Car storage lifts

[Carl 36543]

Do you have experience GOOD or BAD regarding car lift manufacturers?
I am looking for a good quality and affordable car lift to be used in my home garage. The lift will lift a '66 convertible to be suspended above 2 m/c's.
I'm a firm believer in recommendations and word-of-mouth is the best advertising. I ask my fellow NCRS members for good advice and input.
Many thanks and regards.
Carl 36543

[Craig S.]

Re: Car storage lifts

I have two Autolifters 4 post lifts, the original M6 and a newer M80. I am very pleased with the quality and value, and the safety of the design...Craig




Autolifters

[Jim T.]

Re: Car storage lifts

I also have two Autolifter four post lifts, M6's. Have had them for about eight years and no problems. Pretty easy to assemble, I did both of them myself.

[Joe Pearson]

Re: Car storage lifts

I bought the Eagle SS7000. It has worked fine for 4 years. They make an extra tall and long model and a narrower one if you have space constraints. Joe

[Steve Junkersfeld]

Re: Car storage lifts

Carl, I have a MECO 7000lb, extra tall. I park my wife's Yukon under it. Great lift, affordable, American made. Steve

[Guest]

Re: Car storage lifts

I have the Superior Lift and am very pleased with it.

[Jeff Broughton]

Re: Car storage lifts

Carl, check out this thread from the Corvette Forum before you buy - http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=258483

There are also a whole series of posts in later months detailing this guy's problems dealing with the company and their insurance people. I don't know if he ever got it resolved to his satisfaction. Just do a search on the Corvette Forum for lift collapse.

Good luck!
Jeff

[James W.]

Re: Car storage lifts

Carl,

I purchased a Stinger Equipment 4-post lift back in 2001. They advertise in the Driveline and make an excellent lift. It is a 6000 pound capacity Model ST lift and it works excellent for storing and servicing Corvettes and other cars. I even put my Ford F-150 Pickup and Expodition on it to service them. Stinger has since went to a 7000 pound capacity which seems to be the standard in the industry. I don't have anything that weighs close to 6000 so it is fine for my needs. I purchased a "Show Special" from them and paid less than 3k for the lift delivered. My father and I assembled it in about 4 hours time working at a leasurely pace.

Give them a call at 1-800-854-4850 and ask for Perry or Steve Switzer or visit their website at www.stingerlifts.com.

You can email me at jwest@oppd. com and I will send you some pictures of my lift with the Corvette on it. This will give you an idea of the room and ceiling height required. My garage ceiling height is 10'-6".

[John H.]

Re: Car storage lifts

I have a Cytech Double-Park ( www.doublepark.net ); have had it for four years, has probably been up and down 100 times. They design and build their own and don't sell to anyone else to be re-branded. Excellent design, material selection, manufacturing quality (not a sharp edge anywhere), all powder-coated, etc., got all the options with it (caster kit, drip trays, jack bridge, aluminum ramps, drive-thru [so you can drive on/off both ends], oil change container, blahblah. Very happy with it. Whatever you buy, get the aluminum ramps - the standard steel ones are a bear to horse around.

[Chuck G.]

Re: Car storage lifts

I have a Superior. LOVE it. No problems with it. Buy the aluminum ramps. Also, get the "drip trays"...at least 3 AND the "jacking bridge". Chuck

[Patrick H.]

Re: Car storage lifts

And I have two of the Double Parks, purchased after using John's. One has all the options, the other doesn't cuz you can swap them between the lifts.

Even though they aren't cheap, I'd never go without them again. I'd have to agree that the fit and finish of the Double Parks seems to be better than the other brands I have viewed at shows.

Patrick

[Paul O.]

Re: Car storage lifts

I have an Autolifters 6000# 2 post use it for storage and my feelings much easier to use when working on any of my cars. Have had it for the past 2 years works just great. Paul

[Craig S.]

Re: Car storage lifts

This is one reason I like the postive lock engagement and captive post design of the autolifters design (copied by backyard buddy).....Craig

[Jim R.]

Re: Car storage lifts

Carl:

I bought a Stinger lift 4 years ago and had it built custom for a very tight fit situation. The hydraulic bypass made it impossible to accidentally run my Vette into the ceiling! You can see pics at:

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/easy_rider/index3.shtml

I looked at 3 different manufacturers and visited 2 of their manufacturing locations to get a first-hand look.

As mentioned in another post, Perry provided excellent advice and followup service on my lift. A lot more companies are making lifts now and I cannot tell you if the quality has improved or not. Prices have come down though as more competition has evolved.

My advice - check every one out carefully and if you can, visit their manufacturing sites.

Jim #33086

[Craig S.]

Re: Car storage lifts

Jim - I can relate to your clearance! I went with an overhead door commercial rolling steel door, to gain clearance. Then, I built a "pocket" for my 67 coupe roofline in the roof (I live in AZ and have a flat roof home, with 2X10's above the sheetrock and plywood decking roof surface). To do this, I created custom steel brackets of 3/8" X 4" X 8ft with welded on "tabs" on each end and sandwitched one of these on each side of the roof joists in that area, bolted through in many places, then cut out the 2X10, and sheetrocked it all back up form the pocket. A real pain, but it worked, and I guess if I ever sell the house I will have to show the picture I took in construction to prove I didn't compromise the roof structure. Amazing what we go through to get these lifts to work in our garages...Craig