Two Post Lift Warning

[Harmon C.]

I got a call from a person looking for a 73 grill price. He told me he was working on the rear suspension of his 73 on a two post lift. He had every thing removed and said he walked to the side of the lift to his tool box and at that time the Corvette nose dived off the front of the lift to the ground in slow motion. I ask where he had the front pads of the lift and he said where the frame turns in behind the front wheels. He also said it was a small block. I do not know if the interior or the rear bumpers were on the car. I have had many Corvettes blocked up off the floor with no problem but I have no reason to belive it did not happen.

Lyle

[Stephen L.]

Re: Two Post Lift Warning

As you remove items from the rear of the car it becomes nose heavy. If you remove enough stuff you get a nose dive... teeter-totter effect.

[Roy B.]

Re: Two Post Lift Warning

Reading your post reminds me when in my other life as a mechanic at a Chevy dealer in Burbank Ca. The guy next to me in my stall was raising a 69 BB that had a rock crusher trans.the owners wonted to know why it was so noisy Ha Ha . But the lift was low on fluid having trapped air and half way up it jump 3 feet and the Corvette landed in my stall up side down . If I only had a camera then to record their faces. (and the Corvette)

[Alan Drake]

Re: Two Post Lift Warning

Just doing the same thing, rear end stuff out, rear bumpers off, - said before anything else is removed think I'll hange a 50 lb weight off the bumper support. Friends have said Well, then those weignts are good for something. Glad I did that.

As a side note, I put the front lift pads as far forward as possible - seen most people put them where frame starts to bend inward - never liked that and never used that location. Had a set of angled plates made to get a true fix.

This bad news post means before I do any more removal of parts the rear stuff goes back.

Sorry

[Bill W.]

Re: Two Post Lift Warning

Thats why they make tall screw type jack stands. to support the heavy end. And keep the car from rocking.Nobody at the Chev.dealer I work at uses a 2 post without them.Bill

[Mike McKown]

That's exactly what I do.

Use the tall screw jacks when I unload a lot of weight at one end. He also may not have locked the arms on the hoist to prevent them from swinging IB when the weight shifted.

I'd say it would be very difficult to balance a mid-year on a two post lift with either the engine or rear suspension missing. The wheelbase is too short.

We even used the screw jacks in the Ford factory on full size cars and trucks when changing a rear axle. Same reason.

I think this was a case of operator error, not lift problem.

[Harmon C.]

Re: That's exactly what I do.

I would say it waas operator error also. It may save someone from a big repair if they know it can happen.

Lyle

[Dick W.]

Re: That's exactly what I do.

The ALI certified lifts have locks on the arms that automatically lock when the lift is raised.

[Alan Drake]

Re: That's exactly what I do and now me

Thanks for these comments,

The day after Christmas I'm getting a screw jack without price shopping.
Have a good one.

[Michael S.]

Re: That's exactly what I do and now me

A good quality tall transmission jack also works well in a pinch!