Anybody got a hoist in the garage?

Wayslow wrote: I have a two post hoist in my shop. I'm fortunate to have the space, a 12' ceiling and an 8" 3000psi concrete slab. I really suggest you search for a used commercial grade hoist rather than looking at buying a new unit for $2,000. I looked at a selection of the hoists available for home use and I ended up picking up a used unit from a body shop that was in the process of moving to a smaller shop. As a bonus I paid $500 for it.

This pic is also a perfect example of why a 2-post can work for some but not others. Wayslow has a wide shop area, so he can put the lift in the middle of the space and still be able to easily walk around it. Even in the wider bay of my g/f's garage, the right post would be partially in the other bay and make parking difficult.

Five minutes ago, I cleaned up my garage enough to get the GT6 and my TDi inside for pending snow. It's tight as hell. Only the 2*12's under the TDi give any indication there's a lift in the garage as well.

Ian F wrote:

Wayslow wrote: I have a two post hoist in my shop. I'm fortunate to have the space, a 12' ceiling and an 8" 3000psi concrete slab. I really suggest you search for a used commercial grade hoist rather than looking at buying a new unit for $2,000. I looked at a selection of the hoists available for home use and I ended up picking up a used unit from a body shop that was in the process of moving to a smaller shop. As a bonus I paid $500 for it.

This pic is also a perfect example of why a 2-post can work for some but not others. Wayslow has a wide shop area, so he can put the lift in the middle of the space and still be able to easily walk around it. Even in the wider bay of my g/f's garage, the right post would be partially in the other bay and make parking difficult. Five minutes ago, I cleaned up my garage enough to get the GT6 and my TDi inside for pending snow. It's tight as hell. Only the 2*12's under the TDi give any indication there's a lift in the garage as well.

I have to agree with this point. It doesn't show very well in this picture but my Europa is actually sitting about 5' or so from the wall. The hoist sits right in front of my main door so that I can have a project on either side of it and still use the hoist to work on my DD when needed. I also have an attached two car garage but it stll contains my toys.

Yeah, see. I think that's my problem. I was eyeballing today. If I were to use a twin post and I put one post 12" from the wall, that would put that side of the car what, 24" from said wall? I could get myself in there, but forget about a pry bar, pulling an axle shaft (solid axle), or other stuff. Now, with the post 12" from that wall, the other post would end up in the middle of the garage, making for lots and lots of door dings as my kids open the doors. I really want a twin post, but I think I'd have a one-bay shop in the end.

Go onto that site I linked earlier. There are installed dimensions for the lifts and you can figure out exactly where the posts would go in your garage. IIRC, the posts are about 12' on center apart.

In the end, there are no right or wrong answers. It's just that some lifts work better in some spaces than others.

I'll say one thing... waxing my cars with the doors at chest level is a luxury my back has learned to love and the scissor lift does this better than anything else but an in-ground post lift.

Yeah, when the temps soar into the double-digits in a few days, I'll go back out to the garage. Actual temp is -1 right now. That should be illegal.
Now I sure wish I'd have hooked up that 104,000 btu furnace I have

12" from wall is too close.

SVreX wrote: 12" from wall is too close.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Anything more and the other post it doing to be dead-center in the garage. So, unless I want to put the hoist in the very center of the garage, it's going to have to be either a portable, or sizzor lift.

I have a two-post and a scissor lift. If I only had one, I'd have the scissor. As your original post says, the two post really does make a two stall into a one stall. It's great for when you need to be completely under the car, but otherwise you're dealing with doors/posts and jumping over the arms. The scissors is completely portable, not in your way, gets the car high enough for everything but true underbody work like exhaust. It can also be used as a variable height table (some are open, just add a top when you need it.). Except for really low or really narrow cars, it's easy to drive on and park over.

--Carl

I have just gone thorugh this whole buying-a-lift process, and here is what I ended up with. I bought an Atlas TD6MR scissor lift after sonsidering several other models, including the MaxJax mentioned on Page 1 of this thread. I somewhat wish that I had bought the MaxJax, but I only paid $1000 for this (very gently used) on craigslist.

I needed ramps because I want to be able to park over top of my Atlas TD6MR on a daily basis and my WRX is too low (despite only being 1/2" lower than stock) to clear the hydraulic assembly. I wanted wide ramps that would fit multiple vehicles, and I wanted them to be movable fo rtimes when I need a clear floor (or for when I am going to lift something taller like my truck).

