DrJupeman

So I came home from the NJMP PCA race on Friday and promptly put the Spec Boxster up on my lift to investigate a clunking noise I was hearing under acceleration (diagnosis is bad engine mount). With hurricane Irene barreling into the area, I then tucked my other four cars into the four garage spaces for protection, which meant leaving the Boxster on the lift and parking a car underneath it.

Well, now we are out of power and the cause is the sub station being under water. The utility needs to wait for the local river to subside before they can begin massive repairs. Just hearing that makes me think that we are DAYS away from having power back.

My problem is: how do I get the Boxster off the lift in the meantime? I am supposed to go to Road America on Thursday night for the PCA race starting on Saturday! It will be hard enough replacing the bad engine mount in the near dark at night after work (assuming shipping deliveries can get to me with an overnight delivery), but if the power isn't restored, how do I get the car down?

I have a small Honda EU2000i generator but the lift (a Mohawk A7) runs on 220. I need to power the lift to get it up off the mechanical safeties.

Thoughts?

Bigpinekey

Rent a generator or a welder (they have 220 on them).

Rick DeMan

Hey Charlie,

You can get the lift to operate enough on the small Honda.. the 220 is 3 phase and the Honda is single phase 110... have somebody run it in single phase for just a moment to lift it off the safety stops and your home free..!! I have done it before.. no problem...

bsztanko

Use a pole jack to lift each side high enough to take tension off the safety pins. pull pins and than let the lift down.

Bigpinekey

Won't the pole jack still be stuck under the lift since it has weight on it?

DrJupeman

I fear this might be difficult with so many people out of power, but I will look into this!

If i go this route I will need to figure out how to adapt the plugs. They make them different on purpose, right?

kurt M

No the home 220 is not 3 phase it is poly phase. Two single phase 180 out from each other derived from a center tap transformer but this is nether here not there.

You might be able to get the pump motor to spin unloaded but your there are other less motor risking ways. If a gen set 120V bump does not work you can use a real 220V gen set, use a pole jack from under the carriage or come along to lift the arm carriage enough to unlock the safety's. I have unlocked a few using a $10 come along. IIRC you have a Mohawk that does not use cables to sync the carriages. I bet you can simply lift one side at a time just enough to release each lock.

bsztanko

nope.

Gator_86_951

I would use the come along or pole jack method, otherwise you run a serious risk of catching a lot of flack if you burn out the generator motor.

kurt M

The gen set motor or gen will protect itself. The lift pump motor will not like the 120V one bit but might take it for a second or two under load. Come along method lets you do the work from above and to one side. The pole jack can be removed. Once the safety is released you lower the jack down and the lift stops a bit below the previous point.


Some 220 v motors are 120 / 220 motors. Few lift pump motors are but it is worth taking a look. if so you can swap a couple of wires and run at 120V. Amps will be well above a standard 20 amp breaker.

If you try the 120 V method Start the pump motor with the Down valve depressed.
this will let the motor start out no load. Once the motor gains some RPM close the Down valve and get a bit of flywheel from the motor.

ZSA Motorsport

I didnt read all the replies, but you could also call this dude.
(201) 615-8803 Russ
he is the mohawk installer/distributor in the North Jersey area.
he has put 1 or 2 lifts in for me in the past. good guy.

also, typically, when he installed the lift, we didnt have 220 power where he did the install, but so he could prove out/show that the install/lift was operating properly, less the right power, he would connect it to a standard electrical outlet using a long cord that he connected in some fashion.
lift would go up and down at will, he recommended putting no weight on it, but it ran for sure. had to run before cash would be handed over.
anyway, i aint no electrician, i know little about volts and jolts and all that.

but that guy is prettygood.
and he knows mohawks and services them. yours wouldnt be the first he got resolved.

also, here is another guy in North jersey who is similarly experienced with lift servicing.
(973) 239-3816 Spore Compressor

rlm328

Get all your friends together and pick the thing off the lift. After all you have spent all this time and effort making lighter.

But in all seriousness, the storm wasn't that bad and unless the local power companies are totally incompetent they should have your power back on in a couple of days at most.

spare tire

Lots of welding machines can make 220. Look for a comercial construction site near you and walk up to an ironworker (they are the guys with a crane and welding machines that put up the skeleton of a steel building. ) Make an offer that cann't be refused! Think cold beer!! and cash

MUSSBERGER

You have a PM

Werkstatt

We've had this happen Charlie. Jack it up just past the safety stop, release safety and lower as normal. Easy, you dont need to over engineer this one.