a car lift in your shop

[87vette81big]

I sent pictures of your Mohawk Lift Richard.
Ed is thinking .

 

[87vette81big]

Ed likes your Mohawk lift Richard.
But said its too far to go get it.

I would like to have it myself.
Over a $3,000 proposition with fuel costs.
Have my car project goals this year I am adhearing to.

 

[chromebumpers]

Brian, I'm not pushing this because once I let the word out I'll have no problem selling. Even at $3000 it's a great deal. Anybody chime in if you disagree, you could use this lift for the next 10 to 15 years and still have no problem selling it for $3000. This brand is indestructible and they'll never go down in price. They've made this lift so long and never changed the structure. You can't say that about any other lift. For future reference, you have to do what I do when a long distance steal comes about and that's combine the trip with another reason like seeking out another steal in that region.

Back in '92 I bought sight unseen a '70 'cuda with a 426, the real deal Hemi car. The problems I faced - it was taken apart and reassembled on the third floor of an old tobacco processing factory in St. Charles, MO. The elevator no longer worked and it was so freakin hot and humid and no help. To top it off the seller had legal title to this car but no permission to be in the building. After driving out there I looked the car over and paid what I thought at that time was an insane $27750 for what I thought would bring $35,000 later. No knowing what I was up against I was grossly unprepared. I found a Sears store in a local mall and bought $100 of hand tools, I didn't get everything - another trip for another $50 of tools. I'm tearing things apart stripping nuts and bolts and breaking quite a few more. I found a rental company and rented a gas torch by the third day I'm toasted, mad and brought to tears. Lowered many things by rope out a broken but huge window, cut a plastic drum length-wise rolling parts into the drum and dragged really heavy stuff down the steps sliding on the plastic. I couldn't possibly reassemble the car and the trailer was no where near suitable for transporting a huge amount of parts so I rented a big box U-Haul truck. On the forth day I was down to just the short block, rear and body from the cowl back. My great plan - cut up the rear clip into manageable pieces. Lucky for me while out looking for some lunch I found a bunch of guys playing basketball down the street so I offered each one $50 bucks (X7) to help me, one of theses guys salvaged the copper in this building once and showed me the elevator could work manually without electric - Duh! I'm down to the last things left to load and the police come. Someone reported that I was stealing fixtures. Still trespassing I was arrested and truck was impounded. Three days later I was released and at this point down an additional $3,000 for all the "extras." Thank God I had the extra money! All the way home all I could think about was how hard I worked for a hopeful $3500 however, on the way home I managed a couple of profitable deals - I'll save that story for another time. This was how I got my start playing with cars. Three years later unknown to me was the beginning of the MOPAR madness and I sold that 'cuda for a whopping $165,350 with a little known
auctioneer by the name of Dana Mecum in AC, NJ. Sometimes it pays to venture out and take some risks now and then, someday you'll wake up and find these days long gone, you couldn't do such things anymore even if you wanted too.

 

[chromebumpers]

It's only mentioned here so it's not going anywhere for about 2 months.

 

[87vette81big]

I have done lots of Krazy Stuff & Taken Death Defying Risks Daily for Years too Richard.

There is only one other like me here in Illinois that I know of...
Its my Bud Crazy Eddie in Joliet.

All know he is part insane likewise .
Even the Homy Bro 5.0 guys Fear Him..

Nice Story Richard.

Ed may change his mind.

I like the Mohawk .
Its in the back of my mind.

 

[bytor]

Anyone using one of these? This look perfect for the DIY'er but it's a bit pricey.

http://www.quickjack.com

Videos:

 

[chromebumpers]

If you ever saw this in person you wouldn't want to get under it without plenty of back up, those beefy jackstands Grumpy recommends for sure. Besides that it's much nicer and easier to be able to sit in a scoot-around chair with a tool tray underneath then getting up and down on your hands an knees and on your back.

This time of the year many suppliers will offer zero percent financing for 36 months or longer for the better, safer lifts just to move inventory for the last quarter of the year. Is there anyway your place can fit a 2 post lift?

 

[bytor]

I agree about utilizing jack stands with something like this as backup. I was questioning the stability of these as well. Seems like there would be some possibility of "side-to-side" motion.

