sidwin

paper recycle places will weigh the car usually for free or $5.

i can promise you unless your car has lead plates i would say your car can't be more than 5000 pounds. funny story, i built a new house and had the garage put in with 11 ft ceilings. I get wall mount garage door opener to get rid of the center rail. I get checkered board tiles to install in the garage. I get the cement poured to 5 inches thick. I drill and install the lift using chemical anchors. i finally get a chance to lift the sequoia up in the air. i get up 51 inches no problems. scary part is seeing it go down because you can see the arms bounce when you stop too fast. the car comes down rear driver tire hits the ground first and with 5800 pounds it actually pushes the tiles apart.

i've lifted mini vans, supra, viper, ducati, never had a problem.

estrellajon

That's messed up! Hahahaha

Ibanezgod

I need to get one of these jacks, i am always worried they are going to collapse though.

Igooz

I have wasted a lot of time researching this stuff...lots of boring fligths and sleepless nights overseas. I am putting in a new shop ~4,000 sq.ft. and I have 1 two post, and 2 two posts (all 3 Dover products), and will put in an infloor BendPak MD-6XP scissor lift is what will be going in my shop. IMO - good one.

GL to OP

therock88

Yes...I am trying to change the clutch etc...Not having the most fun, but it is coming along...Broke off all but one exhaust flange bolt (5 of 6) so will have to deal with them when I am done.

Take care,
DC

earossi

The ideal lift, in my opinion is a two poster. But, you'll need at least 12 feet of vertical room to use one effectively.

I've owned both a four poster and a two poster. There are two problems that I encountered with the four poster. The first is that the ramps on these lifts are relatively steep and the nose of my cars usually scrapes on the ramp when loading the car. My car has about 5 inches of vertical room under the bumper.

The second problem with a four poster is access to the car for wrenching. Working on the underside of the engine in a 911, you are working between the two ramps which makes it awkward if you want to work on....say, the mufflers. And, since the car sits on the ramps, you do not have good access to the tires and suspension,

You can not drop a 911 engine down between the ramps on most of the four posters. I have to remove the mufflers to make the powertrain package narrow enough to fit through the the two ramps.

A two poster is great for access to anywhere on the car. It's only issue is setting the lift arms properly everytime you lift a car. Requires that you get down on your knees and position the lift pads correctly.

I purchased a Rotary lift for my garage because it was more narrow than most of the units out there, and I was limited on floor space in my garage.

atcbi5

I have a maxjax and use it all the time. When I finish I simply unbolt and role to a corner of the garage.
What I like is its storage capabilities.
You simply just put it away and it's out of the way.
What I dislike, you have to bleed the system every time. Once the lift hydraulic lines are removed, air gets trapped. This causes an uneven lift. I figured it out after a couple of uses. Takes me about 15 minutes to setup.
I have used it for everything from simple oil change, to a complete engine removal. It's paid itself off several times over. Purchased at Costco for $2200 including delivery.

azzurri

Can anyone give a recommendation of the type of air supply that is needed for using the Bendpak models? I have tried speaking with the assistants there with not as much detail that I was hoping in return. I understand you need to get a separate air compressor. If this is only used for a model like the HD-9, where do most people get it? I have been told anecdotally that simple ones at local big box stores may suffice. I know others have said that is no good. Maybe those are considering it insufficient for all purpose air. But in my case, just looking for the minimum needed to operate the lift/unlock the mechanism etc.

What types is everyone using for this?

C2 Turbo

I am not sure If i got your question right or not, but to my understanding you don't need an air compressor to operate a lift. Most lifts are hydraulics operated and need a 220 V, 30 amp designated circuit.

Quick question for those who use their 2 post lifts for their sports cars especially the lowered ones, what's the maximum height of the lifting pad needs to be in order to not have any issues with lowered cars?

Thanks

earossi

My 4 post lift was a Bend Pak HD-9. Air is not required to operate the lift, which uses the usual hydraulically operated ram typical of these types of lifts. The air is required to operate the latching mechanism on the lift. This is instead of the usual mechanical system seen on most lifts which can be tedious to operate requiring some force to do. With the pneumatic system, you simply hit a switch to unlock the mechanism which then allows you to lower the lift. Though nice, I had some issues with the small pneumatic cylinders located at each latching point on the lift. They develop leaks.

For air, any compressed air system is fine. There is no volume of air required as long as you can provide air at about 60 psi. I simply hard piped a line from my 3 hp garage compressor to the lift, and all was fine.

Zenradical

I have the Bend Pak HD9 and you only need 10 to 15 psi to release the safety latches. I have a separate regulator for the air line going to the lift and keep it set at 15. You don't need to worry about air volume as earossi said, a short burst when you hit the button and the latches release and you hold the button for the entire length of travel as you lower the lift. I use an ancient 1 gallon hot dog compressor just for the lift but you could also route a regulated line to it from another shop compressor just as easily. Have had this lift about 5 years and highly recommend it. No affiliation with the company. If you want to learn everything there is to know about lifts head over to the garage journal boards. There are 100s of threads on all manner of lifts and vendors and a lot of pics and suggestions for garage setups. I spent many weeks and maybe months over there doing research before I bought mine (a bit overkill, I know).

azzurri

Thanks for the prior replies. Yes, I know it is only for the unlocking mechanism rather than the up cycle.
So a basic air compressor for tire inflation etc. is all one needs then. I know it may be ultra basic, but since I've never been around one proper, I haven't seen the sequence one usually does, but have read the entire manual from Bendpak online. If the lift is used basically mostly for storage, does the person who doesn't have a dedicated air supply for other purposes in the garage basically just fire up the compressor for that alone then, just as if one is using it for any other tasked purpose, then power it down after the cycle? And bleeding the air out, or disconnecting it shouldn't be an issue after that? Just trying to get a sense if a fully portable model will be any issue, or if I may use it elsewhere around the home. I guess there is no other need for it to be connected on a standing basis--is that right? Sorry again about the questions if they are basic, but any issues with types of tubing? This isn't spelled out in the manual at all. Just that one needs the air supply for that purpose alone.

earossi

Air is not required to operate the lift, except when you need to lower the lift. That is when you need air to deactivate the latches that prevent the lift from dropping if you were to have some sort of failure. No need to leave air hooked up to the lift until you want to lower it. You could just install an airline quick disconnect on the lift control console and hook a hose from your compressor when you need to lower the lift. Once the lift has been lowered....just disconnect the air.

The air system is really very simple. Don't overthink it.

Lastly, when lifting a vehicle, you use the hydraulic system to lift the car. As you raise the car, the spring loaded latches will snap into place. Once you have the car where you want it vertically, drop the lift until it comes to rest on the mechanical latches. When you need to lower the car, operate the lift to take load off of the latches and then use the air system to deactivate the latches which then allows you to lower the lift.

azzurri

Got it, I appreciate your info on that. Thanks again.

Fishey

To those who have 10ft ceilings I highly suggest traditional 2 post lifts with base plate cables. Launch makes a good lift for $1500.