76 Regency

Hey gang,


I'm in the infancy stages of fulfilling a long-time goal of having my own lift. I finally have my own garage and it has a high ceiling with no columns, etc. I'm having a hard time deciding between 2 and 4 posts and would like some feedback as I know a number of you have your own lifts.


I want to be able to do service which leads more towards a 2 post but the size and layout of my garage, combined with the size of my 2 Ninety Eights leads me to think that having 4 posts in the corners would make for an easier floor plan. Having the 2 posts right in line with the huge doors on my cars could present a problem. Being able to move the cars in and out of the garage is also a consideration. Also I'm hearing conflicting opinions as to whether or not it's ok to store a car up on a 2 post. I'm starting to save now and hope to have the funds by the spring/summer by which time I will have the rest of the garage set up the way I want (for the most part) and I will paint the floor too.


I looking forward to hearing some opinions on both styles and even on different brands and models.


Thanks!

bccan

Not advocating one way or the other but I have a 4 poster w/ following observations.

1. I won't lift my convertible w/ a 2 post lift, they tend to bend like a banana.
2. Same for storing a convertible.
3. I have an old carriage house w/ unknown floor integrity, pitched to drains.
4. Not always convenient doing tire/wheel/suspension work but generally not bad.
5. Very stable.

2 Post-

1. Need good floor
2. Much more flexible for working position & access.
3. Assymetrical style will allow door opening conveniently.


Parking under either one works nicely as long as you have sufficient height.

cfhcar

there are to types of to post lifts asymmetrical (long and short arm length. rack post near were the door and fender meet.) and the equal length rack.
i have had my 71 olds 88 dr on both and it has been ok. problem with 4 post if you want remove a wheel you will need air jacks for the rack. i.e. more cost. what ever rack you get, make sure it is put in the right place so your cars fit on the rack and the bay door closes. work at places were you always have to watch something went you put a car on a lift.

68442

I have both two post and four post in my shop.
generally:
(1) If working on cars regularly = 2 post
(2) Storage = 4 Post
As far a a conv. on a two post , no issues i have been doing it for years.
I have also stored a car on a 2 post for a few weeks/month. That is all i would do for long term. Really not made for that.
The choice really comes down to what you intend to do with it. Is it more for storage and occasionally work than the 4 post may make more sense for you.

Me personally i have the 4 posts just for storage.
I do extensive work/restorations and the only way to do that is with a two post , WAAAYYY more versatile

lemoldsnut

I also have had my convertible on a two post for over 2 months once. NO issues. However, if I was going to use it to store at all it would be a 4 post. More stability and less stress on the car. If you get the cross bar for axle jacking you can do most things on it including tire changes and brakes.

I would like to see people list good and bad brands and models of these as well.

Larry

jharsh

WOW, this post is just in time. I am also in the market for a lift and have been looking at a BendPak 4 post lift. I think for me the 4 post makes sense.
1. It does not have to be bolted to the floor.
2. Can been moved easily with no car on it with optional wheel kit.
3. Can be put in a garage with a low ceiling, just need to be careful not to hit the ceiling or door.
4. Can use a optional rack jack to change the tires.
Besides wheel and suspension work I am not really sure of the benefits of a 2 post. Hope to see some more responses.

jcdynamic88

exactly what 68442 says. solution is to have both.

davebw31

Something you make want to look in to. Here in Florida garages that use 2 or 4 post lifts must replace them every so many years. Not sure but I think like every 4-6 years. I found this out from a friend when I started to think about buying a new one. The place I called was in Jacksonville, Fl. I could get an asymmetrical HD constructed USA made with USA parts 2 post 7,000 lb lift for $1,875.00 (one year warranty), delivered to my house (I am about 235 miles away), installation fee of $300.00 plus $100 fuel charge for a total of $2,275.00. Ended up not buying cause in a year or so I was retiring and not going to do any more restorations.

There are several outfits here in Florida that remove and install the new lift. Then they replace whatever needs replacing (usually hyd. hoses and replacing leaking hyd. cylinder seals). Contact a business that repairs lifts.

jharsh

While having both would be great, for most I would say that is not an option.

CRUZN 66

I presently have an asymmetrical 2-post and it has served me well for the past 15 years with no hindrances to the tasks I have used it for, which is just about everything... I do plan on purchasing a 12K pound 4-post in the very near future, mainly for vehicle storage as well as maintaining my larger trucks... Advantage to the 4-post is that it can be relocated easily with the wheel kit available...

