serval

I use a full parking lift for long term parking. I have checked with different manufacturers and all of them advised against using two post service-lift for long term storage, stating they cannot guarantee safety of the vehicle. All of them advocated parking lifts. Could be because I live in a seismic area, but they were adamant that they are not liable should an accident happen due to long term storage on a two post service-lifts. Also, you could probably get a parking lift for about the same money as the Mohwak wheel adaptors

4Driver4

Nothing inherently unsafe about storing on a two post; if it's safe for working on a car, it's safe for storage.
Earthquakes are dangerous in both situations.

serval

And yet all companies I have approached about this clearly stated it is not safe. And btw, earthquakes vary in severity, and what may shake a four post lift, may topple a two post one. But in the end, your car, your risk

BTW, check this out from bendpack
https://www.autostacker.com/buyers-g...wo-post-lifts/

4Driver4

Lots of words, but no substance to back it up.
"never, ever park a vehicle under a two-post lift. Your buddy down the street might do it, but guess what? That action voids the warranty if anything should go wrong,"
Parking a car under a raised vehicle voids the warranty of the lift? What BS.
If the list isn't safe to park a car under, it sure as hell isn't safe to walk under.
That blurb must have been crafted by the same lawyers that made the rules allowing auto manufacturers to void the warranty on your vehicle's transmission because you installed an aftermarket air freshener. <exaggeration>

serval

Since my aim here is to provide an opinion and not win an argument, this will be my last post on the matter. From my perspective, it is all about risk calculation. 4 post parking lifts are primarily designed for parking, and they are inherently (physics I guess) more stable than 2 post lifts. For me that pretty much sums it up. When the vendors I talked to (just like bendpack) say they offer both and have nothing to gain by pushing one or the other, yet they recommend 4 post lifts for long term parking, I listen. My guess as to warranty being voided is less about lawyers and more about usage. An improperly loaded car may topple off a 2 post lift, but that is virtually impossible off a 4 post lift, unless you miss the ramps alltogether.. So in conclusion, 2 post lifts may be enough, but 4 post lifts are better so when it comes to suspending 2 tonnes of metal off the ground I choose the latter. Just like I stick with Arai and Shoei helmets over all others. Risk minimization. Your opinion (and risk aversion) may differ.

Thank your providing your opinion in response to mine.

Anton

4Driver4

Anton -
Not looking for a fight, and I think we are generally in agreement that four post lifts are the better option if your use is primarily storage. Take a quick search of my posts on this forum and others regarding lifts and you will find many that read in effect "two post for working, four post for storage."
I don't debate the stability of four over two, and I would certainly not use a two post for storage in a area where seismic activity is reasonably probable. It's the "never ever under penalty of death" hyperbole that I find ridiculous, especially coming from a company that sells only parking lifts.
Everything in life is a risk analysis.

I too will now step back.

INTMD8

So if an accident happened with the 4 posts they said they would be liable?

This also is from Bendpack 2 post user manual-

"Q. How long can I leave a vehicle raise up on my lift?

A. For a long time, as long as you leave the lift engaged on it's safety locks. Once the lift is engaged on it's safety locks, gravity holds it in position."


I see the reasoning behind both.

If there was a bad enough earthquake/event to blast a car off a 2 post lift I'm not sure what kind of lift it was on would matter much at that point.

Churchill

I could see an earthquake being especially troublesome for a two-post lift, which is topheavy with a car on it lifted high. Perfectly stable....until the ground shakes. Then that car 6-7 feet up in the air acts like a pendulum, trying to rock the lift footings off the concrete. I'm totally out of my depth on this and could be wrong but I could imagine a four-post lift being fine in a bad quake and a two-post falling over.

serval

[QUOTE=INTMD8;17919066]So if an accident happened with the 4 posts they said they would be liable?

In a word yes. Not in a major earthquake of course, but the vendor I finally selected, clearly stated that in order for the warranty to apply i need to:
a) use one of their approved contractors for installation, and
b) in case I select a two post lift, they are not responsible for damage to a car parked below, and
c) they are not responsible for any car on a two post lift that topples over if their analysis shows that said car was improperly balanced and loaded causing an inbalanced structure

For a 4 post lift, only condition (a) applied, and condition (c) was modified to say that the car needs to be proplery positioned on the ramps, but yes, if those two conditions were met, the lift fails and crushes the car below, their insurance would cover it

As a further example of conditional warranty, I also have a scissor lift in the adjacent garage (my working garage and it clearly states that when I lift the car, the engine has to be on top of the end with the lifting pistons. If I position the car the other way and the lift fails, they bear no responsibility.

Finally this excerpt from the link posted in my previous post:

"Sorry if we come off a bit harsh, we just have no tolerance for unsafe decision-making and can never support using a two-post lift like it’s a parking lift. Even if it’s a fully certified BendPak, our own brand"

For context, AutoStacker is produced by BendPak.

Is it bull**** ? Maybe. Do I want to tacke a chance on that? Well, I really like my cars almost to the point of naming them, take their welfare seriously, and really did my research, so overall no, I am not willing.

INTMD8

I would be interested to see what lift company states they would be liable for damage in the event the car below was crushed.

As to your AutoStacker example, they state that they basically cover nothing.

"What is not covered in this warranty-

Any incidental, indirect, or consequential loss, damage, or expense that may result from any defect, failure, or malfunction of a Autostacker product"

Churchill, I agree a bolted down 4 post would be more stable in an earthquake but still think, if it's so severe it destroys the concrete slab the 2 post is bolted to, does the building around the car even still exist? Did the cars above on a 4 post stay on if not strapped down? Just seems you would have damage either way if it was that severe.

If I wanted a lift just for storage for sure I would get a 4 post. As previously said however, I don't see the logic of "this is safe for people to be under but not another car".

That being said I'm good with agreeing to disagree