What lift do you recommend?

[flyinlow]

I was thinking about  greg Smith 2 post lift. I screwed up when I built the garage ,it's only 10 feet tall inside. Should of gone 12. Floor is 4-5 inches thick with wire mesh over 6 inches of gravel. They make a model that is 9'3" tall that looks like it would work. Recommendations?  

[Cooter]

I like Rotary Lifts, as we use 'em at work and one has been there for over 10 years and still going strong.....

I also like the SYMETRICAL lift, as opposed to the ASYMETRICAL lift...
Sym. means the arms swing from each end to the center..Asym. means they both swing from the rear to the front...

[no318]

I like Rotary Lifts, as we use 'em at work and one has been there for over 10 years and still going strong.....

I also like the SYMETRICAL lift, as opposed to the ASYMETRICAL lift...
Sym. means the arms swing from each end to the center..Asym. means they both swing from the rear to the front...

I couldn't have said it better myself, Cooter.  Rotary is super bang for the buck.  Reliable, strong, easy to service.  My personal one is symmetrical as well.  Asymetrical is good for front wheel drive cars, and where space is a concern, but I prefer symmetrical for RWD cars and pickups which is primarily what I use mine for at home.

[69 OUR/TEA]

When I built my addition,a 2 story,garage w/living space above had the original house 2nd floor lining up with the new addition second floor had set the final height in the garage below.Luckily it came out to the minimum for lifts at 10'.With that I wanted a four post and a two post,bought the four post already and at 10' ceiling you have to be carefull you don't send it up into the ceiling.
For your 2 post lift research,check out allamericanlifts.com as that is the one I have decided to go with.It is low at 9'-3'',made in america,and priced accordingly,NTM when I put the radiant heat tubing in my floor,that is the lift that I ran my tubing around for the layout of the footprints of the columns of the lift.
If you are planning to park underneath a car on the lift,10' might be close as the rear hanging down of the car on top might be to close for comfort of driving one under.On my four post the top car comes within 2 inches of the ceiling to get on a lock to get a car under the runways,but the cars suspension is sitting not hanging.Also,the top car better not be leaking anything!!!!!

[flyinlow]

Rotary?

[Cooter]

You should Always strive for at LEAST 12' clearance..Sooner or later, you WILL raise that car up with the trunk or hood UP and it isn't pretty what a ceiling and car looks like afterwards...How do I know this? Had to REDO a friends car for this very reason....

[NorwayCharger]

I recomend this Company
http://www.stenhoj.dk/Autolift/forside/menu/lift.htm

Top quality have had one for 10 years, no problem.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

A friend has a similar problem in his shop with a 10 ft ceiling... he is thinking about getting this lift:

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/

[no318]

Rotary?

http://www.rotary-lift.com/

[rt green]

what do you think that maxjax runs?

[xs29j8Bullitt]

what do you think that maxjax runs?

My friend said the cost is about $2000...

[maxwellwedge]

I have a symmetric and an asymmetric - I find I can open the doors a lot more with the asymmetric. I have to really squeeze to get into the car with the symmetric.

Whatever you go with make sure it is ALI certified.

[flyinlow]

Thanks for the input.

I am looking at notching the ceiling up to 12 feet . Would require cutting six trusses and alot of reinforcing ,but would give me alot more choices.

[hemigeno]

I installed a Challenger Versymmetric lift - kinda the best of both worlds between symmetric and asymmetric styles. 

http://www.challengerlifts.com/versymmetrictech.shtml

Your current headroom limitation will make it hard to safely raise a car high enough to work on.  I'd also have a structural engineer or the original wood truss manufacturer help out with making modifications to that bottom truss chord before dragging out the recip saw.  Possible to do, of course, but perhaps not adviseable without help from someone with initials after their name (P.E.).

[flyinlow]

The garage is 28 wide 48 deep. 5/12 trusses 2ft. oc. Thought about putting 2x6's next to the upper 2x4 of the truss as in a stick built roof. the trusses I would cut would be toward the center of the garage. Nothing but insulation and very light weight storage above the dry wall ceiling.

My son is a senior in mechanical engineering , maybe I should get some of my moneys worth out of him.