Two post lift researching

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hey guys,starting to do some research on two post lifts,again,the company All American Lifts has announced on their website that as of March 1st they will be shutting their doors from the struggling economy.Their two post lift was the one that I had intended to be buying,and had set-up my radiant floor tubing according to their measurements of the columns.Fortunately all the other lifts are somewhat in that same location,and I have room to adjust left and right without hitting my tubing.
I had bought the four post lift first,Prokar,from Gary Bloom sales in MA.He had them on display at a car show here in CT,and the way I like to buy something is seeing it in person to fully examine how it is built.Have seen a few of them and liked this one the best on how the locks went into the column,granted being (I'm assuming) a chinese lift.
I use this lift primarily for storing a car on top,oil change,simple stuff.After doing some searching I came up with probably ten or more makers of two post lifts,one that I never heard of was Forward Lift,and looks to be a USA made lift.And another one that fits my bill was Direct Lift(has a large baseplate footprint).
Either way,I would like to overkill it a bit and go with a 9K lb. lift,and with that,the heaviest thing ever to be on it would be maybe 4K lbs.Also,when I did my garage floor concrete,I had it alittle deeper for the radiant floor heat,but in that future spot of the two post lift it is around 8-9 inches thick,again going alittle overkill.
I'm looking for input as far as what do you have?Recommend?Have had good luck with?Do you use a certain model,likes/dislikes?And,I also plan on storing a car up on it as well as the four post lift,but with the four post lift it is just like it is sitting on the ground,but the two post,the suspension will be hanging.Is that not a good thing to do for long periods of time?
Thanks for any input,pics,etc.

[John_Kunkel]

And,I also plan on storing a car up on it as well as the four post lift,but with the four post lift it is just like it is sitting on the ground,but the two post,the suspension will be hanging. Is that not a good thing to do for long periods of time?

IMO storing on a 2-post is a no-no, use a 4-post for that. When stored the suspension should be at normal ride height for the best longevity.

For maintenance I prefer the 2-post; I have an Eagle 9000 lb. asymmetric, couldn't be happier.

[69 OUR/TEA]

And,I also plan on storing a car up on it as well as the four post lift,but with the four post lift it is just like it is sitting on the ground,but the two post,the suspension will be hanging. Is that not a good thing to do for long periods of time?

IMO storing on a 2-post is a no-no, use a 4-post for that. When stored the suspension should be at normal ride height for the best longevity.

For maintenance I prefer the 2-post; I have an Eagle 9000 lb. asymmetric, couldn't be happier.

It's funny that you say that,to me it's not so much the front,but the rear w/leaf springs hanging.I was thinking  if that were the case and a car would be up on the 2 post for awhile,using small ratchet straps to pull the rear back up,even just alittle.

[elacruze]

Our (their) shop has purchased 4 used Rotary brand 2 post lifts, two symmetrical and two asymmetrical. They were priced between $1500-$2500 each, installed but not wired. FWIW. Check locally, you may find some great bargains.

[no318]

I have used (and own) Rotary's and think highly of them. 

[gtx6970]

I bought a used Rotary 9000K last year for the princely sum of $1000

[John_Kunkel]

It's funny that you say that,to me it's not so much the front,but the rear w/leaf springs hanging.

All of the rubber bushings in the suspension twist inside their sleeves to allow movement, if the car is stored with the bushings twisted to the limit of their travel (which seldom happens in normal service) they will fail sooner.

[rattlehead_74]

Heres a link to the lift that i bought last year,its a two post (super symetrical) 9000 lb lift the super symetrical they claim allows it to be used symetricaly or asymetricaly not sure as i have only used it symetrically,,anyways,,for the money i really like this lift ,,ive used it to lift my 74 ford 4x4,and bro in laws 79 bronco,,and she didnt bat an eye,although the arms (rated at 2000 lbs a piece)did flex a little when picking these vehicles up ,but once up they were stable ,,one nice feature about it is the single point lock release ,,its cable driven on the control side ,,,That being said for being a foriegn made lift i believe it was worth it,,if i had the extra monies i would have chosen one of the better built ones ,but this one will do!

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,69766.0.html

[69 OUR/TEA]

Anyone know anything about these?? Seem pretty beefy,and USA made.

       http://www.worthequipment.com/2postlifts.htm

[Steve P.]

I was researching 2-post lifts a few years back and found MANY that I would not park a lawn mower on. you-tube has many videos on failing lifts... From what I was able to find then, the MOWHAWK lift was the best. If I ever get back into the money I will own one...

I figure I only have one life. If I die in a car I will be happy. Under a car might just be another story...  


http://www.mohawklifts.com/wp/consumer/browse-lifts/2-post-lifts/

[Domino]

I went with Danmarr 10k extra wide (symmetric because I need to back into the lift bay due to centered bay door and offset lift bay.)  Get the assemtric if you can pull nose in, then the columns will be closer to the rear wall and allow you extra door swing

As I understand it, Danmarr bought plans engineered by bendpak... it's actually their previous model, but where bendpak is 100% USA built, Danmarr's steel work is done overseas.  Danmarr's pump, motor, and I believe hyd cylinders are made in USA, same part #s as bendpak lift.  The new bendpak has a few design features that make it "better", like arms and safty locks. IMO, those features are not worth the price difference for hobby/weekend use.

