Car Lifts

[Richard E.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have had my Back Yard Buddy 4 years and park my 67/300 air on top
and my 67/435 under it.Something i wouldn't think of doing with a "deal"
lift made in China... But thats just me...

[Brady C.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have owned Panther lifts for years and own four of them - 4 post lifts with 9000# capacity. No problems as of today with any components, but they are bolted / attached to the shop floor for stability...

Yes, I know they are made abroad and will take some grief, but they are strong, well made, a great value and have worked for me. Two local friends had the same lifts with good experience, hence why I purchased from Panther...

Brady Como
# 42793

[Jim D.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have a Superior 4 post lift and have been very pleased. I have used it about 10 years, no problems and have restored 12 Vettes and Camaros and a GTO using it.

[James W.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have a Stinger lift with a 6000 pound capacity that I bought and installed in 2000; absolutely no problems with it to date. They advertise in the Driveline also.


Regards,

James West

[Mark T.]

Re: Car Lifts

First if the deal is right for the used lift go for it. Super is a generic design and you should always be able to get parts.
Michael Mohawk by far builds the best and safest lift built anywhere and they are 100% built in America. I have been a Mohawk distributor for 30 years, but as I stated we have serviced and installed just about every brand out there.
The important factor in buying a new lift is the ALI certification . In order to be certified the lifts have to go through very tough testing by a independent lab and are built to OSHA specs.
Mohawk and Rotary are both ALI/ETL certified as is Quality brand lifts and a hand full of others
Mark

[Randall K.]

Re: Car Lifts

Mark - what would be the recommendation for those of us who would be interested in getting a used lift AND have a normal residential garage floor? I'm assuming that a four-post lift would be required for weight distribution...

Thanks
Randy

[Mark T.]

Re: Car Lifts

Randall, a normal garage floor will bear the load of a 4 post lift and car. Finding good used lifts is another story. As a rule of thumb the height requirement for a 4 post lift is the height of the two cars plus 10 to 12 inches. Depending on the brand of lift sometime we can fit with less clearance.
For any 2 post lift a minimum floor thickness of 4 inches of 3500-4000psi
concrete is required. Also almost all 2 post lifts use 220 volt power , while 4 post lifts work equally well with either 110 volt or 220 volt.
Hope this answers your question
Mark

[Paul J.]

Re: Car Lifts

Randy, most garage floors are 2000 psi concrete, approximately 4" deep. That was the UBC for year and years. Some areas of the Country may have building codes which require 3000 psi concrete (California for the earthquake factor and the northeast just because), but I believe that this requirement is for structural concrete, such as footings and other load bearing members. I used 2500 psi in a recent slab that I poured, because I recall seeing some code changes in the past that discussed 2500 psi. 2500 psi is the minimum requirement for residential structural (load bearing) concrete.

If you are not sure of the slab thickness or the type of concrete used, you may wish to have bearing strength tested. You may find that you will have to cut some concrete and install a foundation to meet Mark's standards.

Paul

[Dick W.]

Re: Car Lifts

The important factor in buying a new lift is the ALI certification . In order to be certified the lifts have to go through very tough testing by a independent lab and are built to OSHA specs.
Mohawk and Rotary are both ALI/ETL certified as is Quality brand lifts and a hand full of others
Mark

Glad you made this point, I have preached it every time someone wants to buy a lift.

[Jaime G.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have 5 BackYard Buddy's 4 post lifts. Oldest is 6 years and all are great
lifts. No problems, made in USA from US made components. Easy to work under. A bit pricey but consider what you are putting on the lift and under the lift. Oh by the way, you may also want to consider that you will be under the lift at times. Safety first.

[Michael M.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have an older Grand 2 post lift 9000 lb Aysemetric and don`t know how I managed without it. All I need to do is finish the rest of the garage. Mke

[Dan T.]

Re: Car Lifts

I have a Double 2 Park lift. The member I purchased it from has used these for years. I really enjoy mine. After reading the latest article in the Restorer about that lift it pays to keep an eye on everything. I am in agreement with the guy who said to watch every little thing as you go up/down. These can be dangerous. Best of luck on your new purchase. Dan Termeer

[William P.]

Re: Car Lifts

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I have purchased the Super Lift and I am quite happy with its operation. I will pay close attention to the lift while I am operating it as suggested in several threads.

One additional item I would like to include is that over the last three or four months I have been re-reading my almost complete collection of The Corvette Restorer from oldest to latest. Yesterday I was reading the Spring 2000 (Vol 26, #4), issue, when I came across an article by Terry McManmon, "Winter Regional Meet" (pg53). It shows a picture of about 10 NCRS members standing around under a "Superior LIft" which is the predicessor of "Super Lift. The article states that several lifts from Superior were donated to be used for the two day judging by John Wood.

Again, thanks to all for the input..

[Tom R.]

Re: Car Lifts

One more variable to check..... Most all four post lifts can be used freestanding. That is they are not required to be bolted to the floor. However, all two post lifts do require bolting. If you live in earthquake country or in an area with expansive ( clayey) soil, most of these slabs require post-tensioned reinforcement for strength and you cannot drill into them without having them inspected and marked by xray or other non-destructive means to locate the tendons. You can tell if you have that kind of slab because they are required by code to be stamped at least twice in a prominent area to let the owner know it is post-tensioned slab and that you are not to drill into it.