Autolifters 4 post lift, any good ? Hows the pricing ?

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

I know there has to be a billion "what lift shoudl I get" posts on here. But a friend is recommedning the http://www.autolifters.com/4postLifts.html Autolifters lifts, and the pricing seems decent. Just curious if anyone has one, how they like it, and is anyone able to beat the price of $2295 + $445 s/h on this or a comperable lift ?


Jon

 

[scottgf]

I am in the market for a lift soon. This one looks pretty good, but I am leaning towards the Revolution Lift. They can be had for $3000.00 and include some of the items that Autolifters charges extra for.
Also the Revolution lift is made by Rotary which is a well known auto lift company. I have worked for car dealers for over 20 years and have seen many Rotary brand lifts in action and they seem to be very good.

Cheers,

 

[GTS234]

Jon, Are you going to use it in the garage in your avatar picture? I ask because I just put in a two post Magnum (American Tire Distributors house brand, produced by Wheeltronic) in my shop at home about three weeks ago. One of best tools I have ever bought. But most two post lifts require about 12-13 ft. overhread clearance, hence my question.

Two post is nice because of the unrestricted access to undercarriage, and for wheel and tire removal/installation, but do require high ceiling height.

Wheeltronic or Rotary brands looked the best while I was checking into getting mine. Went with the Magnum (Wheeltronic) because of local American Tire Distributors warehouse here in town (local sales and service). 10,000 lb. asymetrical sells for $2895 plus tax. Delivery and install is $350 (wiring up not included).

 

[ruckdr]

Ramp type lifts are great for parking; but as GTS234 said, lifting at the 4 lift points facilitates working under the car, and provides a 'jack' to remove wheels. Ramp type would not be my choice for these reasons.
Just my thoughts.
Later,

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

Yeah, I definetly am using that garage !! I dont know if I have the 12-13 ft overhead clearance, its just a normal 2 car garage.

I heard good things about the autolifters.. from 1 guy, so I was wondering if anyone else had any input ??

The pricing seems to be right at where I am willing to spend.

Jon

 

[AJT]

I know there has to be a billion "what lift shoudl I get" posts on here. But a friend is recommedning the http://www.autolifters.com/4postLifts.html Autolifters lifts, and the pricing seems decent. Just curious if anyone has one, how they like it, and is anyone able to beat the price of $2295 + $445 s/h on this or a comperable lift ?


Jon

$2295 + $445 s/h= 2,740.00

$ 3000,00 for Revolution includes: 2 extended ramps for Viper clearance, 2 sliding Jack plates that enable you to jack up & take off the tires while lifted, & shipping included. I think 2 oil drip pans were included also.
ALI Certified.

my .02

Andy

 

[Achilles99]

I've seen several 4 post lifts in person (I was in the market for one), and none beat the autolifter in terms of rigidity. I like how the Autolifter uses a several-inch-long collar to secure itself to the four posts. The other lifts shake a little too much for me. Sure, they say you can bolt them down, but I like the idea of putting them on casters to move them around as needed. The autolifter stays pretty rigid without being bolted down.

Dang John, who quoted you that much shipping When I called about the Autolifter a few months ago, it was $1995 plus $300 to ship!

 

[Camfab]

I have an Autolifters four post lift. My lift is about six or eight years old. They have updated a few things which I know of, but listen and listen well. I bought my lift second hand from a guy who bought it to store his trailer, looked brand new. I bought a corvette for my wife from him and commented on the lift, he said he had no use for it and his wife hated parking under it. We struck a deal and I bought both. I took it home and started inspecting it and was less than satisfied with the safety lock mechanisms and their actuator rods.

I called Autolifters and re-registered my lift in my name, I also told them that I had replaced the rods with larger diameter rods than on my lift. Turns out they had updated the new units exactly as I had done.

These units do not come with a safety dead man switch nor do they have any provision for a limit switch. I wired the unit knowing that I should put a limit switch on the ceiling just in case as well as a dead man. I wanted to use it for my Jeep so I wired as they stated and figured I'll go back and put the dead man in later. Big Mistake..