I measured the wheelbase of pretty much every car that MIGHT park on the ramps and decided on a 10' length, though I could easily add an additional 1-2 feet to the front whether temporary or permanent) with almost no effort, should I need longer ramps for another vehicle.

All assembled, before use:

From about 8' off of the floor:

Car on the ramp:

A couple "in-use" pictures:

^^^^^^^^^^^^ And the lift goes MUCH higher- I had it up only to test function.

This thread is giving me crafty ideas. It may be time to surprise the wife again

oh man, now I want a scissor lift

In reply to phenryiv1:

That's basically the same as my lift and my ramps are similar as well. Two 2x12's stacked with an offset split in the middle for easier storage (when the lift was at my g/f's garage, it would get stored in a corner when not in use). I also move the front half of the ramps onto the back sections when I want more clear floor space for things like a trans jack.

Your ramps are wider, though, which I would be nice at times. I'm forever having the remember (guess) where to put the ramps so they line up with the width of my cars.

Other tasks made easier or more comfortable with the scissor lift: anything in the interior. Instead of being hunched and twisted over to work under the dash, it's much nicer when the floor of the car is waist high.

Adds to wishlist.

What about the dreaded Harbor Fight! for a cheaper Scissor lift option. http://www.harborfreight.com/6000-lb-capacity-scissor-lift-with-hydraulic-pump-46604.html $960

phenryiv1 wrote: ^^^^^^^^^^^^ And the lift goes MUCH higher- I had it up only to test function.

what is the maximum lift height?

Adrian_Thompson wrote: What about the dreaded Harbor Fight! for a cheaper Scissor lift option. http://www.harborfreight.com/6000-lb-capacity-scissor-lift-with-hydraulic-pump-46604.html $960

Everybody knows Harbor Freight stuff means instant death!

In reply to fasted58:

My BendPak lifts 48", which is fine since that's about all my garage has the height for. The H-F version says 39". I will say the H-F version has a feature I'd like to have - the remote safety catch release.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35433

and

god of garages and handsome men:

http://12-gaugegarage.com/blog-14/index.html

Ian F wrote: In reply to fasted58: My BendPak lifts 48", which is fine since that's about all my garage has the height for. The H-F version says 39". I will say the H-F version has a feature I'd like to have - the remote safety catch release.

I could deal better w/ 48" than jack stands and crawling, too old for that E36 M3.

Good to know, have a future garage build coming up and as previously noted 2 posters are floor space hogs.

thnx

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

read the fine print on the delivery charges $90, read the reviews, says the trucking company charges their own fee too, prolly $100+...

Honestly if the lift doesn't go high enough to walk upright under the car than I'd rather lay on my back with jackstands-no way I want to kneel or contort under something only 4 feet high.I'm a carpenter and spent enough time in crawlspaces 3 or 4 feet high to know it sucks doing ANYTHING.

kevlarcorolla wrote: Honestly if the lift doesn't go high enough to walk upright under the car than I'd rather lay on my back with jackstands-no way I want to kneel or contort under something only 4 feet high.I'm a carpenter and spent enough time in crawlspaces 3 or 4 feet high to know it sucks doing ANYTHING.

I agree. That is just high enough that you can't reach anything. And you have the lift in the way, too. No, thanks.

My dad has a 2 post in his garage. It has been narrowed to allow for more parking and walk around space. The height was somewhat of an issue. The first time up made some little indents in his 14' ceiling that ended up cracking the drywall. He eventually had someone make some boxes for the posts to poke into the attic at full lift. He also had to have the garage door moved, which required a stronger electric opener. He also had to run some new electrical to the garage to power the thing.

In the end, its great and has made me hate using jacks and being on my back. I'm still trying to figure out what I can do in my garage with its significantly lower ceiling. I had been interested in the portable lift, but seeing the ramps and the scissor lift now have me leaning that way.

It should be noted that having a lift will lead you to buy other stuff, like a drain pan to use with the lift and some of those cool jack stands to use way up in the air for holding stuff up for you. This is only the beginning of the slippery slope though if you don't already have: a big compressor and air tools, a welder, lots of cutting tools, lots of work lights and a service cart.

kevlarcorolla wrote: Honestly if the lift doesn't go high enough to walk upright under the car than I'd rather lay on my back with jackstands-no way I want to kneel or contort under something only 4 feet high.I'm a carpenter and spent enough time in crawlspaces 3 or 4 feet high to know it sucks doing ANYTHING.

It makes suspension and brakes work easier. I used to lift cars 12 inches or so when I was still in the shop to make underhood stuff easier on the old back. YMMV