BlackGold

Ditto what Dave said. Contact a local lift seller/repairer to see what they have available used. Even if your state doesn't require shops to replace every X years, some shops do, and others go out of business. You may be able to score a professional-quality lift for a hobbyist-quality price.

steverw

I have been told you need thicker cement for a 2 post so it is anchored very well. A 4 post the weight is distributed to a much larger area. Sounds reasonable to me.

Gary M

St Louis codes said mine had to be inspected every one or two years. Four post bend pack is nice I bought one but could not use due to floor not level enough. Sold to a friend and he loves it. One Advantage of a 2 post is lifting bodies off frames easier.

edzolz

The weight is not distributed to a larger area but it is split to four lesser amounts of load rather than two heavy loads. A two post lift really should have at least six inch slab of concrete but I know lots of them on four inch slabs too.

76 Regency

Wow, thanks for all the feedback guys. The previous owner of our house had a lift in the garage and from what I can tell from the remaining mountings (it was sold before they listed the house!), it was a 2 post. I know he had significantly smaller cars in there than I do so I don't really know what the capacity of the old lift was. I've been chatting with sales reps at Bendpak and I was told that certain auto parts stores will send somebody to inspect the garage for you.

oldsboyDino

I like my 4 post because I just drive up on it and lift the car. I don't have to go on one knee, put the arms in the right position and then lift the car. There is always a car parked underneath so if I drive the car every couple of days, putting the arms in and out is a pain in the butt.

MDchanic

My ol' man has had an asymmetrical Rotary 2-post for about twenty years, and I would highly recommend it.

He has no problem lifting his ¾-ton van with it, and I can open the doors of my '73 Delta just fine on it.
No problems lifting convertibles, other than the obvious one that they always flex when you lift them from anywhere other than the wheels.

Personally, I don't like to leave a car up there overnight (just my own paranoia), but I have done many times, and have never had a problem. The only time I have ever seen one of these lifts fall was in the ashes of a local shop after it burned to the ground (terrible story, independent foreign car shop in business for decades, the owner had a heart attack and died a week later).

In my father's case, he specified the concrete composition, reinforcement, and thickness when the slab was poured, so that he could be sure that it would be right for the lift, so it's better to be sure.

It's true, though, what Dino says about manipulating the arms:
My father isn't getting any younger, and it's definitely getting harder for him to get down on the floor and move the arms around.

A 4-post would definitely be better for car storage, but the interference with the wheels would drive me nuts.

- Eric

sixtyfour

2 post for doing maint. 4 post for storage. The place I bought my 2 post said that if your going to store anything more that 3 to 6 months use the 4 post set ups

Kennybill

I have an asymmetrical 11,000# 2 post Chinese lift. I've had it 8 years, zero problems. My 1971 Royale 88 convertible been on it for a few weeks at a time, no sagging. I use mine for working on cars not for storage. At 66yo I'm not as flexible as I use to be but thanks to my lift I'm still able to work on my cars.

droldsmorland

Two poster hands down. The suspension is unloaded. Its much more versatile than a 4. You can pull an engine with it or lift other heavy items. The arms have many adapter options to lift most anything. Go 9-10K/lbs minimum. Have the footers properly poured. We paid around 3K for ours installed. The 4 poster is more geared towards storing a car up high IMO.

76 Regency

This is all GREAT feedback. I am starting to lean more towards a 2 post simply because in addition to working on the 2 Ninety Eights, I do all of the maintenance on our daily drivers, including tire rotations, brakes, etc. and I can't see spending the extra $1200 to get the lift jack that goes on a 4 post just to take 2 wheels off at a time.


As much as I would love to have one of each, it's out of the question (honestly, just getting one will be a major accomplishment for me). Luckily, both garages (house's and my detached) have the same high ceiling so if someday I decided I really needed to store another car, I could add a 4-post in the house garage and still park my daily driver underneath. That's a bit of a stretch right now but not out of the realm of possibilities down the road. I'm really feeling that a 2-post will more of what I need a lift to do...full maintenance and access to the undercarriage without any interference.


I have a feeling I can leave a car up there for a short time if necessary. I had purchased a '75 98 with 20K on it years ago that was sitting on a lift, nearly abandoned in a shop for 20 years. That car drove like new still and seemed to have no signs of stress from sitting up there for so long.

