Truck two post lifts

[Chevy_Man]

Who has two post truck lifts in there shop to work on there trucks?

[Bowtie67]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Man

Who has two post truck lifts in there shop to work on there trucks?

I dont have a two post lift, unfortunately my highest pint in my garage is only 8ft, and as well as I am limited to where I could put it without having to work around it. There is also a little safety issue towards two posts lifts. Here is a pretty good sight with a variety of lifts,

http://www.asedeals.com/lifts2.html

I just ordered this unit, it will go to a hight of 48" and I can put it in where I normally work on my truck without it being in the way..

[OJOE]

just got a used 2 post, got a good deal from a closed down shop. got to pour concrete in front of my shop. on the lift i have you need 12 ft min

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by OJOE

just got a used 2 post, got a good deal from a closed down shop. got to pour concrete in front of my shop. on the lift i have you need 12 ft min

You mean 12" of concrete or 12ft of ceiling height?

12ft of concrete is alot of concrete!

[72MARIO]

We just got a drive on 4 post. With jacks that are inbetween the ramps.

I dont like the 2 post because the front clip tends to dangle and allow thefenders to relax causing them to hit the rockers. As with the drive on it's still sitting at ride height.

Also you can park another car under a 4 post

[4tiresngas]

72Mario, when you say there are jacks in between the post...are thes jacks that will lift the vehicle from the ramp. I have seen ramps that have jack that allow you ti drive on the ramp, but still be able to lift it off the wheels and remove the wheels.

[70c10]

Bowtie67- if that lift only goes to 48", how will you work under it?. Are you supposed to lay on your back and raise it up to your arms length?. I only have 9' ceiling height in my garage and I was curious.

[ChevLoRay]

My nephew sells/services both 2 and 4-post lifts. It seems that the preference around our parts is for the 2-post variety. The argument then becomes one of type of lifting, i.e, cable or hydraulic. Both should have safety latches/catches that prevent the lift from falling.

Some have drive-on ramps, others have arms which can be moved to a point of contact. So, you have choices.

There's a company in Oklahoma, Kwiklift (www.kwiklift.com), that has one that can be driven onto, then raised into position with a floor jack. Granted, it won't go up more than a couple or three feet, but that would make some jobs easier. It also has options that you can consider, like an additional center bridge that lets the user raise the vehicle off of the tires, for brake work, for instance.

The small one shown in the attached pix is good for a confined space, but also limits what you can access. Still, it is appealing for home use. The one I have seen has rollers on one end so you can move it around, which might be nice for home garage use, particularly if you don't have enough overhead room, or need to do some work outside of the garage and the garage apron is sufficient for the task.

Floor jacks are always nice, but use jack stands to be safe.

Good post, no pun intended.

[cableguy0]

2 post lifts are the way to go. hands down.everything can be gotten to easily. a 4 post lift is in the way for even changing tires. its a big pain in the @ss working around those ramps. the scissor lifts block the whole underside of the car therefore there only use is basically brake work. you cant get to trannies or exhaust. 2 posts are only unsafe when used by someone who doesnt know what they are doing and doesnt lift the car at its center of gravity. when a car is on a lift you should not be able to make it wobble or rock.

[Chrome8]

www.bencostuff.com these guys sell a bunch of different brands. It's a good place to look at different designs. I just picked up a versemetric Whip 10000# 2 post but we havent installed it yet in our GM shop. There are a lot of different companies out there. I wouldn't recomend a 4 post because a lot of repairs are a royal pain on one of these. Great for oil change or general maint. but thats about it. Our trucks have pretty narrow framerails so a versemetric or a symetric 2 post is the way to go in my opinion. Also i wouldn't buy a forward hoist that wasn't 4 years old or so, they sold out to an asian company and they changed the design. Whip is manufactured by a guy that is related to the former forward designers, so about the same hoist.

[Bowtie67]

Originally Posted by 70c10

Bowtie67- if that lift only goes to 48", how will you work under it?. Are you supposed to lay on your back and raise it up to your arms length?. I only have 9' ceiling height in my garage and I was curious.

