higher than true capacity, I've seen locks fail for the same reason, and a car bouncing off the pavement (or worse) is not worth saving a few hundred bucks on a knockoff.  I stood saucer-eyed while a truck I was under less than 30 seconds earlier had an arm fly out and fall off a lift (at a customers business, not my house.)  I might have been 6 feet from it.  Heart dropping doesn't begin to touch that.

Slab is number one.  If it's not 4 inches thick minimum, a lift is out of the question.  Power is number two.  If you don't have 220, you don't need a lift.  A 110 lift limits your options and will probably eliminate anything trustworthy.  It's also slower than cold molasses in the winter time and has a low lift capacity.  If it's not ANSI and ALI certified, WALK AWAY.

http://www.autolift.org/

Those cheap ass ebay lifts are not worth it, make ABSOLUTELY SURE it is ANSI and ALI labeled, and if there is a question, you can search on the above website to make sure that it is.

I personally have a Forward, and when I was looking to buy, it was either Forward or Rotary on my short list (Rotary owns both companies.)  I went with Forward because it has the widest drive-through available, and uses all Rotary parts (which the whole world stocks.)  I can put my full size Chevy truck on the lift and open both doors AND get my 215lb ass out of the truck without being squeezed.  You can't do that on a Rotary, you have to favor one side to be able to get out of the vehicle.  Or lift it with it sitting so far offset you take a chance on disaster.

Get truck adapters if it doesn't come with them, because regardless as to whether or not you have a truck, eventually you will need to lift a truck.  Also, buy more lift than you need, because inevitably you're going to buy a bigger vehicle and you don't want to have to buy a new lift.  2 post is the way to go for nearly everything you need to work on, a four post is easier to use but the wheels have to stay on (unless you buy slide jacks and then you're in SUPER deep on a lift.)

There's some things in life you just don't go cheap on.  Toilet paper.  Reese's cups.  And a lift holding your pride and joy in the air while you stand underneath it.

[OrganDonor]

Why bother with a lift? For the price, and storage constraints you're better off getting a quality floor jack and jack stands. A good floor jack is about $100, and you can grab 4 stands at Harbor Freight for about $40. 

[Zero Knievel]

9 hours ago, OrganDonor said:

Why bother with a lift? For the price, and storage constraints you're better off getting a quality floor jack and jack stands. A good floor jack is about $100, and you can grab 4 stands at Harbor Freight for about $40. 

 

That's my alternative, but I'd want good, reliable ones.  Hazard Fraught Tools isn't a supplier I feel too comfortable about for something that serves an important task unless they just happen to sell the exact same item as more reputable suppliers.

 

The big incentive for a lift is to have an easier time getting a vehicle high enough in the air to be able to work on it without needing multiple jacks.  Honestly, the ones cars come with now (Prius) are fucking flimsy.  It shouldn't bend while jacking up the car.  They're shaving pennies off the cost of production reasoning that the owner would use it so rarely that it may never fail, but when every time you need to do something that calls for space under the car you're using it, you keep wondering when you'll hear this awful SNAP and have the car drop back down while you're working on it.

[DBLXX]

7 minutes ago, Aunt Zero said:

 

That's my alternative, but I'd want good, reliable ones.  Hazard Fraught Tools isn't a supplier I feel too comfortable about for something that serves an important task unless they just happen to sell the exact same item as more reputable suppliers.

 

The big incentive for a lift is to have an easier time getting a vehicle high enough in the air to be able to work on it without needing multiple jacks.  Honestly, the ones cars come with now (Prius) are fucking flimsy.  It shouldn't bend while jacking up the car.  They're shaving pennies off the cost of production reasoning that the owner would use it so rarely that it may never fail, but when every time you need to do something that calls for space under the car you're using it, you keep wondering when you'll hear this awful SNAP and have the car drop back down while you're working on it.

 

I'd love to see a manufacturer supplied jack that bent under the weight of the car it was supplied for. 

 

Not to say say it doesn't happen - but I've used the Prius jack and I find it very hard to believe it bent while

lifting the Prius since its rated for double the weight. 

 

Also - the jacks and stands that HF sells are excellent. FYI

 

 

Edited December 22, 2016 by DBLXX

[Zero Knievel]

1 minute ago, DBLXX said:

I'd love to see a manufacturer supplied jack that bent under the weight of the car it was supplied for. 

 

Not to say say it doesn't happen - but I've used the Prius jack and I find it very hard to believe it bent while lifting the Prius since its rated for double the weight. 

 

Also - the jacks and stands that HF sells are excellent. FYI

 

I'll take a pic next time I need to rotate tires.  Unless it's my eyes playing tricks on me, I definitely see a bend in the jack when it's extended.

[DBLXX]

Better yet - let it collapse on your head....wrap your underwear around your neck, use your policelawyeradministrative skills and sue Toyota.