1970-W30

I have a Direct-Lift 4 post with a jack tray which makes it easy to do wheel work etc. At 69 years I no longer like getting down on my knees. With a wheel kit, 6 drip trays and the slideable jack tray, I was in it for $3200 delivered, assembled and ready to use. All I had to do is plug it in to use it. It requires a 20 amp dedicated 120V outlet.

zeeke

If you've ever had a vehicle fall off a 2 post then there is no question. I had my 2006 Silverado drop before I was able to get the stabilizer bar in, was not a fun day. After much abuse from my friend at the body shop he told me cars fall off these things all the time. My truck shifted and landed on the bars (9,000lb lift 6,400lb truck). He told me he gets calls for removing cars that have fallen sideways on these things. He also has a mechanic shop next door with four post lifts. As previously stated, you will need additional equipment to lift it for the wheels.

marcar1993

If you plan to just store stuff, yes a 4 post will work. A 2 post works fine for both storage, and working on stuff. After working under a 2 post, you'll never want to go back to a 4 post for anything more than an oil change. Yes they are more dangerous, you need to be careful and lift them carefully and make sure they are stable. When the day comes I finally get my shop built it'll get a 10k minimum 2 post lift.

The local hs auto shop has 2 post lifts, they work on them and they store cars on them for long times too with no ill effects

76 Regency

Thank you...this seems very much on par with what I've been thinking. I've always wished for a lift to make working on and detailing my cars easier. Storing an additional car has never been as high on the list of needs for a lift. Should I get another car someday, then I can consider a second, 4 post lift for that purpose but that's not even on the radar really so primary function for me is service.

JohnnyBs68S

Same lift I have, rated for 9,000 lbs. I also have the optional sliding hydraulic axle jack. 3 drip trays, a jack tray (just a pan that a separate floor jack can be placed) and the wheel kit all came at no extra cost. I use it to park 4 cars in my 3-car residential garage. I purchased it for around $2,000 when I purchased the house (a lot cheaper than the ~8K to build a 4th car garage on new construction). My two "summer" cars are just short enough (<54") and my ceiling is just high enough (9'11") and the garage is just deep enough to fit it all in (I did have to adjust my GDO limit switch to stop the door ~ 8" short to avoid hitting the rear of the car on top.... making the 2-door opening only ~66" high, which limits the height of the vehicle parked next to the lift). The wheel kit was crucial to be able to move it into position in the corner after assembly (I rented a U-Haul truck to get it from the distributor ~2 hrs south of me, put it together myself w/ help).


One feature I love on this lift is that it has stops that are height-adjustable allowing me to split the height exactly and allow me to park either car up top and underneath at the same time. Without this feature, one of my cars would not fit, rendering the lift useless for me for what I needed to accomplish.

With both the sliding hydraulic axle jack and jack tray, I can get all 4 wheels in the air if I need to. Thus far, I've been able to do a tranny swap on my '68, and eventually plan on R&R the engine. Also, didn't need to worry about the thickness of the concrete for a 2-post lift. No regrets going w/ a 4-post lift here.

Kennybill

I always check to have pads centered on frame/lifting points. I go pass first stop, bleed off pressure, look underneath to make sure pads are centered again. Push on front and rear of vehicles. Once everything is right up she goes. Always bleed off pressure to put it on the stops. On long vehicles I'll put a tall safety stand front/rear. The checking kept me out of trouble once. I had a 1975 88 convertible I pulled the rear brake drums off because they were hanging up to make it roll easy. I had it on the lift readying it to pull engine and transmission together. Lower it down, pulled engine/trans. Everything went smooth, I'm a one man band. I had the lift on the floor. Next morning I decided to raise the car and I went to the first stop, bleed off and got down to look at pads position. I about crapped my pants. Car must have rolled back about 6 inches during the night. The one front pad was ready to drop off the frame on the drivers side. I put it on the floor pronto. I rolled car forward chocked the tire and raised it. I always put a chalk mark on the center of passenger side tire now. Always recheck on the first stop before raising it up. Jmo, but it did save me once. The best thing I've found is a Rawlings "old school" catcher helmet I wear. Being 6'2" it's saved my head many times plus always move slowly when under the vehicle, also jmo. I love my 2 post lift. In the 1960s we worked on cars outside in the winter using canvas tarps. We had a shed with a little pot belly stove to warm up. I'm living large now.

marxjunk

BRAND NAME..ALWAYS GO WITH A BRAND NAME....i sell lifts and equipment for a living...i cant tell you how many off brand "US built" pieces have had service and maintenance probs as well as off shore stuff.....they go out of business..absorbed etc and theres no parts in the country...get a brand name, they may be a little more, but 10-15 years from now you will be able to get parts..i just changed a Car Star over..lifts where 6 years old, started having issues, need parts..non-existent..

I put 2 rotarys in there... i can sell anything really i want, and rotary and challenger are it for me.. period...

always buy the biggest/heaviest lift you can afford...i have lifts at home, and they are 10 and 12k 2 post....and wish i would have bought a larger/heavier x-wide...but i digress..