 

[Grumpy]

yes Ive seen several similar jack/lift systems , and you really need to look over the products in person, up close and consider the cars stability, would you feel secure if you were under the car and some guy helping you jumps into the car and slams the door?
I know the ones I see several styles that seem a bit un-stable.
related info
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/under-car-safety.26/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/mechanics-creepers.3178/#post-38649


LINKS to MANY of the Auto lift suppliers , look over the variety , structural strength,design features,and quality, not just the price

http://www.kwik-lift.com/index.html

http://www.autolift.org/

http://www.autolift.org/purchase_considerations.pdf

http://www.kwik-lift.com/

http://www.geminilift.com/

https://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-OH-10X-EXTRA-WIDE-EXTRA-TALL

http://revolutionlift.com/

http://www.ben-pearson.com/twin-post_1092_c.aspx?pp=0

http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/racks/index.htm

http://www.challengerlifts.com/products.shtml

http://www.directlift.com

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/

http://www.ezcarlift.com/

http://www.levo-artis.com/

http://www.backyardbuddy.com

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas ... ison-Guide

http://www.autolifts.com

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/specifications.html

http://www.westernhoist.com/

http://www.stingerlifts.com

http://www.doublepark.net

http://www.mohawklifts.com

http://www.autolifters.com

http://www.bendpak.com/

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-BP-9F

http://www.bendpak.com/product_info.isg?products_id=881

http://www.rotarylift.com/

http://eagleequip.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=LI

 

[Grumpy]

here is a great example of multi level, compound, stupidity and negligence

first
the guy operating the lift should have seen what was happening to the van well before the damage went that far!

second
look at the picture carefully, that YELLOW bar,
just below the upper beam, that is keeping the vans roof from going higher,
is supposed to be an emergency power contact switch that stops the lift the second its lifted a 1/4" from its hanging location

 

[T-Test]

here is a great example of multi level, compound, stupidity and negligence

first
the guy operating the lift should have seen what was happening to the van well before the damage went that far!

second
look at the picture carefully, that YELLOW bar,
just below the upper beam, that is keeping the vans roof from going higher,
is supposed to be an emergency power contact switch that stops the lift the second its lifted a 1/4" from its hanging location

This goes to show that people do not read the instructions before use of anything and have more money than common sense. IDIOTS

 

[Grumpy]

https://www.facebook.com/ViralTubee/videos/vb.712987148841243/739300602876564/?type=2&theater

if nothing else its rather interesting to watch

 

[Grumpy]

A friend and I went to an estate sale Saturday.
We got a truck(and car) load of parts at a great price.
Part of the sale includes an old 4 post lift.I have no pictures and haven't seen it working.
I can get it very cheap.
There was no brand name on it that we could find.It looks to be in good condition though.
Each post has a large threaded rod from top to bottom to do the lifting.There's a shallow beam between each set of posts at each end with ramps between them.I'm guessing there's a cable or chain drive system inside this part of the lift to connect all 4 posts.It is about 11' wide and 15'long.8'tall where the motor is mounted.Other 3 posts are about 7'tall.
Does anyone recognize this lift?
Hoping to find some info on dis-assembly to move it.
We had a few thousand used,new and nos parts to go thru and spent hours there is why I didn't spend more time on the lift.
It's a good ways from me,so when I do go back I'll get pics of it,but hoping to try to get it then.
Again,I'm hoping someone has any info.I've looked at a lot of them on-line but nothing is it.
Thanks,Mike.

this is a case where a dozen clear detailed pictures from several angles of the component parts would be almost mandatory

does it have THIS sticker?? (almost all the better quality lifts will, and most of the import junk won,t)

 

[Grumpy]

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available

one more video of why you don,t buy cheap crap quality lifts, if you have any functional brains

 

[Grumpy]

hey Grumpy, I purchased a used four post lift at a local estate sale ,
and it was simply standing in the previous owners two car garage,
not even fastened to the floor, he, had obviously wanted to move it occasionally.
I just disassembled it enough for transport and brought it home and re-assembled it,
but it scares the hell out of me because if I put the car up on it you can move the lift noticeably,
just giving it a mild shove, I'm certain it could be made to drop the car if anyone gave it a serious shove.
so how do I stabilize this fairly easily?

time taken , in prior planing and measuring accurately,
before you purchase any lift is sure not going to be wasted,
but its a whole lot easier for most people to visualize the clearance issues ,
if you talk too the manufacturer and ask for his input,
and take the time to locate some previously installed lift that you can visit and walk around ,
to get a good grasp on the potential clearance issues.
yes you tend to get what you pay for and if you select the cheapest lift you can find its rarely going to be decent quality.
does it have THIS sticker?? (almost all the better quality lifts will, and most of the import junk won,t)