To lower these units when they are in the air you must go up then release the safety mechanism and then lower. Well my ceiling is low especially with the Jeep, so I raised the unit just high enough to release the safety. Guess what? when I let go of the actuator button it didn't stop. It crushed my jeep into the ceiling till I disconnected the power. Now I had a jeep under thousands of pounds of crushing pressure trying to blow through my roof. Remember how the safety mech works? You can't go down till you go higher. Thankfully it was a CJ-7 with a folding windshield I then sawzalled the top off, slashed the tire stems to drop the chassis and spent the next five hours comealonging as well as secureing the chassis out from the ceiling so it wouldn't explode out like a missile.

Here's the best part, I call Autolifters the next day enraged, they say " Oh do you have a low ceiling" obviously!, well this has happend before the switch welds itself in the "On" position. "Would you like a new switch". I said why don't you advertise it as the Autocrusher..

I still have the lift, I have totally rebuilt it to my specs. Would only recommend a PRO unit like Rotary. Don't be cheap.

 

[Achilles99]

WOW!!!! That didn't happen when I demo'd the unit Sorry to hear it happened to you, but thanks for sharing that story. Do other lifts come with the "dead man" switch? What exactly is that? Something that stops the motor if it feels too much resistance or something?

I still think the Autolifter is the most stable lift out there, but I guess I won't be getting one until I get a garage tall enough to clear a car at max height!

Anyone know if Autolifter has addressed these problems yet?

 

[Camfab]

Check out a Rotary lift. A dead man is a emergency power disconnect, it's usually a red button placed next to the lift or operation switch. If all else fails you hit the button and all power is shut down to the unit.

A limit switch would be a switch that is wired inline to the opertion switch, it would be mounted on the ceiling in a strategic spot so that if the highest point on the car, say the roof touches it, it cuts the circuit even though your finger is still on the power button.

Both these items can be installed by a competent electrician. I would install both.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Lifts have been on my list of things to install for three years. But I could not select one that I felt was Viper friendly(drive on without blocks, overall safety, etc).

Stay tuned!

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

Geeze, all this, just made it even harder to pick a lift... damn you people for all this great information ;-)


So, since Autolifter is in the $hiter, what now ??

Jon

 

[95Viper]

We have three lifts in our family. My uncle was first 5 years ago with a Cytech DoublePark. I liked it so much I bought one and love it. My dad bought one made locally because he saw them in Rousch Racing. We're all extremely happy. We have extended ramps so they are Viper friendly.

Compare the locking mechanisms, compare the thickness of the plates holding the cables, compare the pulleys, that's why I went with Cytech.

 

[Gus Strakes]

Based on the recommendation of Joseph Dell, I just had installed in my garage the Pro-Park 7 four post lift from these guys: http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/

$1995 included lift, jack tray, 3 drip trays and casters. Shipping to Baltimore terminal was $225.00. I picked it up at the trucking terminal, they used a fork lift to load it on to my car hauler. I then hired a couple of professional installers and they installed it in about 3 1/2 hours. They install/repair commercial lifts all day every day, and they said that my lift was a quality lift, and they felt I got a great deal. I've been using my lift for a couple of weeks and am very happy with it. Even though I have the casters, I will probably wind up bolting it down just to give it that extra stability. I used the casters to get it in the exact position I wanted, but, for me, I doubt that I will be using them regularly. I'll post some pics later this week.

 

[GTS234]

Camfab's info about switches is correct. A limit switch is a must, and the "deadman" switch (master power switch) near the controls is also a must. I had the master installed just above the controls in a normal light switch style setup. I put it up failry high, that way when your not using it, you cut it off. Then when kids (or other curious individuals) come along while your not looking (or around) they can't hit the operation ("up") button and screw something up, because the power is off and the power switch is most likely up too high for them to get to that one.

