which lift?

[cdennisg]

I love it! If I had taller ceilings in the shop I would have considered other options, but this is perfect for me. I also use it as an out feed table for my table saw and as an assembly bench for many other projects. Infinitely variable height makes it quite handy.

That pic makes it seem as though things are unstable at full height, but I can tell you I have no concerns about stability using the lift. My only real problem is that putting a low car over it I need to use some 2x10's to raise the car while driving over it. My wife's Subaru has a low hanging exhaust that won't clear the hoist's center safety mechanism by about an inch or so. My neighbor's slammed squareback is even worse. I just have to keep a few planks around to drive on.
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[Teeroy]

Min concrete thickness required for my two post Atlas was only 4" with 3/4" bolts. Finally got it set up and adjusted last week, it goes up high enough to stand up straight under the car.

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Pres. Rivercity VW Club www.rcvwclub.org
Founder Derr Wheat Panzers (DWP)
ARR #3
www.autosportsnorthwest.org

[cdennisg]

Very nice Troy. I hope that is just a test beetle for the first use of the hoist. That thing is ugly.
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[Teeroy]

New autocross car, and first car on the lift. The arms have since been switched, the long arms are now on the door end.
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Pres. Rivercity VW Club www.rcvwclub.org
Founder Derr Wheat Panzers (DWP)
ARR #3
www.autosportsnorthwest.org

[Gary]

I recently re-started my search for an affordable vehicle lift for the home mechanic and found this site: Easy Auto Maintenance – Best Car Lifts for the Home Garage. A lot of people seem hell bent on a two-post life, but be certain to perform due diligence, because I found example where they have been known to fail. Granted, a lot of people will blame the owner, which tends to be true at times. However, there are examples to review, so know the difference between home quality and professional quality. Bendpak seems to be the most popular and, sure enough, the Googles delivers: Bendpak Problems.

The Danmar is an interesting concept, but I was turned off to it because there are times when I'd like to roll the entire length of the vehicle to examine the underside. Any four post was out, because I want something to lift a vehicle for brake work, tire rotation, etc.

The most appealing of what I found is the QuickJack BL-5000. It's rated at a high enough capacity to handle something as light as an ACVW, something with a low ride height (in my case, a Mazda 3 hatchback). It's also portable, so it stows easily. I found example of the QuickJack on e-Bay for $1,350 w/ free shipping. I'm certain someone could get a comparable deal with Amazon Prime.

Something to consider is usage and location. Not everyone will have a garage space large enough for the 2-post/4-post lift.
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

[Mr. Unpopular]

I bought my lift 15 years ago or more. I bought a "Forward" brand, which is built by Rotary, but it's their consumer line. The rep told me "if you're only lifting 5 cars a day, this lift will be fine". Uh yeah, any consumer lift will last a lifetime for the average home owner.

I really don't want to say anything to jinx myself, but I've never had a bit of trouble or a drop of fluid from my lift. It just works!

I will say, the pump on my lift looks the same as every other lift I've ever seen, commercial or consumer.
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"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV

[skills@eurocarsplus]

wow...back from the dead

my Eagle is doing just fine, and has been put into commercial service. so far, zero issues.

I do take and clean/lube everything about every 6 months. other than replacing the rubber pads (they get destroyed on pinch welds) that is all I have really done. even at that, I just replaced those last year.

when I put it up I lifted my bus about 6" off the ground and pulled the locks. I wanted to get the cables stretched out some. after letting it sit like that for a day, I have only adjusted the cables 1 more time. the locks are in perfect synch when lifting a car.

I don't usually work on trucks, but I have had a short bed Ferd F-Teen Thousand on it. no problems with that, but just as a precaution I do use lift stands when I put a truck on it.

what I have found is 99% of this stuff is made in china...even the rotary/forward/bend-pak lifts are outsourced. there are a few that are made in the US, but the price for some is just insane.

I did end up with an asymmetric lift and it has been great. some short WB cars (like a jeep or mini) are a pain in the ass to set up sometimes. beyond that it's been a good lift
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[cdennisg]

I am still very happy with my BendPak scissor lift. I have used it for many years with no issues, but for one leaky hydraulic cylinder. It is an easy fix that will be made this winter. I recently used it to lift my 5000 pound Chevy Scottsdale with no problem at all.
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[themrfreeze]

I'd be curious to know if anybody is using a QuickJack with an air-cooled Beetle. I've been thinking of getting some sort of lifting system since I seem to be working on our various cars quite a bit. The QuickJack seems like it would be a good choice, but it appears to be designed to lift via pinch welds. That's good for our two new(ish) cars, but am wondering if it can also be used to lift a Beetle via the front and rear beams.

[Gary]

[nsracing]

How is the garage now, Skills?

cannot wait to be in mine...