Storage lift redux

[Ghoste]

I know we have discussed lifts and hoists on here a few times in years past but I'm curious as to opinions regarding those storage lifts.  Not the ones designed with working under a car in mind but more the ones dedicated to storing cars.  Is there a difference?  Price range, space required, good/bad expereinces?

[69 OUR/TEA]

To answer your question quickly,all the ones you see for the 1,850-2,200 or so,check the diff names,and you will see they are all the same dimensions,BECAUSE they are all the same lif ie" Prokar,Eagle,Classsic,Auto Lifts,etc,etc,"made in the same overseas factory,supplied to diff vendors here htat order them with their own signature name on it.
The Bend Pak is a stand alone company that makes only for themselves.But,their 4 post storage lifts are 220 volt and require air to operate them for the locking mechanism.
Danmar is basically Bend Pak,they buy all their old prints"lifts" when Bend Pak stops issueing that particular model.
Backyard Buddy,IMO,is very overpriced and can't stand their selling technique,they try to scare you and show you pics of collapsed lifts that bascially fell from user error,not a lift actually breaking.
With that,I have a four post older model Prokar for storage,works great.And have a two post Bend Pak that is also great.
The new four post design have changed the locking system from what mine is,extra catch system built in.I recently got a price from Prokar for a friend who wants one and wants me to set it up for him,$1,850 + $368 shipping to a truck terminal.

For room to store a car on top that is no more than 56'' and same for the one on the bottom,you need minimum of 10' ceiling height(like mine),man is it close !!!! If you have 10'-6'' or more,that is totally comfortable height,IMO.
Hope this helps,I did a huge amount of research before I bought either of mine.Also,go to the forum Garagejournal,great stuff over there,you will see some of our members there to,Oldmoparz to name one.

[maxwellwedge]

Most are off-shore now - make sure they are Automotive Lift Institute
(ALI) certified at the minimum.

[Ghoste]

That helps.  This would be in a warehouse so height isn't so much an issue.  Need one large enough to hold a Duesenberg Model J but priced for a used Civic.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Backyard Buddy, Heartland Lifts, and MidAmLifts are all a "better" design, in my opinion. And not made in China 

[Paul G]

Just checked my garage. I have 9'4" floor to ceiling. Guess a 4 post is out of the question for me.

[Ghoste]

What makes those 3 better XS29?

[1970Moparmann]

This is some good information on this link to look for in a lift.   This is the Back Yard Buddy style.

http://www.backyardbuddy.com/side-by-side-comparison/


My garage is low, so I plan on going with a scissors lift hopefully next year.   You can move them and they get the car high enough in my opinion.

[Old Moparz]

The two, 4 post Bendpaks I have a great for storage, & not too bad for working underneath. The 4 post model may not be the best in clearance for certain repairs, like brake jobs, but for what I do they are generally fine. Mine were purchased in late 2004 if I recall, & have never given me any trouble. I have the sheet metal drip trays, 3 for each lift, but 4 would be better. They are the 110v models & only use the compressed air to release the safety locks when you lower them.

I just read on the Garage Journal site that someone who recently bought a Bendpak had some issues with the casters. The problem they posted was that the rubber tire portion had flattened out under the weight of a car so that he couldn't roll the lift. The photo he posted showed a very different caster from what I have for mine. I have a set of casters that roll perfect with a car on it, so they must have changed suppliers, or changed the casters with a crappier one to save money.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Do yourself a favor and go join Garagejournal,and do a search,tons of threads on all different lift brands.Chinese or American made lifts,most accidents are from user error.
I personally had a conversation with the VP of Bendpak,most of your lifts out there WILL pass for the certification,then the extra cost of getting it certified gets passed on to you.
My two post BP,shares the exact columns with another BP model that is certified,but because mine is a narrower version,with a diff part number,it is not one of them that is certified.NTM,they just not have got it done yet.
Thousands upon thousands of all these American lifts and Chinese lifts are out there now,can't say I have ever heard anything fatal with any of them.
IMO,if I knew I had a vehicle that weighed 9K lbs,I would not be using a 9K lb lift,I'd have a 12k lb.
My four post is rated @ 7k,and my two is a 9k,neither of them flinch when I pick up my cars that are under 4k lbs.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Scary design...

A better design (IMO) are
Backyard Buddy, Heartland, and MidAmLifts all use a design which "sleeves" ride the post vs. in a channel  

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91523

[69 OUR/TEA]

First,I am not trying to endorse anyones lift in any way,with that said,its funny how that picture of the vette that fell is 7,8,10 years old now and has been dragged around.Where are all the other lift collapses??And NTM,that "IS" the one that Backyard Buddy uses to slam their competition,and scare you into buying their $5k lift.
Also,the lift in the collapse photo,absolutely a shiity design,flimsy columns,etc.Read deep about what happened to that lift,a bolt backed out and caused that to happen.You would be a fool to not even perform routine maintenence checks on your best of lifts out there!!!!
A friend of mine has an All American Lifts,4 post that had plastic pulleys,and yes one of them did shatter!!!!They made him pay for and buy the updated steel replacements,hence,why they are out of business now.
My Prokar has STEEL pulleys it,and the columns are very beefy,and the lock levers are in side a channel where they cannot fall or move out of,that is why I went with that one,I got to see and inspect it in person first and liked how it all looked.
And as I said,they have redesigned them even further now for safety backup.
Buying a Backyard buddy or any of the others mentioned might be out of someones budget,where the others would be just fine.

I still am a beleiver that most of the incidents you are going to dig up and find,are going to be user error!

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

I still am a beleiver that most of the incidents you are going to dig up and find,are going to be user error!

Might be an old picture and user error may have played a part in trying to force the lift however, the lifts I cited cannot be forced to "kick" out like the one in the pic.

For me, that extra insurance is worth more than a bunch of regrets