Also, a good source for lift info is the Automotive Lift Institute website (www.autolift.org). They are the industry group that does design and safety certification for the industry. Lists (and links to) all the major manufacturers. Lists the manufacturers and their models that are certified too.

 

[Achilles99]

Based on the recommendation of Joseph Dell, I just had installed in my garage the Pro-Park 7 four post lift from these guys: http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/

$1995 included lift, jack tray, 3 drip trays and casters. Shipping to Baltimore terminal was $225.00. I picked it up at the trucking terminal, they used a fork lift to load it on to my car hauler. I then hired a couple of professional installers and they installed it in about 3 1/2 hours. They install/repair commercial lifts all day every day, and they said that my lift was a quality lift, and they felt I got a great deal. I've been using my lift for a couple of weeks and am very happy with it. Even though I have the casters, I will probably wind up bolting it down just to give it that extra stability. I used the casters to get it in the exact position I wanted, but, for me, I doubt that I will be using them regularly. I'll post some pics later this week.

No offense J Dell, but that lift shook quite a bit while we were working on it !

Oh, and as a sidenote to Camfab's post... don't ALL lifts require you to raise the car a little before you can unlock it?

 

[BS99GTS]

I would not recommend that you purchase an AutoLifter's lift....here's my story;

Without going into a really really long story, basically I have had two complete bearing failures on the lift's pulleys. Some of the bearings they used in their pulley's were/are ball bearings and other pulleys utilize brass sleeves.

Both failures were while the lift was in motion.

The failures were with the pulley's with ball bearings, the bearings outer race essentially cracked and the bearing failed, in this state the balls in the bearing are free to fall out. When this happens the pulley then twists on it's shaft and the cable comes off the pulley and then the lift with your car on it attempts to fall. Needless to say this is a very scary moment !!!

The first time it happened; when the bearing failed it made a sound like a gunshot and the lift platform with my car on it fell approx 5"-6" to where the safety latch catches. Thanks goodness that their safety mechanism works, however be aware that this leaves your lift platform with your car on it in a twisted state. One corner is lower than the others. This creates a real challenge when you are ready to fix the bearing and return the platform/car to a level postion.

I sent them the failed bearing and they sent me a postcard note that the bearings must be properly lubed (but the bearing had plenty of lube on the balls and other pieces that I sent them?) and they mentioned that I could purchase replacement bearings for $15.00 (I think that was the price...don't remember exactly). Since my lift is only used about four times per year and was only about 18 months old...I didn't feel that was the actual problem so I just chalked up the failure to a defective bearing and purchased two new ones (although I was pissed...who has time for this crap!). And now I really wanted a spare. I repaired the failed bearing, made sure all of them were greased and got the lift back into operation...I gotta tell ya it wasn't a pretty sight sitting there on an angle for a week or so while I waited on the new bearings.

Good thing I bought the spare because three months later another bearing failed on the opposite site. Fortunately I knew what to expect and also my car was closer to ground this time. I really wasn't buying the lube issue at this point and had absolutely no faith in Autolifter's. So I took the spare bearing to an industrial bearing supply company, to see if I could purchase something
more heavy duty. After some measurements, I was advised that this is somewhat of a special bearing, it is a metric bearing from China that is commonly used on Lawn Mower/Tractor applications for the shaft that powers the blades. It is designed for higher RPM applications and is not designed for the forces that exist on my lift. There was no exact industrial replacement for this "cheap" bearing and my pulley's would have to machined in order to fit a proper bearing.

After this experience I checked the other pulley's on my unit with ball bearings and they were cracked but had not completely failed yet.

In addition to this issue, I have had leakage problems with the rod seals on the lifting cylinder. Thus I can not recommend a AutoLifter's unit.

Sorry for the length of the message but I could go on and on about how scary it is to have a piece of equipment like this that you do feel comfortable working around.

 

[LIRacer]

I have an 4 post Eagle lift. My Viper lives on it. I have no problems drivng the Viper onto it. Clearence is fine. I paid $3600 installed.