BTW, I stood the columns up by hand.  If you can get them into your shop, it's not too bad to install yourself.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Domino,that is what I found out in my research and talking to lift distributors/installers,that the danmar is a copy of bendpak,but the reason for that is now they are made overseas(Bendpak),not in America,so they offer the same lift,different name,no ALI sticker approved rating.Not that it is a big deal,if you are a smart consumer,you know which lifts are the same maker and have 2-3 brands under their belt,and just offer them in diff colors,and names.Pretty much, there are 3 overseas makers of the imported(Chinese)lifts.But,the Bendpak does have an American made(SPX Fenner) power unit!  Just as now Rotary is overseas,and they have a lesser model now called "Revolution". Direct Lift,Revolution,and Forward are all exactly the same lift,made by Dover Corporation,Direct Lift is the one that is not certified,and therefore is $600-$700 cheaper.You'd be suprised if you dig hard enough on lifts,what you think is USA made,might not be.


              http://www.e-autolifts.com/Factory/ForumDialogue.html

[Domino]

On the Danmarr....
bad: one of my decals was damaged along with some paint scuffs during shipping. 
good: I touched up the paint and Danmarr sent me new decals ASAP. 

bad: The safety release hardware was a little crappy and needed minor customization
good: it's still working fine.

bad: The bleed screws on top of the cylinders sucked...the copper or brass washer/seal leaked pretty bad from burrs I suppose. 
good: Easy fix was some hard felt/gasket washers at the hardware store to replace the copper and haven't had any issues since.

[John_Kunkel]

I think that any lift that is certified by the American Lift Institute will do the job and be safe.

http://www.autolift.org/faq.htm

A lot of the "failures" you see are simple human error, nothing can be made foolproof.

[Steve P.]

I agree completely John.  The UTUBE VIDS I was referring to are put out by the American Lift Institute. The most compelling vid. was lifting steel plates and watching a lifting arm twist like a pretzel and dropping the plates. These plates are very flat and the locks were set. Just a lousy lift...  Saw first hand what a cheaply built lift did back home about 5 years ago. Was an AS lift and the long pass. side arm split dropping an S-10 on it's ass.... As luck would have it, the mechanic had just gone to answer the phone when he heard the crash... The locks were still set....  

Here's one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLUjq6ijvVc&feature=related

[twodko]

JK speaks the gospel. I'm just not comforatble with any 2 post lift, call me paranoid. With our quakes here Cali 2 post lifts are just not wise IMO. If/when I can afford a lift it'll be either a portable lift or a four post lift. A 4 post would be the ulimate lift for me but for what I need to do a portable lift would be fine. 

[69 OUR/TEA]

JK speaks the gospel. I'm just not comforatble with any 2 post lift, call me paranoid. With our quakes here Cali 2 post lifts are just not wise IMO. If/when I can afford a lift it'll be either a portable lift or a four post lift. A 4 post would be the ulimate lift for me but for what I need to do a portable lift would be fine. 

I do like my 4 post lift alot,quicker to get on/off,especially for just an oil change,but I think it would be foolish to buy another one and have two,so thats why I am going with a 2 post.Now you can bring up a car/truck and do brakes,or just about anything you need to do with the tires off.

[twodko]

I hear ya. The whole idea of a lift is moot for me in this dismal economy. 

Which of youse guys live here in NorCal so I can use your lift? 

[ccr-host]

Bendpak has been sponsoring our show for years. Every shop we work with gets one to keep. Never a complaint from any of them. Plus, Bendpak services them on request (yes, they charge for it).

[nvrbdn]

i know the convience and ease of being able to get to everything from the 2 post lift is there, but for some reason i just dont feel totaly safe around them. love my 4 post, just a little harder to work in brakes or front end

[69 OUR/TEA]

I feel the opposite of you,to park a car on the runways of a four post I feel fine,but as far as lifting them off the runways to remove tires,don't like it,and won't do it.I think some have their cars fall that way,don't remember what happened,using wrong type of jack,shook the car to hard,etc,but even with the correct sliding jack assembly they sell for it,not for me.If you want to take front or rear tires off and do brake jobs,whatever,a two post is the way to go.
As far as a two post being stable with the load on it,that's up to you to put it on the lift at the right balance  point.A two post should have the weight equally distributed so that the weight/pressure is going straight down,basically to the base plates.IMO

[John_Kunkel]

I'm just not comforatble with any 2 post lift, call me paranoid. With our quakes here Cali 2 post lifts are just not wise IMO.

I dunno, this one survived a hurricane....the building around it didn't.

