Bill Ball

OK, I may have persuaded my wife that we can put a lift in the garage. Note we have only 8' ceilings in the garage. So, we need something that fits under that height, recognizing I can only lift about 3 feet due to the ceiling - tempted to cut a hole, but the ceiling is structural. Also, this is a "standard" 3-car garage that is full of cars, so I cannot put something in that is real bulky.

A mid-rise scissor lift would be most practical, but the mechanism underneath seems to prohibit some work and generally get in the way. Eagle has a nice storage lift that would fit our ceiling height, and with the accessory jack ramp, it looks like it would allow all kinds of work.
http://eagleequip.com/page/EE/PROD/LI-SS/336-000

A 2-poster that raises at the lift points would be better, wouldn't it? Anybody know of a model that would fit under an 8 foot ceiling?

All suggestons appreciated.

Bill Ball

I suppose I could cut holes in the ceiling for the last foot of these posts...
http://eagleequip.com/page/EE/PROD/LI-ETP/618-001

Oh, and I suppose I have to be concerned about the slab with a 2-poster more than a 4-poster or scissor.

Hmm...another alterative to the scissor that has open access, lifts on the frame. Not sure how high.
http://www.alltiresupply.com/Merchan..._Code=L3_MLRPL

Jim bailey - 928 International

Bill what is above the garage? how is the ceiling structural? Besides if it is the master bedroom how about an elevated platform bed !! say about 6 ft x 15 ft ........

deliriousga

CONGRATS!! That one's a beauty.

You could cut holes in the ceiling, but you need to know what kid of room you have above. Most homes built today only have 1'-1"-1'-4" between floors. I'm sure that whatever the lift is attached to at the top has to be of a certain strength so you'll need to check with the manufacturer and see if there's enough room for whatever needs to be above the posts.

Bill Ball

Jim:

There are some beams in the ceiling. The master is above part of the garage, but the majority is attic space with a finished floor. The 3- car garage only has 2 posts and is otherwise open, so the beams appear to be important.

I found another I kinda like. 4-poster with jack tray option. Posts only 82". No ceiling cutting needed.

http://www.autolifters.com/m6.html

ROG100

Bill,
I had the same constraints and bought a Kwiklift.
Take a look http://www.kwiklift.com/
Roger

DR

Hi Bill,

There are some nice new generation in-ground lifts out there now that are safe for the environment and fully approved. Also a new series of "double scissor" lifts that don't block your working area.

Check out http://www.rotarylift.com/ for some details.

No affiliation, just a VERY satisfied Rotary Lift owner.

Bill Ball

Rog:

The Kwiklift is very handy and unobtrusive. I'd like the option of more height and wheels off. So, I'm aiming at a 2 or 4 poster, although I defintely need to look at what they will do to use of the garage due to their width and the big posts in the way. And the low ceiling really restricts these bigger lifts to not that much more useful space than the Kwiklift. I need to keep the Kwiklift on my list and weigh the +/- versus the bigger lifts. Thanks for reminding me. I gather you are happy with it?

sublimate

You'd need 2, but still probably cheaper than any other route:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33795
PS. use it on the sides, not ends like it says.

Bill Ball

Thanks Dave. I had not seen the double scissor until after I posted the first message. Seems like a good option.

Bill Ball

Victor:

Have you used those lifts? Looks like a flexible option.

deliriousga

Ditto Victor. Do you know if there's a lifting point that one can reach from the front or rear that won't damage the car? Looks like a great alternative if it can lift one end high enough to reach everything. Also, do you know if you can use two to lift the whole vehicle safely? It would be a nice alternative to be able to purchase one now and one later.

DR

Bill,
>Thanks Dave. I had not seen the double scissor. Seems like a good option.

It is relatively new.

IMHO, THE way to go if you can budget for it is one of their Inground lifts. No Big posts or hardware in the way, no door ding worries, quiet and smooth operation, takes up much less floor space, and you can set the height you want it to stop at. Had they been up to the Technolgy level they are now I would have bought one of those instead of my Rotary Inbay 2-poster.

The only kicker is they are around $5500 plus install, BUT if you are only going to buy one lift in your lifetime, the extra few grand might be worth it.

sublimate

No, I haven't used one of those - just doing some shopping of my own. It wouldn't reach the jack points for the front or rear, so it would have to be used on the sides. Should work on a 928 since it's reasonable balanced weight-wise front/rear, but wouldn't work so well on a front (or rear) heavy car (YMMV). Here's a similar unit from Northern Tool:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=7856&R=7856
Northern Tool has the biggest selection of jacks and lifts I've seen. Here's a crazy one if you're looking for the ultimate in flexibility/portability:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...26246&R=126246

ROG100

Bill,
I am very happy with the Kwiklift and it allows over 30" of working height. It also allows for taking all the wheels off using two cross members. For $1400 it is well worth having a closer look at it.
Very easy to use, you can move the individual parts on your own. Stays flat on the floor when not in use and I drive one of my cars onto it.
When I first looked at the web page I did not think it would do the job but after looking at all the photographs I was convinced.
Roger