Found a decent automotive lift for someone with not much space

[73eldo]

I was reading another post about someone asking about lifting a car and realized I have not mentioned my lift on this board.   I first found one on my local craigs list, by the time I figured out that I wanted it it was gone so I ended up getting a new one.    Its been great.  It would be better if I had more space and did not have to move it outside to use it but if I had more space I wold likely just have a 2 poster.   I dont work for the company just think its a great product and want to share with other DIYers with limited space.    Its basically a giant set of ramps you drive the car on then use a single jack to raise the rear and some legs pop out.   If you get a creeper with a headrest its actually very comfortable to work on the bottom of the car.  If you had a normal 8 foot tall garage you could actually get a typical car up on one.  My garage has about a 6'8' ceiling so only small cars will fit fully raised.   I alternate between laying it flat and parking on it and just parking on it in ramp mode.  It depends on when I think I will need it next and what I am parking in my small garage.  I got the 7000 lb model since many of my cars are large Caddys.   Its nice to have the extra margin of weight capacity and also nice that the 7000 model is longer which helps with long cars and ease of getting the jack under the back.   I have had an extended cab full box truck on it.  For that I had to fully extend it.  Normally I have it on its minimum length and my 73 Eldo fits fine.

http://www.kwiklift.com/

Mine is the 7,000 pound model.   I have had it for I think 4 years now.   I got the 2 bridges and the dollies.  I think when I got mine it was about $2000 shipped.  Looks like it has gone up a little but still think its a good option.



 

[D Yaros]

KwikLift has been known to give a discount when multiple lifts are purchased at one time by club members. Worth investigating if a few of you feel this is the way to go in terms of a lift.

[516219]

It looks like a great set up.  Are you able to store the unit inside when you are not using it?  It looks like it can collapse down to around five or six feet long.  Can you move it by your self?

[EZ]

I bought a 6000 lb. hydraulic lift.  It will lift the car or truck 48" high or 56" inches with the truck frame adaptors.
I love it!!  It's great for oil changes, brake jobs, body work, etc.  I even use it to work on my motorcycle.  No more
laying on the ground for me!  My lift was only $1300.00 when I bought it.  I think now they are about $1500 or so.

Check it out..............http://www.eagleequip.com/product/PMR-6000-48.html

[73eldo]

A 2 post would be great but with the single car garage and a less than 7' ceiling where I am at now it just cant work.


I would have to go look but I think they are longer than 6 feet even when taken apart.  I am pretty sure they are less than 10 feet because that is how long the trailer was that I hauled them home from the freight depot.   I have never had it apart since I got it.  One time I extended it to work on the extended cab full box truck.  I used to lay it flat (usually on 2x4's for bolt clearance and make it easier to pick up again) and park on it that way.   Lately I have been leaving the front supports in and just parking on it at the angle.   The fronts are fairly easy to remove.  I can lift the ramp and have someone else pull the support but it is a bit heavy.   I move it myself all the time.   I bought the optional dollies.   I have not tried something like a Cadillac on the dollies but the mustang with no engine rolled around the garage just fine on them.   I usually just put the dollies in for moving it around.  I use my floor jack to raise the ramp and support far enough to slide the dollies under the front then just use the jack under the rear and push it out into the drive way.  I have blacktop driveway so I then use the jack to remove the dollies and set back down on a piece of plywood to prevent it from sinking into the surface.  Concrete would be nice..... someday.....

[73eldo]

I just looked at the link and see you have a scissor type lift.    I find myself working on things like removing transmissions, exhaust, fuel tanks /pumps and fuel and brake lines more than just doing things that require the tires to come off.    Isnt it sort of a pain to try and work under the car with all that framework?   Also the ones I have seen dont quite have enough options for lift points to cover all cars.   I helped a guy with project that has a similar looking unit and I was trying to imagine how it would work with my fleet.   Older cars had the possibility of really unique frame designs and the newer unibody stuff is even more wacky as to where you can lift on them.  At least with the 2 post you have the swing arms that can usually swing and extend to find 4 good spots.   I see it talks about radius arms?  Is that the same concept?  They dont seem to have much for pictures or other information.  The one I saw didnt have swinging arms you could only slide the pads around the frame and the front and back had to be in line with each other.

