Well, garage lift up here in St. Paul is becoming mandatory; can't park them outside like I do in Charleston. So please input your feelings on what companies you like, or have purchased your lift from. I'd be grateful for all posts.

TIA, S. Hubbard

 

I have a www.backyardbuddy.com and it works well. During my research, I found two types of lifts in general. They differ in the type of posts and how the locking system works in addition to a few other details. Check out the video at back yard buddies website for an overview of the differences. The "buddy" is not the only lift OEM that offers the solid posts and that type of lock, there are others.

The buddy does not have a center section, you purchase drip trays or a jack try separately if you need them. I have three drip trays, two on the engine end and one in the front for my P cars (they drip oil/fluids like an old English car.

I also got the aluminum ramps due to them being much lighter and casters so I could move the lift around.

Good luck.
Roy
http://www.lotussource.com/lspics/garage/9.jpg

 

KPV has one...check his sig and/or PM him...
DO a search on 'garage lift' too...

 

There are many types of lifts out there and in the end, the consumer needs to determine which one suits their needs best. I will offer my experience with respect to 4 post lifts for which I did more than my share of research. Tpup is correct about there being 2 types of 4 post lifts. The first type is the interior hoist type and the second type is the exterior hoist type.

The first type (interior hoist type) uses full height slots in each of the four columns. The cross members insert themselves into the interior of the columns and ride up and down within them. While this makes for a more compact and, arguably, more visually appealing structure, it seriously compromises the strength of the columns as compared to the exterior column hoist type. This necessitates bolting the columns to the floor. During my research, it is my opinion that the Revolution Lift provides the best quality & features/dollar for this type of lift.

The exterior hoist type incorporates larger steel sleeves that encircle the columns. This creates pseudo moment connections at these locations. Because of this, the columns and cross members act as a stable structure and do not need to be bolted to the floor. I had narrowed my search down to two manufacturers. The first was the Backyard Buddy that Tpup suggested and the second was K&W Lifts which I ended up purchasing. This is where it gets interesting. I am a structural engineer. When K&W's owner found that out, we decided to barter services. I performed a complete structural analysis of their lift to determine its load carrying capacity. I also reviewed the BB lift.

Without question, the K&W is a stronger lift. The biggest difference is the runways. The BB uses diamond (checker) plate welded to two angles. The K&W lift uses a 1/4" plate bent into a C shape. This is much more rigid and results in far less deflection as a result. You can also easily compare teh weight of their product compared to all others. You simply get more steel for your money.

Although their website is not much to look at, their product is first rate. http://www.kw-lifts.com If you go with them, speak to to Charlie (owner) and tell him Ken V. from NJ sent you. Here are several pictures of mine.

 

Just curious, what are the ceiling height requirements neccessary to use these lifts?

 

First off, awesome lift.

I was also wondering the same thing as Bob. What are your ceiling heights that you have there. Also what are the dimensions of the lift that you have ordered there and how did you figure out which one you wanted? Did you have to measure the Turbo or what else did you factor in?

 

What do you mean by its becoming mandatory?

 

I have a bend-pak 2-post lift. 2-post lifts are infinitely more conveinient than 4-post lifts while working on your car, especially on suspension work.

If you are using it for storage, go with a 4-post like ken's, if you are doing it for mechanical work, 2-post all the way. I can take shots if anyone is interersted.

 

I agree with ColorChange regarding the 2 post lifts. I have two sets of 2 post Bishamon lifts in the garage. They are much more adaptable to suit your needs the the 4 post. Plus they take up less room. Another thing to take into consideration is a lift with a chain versus a lift with a cable. The cables have been known to snap and break before, so make sure you get a lift with some safety latches. The chains are stronger but do cost more and also requite the safety latches. No matter what lift you decide to get, you will be happy with your purchase. It makes things so much easier whether you are working on a car or trying to get all the cars into the garage before the large winter storm. Good luck and please let us know how you make out.

 

Here are the dimensions of the buddy. I did take a look at my ramps based on Ken's post and he is correct about the ramps. Mine are "L" shaped with a piece of steel welded to it on each side. That is a good feature on the KW, however, I'm not really worried about it, the buddy is a 7K lb rated lift and I only store 1,700 - 3,500 lbs on it...

http://www.backyardbuddy.com/dimension.htm

For roof height, you need to height of the first car plus 2 to 4 inches, plus the ramp height (6 to 8 inches total). Then 2 inches above the car on the ramp. You do need to understand where the lift locks are as this will impact the height.

I also mounted my opener and garage door hardware as high as possible. I strongly suggest using a commercial spring (coil) as opposed to the pull springs that are common in homes (Georgia anyway...).

btw, I agree with the comments on 4 post vs 2 post. If you are getting a lift to work on a car, 2 post is much better imo. 4 post is great for me because I'm primarily interested in storage and basic maintenance...

Good luck.
Roy

 

I have the backyard buddy and I'm very happy with it. I do agree with the post about the garage door setup and springs. You can check out Ken's pics for help in the setup, they had to make custom tracks for mine but it works great. It's really handy for detailing the lower half of the car, you don't have to bend over or crawl on the ground just bring the car up to eye level.

 

I looked at them all. Read all the post here and in other forums. I eventually ended up with a Rotary Lift. Their consumer line is called "Revolution" and can be found here www.revolutionlifts.com
I can't say enough about this lift. It does everthing I need and then some. Rock solid and easy to use. I am 6' 0" tall and can walk under it without ducking my head.

 

To all: Thank you big time for all your replies.. It looks like you are all satisfied, and so I'm going to go ahead with it. Only problem I will have is that my ceiling (sheetrocked) in the garage is not quite 7 feet, and I'm hoping that above the sheetrock is enough space. I plan on putting the 911 under my Dino (246), anybody have the height of a Dino? Mine is down south so I can't measure it until I go down, and that won't be until March or so....

to JASCLASS:

What I meant by "mandatory" is that up here in MN it is mandatory for cars to be off the street in the winter,because of snow plow days, plus, even more important, the weather plays hell on cars stored outdoors!

Steve

 

I bet.

 

Tim,
I am interested. I would like to see your setup. Please post pics.