First thing Id strongly suggest is to buy or rent a decent HIGH quality professional hammer drill,
drilling 5/8" holes in concrete with a typical hand drill is both difficult and likely to burn up most typical shop hand held drills

with a 5/8" concrete bit at least 6" long, Get the shop vacuum out,
you'll be creating a great deal of concrete dust with any decent hammer drill,
and you'll want to limit the mess you could potentially be making while drilling concrete

and then place your new lift where you want it set up permanently installed
youll notice that most 4 post lifts have a place to install 4 concrete anchors through a base plate, on each individual corner support post.
youll want to mark the 16 locations the bolt holes will need to be drilled on the shop floor with a good black marker, and drill the holes about 4" minimum depth
youll carefully verify the depth before installing the red head anchors because once you start to insert them in the drilled hole you may not be able to get them back out.
youll want to use two heavy washers around the upper stud threads but below the locking nut.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-blow-gun-with-4-in-nozzle-68258.html

after you drill the holes for the anchor studs blow out the powdered concrete before you install the studs, be sure you slide the two washers on the threaded upper end followed by the nut threaded on so at least 1/4" of threads extends up above the upper surface of the nut, now after you cleaned out the bolt holes with the air nozzles air jet, line up the base plate holes over the holes in the concrete , tap the anchors down, into the bolt holes until the nut you previously installed over the washers, is clamping the washers firmly on the base plate of the four post car lift, in all 16 locations, once thats done yo can tighten each nut about 3 full turns this will lock the studs into the anchor holes in the concrete

http://www.fastenersplus.com/5-8-x-...MI2P3Op-OU1wIVA57ACh02SwlwEAQYASABEgJXZ_D_BwE
5/8" x 4-1/4" Red Head Trubolt 304 Stainless Steel Wedge Anchor, Pkg 10
https://s3.amazonaws.com/fastenersplus/trubolt.pdf

situations similar to the lift pictured below are all too common with un-secured 4 post lifts, one of the main reasons I used 4500 psi concrete and have it at least 8" thick in the shop floor in my shop and I have 8 8" 3/4" diameter studs in the concrete locking each of the two support columns on my lift

 

[Grumpy]

Grumpy I read all the way through your thread on lifts and decided on the purchase of a quality two post lift design.
the manufacturer states its strongly suggested that a 4" minimum slab concrete floor be used to securely fasten the lift base.
I test drilled my floor slab in several places and as you mentioned I have a 2 3/4" to 3.0" slab.... now what?

having a 8" thick , or thicker slab poured too mount the two post lift is ideal, if the correct expansion bolts are used, most people will not be dealing with that option, as they will not be supervising the building, of the home and shop they will buy and own personally,obviously if your building a shop or garage youll want to specify a 8" or thicker slab with the 3500 psi minimum rated concrete, ideally with a fiber mix or steel mat re-enforced

when I built my shop I knew Id be installing a quality 2 post lift so I had the shop floor poured with high strength concrete at least 8" thick and a bit thicker in the area I knew the lift would be located.

I've helped several friends retro-fit/install two post lifts in their shops we have always installed substantial footers in doing so and in the process I can assure you most garage floors in residential homes are way too thin to safely support a two post lift and in many cases, the ceiling height is too low.
well Id strongly suggest you contact the lift manufacturer and ask their advise,
there are two basic option if your going to use a two post lift on a concrete slab.
(1) the better manufacturers can supply a much larger base that has both a larger foot print, or optional brace kits, and many more bolts securing it to the shop floor (much less secure than doing the job correctly)

(2) you can simply cut a 2 ft x 2 ft square and 18 inch deep hole, in the floor, exactly where each of the two post lift base columns will be placed, and pour a heavily re-bar re-enforced footer , ideally with 4500 psi concrete with several 12" long j-bolts accurately pre positioned
with the threaded ends, of the mounting bolts, should placed through a sheet of plywood, on both locations and the two separate sheets of plywood screwed together with a couple long boards to maintain exact proper bolt spacing and angles, of the bolts that hold the columns in those boards, just above the intended floors surface, so the bolts upper threaded ends stay exactly where the base of the lift mandates they be placed. and the correct distance of threads sticking up exposed ,where each column,base will be located so the concrete will cure and the threaded anchor bolt locations stay exactly where you intend them to be for the lift install
will be and it will be much stronger than even a 6" slab , if your not familiar with the process hire a contractor,tell him exactly what you want and watch that he does it correctly and uses quality anchor bolts, re-bar and concrete.
adding several criss/crossed layers of re-bar spaced vertically apart about 3" wired to the j-bolts adds considerable rigidity to the support bolts especially once the re-bars locked in the hardened concrete surrounding it once that's poured in place.
the cost will be far less in the long term than having a car fall if the lift fails due to improper install or crappy materials

when I built my shop I knew Id be installing a quality 2 post lift so I had the shop floor boured with high strength concrete at least 8" thick and a bit thicker in the area I knew the lift would be located.
I've helped several friends retro-fit/install two post lifts in their shops we have always installed substantial footers in doing so and in the process I can assure you most garage floors in residential homes are way too thin to safely support a two post lift and in many cases, the ceiling height is too low.
top quality anchor j-bolts and re-bar, for the upgrade/refit, will cost less than a $300-$400 hundred dollars
a yard of concrete will generally cost under $120, youll need less than two cubic yards of concrete

