Another Garage Lift Question - 2 cars on 4 posts?

I'd rather sacrifice a little extra space than the inconvenience of moving 2 cars constantly to try and get to the third...

 

+1 If you were to measure two separate lifts side by side vs a single one, how much space are you really saving? Plus the double lift could be tight getting in and out of the left car. Seems like a good idea in theory but hassle in reality, not unless the upper cars you don't plan to drive that much, if so why have them?

 

I would go with 2 seperate, for the above stated reasons.

When I bought my lift, I was down to a decision between the BendPak (I definitely liked the looks of the blue BendPak better) and the Direct Lift from Greg Smith Equipment. They each had their own benefits, but I wound up with the Direct Lift. The model I got was longer and wider, higher lifting capacity and had more options. Also, very important, it was a "certified" lift (so was the bendPak). That was very important to me because I was going to be under the lift. At first I was looking at the Back Yard Buddy, but did not even consider it after I realized that it wasn't certified. The certification requires it to have a few things such as a double lock system, a valve that lets it drop slowly if there is a failure with the hydraulic hose, the ability to carry 1.5X more than it's rated capacity, etc. All that doesn't mean that the other lifts are not safe, but I felt more comfortable having an independent agency certifying it.
Good luck with whatever you pick, I have to say, it's one of the best things that I have bought for myself!
P.S.- Don't forget to order the 2 rolling jacks for it. They are expensive, but well worth it. That way you can lift the whole car off of the ramps so you can do tire, brake, and suspension work.

Here is the site for the ALI that certifies the lift. Not all models from a manufacturer are certified. You can look here if you want to make sure that the model you are looking at, is certified:
http://www.ali-directory.org/ali/ali2.nsf/Multi-Post%20Runway%20Lifts/by%20Manufacturer?OpenView&Start=1&Count=1000&Collapse=8.2#8.2

 

why not get a 4post and a 2post. Both will store 2 cars one above the other,but a 2post is much more versitile to use for service.

 

+1

I find it a pain moving one car never mind two. Also if you wanted to use it for servicing a vehicle it wouldn't be very user friendly.
Here is my setup.
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great idea, its what I have BUT you do not want to store a car on a 2-post, its pretty hard on the suspension. I got the impression the op wanted to use it as storage.

 

Agree. I have 2 , 4 post lifts, but I would NEVER store a car on a 2 post lift.

2 posts are very useful, however--just not for storage

 

I have 2 four posters side by side and the extra 4 posts go almost unnoticed really

Gary
Espada
8394

 

I have been looking at the same lift as due to the width of my garage I don't have room for two of the extra wide four post lifts. The advantages of the two car on four posts for me is that two of the four ramps are adjustable to fit wider tracks, and there are no posts in the middle for the cars parked underneath to contend with.

I have to agree with the others though, if you have the room for the two extra wide lifts (if needed) it's probably easier to go that route.

 

If in your budget go custom. I used Park Plus lift system. Custom designed to fit my double garage. 4 posts in the corners out of the way, 2 separate lifts using chains.
If interested I'll post a pic when I get to my desk top in the morning.

 

Not a good idea to store a car on a two post. You can have suspension problems... I did to my Hot Rod, for one winter... I wouldn't keep my Ferrari for long time with her legs hanging.

I have two four posts for storage and one two post for service.

 

Interesting, I wasn't aware there were custom designed lifts available. Pictures and more information would be great!

 

I have a two post lift and I use it a lot for storage, but with some wheel-engaging adapters that I made, so the suspension doesn't hang. There are a few versions around that you can buy, but I made my own because commercial ones are pretty ugly and heavy and I made mine to fit sports car tires. I did NOT make them myself to save money. Considering the design time, materials (aerospace aluminum, anodized, of course) and that I hijacked an otherwise productive CNC horizontal machining center they probably cost half as much as my 993... But I try not to think about that.

They are my preferred way to lift a car and I only change to lift by the frame if I need to take a tire off. It makes removing F430 under trays (which surround the rear frame lift points) much nicer than the usual methods.
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Rock, that is so ridiculous it is awesome and vice versa. I love when someone overdoes it to point of sheer insanity in the process of creating a solution so elegant it makes zero commercial sense.

