rgs944

I like this style so it can be used as both a work lift and for toy parking.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Four-Post-Ca...51195228302%26

rgs944

I found a PMW 7000lbs lift local for $1750. The guy is moving his shop and can not take it to his new place. I will likely look at it later in the week. Also found this one on Ebay. http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com/ShoppingCart.asp?

depami

Yeah, the workhorse is a little spendy but it looks like it should roll well enough to drag out on to the driveway (not gravel) and lift a vehicle outside. That would be really handy at times. Polecat, have you ever done that?

The first pic looks a bit scary, is it really sturdy enough for that?

The second pic shows the vertical on the driver side, is there room to open the door and get out?

danglerb

Much depends on your area, but in SoCal we had so many dealers and small shops fold that premium brands like Rotary or Mohawk sold for $500.

17prospective buyer

Wow Tony, that is a pretty good deal for a shop grade 2-post like that.

Another thing i was going to suggest is looking at old dealership/shops like the one i work at who are building a new dealership/shop. I highly doubt they'd re-use their old 2 posts or even small 4 posts since those hoists have probably paid for themselves several times over with the amount of repairs each one has been used for.

Frankly i think a 2-post is the best type of hoist, 4 posts should only be for alignments and large/heavy/long wheelbase trucks. The 4 posts are idiot proof to set up as they don't require any knowledge of chassis strength/lift points.

I think though if you could get a hydraulic and electrical schematic of a two post lift, you could probably make one yourself cheap as hell.

77tony

Polecat, That lift is trick. Wish I knew about that prior. T

polecat702

The lift is very sturdy! If you need to be able to start the car, or get out, the lift must be on the passenger side. It rolls very easily. I had my wife's Tahoe on it to do an oil/filter change, trans fluid change, and new brake pads. Her Tahoe is 4 WD, and it's heavy. I had no problems with the lift, the design centers the weight.

I'm 70 years old, The lift is prolly one of the best tools I've ever bought. I don't have to lay on my back on a pitmat anymore. Whats really great is it's portable, you can move it where you want, and then move it out of the way when your done. It just makes everything easier.

I ordered it from Automotive Equipment Supply, their price includes shipping. Old Dominion has a terminal about 5 miles from my house, and they loaded it on my trailer. It took about 4 hours to assemble, I got the hydraulic oil from Granger supply, took almost 3 gallons. I had to rent a forklift to lift the center post vertically, it's to heavy and awkward to manhandle, and just safer. All said and done, 3 grand.

IMHO, once you've got a lift, you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner!

depami

Thanks Polecat.

They list an overall height of 102" which sound a bit high to me and would be too tall to fit through a standard residential garage door. Can you confirm that and if so does it look like it could be shortened?


Rgs944, sorry for the hijack but this is the first I’ve heard of the Workhorse lift and am curious.

rgs944

Rgs944, sorry for the hijack but this is the first I’ve heard of the Workhorse lift and am curious.[/QUOTE]

No hijack, it's all relative to finding the best way for me to go.

rgs944

It would nice to find something used that cheap but the AG economy is so good around here that Farmers are spending like drunken sailors, that pushes the price of everything up.

polecat702

It won't clear my garage door, it's to tall. I've bought a portable canopy with clear vinyl sides, that roll up or down. I have a big swamp cooler for the summer, and a torpedo heater for winter. Plus lots of portable lighting. Also have a 600 amp 3 phase electrical service, so I'm able to run anything I need.

When I built my house 21 years ago I wasn't working on cars like now, and never considered ceiling hight for a lift.
Now I would have to enclose the pad in front of my garage, and knock down the block wall, and remove the double gates. Lot of expence, not worth it at my age.

I looked at it this morning. There is a safety stop about a foot before the top cap on the lifting post. You could shorten the post, but then you wouldn't be able to stand under the lift. If you want a shorter lift, buy a max jax, it's a mid rise lift. I like the convience of being able to stand under the lift, or anything in between.

justaguy

I have a home/ shop built lift that I use to pick my car up with my overhead shop crane. It's based on a picture I saw in on of the porsche publications. Jim mentioned the same picture. Porsche used the same type of lift to build the car so I thought it was an excellent place to start. I'll post som pictures next time I get to the office .Probably later today. Once you see it you might decide to just go buy one. I had a bunch of steel left over from a job a welders with nothing to do so that's how I ended up with what I have There's at least
$1k of steel in the thing so not really practical but it works really well. I use it fo engine changes, I bolt a stand to the engine mounts and lift the body off just like Porsche did when they built the car.

rgs944

Looking forward to the pics if you can get them posted.

Speedtoys

So..when you're out 1500 in steel, and need to hire a welder...where's the win in DIY?

rgs944

Actually I would use used steel and we can weld at our shop. My brother does it pretty well. I am seriously considering taking advantage of this special on this new lift. Does anyone see any drawbacks to it? It would be great to have a portable one but for the money this looks very apealiling.
http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com/ShoppingCart.asp?