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Auto Hoist?

26K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Sanctifier 
#1 ·
:welcome: I'm at the stage that I'm ready for a 4 post hoist. Presently I'm using a 2 post assymetrical hoist and through the years have found certain things about it that I do not like, many of them trivial. Had an occasion to use a Bend Pak 4 poster and it was great just driving on and working underneath it. Can anyone recommend a good and reasonable 4 poster rated at about 7000lbs. and having an extended height? I'm 6'7" and find that many are rather short on the lift. I've checked the archives and they are a bit outdated.:confused:
 
#2 ·
I'm not sure what you consider reasonable, but doing an internet search for "car hoist", I came up with tons of them, regular and tall, all with redundant safety devices, some with videos, 7 to 12k capacity, for $2 to $3k. To me, $2k is reasonable for a portable lift. There are many standard height lifts shown for under $2k.
 
#3 ·
:D I agree with you, but I also found a lot that were questionable as to their safety features. :confused: Some were more expensive and had less features whereas others were cheaper, had more features and even copied some of the safety features in expensive ones, but were questionable as to construction. I don't want a hoist that is over kill, just something to lift my street rods (3500lbs) and yet be safe (must have the ANSI/ALI sticker). I have been leaning toward the BendPak or Dannmar. A lot of differences of opinion as to whether one hoist is better than the rest, but I just want an average down-the-middle road hoist. Many are advertising around the $2500 mark and yet you can't go by price as they all seem to be good except some have this and some have that. That's why I'm asking the forum for hands-on experience advice.
 
#5 · (Edited)
if you buy a 4 post, also buy a jacking platform to do suspension work.
bendpac has nice ones that will go to 82'' and one that will go to 120''
you pay extra for the height, but i can empathize with you on hoists not going high enough

the bendpac HD-9STX will run you just short of $3k shipped.


me? i have 8'' ceilings in my barn :( i work on my back on cardboard :rolleyes:
 
#7 ·
more advice on lift requested

I'm interested in reviving this discussion if anyone is still on board...
I've thought the 2 posters looked good...what are the drawbacks to that design? Is there any particular one that you would recommend staying away from, either 2 or 4? I'm limited to a 12' ceiling, but that should be adequate. Just want to try to get one that works well if I do invest in a lift...any advice is appreciated!
 
#8 ·
2-post vs 4-post -
2 post
The entire area under the car is accessible.
The lift has to be anchored to the floor, and may require the floor be reinforced to support the weight.
The car is always picked up by the frame, with the suspension hanging.
Care must be taken to determine placement of the lifting arms to keep the load balanced.
4 post
Ramps may restrict access to rocker areas.
The lift can remain portable - no anchoring required and many come with wheel sets - could be rolled outside if desired.
The lift picks up the car by its wheels, but jacking trays allow the car to be jacked up by the frame as well.
No arms to move, just drive on.
Can also be used for car storage (I suppose you could store a car on a 2 post, but don't know anybody that does).
 
#9 ·
:welcome:Had the 2 post and now have the 4 post. The problem with the 2 post in my situation was that I had a number of vehicles that I wanted to put onto the hoist ('32 Ford, '40 Chev, '42 Ford COE, '37 Pontiac) and I had trouble with every one of them. The 2 post arms have to be placed onto the frame and the wheelbase on a '32 is definately shorter than the rest in that the frame comes up in a sweeping motion. Try to have the front arms come and hit the frame the same time that the back did!! It was virtually impossible without using blocks to fill the void at the front. The '40 had the same problem in that the exhaust ran beneath the frame rail and so there was no room for the arms. The COE had a fairly straight frame, but because the COE has virtually no snout, you had to make sure it was far enough forward or back depending on where most of the weight was. Much of the time was spent making sure that the arms had to be in the proper position and that the vehicle had to be centered in the footprint of the hoist. That's why I sold the 2 post and got a Bend Pak. Now, no matter what I drive on it, as long as the wheels are on the ramps, the car goes up with no worries. My hoist is bolted down because I cannot see a person swinging the hoist out of the way and then bringing it back into its position. The posts have to be plumb in all directions and according to the instructions you have to adjust the locks so that they activate the same time. I've been trying to make my locks activate together and I still have a delay or can hear two of them activate within a sec of the other two. No biggee as it works great. Disadvantage of the 4 poster is that it occupies space and no matter where you put it or move it, it will still occupy space. That's why I bolt it down; being a little cautious as I know it's not going to move. Incidentally the '32 slipped off one of the arms on the 2 poster but stopped short because of the running board holding it up there. That's when I decided I had enough.:pain:
 
#10 ·
thanks for the feedback, guys! I really like the ease of use and versatility of the 4 poster, but can see me wanting to do wheel/brake/suspension work, and would really need to be able to support from the frame for that. if there is a model that allows that as an option, it would certainly be the best of both worlds.
Thanks again for the responses...hope all had a terrific Thanksgiving!!!
 
#11 ·
I have a 2 post assymetrical Rotary (USA Made) and a 4 post from Greg Smith Equipment Company (Made in China).

I personally prefer the 2 post. I have a '31 Model A, '27 Model T, '65 C10, '69 Camaro, '02 Tacoma and a '2010 Jeep Wrangler... they all work with the 2 post design. I will agree though that it takes a bit of time and effort to make sure the arms are located correctly.






And what I used before I had the lift:
 
#13 ·
hoists

I have a 2 post hoist. 10 K capacity since we have 5 trucks on the farm. Tax deductable. I have the underfloor kit. the cables and hoses run in a tray with a heavy metal cover. I have been thinking about adding an inverted u to better brace the posts, One truck weighs just under 10 K #. Mine has screw adjustable lift pads , and 4 inch extension blocks I also have extenders on all 4 arms so I can pick up a narrow frame T bucket. It's nice to have the full clearance under the car but a hassle when I was rewiring the 36 and the posts are in the way to open the doors. I thought a 40 X 120 ft shop would be large enough , the hoist is near the middle, the welders and torch,. drill press, grinder, are near the door since they get used the most. but with all the projects we end up with too much stuff in the way and have to move things to use the hoist. It should have had its own access side door. We are building a smaller retirement house with a 4 car garage and I will probably get a 4 post with wheels . and a flat-no slope driveway pad so it will be easy to roll outside if needed.
 
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