If I needed climbing gear, I know where I would look.

 

a poster earlier mentioned having a certified lift. I piece of paper does not assure safety, construction material, engineering, and construction methods along with rigorous in house testing does.

Safety was my number one priority, so I did as much research, spoke with as many engineers of manufacturors of the different lifts as it took until I was satisfied that gaining extra space wasn't going to put my loved ones, or my cars secondarily, at risk. It is also a comfort to deal with an American company using American steel, makes them accountable if they hope to stay in business.

I chose 2, 4 post lifts, staggered so the posts at the center made the narrowest profile possible.

Considerations when using a 2 car, 4 post lift:
- the cars on the lift necessarily are parked closer to each other than on the ground making opening doors next a possible problem (unless you always park on face in, the other face out so the driver's doors open out toward the walls)
- weight restriction; I have SUV's that occassionally I want to store or work on on the lift
- more restrictive positioning: easier to move each independently than one larger footprint that is more restrictive.
- lastly, after 5 years of use, I have found that repositioning one car below is time consuming enough, but having to move two every time would get old quickly.
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Nice setup! Can you share the dimensions of your garage and the type of lifts you have? Seems like a good option to overlap them a bit as you did if possible.

 

Hi Mike,

Garage dimensions: 20' wide, 22' deep, 16' garage door opening.

Lifts: over height (84" clearance at top lock), extra wide (9' between posts)
Backyard Buddy, 220v (custom ordered black powder coat finish, didn't like the stock red) http://www.backyardbuddy.com/automotive-lifts/car-lifts-7000-pound-4-post/

Accessories: casters, sliding jack platform, extra drip trays

In the link, the one I have is the "7,000lb. Over Height 4 post." It should be the third lift down on the page that I linked.

Since I have a modestly sized garage, needed more space but was restricted from adding additional garages on to the house for aesthetic and logistical reasons (not to mention it was very expensive for not a huge improvement.) As tight as the garage is, I have an unusually high, open ceiling ( lowest at front of garage at 11', 17' at center, 14' in the back)

The casters are fantastic, you can even move the lifts/clean the floor under them with a car still on it. Jack platform comes in very handy, easy to remove wheels and still have the car on the lift and safe.

With the collar-over-post design, which is very strong and reliable, there is no need to bolt the lifts down. From an engineering perspective, the lift is designed so that in the event of a significant earthquake, the lift will "walk" rather than possibly shake the lifted car off the ramps. Living in seismically active SoCal, earthquake safety was a big concern. I am confident my house would come down in huge earthquake, but my lifts would be left standing.

Lastly, keep in mind under height clearance if the lift will be close to a door. In my case, the house is one step higher than the garage, and, since most people look down because they are stepping down into the garage, it is possible they could run right into the ramp with their head if it was lower. In my case, anyone 6'7" or under will not have to duck when exiting the house into the garage. But don't only consider the underheight clearance for the car parked underneath, but for ease of use as you walk in and out of the garage.

Hope that helps.
W
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Absolutely!!!

 

William,
I like the way you have a staggered post set-up to fit into a tight width garage. I am designing a home w/ a 4 car garage and wondered how to put 2 lifts side by side w/o pinching the other half of the garage.

I have 2 Backyard Buddys....one in FL that has the extra ht and length. In NC garage I ordered a std height as the taller lift has ramps 1' longer which I could not afford the room. I feel as safe as can be operating and working under the car with the BYB. I also use the rolling jack cart to pull wheels regularly (wire wheels need to be cleaned from both sides). Having drip trays is a must under vintage cars that leak everything. I don't mind the red lift....my cabinets are pretty close in shade so it's a clean look.

thanks for the tip

 

Forgot to add my thumbs up to Stongx and the amazing lift set up. Very nice.

As much as I measured and preplanned, there is no substitute for moving the lifts around until you optimize your space. Those casters are invaluable for that alone. Not easy to move those 2,000+ lb lifts around, but with the casters it couldn't be easier.

 

Do you have drawings for the wheel adapters that you had machined? Would appreciate this to consider making myself a set. Thanks.