[superhawk996]

I've been using a HF aluminum jack, the smallest one they sell which I think is 1.5 ton rated, for a few years now.  Having to lift a floor jack in/out of the van multiple times a day I wanted something light.  I've done all the stuff you're not supposed to do; over load it, lift on uneven ground, lift on dirt & rocks, etc.  When the load is too heavy I stand on the handle.  I bent it a little lifting a loaded 1ton work truck on a gravel driveway, jack sunk a bit on one side which tweaked it, but it still works.  I recently replaced it with the newer version of the same jack that has the rapid pump feature, it's a little heavier but much nicer to use.  I've put a Chinese automotive jack stand, guessing 3 ton rated, to the test with a semi tractor.  After setting it on the jacks and shaking the truck around I lifted it again and dropped it on the stands, nothing happened.  But go buy some Snap-on 100 ton rated stuff because you'll need it for that massive prius you might lift a couple times a decade.

 

As for lifts: 2 post require thick concrete and special anchors and the posts often get in the way of opening the car doors, 4 post take up more space.  Most are 220v. and require a high ceiling; height of the car body plus whatever height you want underneath.  There's the smaller ones that lay flat on the ground, picture a motorcycle lift but wider, no installation and cheaper but don't lift as high as a normal lift.  Then there's the old school in-ground lift; no concrete requirement and it can be recessed so it's out of the way, they can be had for nothing used but installation is a bitch.  There's another type that'll lift one end or side of a car, basically a jack with a cross bar on it, heavy but portable and available in powered and manual.

 

If you buy a real garage type lift it'll be a stupid waste of money, but if you want it and can afford it enjoy it.  Don't bother checking with the law about installing it at your residence, installation requirements like clearance from a living space etc., nor whether your insurance co. will be ok with it so I can get it from you cheap later.

[Furbird]

3 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

If you buy a real garage type lift it'll be a stupid waste of money, but if you want it and can afford it enjoy it.

Um, not quite.  Maybe for him, but for me, it is priceless.  It makes all vehicle maintenance much easier, makes major work SUPER easy, and the one time you wish you had one more than covers the investment.  Mine was around $3,000 installed (I wired it myself) and my folks gave it to me as a gift.  It has already saved them that much money with me fixing both my dad's unintended offroad adventure which bent the bumper into the front wheel, and my brother hitting the dog a couple of years back.  They buy the parts, and I do the labor for free.  And no insurance getting involved either.  A lift pays for itself when you own or maintain as many vehicles as I do.

[Zero Knievel]

3 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

There's the smaller ones that lay flat on the ground, picture a motorcycle lift but wider, no installation and cheaper but don't lift as high as a normal lift.

 

This is one I think is nice.  Only down side is that it does limit what you can do where it sits under the car (not great for RWD work like dropping a transmission or replacing a drive shaft.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZJECHS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=AWDUQRHHEGGR&coliid=IHHNOHWYPSE44

 

I agree that the post lifts are too much (and most all good rated ones need 220v).

 

I would be happy with a good set of jack stands if they could go more than the short height that most seem limited to and I had reliable jacks to make getting corners of the vehicle up and down easy.

[blackhawkxx]

54 minutes ago, Aunt Zero said:

I would be happy with a good set of jack stands if they could go more than the short height that most seem limited to

Have you even looked?  Unless you want to walk under the car there are shorter and taller ones, I have both (H.F.)   They held up my F-250 but don't know if they car handle your car.

[Furbird]

Another $800 and you could have a more useful lift.  And that was the first thing that popped up on google (in other words, I didn't even try hard to find a better price.)  If you have the room and the slab, it's a no-brainer to get a lift that allows you to do far more things with it.

 

https://www.derekweaver.com/rodders-garage/2-post-lifts/forward-i10-certified-overhead-2-post-lift/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAkO7CBRDeqJ_ahuiPrtEBEiQAbYupJYQtpl8Lje2MwQTxad5qe0RETzzqxWb8wHIIslENG9oaAiPa8P8HAQ
 

[The Krypt Keeper]

Get a shovel and dig a pit, drive over it and no worries.. 

 

Cheap, good exercise

[superhawk996]

20 hours ago, Furbird said:

Maybe for him

Exactly.  I just can't imagine he's working on cars enough, and probably shouldn't be working on cars enough, to justify a lift.

