Anybody have any recommendations on storage/service lifts for the garage? I don't know yet if I want to spend the money, but my garage ceiling is high enough and it would be great to be able to get another car into the garage. And of course it would make working on the cars so much easier. But I have no experience with lifts, so don't know how to tell what makes one good and another not so good. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

From what I hear, Eagle makes good lifts for good prices.

 

I have an Autolifters but unfortunately I believe they are out of business. I like this style of lift as you can use it for storage or service.

 

There's one I remember seeing advertised in the back of Road & Track, that is designed mainly for two car storage (double deck), and the car rests on its own tires. Also useable for maintenance.

 

Try Rotary, they are great quality lifts. i had priced a lift before with installation and it came up to $2500(not rotary,i don't remember the brand)

 

tshea - Check out this thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=77831

 

the September 2006 issue of Roundel has an article on them.

 

If I could, I'd get this Phantom Park VIDEO
ACLifts

 

I think for a while (VERY briefly) there was a site sponsor selling lifts, but I suppose there wasn't enough business here. A search might turn it up.

 

At work, I have used Rotary and Bend-Pak 2-post lifts, and both work well and are easy to use. If cost was no object and ceiling height was not an issue, I would choose an asymmetric 2-post model, either from one of these vendors, or possibly from Mohawk.

However, I am limited by an 8-foot ceiling, and I may move out of my current home someday. Because of these considerations, I have a 4-post model from Backyard Buddy waiting to be unloaded from the trailer and carried inside for assembly. I like the fact that it is free-standing and can be moved about between bays, even while loaded. Also, there are no special requirements for pressure-strength rating and thickness of the floor concrete prior to installation, as there sometimes is with other brands which must be bolted to the floor- a standard 4-inch slab should suffice.

Since it is not permanently mounted, without much fuss, I can take it with me when I move. On nice days, I can roll it out onto the driveway to work. In the future, I plan to have an additional slab poured alonside my existing garage and a side door added, so I have a dedicated open-air bay (it'll double as a paved parking space for the trailer when the trailer is not in use.)

On the east coast, two places to see products suited to typical enthusiast-duty use are the Carlisle and Hershey auto shows. Usually, several lift vendors have their wares on-hand, so you can compare features between manufacturers with just a little leg work.

Best wishes for finding a lift that is safe and will meet your needs!

 

Thanks for the information everybody.

Indygomini -- thanks for the specific recommendations.

 

Let us know what you get

 

a two post is good for all types of work, while a four post is more appropriate for storage and easier to install. Some two post designs need holes in the concrete.

a local Subaru buddy has a four post Bend-Pak. It's easy to use, safe and secure. He bought it to store his weekend car.

Keep in mind that most home garages have an incline to them for drainage.....this becomes a bit of an issue with installing lifts as the height will be off by a few inches front to back.

A word of caution - you might want to buy a line level and some string and measure your space to be sure you can make a lift work before getting too deep in the project.

 

For as many tools as I see I don't know who to reccomend to buy from but I will say this, get a two post, it could be expensive but well worth it I think. You can service the car very easily and also being only two posts it takes up little less space. If you have to dig a hole though to put a two post in, make sure your foundation can handle it, and as mentioned garage floors are not level.

As far as who makes em, Hunter, Mac, and Snap-on all sell lifts for the professional but may be little over kill.

 

I had a 4 post lift for several years in a single car garage (with a 17 ft peak at the center) but I was always hitting my head, and the posts made it difficult to get around, so I was lucky enough to find a single-post unit from American Custom Lifts www.aclifts.com . It's called the Maximum One. See
http://aclifts.com/parking/m1-65.asp

Here's a couple of photos:

 

Chief Charlie -- That lift looks great. I assume that the post is anchored into the floor. What does that entail? And if you don't mind me asking, what did it all cost (lift plus installation)?

I was leaning toward a four-post lift because they seem less expensive and I wanted to avoid the added expense and hassle of anchoring the lift to the floor, but the four posts will definitely make getting around the garage a bit of a hassle. My primary reason for wanting the lift is storage, but I'd also use it for doing some minor servicing of the cars.

Patagonian GT -- Thanks for the tip on the inclined floor. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'll definitely take precise measurements before moving ahead. Rough measurements show that it should work, but I'll have to remove the automatic garage door opener.

 

If I recall correctly, it was around $6,000 installed. I'd email brad@aclifts.com and get current pricing. The lifts were made in Texas and shipped to CA; and you need a forklift on site to get the column in place.

I can send you some other photos when I get to my PC at work. PM me with an email address and I'll send them along with an explanation of how it works.

In the meantime, email Brad. They're in So Cal.

I use it mainly for storage as well since the city wouldn't allow us a 2 car garage when we remodeled nearly 10 years ago. I told the contractor make the roof high and he did.

 

When you open the garage door, does it follow up the angle of the roof?

 

yes it does. Here are a couple of photos. The one of the opener is before the new rack was installed; and the one showing the door against the ceiling is pre- new lift as well. You get lots of room this way; and if the peak went in the opposite direction, you might be able to do the same thing (follow the wall over the door) before having to turn in towards the interior of the garage.

I had an 8 foot tall garage door opening created when the garage was built (normally they're just 7 ft tall) and it made it much easier rolling out the old lift intact, and getting the forklift inside the garage to set the new lift's column in place.

 

sweet.

 

some pics of my buddy's setup....since pics are better than words alone

 

Notice the true "Masters of the Garage" in those photos....the riding garden tractor and the kids' bicycles!

 

so true!!

 

backyard buddy

 

Finally got the packaged Backyard Buddy off the trailer this weekend and mostly unpacked- now, to assemble it...