a typical footer I've helped install, and retro-fit in several friends shops , may seem to be larger than required but its damn sure solid , a 24" x24" square 18" deep hole with the proper re-bare and j-bolt will hold about 6 cubic feet of concrete, a cubic yard of concrete has 9 cubic feet so you'll generally either have a truck deliver 2 cubic yards of you'll mix the concrete yourself in smaller 50 lb-80 lb bag batches , its faster and easier to have a truck deliver it, and far less work and the quality of the concrete tends to be better, and 4500 psi concrete usually costs about $120-$130 a cubic yard currently in my area, yes you'll need a wheel barrow and a few friends in most cases as the truck can,t get into the garage
I've generally used two carefully measured pieces of plywood to hold the upper threaded ends of the anchor bolts in the exact locations needed and a whole lot more re-bar in several criss-cross and well spaced, and wired in place forms than the picture below I found on the internet shows in the form under the floor wired too the j-bolts that gets encapsulated with the poured concrete slurry.
cross check the mounting bolt location and placement measurements are dead accurate,and make damn certain they are parallel and vertical, once the concretes poured and sets up its permanently locked in place so you certainly want it done correctly

http://www.portlandbolt.com/products/bent/anchor-bolts/

the ideal, multi level, layered crossed mesh of re-bar, and the 6-to-12 actual j-bolts,
that would be used , too mount and locate a two column lift support column,
is omitted in this diagram,
I found posted on the internet of a basic concrete and bolt mount,
below to allow a better picture of the mount bolts

 

[Grumpy]

 

[Grumpy]

 

[dragcars]

Here is a lift accident that happened in my shop a couple years ago. It wasn't a failure of the lift, it was the mechanic not being careful. He was doing an alignment on a Mazda MPV. He reached inside the vehicle, put his left hand on the clutch (he "thought" the trans was in neutral), started the engine, lifted his hand off the clutch and the Mazda launched itself off the ramp and right into my brand new alignment machine then tried to continue through the building. Thankfully, no one was injured as obviously someone could easily have been killed. First insurance claim I ever filed. The Mazda was totaled, the lift repaired, and the alignment machine replaced. The worst thing about owning your own shop is having to make phone calls to customers explaining why they will not be getting their car back today (or any other day). Lucky for me the Mazda belonged to a high school friend of mine that his daughter drove and his wife hated, she thought it was funny that it got smashed, me not so much....

 

[Grumpy]

I got a recent e-mail asking if this lift was a bargain?
https://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-9KOHX

I must state up front, I have never seen,
an example of that particular lift, in person
but at $1900 plus shipping Id tend to think its not all that well built ,
if the lift your looking at costs $1900,
and looking at the posted pictures in the link,
and comparing it too, a similar lift costs $3000 theres a reason they charge more,for better built lifts.
the vendors want to be competitive on similar quality lifts
looking at the pictures it looks rather flimsy,
now that being said I doubt ,
greg smith would have selected to sell a total piece of crap,
as their reputation would be seriously damaged.
keep in mind a lift is a long term investment,
you will eventually need repair parts,
and your life depends on its strength and durability,
saving a few bucks on a lift that might allow your car to fall off it,
or cause it to collapse is a rather poor decision.
you tend to get what you pay for,
money is tight for most of us!,
but buying a flimsy lift is a very poor idea.
yes theres a big difference in a $1990 vs a $3200 lift cost,
theres also usually a big difference in strength and quality.
brand names like,
BENDPAK, MOHAWK benperson,
THE CERTIFICATION STICKER IS MANDATORY ON A DECENT LIFT
http://www.autolift.org/

shop carefully, and Id strongly suggest looking for the sticker I posted being advertised with the lift you select,
and ask lots of questions, keep in mind a two post lift REQUIRES a 6"-8" thick concrete pad,
so if your not 100% sure your garage has that youll need to pour a support footer

(lots of info in this thread)

better quality almost always cost,s more, because much stronger materials are used in the manufacture of the component parts.
AND if you look closely at the quality theres a huge and obvious difference in the type,of materials used.
and mass of materials used and the size of the components..
size and thickness of steel used in the construction, DOES MATER
most lift sellers have several lines of equipment that go from marginal import junk,
that is very likely to have no parts available for repair work in 3-5 years time.
too, well designed , decent high quality lifts that would work for decades, without problems in most shops.
that lift from greg smith will most likely work just fine,
but if you placed it next too a mohawk (top quality)
or even one of the better benpearson lift options ,
you would be asking yourself ..WHAT WAS I THINKING???
you might want to consider the other options]

https://mohawklifts.com/library/brochures/Mohawk-vs-Competition-8x8_singles.pdf

https://mohawklifts.com/automotive-lifts/2-post-lifts/

https://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com/2-Post-Lifts-s/285.htm

http://www.ben-pearson.com/model-10ad-_1005_p.aspx

http://www.ben-pearson.com/automotive-lifts_1034_s.aspx