Lets talk auto lifts

[hgeranium]

I recently bought a house. I'll be moving into it full-time after graduation. There's no garage but there is a nice sized concrete slab in the backyard at the end of the driveway. It's completely open, so I figure it would be a great spot for a two post lift. I would build a roof that accommodates the max height of the jeep on the lift which depends on what size I get

 

Anyone with personal lifts, are there any recommendations or pointers that you may have? I don't want to spend many many thousands of dollars, but I don't want to risk my life, and more importantly my Jeep, with a dirt cheap temu quality lift. I would prefer one with enough height to stand straight underneath it and work(I'm 5'10"), but if the price is right, even one that's a bit shorter where I could sit on a stool to work underneath would be amazing too. Anything to get off the gravel. This will be at least 2 years in the future when money is stabilized and I have enough time to save, but I like to do my research early.

 

Also how does installation work? Is this something that is professionally installed only, or can I save myself some coin and do it myself? I really just don't know what it takes to put together and install a lift. I know I would need some heavy-duty tools to get it situated in the concrete to start.

[camjeep3]

You need to know what the thickness of the slab is and what the lift requires. Instal can be diy. You will need a decent drill to place the anchors in the slab. Everything else is nut and bolt assembly. Although heavy components. You will also need electric at the lift. 

[hgeranium]

4 hours ago, camjeep3 said:

You need to know what the thickness of the slab is and what the lift requires. Instal can be diy. You will need a decent drill to place the anchors in the slab. Everything else is nut and bolt assembly. Although heavy components. You will also need electric at the lift. 

Any manufacturers or brands that you could vouch for?

[Htchevyii]

I went with a used American made Western as opposed to a new Chinese model. Mine was older but infrequently used. I see quite a few used quality ones for sale, but some may be REALLY used. Rotary and Bendpack were used at the dealership that I worked at. I installed mine using a used 1/2" hammer drill and a helper. I did have to buy a rebar cutter but for the few holes that it rebar. We used a cherry picker to help lift the uprights.

[pizzaman09]

Congratulations on buying the house!  I can't imagine buying a home before graduation and considering putting in a lift. That sounds like a lot of expense.

 

That said, I have a friend that put a new Rotary two post in his garage.  It is a very good high quality lift and I would highly recommend one if you can find one.  They come up for sale used more often than you'd expect.  

You can do it yourself.  The professional install is probably less than you'd expect though assuming there is a lift distributor near where you live.

 

I plan to do a two post lift in my new house in the future.  I currently have a 4 post lift that I inherited and it's a wonderful tool but it doesn't allow one to do suspension work.  Four post lifts are way cheaper than two post lifts but definitely not a useful.

 

[hgeranium]

30 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said:

Congratulations on buying the house!  I can't imagine buying a home before graduation and considering putting in a lift. That sounds like a lot of expense.

 

That said, I have a friend that put a new Rotary two post in his garage.  It is a very good high quality lift and I would highly recommend one if you can find one.  They come up for sale used more often than you'd expect.  

You can do it yourself.  The professional install is probably less than you'd expect though assuming there is a lift distributor near where you live.

 

I plan to do a two post lift in my new house in the future.  I currently have a 4 post lift that I inherited and it's a wonderful tool but it doesn't allow one to do suspension work.  Four post lifts are way cheaper than two post lifts but definitely not a useful.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll be moving back to San Antonio so if I don’t have the rocks to do it myself I’m sure there’s plenty of professional options.
 

The lift is something I plan on doing in a few years when we get more fiscally stable again. I wanted to do my research early to make sure it was a reasonable goal for me. 

 

What I'm trying to tell the wife is that if we buy a lift instead of a third car, then I can keep the Comanche and her Taurus running for much longer (and get a project XJ for us a little further down the line). 

[ghetdjc320]

If slab thickness/integrity isn’t sufficient, a good four post lift may be an option. Marketplace tends to have all sorts of lift from shops that are closing up or upgrading. Bendpak would be the go to here. Lifts really aren’t super complicated but I’d be weary or two post knock off lifts and any type of scissor lift. I have heard good things about champion lifts as well. 

[Smokeyyank]

My dad has a lift at his place. He got one from eBay and had someone install it Going on 8ish years at this point. Other than the installation issues he caused (my dad did a $#!& job measuring and the lift was placed too close to something and broke a bolt) its been great. Can't think of the name but its a two post with a bottom support. I'll find it and circle back. 

[Muncher]

I am actually a lift installer most lifts only require 4 inch slab. can't be over expansion joints per code. Go with a rotary or a forward lift. Do not buy a bendpak!! They are terrible and over complicated. 

[glundblad]

I bought a 4 post about a year ago.  Personally, I have been very happy with it.  It only requires a 4" concrete pad.   The brand is Advantage and it is an 11,000 lbs lift. It is made for extra wide trucks.  I have an old F150 raptor.  Those are wider than a typical F150.  I also have a full size expedition.  Both of those fit on it very nicely.  The wider runways help the raptor but since the posts are further apart to support wider vehicles, its much easier to drive the expedition on it. 

I also have the somewhat narrow Comanche and a couple of very narrow Datsun 240z cars.  Everything fits on it perfectly.

 

The extra width makes the posts further apart and the runways a bit wider (but the space between the runways remains the same as other lifts).

 

Plus with a 4 post, you can park underneath it so you can get away with a 1 car garage with a tall ceiling and store 2 cars.  :)

Best of luck.

[89 MJ]

I think you're on the right track with a 2 post as long as you have enough slab for it. In my opinion, these are primarily for steering, suspension, and brake work. All three of those require either the wheels off or weight off of the suspension a lot of times. A 4 post would be much better for storage. The downside to the 2 post is when you walk into one of the arms or hit your head on the suspension, it hurts a ton. It's always right in the back of the head too.

 

I'm not sure what brand lift my Dad has, but he's had it longer than I've been alive and its never had an issue. If I remember, I'll get the brand next week. I can tell you that it is 14 feet tall and I wouldn't get one much shorter than that. With the cables going over the top, it means you can only lift the top of an MJ to 12 feet or so. That sounds like a lot, but I need to duck a lot when working under it and I'm 6'ish.

 

Make sure you get one that the cables go over the top of the vehicle, not along the ground. I've seen it where you can't hardly push a vehicle over the plate covering the cables when they are across the ground.

[pizzaman09]

The Rotary Lift I have used extensively is very nice.  The only geometric challenge I have found is on shorter wheelbase cars it can be a challenge to center the vehicle forward and back to get the arms to swing past the tires or extended in far enough to hit the jack points.  We have had that issue on my 99 BMW 3 series and my friends 86 Toyota MR2.

 

The Comanche fits beautifully on the lift.  When working on tall vehicles I would recommend the high rise lift points, we just have the flip up feet and they work but aren't ideal.