^ I've heard good things about mohawk, i had first a bend pak relatively happy with it and for the new garage i bought a challenger 4 post with sliding jack stands, also usa made

 

Love the GT2 in black! Second fav color. 😁

 

Checkout my garage build...

Went with bendpak hd9. Installed myself with help of 3 friends to move the two ramps. Pretty easy. Used a couple 2x4s under the ramps to help with lifting the ramps. One guy on each side of the 2x4.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=287203

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=295415

 

I have the lift made by worth great unite I recommend you get the following aluminum ramps . If you plan to do repair work the sliding jack is a must . The 4post lift is made in Texas all us steal have it many years and it gets lots of use I work on all my family's autos
If you call them tell them Gary from nj recommended you .small company you will talk to the owner he will also do the lift in a color of your choice

 

I love my lift for $1800 was in January of 2011 was best money I ever spent on myself.

 

Very few lifts made in USA.

I spent half a day talking with he lift companies at SEMA. Here is what I am ordering for my new shop:
http://www.nussbaum-usa.com

 

Yes, I do have a hydraulic center jack. It helps but I often find the ramps in my way. If I had to do it again, I would do a 2 post because I am often wrenching.

 

Sounds like the OP is planning to get a four-post lift, which is fine. But since this has opened into a more general discussion of the pros and cons of various lifts and designs, I thought I'd chime in with my experiences. There are certain merits of a four-post lift, including 1) it's the ultimate if storage is your only goal because you can drive the car on easily and don't have to set the lift arms under lift points, 2) it's "movable" and doesn't require permanent placement on the floor with anchors in the concrete, 3) because it doesn't rely on anchors for structural integrity, the integrity of the floor isn't as critical as for a two-post lift, and 4) because the lift the columns are generally shorter, it works better with low ceilings (though obviously, you need enough ceiling height to "stack" two cars or you really haven't gained much of a storage benefit). The drawbacks of four-post lifts are that they're (in my opinion) nearly worthless for conducting any car maintenance. And that kills it for me. The act of (attempting) to work on a car (especially a rear-engined Porsche) that's on a four-post lift is an exercise in frustration, and I've spent many an hour in that mode. It's difficult to even change the oil in a 911, with the oil tank plug over the wheel platform. There's no way you can remove an engine easily. The lift platforms are always in the way. Even lifting the car to work on the wheels (which is the most common service item of all) is a pain. Yes, you can get those separate jacks to lift the car off the lift platforms, but that seems like a ridiculous "lift off the lift" maneuver (and those separate lift jacks aren't cheap and add to the cost significantly). If I have any maintenance to do on a car, I'd rather not use a four-post lift because it just inhibits my progress; I'd prefer to just work on the car on the floor using a jack and some stands. Mid rise scissors lifts are a good option too, if maintenance is your goal, but obviously they don't work well for storage.

A two-post lift is the ultimate for working on the car -- every aspect of it -- and they work very well for storage too. The idea that suspension droop is a problem for stored car on a two-post lift has never proven to be an issue -- especially on stiffly sprung cars like Porsches were there's very little droop to begin with. And if you really were worried about that, you can go get a set of four nylon ratchet straps from Harbor Freight for $15 and pull the wheels up at each corner in a matter of a few minutes for long term storage (just don't forget to remove them in the spring!). With a two-post lift you can literally lift the car off the engine for an engine pull, and of course they're ideal for wheels, brakes, exhaust systems, or any activity where you really need the wheels off the ground -- which in my case is always. But you do need a good floor, you can't move the lift around, and you need some substantial ceiling height for the columns on certain lifts. Also the columns stand away from the car some distance, so greater width is needed at the mid point of the car (say, adjacent to the front doors) than with a four-post lift. But with a two-post lift, there are no corner posts, so it reduces the lengthwise space requirement and it may reduce the width requirement near the front and rear corners as well. To put a car on a two-post lift requires that you align the lift arms with the pickup points. But after you've done that once, and marked the tire locations on the floor with tape or paint, it take just a minute or two to accomplish this.

One of the problems with most two-post lifts is that some of them require a very high ceiling (up to 12 feet) -- either the columns themselves are very tall, or the side-to-side equalization hardware is very tall (or both). Some two-posters have the equalization hardware on the floor between the columns. I don't care for this design because it's harder to roll the car (over a big bump) into position on the lift. Because I have a very low ceiling (sloping downward to one side), I was restricted to choosing a Mohawk A-7, which has 95.5 inch high columns (the lowest I could find at the time) and it has hydraulic equalization so that I could custom make hydraulic tubes to go from one column to the other. Worked perfectly for me. It met all the criteria -- two post, short columns, and no mechanical equalization above or below. The column on the low side cleared ceiling by less than two inches. It allows me to work on my cars and to stack two cars easily.

But I'd never buy a Mohawk (again) if it weren't for the fact that it was literally the only one that fit. It was the most expensive lift on earth at the time ($5K) and despite claims of quality, durability, reputation, warranty, safety, and so forth, I think a lot of it is hype. I've had problems with mine (the motor and hydraulics) that should have been (but weren't) covered by warranty. So I've been disappointed in it. But it was the only game in town, so I'm still glad to have a lift I can use.

Rob

 

Does anyone have any experience with lifts made by Challenger? They seem comparable to Bendpak.

 

I have a Challenger lift in my home garage and several in my pro shop. Highly recommended.

 

I remember the one at the villa- is that a challenger?

 

Can't remember if that one was or not, but it is amazingly similar to the Challenger that I installed in my garage in Florida (see pic). And I just added a refurbished Challenger at the tire shop I bought. Only thing I'd wish for is lower profile arms, though I think there is an option for that. I have to use a jack to get things on the lift, but for what we drive is there really a lift that we would not have to do that with? (Other than in ground)

 

Anyone have experience with Greg Smith Equipment lifts? They have a semi-local location and decent reviews on their 4 posts which is what I am after.

 

I myself is in the process of ordering a Challenger lift too

 

Hi Jason, Recognize the car in my avatar? I am loving this car. Best I've ever owned. Way too much fun. Hope all is well. Did you decide on a lift? Are you loving the GT2?