 

A lift for me would be somewhat a waste too because I don't do well in that position of looking upward and working with my hands overhead, neck & shoulders unhappy.  It would be great for brake jobs and some other stuff, but I've been doing that stuff on the ground for so long that I don't even think about it.  I've been a mechanic all my life and only used a lift for the first few months of it.  After that I've been mobile except for one shop that didn't have lifts because we only worked on big trucks, International truck dealership.  I owned a drive on Rotary 2 post alignment lift for a while that I got dirt cheap at walmart, they were getting a bunch of new equipment and I bought all the old stuff; lift, tire mounters and balancers, freon recovery machines, etc.  Truck loads of stuff and it was under $1000 for all, I made a killing reselling it.  It was pretty much an ideal lift, drive on convenience with F&R rolling lifts to do tire stuff.  Never installed it, but probably would have if I had a good spot to do it without having to pour a pad.  Being a drive-on it would have allowed me to use a creeper for under car stuff if I didn't wanna stand under it.

 

There are super tall jack stands, I own 4.  I don't use them to get a car super high, I use them on stuff that's super lifted and need a tall stand to reach the frame.  Ramps are great for a lot of stuff and they're what I usually use for oil changes, exhaust work, etc.  When I just need a few extra inches I use my home-made ramps, couple pieces of 2X6 that are nailed together; they get used more than my real ramps or jacks.

[blackhawkxx]

5 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

Ramps are great for a lot of stuff and they're what I usually use for oil changes, exhaust work, etc.

I have had a pair of ramps sitting in the corner for years without use because they slide on the garage floor when driving up.  Any ideas how to stop that?

[Furbird]

Harbor Freight sells an adhesive rubber that you could stick on the bottom of ramps to keep them from moving around.  I actually use this and cut pieces off of it to keep my printer from sliding around in the backseat of my state vehicle.

http://www.harborfreight.com/self-adhesive-rubber-safety-step-tread-98856.html

[blackhawkxx]

That might work and is cheap enough.

[DBLXX]

12 hours ago, Furbird said:

Harbor Freight sells an adhesive rubber that you could stick on the bottom of ramps to keep them from moving around.  I actually use this and cut pieces off of it to keep my printer from sliding around in the backseat of my state vehicle.

http://www.harborfreight.com/self-adhesive-rubber-safety-step-tread-98856.html

 

Glad I came back to this thread. I need that adhesive rubber thingy for the top of my motorcycle dolly. 

 

Cool - thanks Fur. 

[superhawk996]

On 12/23/2016 at 3:28 PM, blackhawkxx said:

I have had a pair of ramps sitting in the corner for years without use because they slide on the garage floor when driving up.  Any ideas how to stop that?

Yea, that's a bitch.  The suggested rubber may do it.  Or just a flat piece of rubber or maybe carpet under them.  If it's really slick you could use a piece of rope, carpet, strap, or something under the ramp that's long enough to reach the back tires, or front tires if you're trying to back a front wheel drive car up them.  Beware that anything narrow or flexible you put under the ramps might create a high spot of load on them.  Probably a non-issue if you'r'e not loading them heavily, but do consider that.  Another option is a piece of wood or pipe or something from the front of each ramp to a wall, or drill a hole in the concrete (if not post tensioned) and drop in a bolt as a stopper.  The wood ramps I made work on concrete because they're stepped instead of a ramp so there's a small climb, then another so there's less push on them plus they have more traction surface to hold them in place.  You can just use pieces of wood without nailing them together and stack as many as you need for the desired altitude.  I nailed mine together because I carry them in my van for mobile service and wanted the convenience of one piece 'ramps'.  Other than really low cars I find that two 2x6 is generally enough, but I'm thin & flexible.  When I need a little more I put a 4x6 past them as a third bump up.  For anything that doesn't require tire removal ramps are way better than a jack.  In cases of low cars I sometimes use the wood ramps to gain space for getting a jack under a control arm or other front lift point instead of lifting by the body/frame.

[TOXXIC]

Quote

 

There are super tall jack stands, I own 4.  I don't use them to get a car super high, I use them on stuff that's super lifted and need a tall stand to reach the frame.  

 

 

I also have 4 super tall jack stands that screw up and down. Was told they came from a body shop and were used to do frame alignment. Only way I can jack up the frame on my super lifted Samurai. I also have some huge 12x12 timbers I use at times to jack the body of the frame.

 

Doubt Mike will ever buy a lift. Won't fit in the basement due to ceiling clearance and he wouldn't spring for the amount of cash required. Wait, did he win the lotto?

[superhawk996]

8 hours ago, TOXXIC said:

I also have 4 super tall jack stands that screw up and down.

 

Wait, did he win the lotto?

Do you have a model # on them or a name I can search, curious about them.

 

That's interesting; he was talking about a BMW, then a NOS XX, now a lift.....lotto would make some sense.  Or maybe he's been saving up all these years and decided to say fuck it to retirement money.

[TOXXIC]

I don't have a model number but will snap some pics. Worked perfectly on my friends lifted F350.

[blackhawkxx]

6 hours ago, TOXXIC said:

I don't have a model number but will snap some pics.

Maybe with a yard stick along side?