2 post vs. 4 post lift

[Phoenix SRT]

What do you folks think of a 2 post lift instead of a 4 post lift? The house I'm building has a very large garage and I will not need to use the lift to increase car storage capacity. The lift will be used for fairly light duty mechanical work. I'm not doing things like taking out engines or transmissions.

It seems to me that as long as I don't need to lift one car to store another one beneath it, which is why folks usually install garage lifts, a two post lift makes more sense. With a two post lift, the underside of the car is more accessible than it is with a 4 poster. Of couse, that is why repair shops use 2 post lifts.

Additionally, once a car is lifted via a 2 poster, all wheels are off the ground and can be removed. With a four post lift, once the car is raised another jack must be used to get the wheels off the ground. And to get all four wheels raised at once with a 4 poster, multiple jacks must be used.

What do you guys think?

 

[blue01gts]

If you dont need it for storage, 2 post all the way. It truely does make it much easier to work on the car. Also if the cars sits for a long time and you have it in the air the tire's wont get bald spots. My 2 cents

 

[ViperTony]

Based on your information it sounds like a 2 post will suit you just fine. Go for it and post pics when you get it installed.

 

[Phoenix SRT]

If you dont need it for storage, 2 post all the way. It truely does make it much easier to work on the car. Also if the cars sits for a long time and you have it in the air the tire's wont get bald spots. My 2 cents

Bald spots are likely not much of an issue either way. Flat spots would be avoided with the 2 poster, though. On the other hand, leaving any car on a lift with the suspension at full droop is bound to be pretty tough things like bushings.

And yes, my thought is that so long as storage isn't an issue the 2 poster is best because it affords the best access under the car. I made this post because several people I talked to argued fairly strongly that a 4 poster is the way to go, anyway. What they said didn't make much sense to me, but I thought I'd post anyway.

 

[ViperGal]

don't think 4 are that much more ... I'm so protective I would have to do 4 ..... 2 is probably fine unless you have this protective issue ... then again I have been known to walk a a few hundred yards when I park it to keep it away from traffic when I'm not with her...

 

[Bravo]

2 post Rotary. Love it.
I don't have to worry about grinding the sills when entering and access to all systems without rolling jacks.

You must be registered for see images

 

[past ohio]

When I tried to put my Viper up on my 2 poster, the wheel base is short enough that you have to carefully move the car to get the swing arms under the car, plus I had to add rubber things like hockey pucks otherwise the arm was going to come in contact with the side sills, I don't like having the wheels drooping for a long period of time and the effect on the bushings etc., I like the four poster for longer storage plus a lot easier to load on the lift than the two poster, I also feel a lot safer under the four poster than the 2 poster....just my $.02

 

[TexasPettey]

Slab considerations are the one thing you may want to consider. I just got done going through the 2 vs 4 post consideration. A 2 post will put more pressure on the slab at the point of contact than a 4 post. Also, a 2 post needs to be bolted to the slab, requiring a minimum depth and strength. Unless you go with a floor beam 2 post, a 2 post will also be taller than a 4 post.

Since you are building the house, you can probably spec it so that a 2 post will work just fine.

 

[Racer Robbie]

You must be registered for see images

http://www.bendpak.com​

 

[Bravo]

When I tried to put my Viper up on my 2 poster, the wheel base is short enough that you have to carefully move the car to get the swing arms under the car, plus I had to add rubber things like hockey pucks otherwise the arm was going to come in contact with the side sills, I don't like having the wheels drooping for a long period of time and the effect on the bushings etc., I like the four poster for longer storage plus a lot easier to load on the lift than the two poster, I also feel a lot safer under the four poster than the 2 poster....just my $.02

Good point about the arms. I use hockey pucks too. Work great to get the car on the pick-up points. Rotary now has 3 stage arms that are far superior to mine.
Re: bushing effect.... I think this is an old wives-tale. I think that if I'm storing the ride, than I'd rather not have spring sag, and tire flatspotting. There isn't any binding of the suspension at full extension. The only unnatural thing is the shock shaft is now fully extended and is now sitting on a spot it really seldom goes to. No leaks yet....(knock on wood). The access for any kind of work is 10fold from a 4 point.
That being said, there are times I'd like to have a 4 poster too. The drive-on/off ease can't be beat, but I can only now have 1, so two poster better fit my needs. Your results may vary.