[bcroe]

A 2 post is the way to go.  Not really expensive; the problem is you need a lot of space, a 14' ceiling, and very good concrete. 
I had all when I moved here in 2004, lift ordered immediately.  Bruce Roe

[EZ]

There really isn't one lift that will work in all situations.  I guess that's why they make so many designs! 

You are correct about my small scissor lift, it is not made to do transmission work.  However I could get the car up in the air with the lift and then build supports
to hold the car up and then remove the lift to pull the transmission if I had to.  When I was considering which type of lift to buy I thought back about all the work
I've done on my cars and which type of lift would accomplish the biggest majority of those jobs.  I decided transmission removals were waaaaaay down on the list of things
I did the most often so I decided the scissor lift would help me accomplish the most. I do a lot of tire rotations, brake jobs, body work, paint jobs, etc. so this type of
lift was best for me.

 Mine is also somewhat portable. (it's heavy! but it rolls)  I can roll it out in the driveway and work on the car outside when I want or I can use it indoors.  My garage has 16' ceilings
so height is no problem.  However you could use this lift with 8' ceilings too you just couldn't lift the car the full 4' in the air.  Sometimes I'll lift it about 2 feet and then use a roll around chair
to sit in while I work on the car.  My back just doesn't last long if I have to crawl under a car and get back out over and over to get tools etc.

My lift does have support arms that are very adjustable.  I use it on my Jaguar and I've used it on a '66 Cadillac, and a Honda Accord and a 85 GMC pickup truck.  So from small to large
it works like a charm and always lets me put the support arms in the proper place to support the weight of the vehicle.

[TAILFIN JOE]

  Just watch what type of lifts you buy, some of the lifts are so cheaply made , some are now made in Vietnam , I have a an all- American made lift its a challenger made in 1990 7500 lbs capacity , my buddy has a china made lift rated at 12500 lbs and if you put them side by side you see how they skimp in build quality,  I know one guy in our car club that bought a lift cost 1300.00  , but while he was away with the car up in the air the lift collaslasped and he lost his 60,000.00  Packard, but not his life! . "THE SWEETNESS OF LOW PRICE IS SOON FORGOTTEN"

[73eldo]

I just loaned my trailer to a friend that bought a 2 post from a closed Chrysler dealer. 

Guess he got it for $300 and its 15 years old but the place has been closed for almost 5 years. 

Too bad for me he does not live closer.

[D Yaros]

I have to agree on watch what you are buying.  Ask yourself, "Just how confident am I that I am willing to routinely get under the raised car without fear?"

I went with a used Mohawk A-7 two post asymmetrical lift.  Made in the good ol' USA and warranted by the manufacturer for 5 yrs. when new.  My thinking was, if the manufacturer was willing to stand behind the lift for 5 yrs., I would be willing to stand under it!

In reading the msgs in this thread I note repeated references to raising the car 48".  Unless one is shorter than 4' tall, why spend all the money on a lift that will not permit you to work on the car while standing upright, is my thought?  Yes, I know the ceiling height problem.

 

[EZ]

Dave,
When buying a lift you have to make a choice on what you want it to do for you or more specifically what you want to do with it.  Each type of lift has an inherant flaw in it's design and will not work in all cases.  I bought the mid-rise scissor lift that will pick the car up 48-54" because it fit my needs the best in the most cases.  I do a lot of painting.  A two post lift would put two HUGE 10-12" wide posts right in the middle of the car.  This would make painting the car VERY difficult.  My lift has no posts at all so it is perfect for raising the car up so you can do as good of a job with your paint and body work on the bottom half of the car as you do on the top half.

Granted, my lift is no good for transmission work or for exhaust work where you need to STAND under the car but I can count on one hand the number of times I've put an exhaust system on my car but I've done brake work, rotated tires, done body work and paint work all my life.  I can raise my car up 48" and sit in my Mac Tools roll around chair and do some work under the car like suspension work or changing steering componants.

The best of all worlds would be to have at least TWO different kinds of lifts!!  Then you could do anything you wanted.  I have the same philosophy with motorcycles.  I have my big heavy road bike with the big windshield or fairing and hard saddle bags for road trips and then I have my custom bobber with the springer front end and ape hanger handlebars for local events.  Both bikes are great but the big bike is heavy and hard to back up a hill in a parking lot and the bobber with no front fender and no windshield is NOT the bike to hop on and ride from Georgia to Utah like I did on my big road bike.