76 Regency

I am primarily looking at the Bendpak 9,000 LB 2-Post....what are your thoughts on their lifts ?

marxjunk

was good stuff..


very industrial...very commercial...i havent ran into any issues in the field but i hear bad stuff about service and parts..but not bad enough for me to research it much..i dont have access to them so i cant give a real or fair evaluation.. i know in the past, they where as good a rotary

id google them and see...go to garage journal and poke around there too

id rather have a bend pak than any off brand thats for sure..but i bet they went offshore too, because never heard a word then suddenly ive heard some real negative stuff..mostly about quality and service..actually getting someone to repair or service them..but no real first hand..


seems like all the bendpak stuff around here is 15-20++ years old and they perform well..

MDchanic

My personal rule is that once the car is up on the lift, it doesn't come off of it until I'm ready to drive it away. I'll put it down low enough to compress the springs slightly, but not enough to let the pads slip off of the frame.

- Eric

coppercutlass

At work i love the two post lifts. For years i had access to a 4 post where i stored my car. I personally like 4 post because im more likely to do a trans swap than suspension work. I also prefer to do suspension work closer to the ground. The biggest benefit to the 4 post is most only need 120 and need a minimum of 10 foot ceiling height and you can put it anywhere and if you have the rollers it can be moved as needed. Even outside !!!! . To me the 4 post is more versatile than the 2 post where the 2 post makes a few things easier the 4 post can over come those pretty easy for most hobbyist . For a shop like where i work the only reason to use a 4 post is for exhaust. its nice to make an exhaust with suspension loaded but for most things we use the 2 post lift.

jharsh

Just trying to learn something here, but I am a little confused about the whole required inspection thing. I am trying to find this requirement for Alabama but having no luck. Is this a requirement for a business or any personally owned lift? What would they be inspecting?

CRUZN 66

I think you may have misspoke yourself... The 2-post cannot be put on wheels... However, here is a portable lift, with a lot of 2-post functionality and alleviates space constraints...

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/spe...ts/md-6xp.aspx

MDchanic

In order to inspect it, they have to know you've got it.

I never heard of inspections, myself, but every state is different, and some are more different than others.

- Eric

VI Cutty

Or there's the MaxJax: http://www.babco.ca/Automotive-Equip...Fc9MDQodWIkCew


My brother seems to like his. I wouldn't want to use it as a storage lift though.

cfhcar

one place i worked they put in a new 2 post rack in and st louis co. came out and inspected it and the all the inground racks. went to talk about junk and dangeress use a 40+ in ground rack. i bought me 2 post rack 8 years ago and it was 20+ year went bought it. the county were it is at i pay personal property tax on it and some of the other shop equipment i have.

coppercutlass

I totally screwed up what i said. Made the edit to my post Sorry bout that., the 4 post lifts do come with rollers. And can be moved very easily.

D. Yaros

You are getting a lot of good info here. All I can do is add to what has already been said.

I have a full-sized Olds convertible, 1962. No problem storing it on my 2-post lift. I would note you do not want to open the doors while it off the ground, or raise the car with door(s) open.

Weight of car not a problem. I use my 2-post to raise 2.5 ton Cadillac as well as a pickup truck.

As for post being in the way of a door opening, yes and no. You may open the doors, just not all the way. When I do, I drape a moving blanket over the door skin. I would note that some 2-post lift manufactures (Mohawk, which is what I have) make door guards that attach to the column, but they are a bit pricey.

As for undercarriage access, you can't beat it! All 4-post lifts are going to restrict undercarriage access somewhat. Impossible to raise wheels off 4-post ramps without auxiliary equipment.

The main advantage I can see to the 4-post is assembly/installation. You probably can do it on your own, with no helpers. Not so with a reputable 2-post. Each column of my Mohawk A-7 weighs in at a mere 1,000 lbs.!

The last consideration is cost. In that regard a couple of points are critical:
1 - It is true that you get what you pay for.
2 - Remember you will be working under a raised vehicle. Be able to trust
your purchase to do its job!

1970greensupreme

I bought a used lift 20 yrs ago and it was probably 15 years old when I bought it for $900. It's a two post with a full frame, chain instead of cables, Bishman rated for 7500 lbs. I have thick concrete, probably 8 inches in the lift area but this type of lift you can use as little as 4. In a perfect world I wold have an open bottom to make trans work easier but with the open top I've been able to hang my frame with rear diff and front suspension from my garage ceiling and still lift a veh with hood open fully so it works well for me