 

[Joseph Dell]

No offense taken. I find it pretty sturdy and don't have any issues w/ it. It goes up and down a few times a week.

It would definitely be more stable if I anchored the 4 corners, but even not anchored i don't mind the sway. It isn't going anywhere. At least I don't think so...

JD

 

[ERDOC]

This is the lift I will be getting delivered next week.
It's a little pricey but... not having the posts on the other side to deal with was well worth the pain of potential dings. If it works well, I may buy another for the other side of the garage.

http://www.superlifts.com/html/lifts/sp-7.htm

 

[scottgf]

This is the lift I will be getting delivered next week.
It's a little pricey but... not having the posts on the other side to deal with was well worth the pain of potential dings. If it works well, I may buy another for the other side of the garage.

http://www.superlifts.com/html/lifts/sp-7.htm

How much???

 

[ERDOC]

This is the lift I will be getting delivered next week.
It's a little pricey but... not having the posts on the other side to deal with was well worth the pain of potential dings. If it works well, I may buy another for the other side of the garage.

http://www.superlifts.com/html/lifts/sp-7.htm

How much???

I think it was a little under 5K delivered. Benco makes a similar single poster but has very limited undercarriage access. I will post pics once the install is done.

 

[LTHL VPR]

Great thread!
I wish I read it earlier. I was very close to purchase an Autolifter 4 post lift, but I spoke to a couple other companies that shared with me that many of their components are not made in the USA (hence the long wait time). Truthfully, it is not the end of the world if parts are not made in the USA, but the fact that they claim it is all built in the USA made them lose credibility in my eyes.

During my research I also discovered a couple other important things:
Not all lifts are wide enough to easily accomodate wide sports cars (ie Viper, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc..). In some cases I would end up with only a couple inches of clearance on each side which would make pulling it on and off the lift a nightmare.

In the end, I was impressed with the knowledge and service from this company...
America's Pride

They don't ust build lifts. They build all types of heavy duty automotive equipment. They can pacakge lifts and accessories together to save you some $$$ as well.

Mine will arrive in about 1 week. They give you a couple choices of color which is nice as well. I ordered the extra wide one to accomodate my Lamborghini and make it very easy to get on and off the lift. This was the widest lift available by any manufacturer that is still short enough to fit into a regular 2 car garage.
Here is a link to the lift:
http://www.americasprideonline.com/4-Post-Auto-Lifts/Power-Park-4.-A-perfect-four-post-lift-for-hobby,-parking-and-/-or-storage.--PP-4X-15036-1-2-.ViewProduct

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

Great thread!
I wish I read it earlier. I was very close to purchase an Autolifter 4 post lift, but I spoke to a couple other companies that shared with me that many of their components are not made in the USA (hence the long wait time). Truthfully, it is not the end of the world if parts are not made in the USA, but the fact that they claim it is all built in the USA made them lose credibility in my eyes.

During my research I also discovered a couple other important things:
Not all lifts are wide enough to easily accomodate wide sports cars (ie Viper, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc..). In some cases I would end up with only a couple inches of clearance on each side which would make pulling it on and off the lift a nightmare.

In the end, I was impressed with the knowledge and service from this company...
America's Pride

They don't ust build lifts. They build all types of heavy duty automotive equipment. They can pacakge lifts and accessories together to save you some $$$ as well.

Mine will arrive in about 1 week. They give you a couple choices of color which is nice as well. I ordered the extra wide one to accomodate my Lamborghini and make it very easy to get on and off the lift. This was the widest lift available by any manufacturer that is still short enough to fit into a regular 2 car garage.
Here is a link to the lift:
http://www.americasprideonline.com/4-Post-Auto-Lifts/Power-Park-4.-A-perfect-four-post-lift-for-hobby,-parking-and-/-or-storage.--PP-4X-15036-1-2-.ViewProduct

Lethal,

could you please update this thread, once you receive it, and give you honest opinion? I might buy one, they have them on sale right now for 1995. Let me know.

Jon