 

[Phoenix SRT]

Good point about the arms. I use hockey pucks too. Work great to get the car on the pick-up points. Rotary now has 3 stage arms that are far superior to mine.
Re: bushing effect.... I think this is an old wives-tale. I think that if I'm storing the ride, than I'd rather not have spring sag, and tire flatspotting. There isn't any binding of the suspension at full extension. The only unnatural thing is the shock shaft is now fully extended and is now sitting on a spot it really seldom goes to. No leaks yet....(knock on wood). The access for any kind of work is 10fold from a 4 point.
That being said, there are times I'd like to have a 4 poster too. The drive-on/off ease can't be beat, but I can only now have 1, so two poster better fit my needs. Your results may vary.

Not sure about any ill effects of letting the car sit with the suspension at full droop for a prolonged period, but I'd sure like to hear from someone who actually knows about it. It seems it wouldn't be good to let the suspension droop for a long time, but that's only a guess based on...well, I read about it on the internet so it must be true.

 

[past ohio]

The comments above about the garage slab is very true....most house garage floors are only 4-5 in thick and I have seen garage floors poured with sometimes only 3 in thick in some areas, usually they don't care about thickness for house garage floors, they usually say when it cracks, that they can't control concrete from cracking, etc...., and the two poster can develop a sagging, plus depending if the concrete was poured correctly, has rebar in it for strength, etc.....most house garage floors will not support the two-poster safely......when the holes are drilled and the anchors are pounded in, anyone skilled on installation will immediately comment IF there is a depth problem,,,just my $.02, and IF any doubt I would get a four poster with a caster kit and you can move it to wherever you want it....

 

[topgun510]

If you EVER plan on doing ANY kind of meaningful work using the lift, get the 2 post. On the other hand, if all you are doing is parking, then by all means get a four post. Its not hard to get a $5 masonry bit from the local hardware store and drill in the corner of the garage to check to see what the depth is, to determine if your slab can support a 2 post. Trying to do repair work on a four post lift is like a monkey screwing a football. Most accidents on lifts result from misuse. Some guys are intimidated by 2 post hoists. These are usually the people who have no sense, facing the flip up pads (Rotary) in the same direction, or they point the car toward the moon. When I was in California, we used to park additional cars underneath cars that were already in the air on 2 posters. This was earthquake central and I used to be a little alarmed by the practice. What would happen during the night after an earthquake, would we find a Crown Vic sitting on top of a Camry ?? After several 3 and 4 pointers on the Richter scale with no surprises when we got to the shop in the morning, I shrugged off my skepticism.

 

[JTOJR]

If you EVER plan on doing ANY kind of meaningful work using the lift, get the 2 post. On the other hand, if all you are doing is parking, then by all means get a four post. Its not hard to get a $5 masonry bit from the local hardware store and drill in the corner of the garage to check to see what the depth is, to determine if your slab can support a 2 post. Trying to do repair work on a four post lift is like a monkey screwing a football. Most accidents on lifts result from misuse. Some guys are intimidated by 2 post hoists. These are usually the people who have no sense, facing the flip up pads (Rotary) in the same direction, or they point the car toward the moon. When I was in California, we used to park additional cars underneath cars that were already in the air on 2 posters. This was earthquake central and I used to be a little alarmed by the practice. What would happen during the night after an earthquake, would we find a Crown Vic sitting on top of a Camry ?? After several 3 and 4 pointers on the Richter scale with no surprises when we got to the shop in the morning, I shrugged off my skepticism.

I have been in the building business for 30+ years. Please don't assume that because a slab is one depth in one area it is the same in another. The fill underneath the slab is usually leveled off by a laborer. I have seen very few transits used to insure it is level. I do require this, but most just say pour it & get the money. Just did not want someone hurt or making a bad decision. If you try this method do it where you are going to put the lift. Be Safe.

Tucker

 

[Venomiss]

We do realize that this is a year old thread?

 

[ulllose]

I wonder if this guy ever put the lift in........................lol And if he did I wonder if the concrete cracked under it?????????lol