Well I work on my back now like a little Ho, My current jack will only go about a foot or so high then I have to put jack stands under it. For the most part I really don't need to stand under the truck or car for whatever work I do it is generally oil changes, pull wheels, with this lift I will be able to make up some bigger jack stands if I really need to get under there to do anything major. This particular lift also has some what of an opening in the center to be able to work.

[70c10]

Oh ok. I ckecked out that kwiklift and it doesn't look bad but it only goes to 20" off the floor like my jack stands. My next garage will have a high ceiling!

[OJOE]

Originally Posted by grendel

You mean 12" of concrete or 12ft of ceiling height?

12ft of concrete is alot of concrete!

sorry, i need 12ft ceiling height, that is why i am going to put it in front of my shop. i will pour 6" of concrete

[cableguy0]

there are plenty of companies that make shorter lifts that will fit in a garage with ceilings that arent 12 ft. they have them as low as 100 inches on the ceiling height. 128 is fairly common for a short lift

[Chevy_Man]

Hey guys thanks for the reply's ....Now for the next question, who has the two post in there shop and how far away from the end wall do i need to figure on to install a two post. See i am ready to pour my concrete for my shop and want to make sure i have enough were i plan to put it.

Thanks,
Eric

[Chrome8]

13' 6" from the centerline of the hoist post is what most of our guys have in the shop. The one i measured just now could use an extra 6". But you could get by with less. This is with a bench also, and i measured to the wall. We use a 36" bench. In a stall that has a garage door behind it the spec we use is 17' from the center of the hoist post to the door.

[Chevy_Man]

Originally Posted by Chrome8

13' 6" from the centerline of the hoist post is what most of our guys have in the shop. The one i measured just now could use an extra 6". But you could get by with less. This is with a bench also, and i measured to the wall. We use a 36" bench. In a stall that has a garage door behind it the spec we use is 17' from the center of the hoist post to the door.

How wide are the post? What i was going to do is make a small chain wall where the post would be placed....and thanks for the info

Eric

[Chrome8]

Chain wall? Our actual posts are about 12x12. Most hoist pads are about 24"x24, all brands are different. That's why all the measurements i gave you were from center of the post/pad. You can measure from the spot you plan on putting the hoist to the wall to see if it will work for your application. Or measure back from the wall and mark your centerline on the floor.

[68gmcdually]

Originally Posted by 72MARIO

We just got a drive on 4 post. With jacks that are inbetween the ramps.

I dont like the 2 post because the front clip tends to dangle and allow thefenders to relax causing them to hit the rockers. As with the drive on it's still sitting at ride height.

Also you can park another car under a 4 post

Mario;

How high is your ceiling in your garage? My new garage only has 10' ceilings and I think that it is high enough to park a low car on top and the truck underneath but I am not too sure.

Jim

[Jim_PA]

I prepped my garage for a lift when I built it, and the research I did turned up that you should be aware of the symmetric vs. assymetric lifts. Some lifts will work both symmetric and assymetric (meaning, you can lift cars or trucks).

[Chevy_Man]

Originally Posted by Jim_PA

I prepped my garage for a lift when I built it, and the research I did turned up that you should be aware of the symmetric vs. assymetric lifts. Some lifts will work both symmetric and assymetric (meaning, you can lift cars or trucks).

So what are you saying...do i need to go with one kind or what?

eric

[Chevy_Man]

Hey jim do you have the lift now and if so what size shop? any pics?

[Jim_PA]

Didn't get the lift yet, it might not happen for a few years. My garage is 40X40 with 12' ceiling, and I had 5 1/2 inches of concrete put down.

Read #1 here for an explanation: http://www.challengerlifts.com/faqs.html

[Chevy_Man]

Thanks Jim for the info, i am building a 30x40x12 and i am getting ready to pour concrete in the morning and i just wanted to make sure i was set up to do this....thanks

eric