2/4 Post Car Lift Failures?

[Gerald Levin]

I didn't want to shoplift AB's thread so I thought I start a new one. Has anyone ever seen a 2 or 4 Post Car Lift that ended in disaster? I can't imagine that happening unless someone was drunk and tried to drive the car off the lift while it was still airborne or maybe someone slammed into the lift while intox'ed. Any truth to these lifts ever failing? Don't they have failsafe mechanisms to prevent the car from slamming down to the floor? Include the make if you know it. Thanks

 

[Danny Ocean]

I did see pics of a 4-post collapse last year on the Corvette Forum. If I remember correctly, had something to do with a particular bolt or mechanism failure. Dropped the car (nothing underneath) on it's side. What a mess. Not sure of the manuf., though.

D. Ocean
Miami, FLA

 

[AndyR]

I saw that also. I believe that one of the legs upon lowering, got stuck, and the operator raised and lowered the deck (with car on it) in an attempt to free it. Needless to say, he went too far and the whole thing tipped over. It appeared to me to be operator error, should have figured what was sticking and properly correct the problem instead of just trying to wiggle it loose.

 

[Casey]

I did see pics of a 4-post collapse last year on the Corvette Forum. If I remember correctly, had something to do with a particular bolt or mechanism failure. Dropped the car (nothing underneath) on it's side. What a mess. Not sure of the manuf., though.

D. Ocean
Miami, FLA

If it wasn't a Vette that fell, I would say that "*****"!

J/K, that would really ****!

 

[jgfurr]

The failure was from a Perfect Park lift (by Lifts Unlimited). Several Viper owners have this lift (including me). It was caused by the owner not assembling the lift correctly. The parts in question now come from the manufacturer with no way to install them wrong. Still - I paid them to install the lift for me for this very reason. I'm a technical person, but I'd rather have have the actual lift company assemble it. They put together hundreds of lifts so they shouldn't make a mistake. On top of that, it will be 100% their fault if the lift actually fails.

 

[Jerry Dobson]

If we are talking about the same failure, the lift cable was not on the pulley. It had been rubbing on the pulley bolt for some time. It finally cut through. The reason most people are aware of this failure is that the lift owner was given the runaround. So he posted pictures on the Internet.

Other lifts have fallen. In most cases the manufacturer will quickly pick up the lift and buy new vehicles. The bad press, no matter who is at fault, can really hurt a company.

There have been a TON of cars dropped from 2 post lifts. 99.9% of the time, it is the mechanics fault.

 

[jgfurr]

Jerry - that sounds like the same failure. From what I understood, the owner actually removed one of the pulleys in order to string the cable. He didn't reinstall the pulley right and.....ouch.