Slanted Community,

I am looking at installing a lift in my garage and would be interested in your feedback. I have a 13' ceiling in a 22X20' area to work with, but want plenty of space around the lift to work. I plan to store a car on the lift part of the time and put another car under it.

This is the one I am considering most highly:

Bendpak HD-9STX

Experiences with particular lifts? 2 post vs. 4 post preferences or pros/cons?

James L recommended Bendpak as a reliable and quality brand, which is why I'm looking at those mostly.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Hey Lou if I got a lift that had 4 posts, that just gives me 4 more things to run into!

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Lou, a drive on 4 post works well for storing cars and doing some under car work, but a 2 post frame style lift gives more flexibility to work under the car.

Yes, I have experience with both.

http://www.litchfieldtraders.com/BendPak%20HD-9-STX.htm

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Thanks, guys. I am thinking a 4 post would be nice since I can move it around and try different configurations of the garage. I agree the 2 post may be more flexible. Hmmm.

Welcoming other thoughts...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

You know I've never owned a lift, but a friend of mine who owns a shop in Floyd speaks highly of both Bendpak and Rotary lifts. Bendpack as best value for money (and good quality), but IIRC he uses all Rotary 2 post units at his place and swears by them. Last I heard they run about $3k delivered, and are super easy to install, but obviously pricier than Bendpak.

Edit: Here's what I'm talking about: http://www.rotarylift.com/templateProduct.aspx?id=732

Don't forget that on a four post lift, all four wheels are still on the rails, and you will still need a jack to do things like tire rotation or brake work. A 13' ceiling is tall, but with the thickness of the rails and the fact that you need to lock the thing in place without driving your car through the ceiling, I doubt you will be able to raise the car more than 5' 5"- more than enough to work on the car, but not enough to store a car up there without having to duck all the time. For storage the four post lift can't be beat.
How heavy is the stuff you want to lift? My cheapo lift is rated for 8,000 pounds, but there is no way I would put even half of that weight up there and work under it. You get what you pay for. So I have never tested the lift with anything near the rated limit but feel confident that it can handle the little Valiant I usually have on it. Mine is free-standing, but very stable- it took the VA earthquake this year (with a Valiant up there) with no problems, and I often grab a rail and do a set of pull ups, or lower the car by a few feet and strap a motorcycle underneath, then raise it to change bike tires..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlK7j9oqsDw

That's a video that I took two years ago of my Direct Lift Pro Park 8 Plus. I rented a U-haul trailer, picked it up from the Delaware warehouse and brought it to my home in the Washington, DC area. I have a narrow, one car garage but the ceiling is a tall (14') , so I got the 8+ because it is narrower than the larger models but I can crank up the height to the point that anyone 6' tall can walk under it without knocking themselves out. I recently used it to lift a small boat off a trailer so I could work on the trailer. I mounted lights on the underside of the hollow runway. The safety lock mechanism could be better; even with the unit properly leveled, you must carefully lower it slowly to make sure that it engages into all four posts. It was a great value for the money, but if I used it for often, for heavier loads, I'd go for something fancier.

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Never seen a Valiant I didn't like!

I've used 2-post, 4-post, scissor, & parallelogram lifts. If you want to have the best access to underchassis & wheels, 2-post is the way to go.

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63 Valiant Wagon
225 - 4 bbl

One of each.............

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

There is more room opening doors and for getting in and out of cars both on the lift, and beside the lift with a 4 poster. I have made my mind up,(for now). A four post lift it is for me. My wife is on board, and I have already saved half the money. I am done getting down on my hands and knees and crawling under cars.

One potential down side: I expect to be a little bit like the lottery winner with a bunch of new friends. I am not sure how I feel about that angle of it. I have always been the local car guy who helped non car guy friends and relatives. But with a lift I may end up with new "car-guy" friends too.

Sam

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I am thinking Ed has the best plan so far.

I just plunged in and ordered the Bendpak HD-9ST (narrow, normal rise, 9000lbs cap). If I don't like it in back of the garage, it is small enough to move to one side of the front of the garage and put a 2-post in the back.

Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback!

Should be fun...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Cool! Can I come change my oil?

Sam

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No problem. Don't you know I just bought this so you'd come and visit??

Should be here in ~ 2 weeks...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

What dealer did you order from?

Sam

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bestbuyautoequipment.com

We'll see how they do...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988