[69 OUR/TEA]

I'm just not comforatble with any 2 post lift, call me paranoid. With our quakes here Cali 2 post lifts are just not wise IMO.

I dunno, this one survived a hurricane....the building around it didn't.

Wish you could zoom in on what brand lift it was !!! LOL

[PocketThunder]

As far as drilling holes in the concrete for new post bolt locations, my Dad just did this with his show floor where he was putting in two new lifts.  He does volunteer work for the local Fire Dept and they got the heat sensor gun and cranked up the heat on the floor and then the shot the floor with the heat sensor gun.  The lines of the tubing were easy to find and they marked them out with a sharpie.  Then drilled the holes for the lifts.

Paul

[69 OUR/TEA]

As far as drilling holes in the concrete for new post bolt locations, my Dad just did this with his show floor where he was putting in two new lifts.  He does volunteer work for the local Fire Dept and they got the heat sensor gun and cranked up the heat on the floor and then the shot the floor with the heat sensor gun.  The lines of the tubing were easy to find and they marked them out with a sharpie.  Then drilled the holes for the lifts.

Paul

I already know where my pex lines are,and the location of areas where I diverted the tubing around where columns will sit, took pictures and measurements before they poured the floor.My whole floor is 6'' thick,but the area where the two post lift would be I dug down deeper and made it around 8-9'' thick for extra safety,although 4'' minimum is what just about every lift calls for.

[twodko]

I'm just not comforatble with any 2 post lift, call me paranoid. With our quakes here Cali 2 post lifts are just not wise IMO.

I dunno, this one survived a hurricane....the building around it didn't.

Wow! That's one hell of a picture. As the saying goes...Don't mess with Mother Nature!

[69 OUR/TEA]

After much research on 2 post lifts of which one fits my criteria,I ended up going with the Benpak XPR-9FS.Talk about fast shipping,all the way from CA to CT,it left there on Tues,and arrived here on Friday.
Had to wait till Sunday to install it. What a straight forward installation it is with these.More was pre-assembled than the instructions said,so it went alittle quicker than expected.
Everything went together perfectly,my floor was poured in the location of the lifts to be level without pitch,and to my suprise,the power column sat perfectly,both ways,so no shims were needed.The opposite side column was leaning toward the back wall alittle and required me to put in 2 shims on that front edge,and one coming around the side.In and out of the columns were perfect,and once I had the carraiges locked at the 28'' mark,and put on the arms,swung them in to check again for level,it was exactly in the bubble,so the guys that poured my floor did a great job IMO.The floor was poured 7 years ago now,so it had plenty of time to settle out if needed.
Wiring it,I had already left in the ceiling years ago when I built the addition/garage for a two post lift,a 10-3 wire to a 30amp breaker in the panel,so was just a matter of cutting open the ceiling,removing the wire,and patching it back up.I also decided to put in a disconnect box right above the motor to have quick access to kill the power to the lift just in case,NTM,turn it off and lock it out so there is no chance of anyone ever messing with it.
The fluid they recommend was either 10wt Hyd fluid or Dextron III ATF,I went with the 10 wt Hyd fluid,came in 5 gal,and good thing as the instructions say 12 qts.,it took just over 4 gallons and is still alittle lower than the dipstick on the plug .That also went well,so far not a one leak!!I tried it out with my P.O.S Nissan just in case,LOL!
Here are a couple pics

[Steve P.]

Very good!!! What is your ceiling height??

[69 OUR/TEA]

Exactly 10'.Which is pretty much min for doing lifts to store one on top.There is 6'' above the RR,with the Charger underneath,but man does it just miss.Roof of my Charger is 55 1/2'',bottom of crossbar of the four post is 55 3/4''.To go to next lock up,another 4 1/4'' which puts the roof of the car on top real close to the ceiling.Ideal locking height/point would be 57-58'' on a four post(bot of runway).There actually is more room parking under a two post,even with the suspension hanging down,you don't have the cross bar to contend with and ntm the two post locks in 3'' intervals,so you can get it closer to the ceiling.

[472 R/T SE]

Oh how I wish I had a lift.  One consolation is several of my friends have them.

Nice pad 69.

One of said friends has a new shop built after this.  He said if "Challenger" lifts can handle a roof caving in, his new one was gonna be the same brand.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Oh wow!!!Thats not a pretty site!!!!!!

[defiance]

OW, that poor 3rd gen

I'm using a maxjax and I'm really happy with it.  I've got 8ft ceilings, and quite conveniently, the top safety lock point puts the roof about 2" from the celing rafters   Had to switch to recessed lights, though

[Steve P.]

I would ask a this question. If you could get a mediocre paint job for $2000 or a great paint job for $3000 which paint job do you go with? I ask this because I know most of us would hold out for the GREAT paint job. That being said, why not hold out for a great lift. After all, the PAINT is not holding your life or the life of others in their hands. The LIFT IS!!!!


Again this is just my .02 .....