Which CAR LIFT is best?

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

I am also interested in a lift. With the SRT-10s shipping to CA, I need more space soon.

 

[gts104]

i bought a lift about 2 months ago the one I got is the worth 9000 lbs asymetrical. I know before you say it 9000 is over kill but I wanted to use it with my 2500 pickup as well if not I would have gone down to 7000 lbs. bottom line is I paid $2800 installed and would rather drive a NOPI car than give it up. The rotary (namebrand) lift is the industry leader but you will pay for the name about $400 more in comparison I spent a good bit of time researching I feel I got the best lift for the money and a good friend of mine uses one in a service garage every day with not a single problem. runs on 220 volt 30 amp breaker.you definitely want to go with an asymetrical style lift which allows the doors to be fully open when lifted (no accidental door dings and full accesability) also you nead minimum headroom of 12 feet actually 11'4 (squeezed) also I am 6'2 and when my viper is Up on it I can walk under the car completely upright except around tires. attatchment to floors is with concrete anchors and I would have to guess at minimum concrete should be 4 inches thick installer said it was fine. heres a link http://www.allstates.com/Worth%20twin%20post%20lift.htm

 

[Tpup]

I just bought a backyardbuddy (www.backyardbuddy.com). I bought it after resarching the lifts; personally, I prefer the locking system on the backyard product. I don't want a lift failure.

They have a video on their site that points out whey they think there lift is better... It's worth a look.
Roy

 

[FrankBarba]

i have a Forward asymetrical. if you want to know what lifts are available. the easiest way to find out is purchase a hemmings motor news, the first 30 pages have lift companies listed.

 

[Sonny 00 GTS ACR]

I also have a Rotary lift and it's great!

 

[Nsane1]

I tried to get together a group buy for a cytech doublepark (like the prowler club did) but didn't get any interest.

I ended up buying one anyway. Everyone does a lot of research and comes up with one of these 4 listed.

I almost purchased the PP7k, but after the corvette collapse, and the fact that they never paid the guy off for what seems like a product fault (or at the very least they strung him along for 4 months), I switched to cytech, which has never had a collapse, and seems to be the only one tested to 21k lbs.

If you're interested in the sad saga of the perfect park collapse, there are some old posts here directing you to the corvette board, or you can goto the corvette board directly, he was very detailed in his anaylsis.

Oh, after his collapse, he ended up getting a cytech, which also swayed my decision.

Don;t get me wrong, any of these are going to work the same way, and probably not cause ANY trouble, BUT if something DOES happen, I want to be taken care of, so that's a big differentiator to me.

 

[AndyR]

I also have a Backyard Buddy and am happy with it and the locking mechanism. I think it is also important for the operator to understand how it works and to pay good attention to the unit when operating to insure it is working properly.

 

[AJT]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but are these for the purpose of parking a car under them?
Andy

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Yes

 

[Dakota Viper Collector]

I am looking to purchase a car lift, but I have read good and bad about some lifts. Anyone have any input or advise on brands or models?

 

[AJT]

I am also interested in a car lift. I am looking mainly for storage ( put 4 cars in a 3 car garage)
Anybody?

Nice Avitar,

Andy

 

[Dakota Viper Collector]

If several of us could go together and make a Viper Club Group buy, it may save us all some money. But we first need to figure out which one.

 

[cstegall]

I just purchased a PerfectPark 7000 XLT after a ton of research. Search thru the archives here and you will find all you need to make a decision. I bought mine from liftsunlimited.com...good guys and good price.

No Flame Intended...Just Observation,
CStegall

 

[Dakota Viper Collector]

I have looked through the archives but was hoping to get some updated thoughts. If I had to choose today, it would probably be "Double Park" or "PerfectPark". I thought someone out there could shed some new light on the subject or maybe even was aware of some new developments in the market.

 

[Steve-Indy]

My answer on 12/5/02 remains the same:
" Many lift types and brands out there. Pick type suited to YOUR needs. BUT, whatever you THINK that you want, ask for the TESTED specs (don't fall for the old "made to so-and-so's standards")...find out the load at which it fails, ask for name/number of INDEPENDENT LAB that did the testing...get their published data. You MIGHT be surprised at what you find out...or what you can't get a given company to show you. This is the way that I tried to investigate our 2 lifts, and I know other VCA members that have even made a series of site visits to both manufacturers and end uners. BE CAREFUL !!!"

Keep in mind the thread from this Spring about the collapse of a certain 4 post lift...These "puppies" are useful, necessary, and STILL DANGEROUS. Get the test results BEFORE you buy...might also look up the injuries that are listed in Gov. data bases as I have done, along with the "professional lift cert. org.'s", SAE AND ANSI data and standards.

 

[David Jenkins]

Hey Sonny, how ya' doin? Are you coming out for VRL this month?
We use the Rotary 7 series hoists. The pads are the lowest in the industry, I think. On most stock ride height cars you can swing the arms under the car cleanly. I have used alot of different hoists over 20 years, so when it came time to finally buy them for my own shop, I went with Rotary because I know the quality. Price wasn't an issue for me because I wanted a quality piece that was going to be used every day, but they are under $3,000 with around $350 to install. Call Dennis at Auto Shop Equipment 714-632-5300. dj

 

[Dakota Viper Collector]

I have made a bunch of call today and have made myself more confused about lifts. The Challenger Lifts look like they are made heavy duty and should never fail. I also found that right here in Bismarck, ND is one of the main distributors for DirectLift. They are cheap in price $1995 but I wonder how their quality is?

Has anyone out there have or seen a DirectLift???

 

[Ron]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I have been to Challenger and can attest to their quality. Several Dodge dealers in the area use their lifts exclusively.

I have seen a Chinese made lift fail at it's design load. DirectLift is Chinese. Perhaps there is no correlation.....

I will private message you the contact at Challenger you might want to talk to. Mention my name and the VCA.</FONT f>

 

[vipah]

I have a Perfect Park and think it is great. You need to install it and operate it correctly.

Based on what I saw that happened with the Corvette and collapsed lift it looks like operator error to me. If you install the post correctly (and bolt it to the floor) and you pay attention this can't happen by itself. Once you set the unit, it won't budge.

What it looks like happened is that they were lowering the lift and only one corner stop retracted fully (they either didn't pull the lever back fully to release the stops or there was a loose bolt that caused them not to release). I have direct experience with this and could see it happening if I wasn't paying attention, especially if it is the front corner opposite to where the operational lever is.

 

[Ron Hickey]

To add more concerning the mishap with the Perfect Park:

Another possibility is that one of the cables slipped off the pulley underneath the lift. The manufacturer shipped a set of add-on stops to me as a follow-up; these will keep the cables from slipping off the pulley. Regardless of brand of lift, they all need to be inspected regularly.

I am pleased with my Perfect Park 7000 and would recommend it to anyone. GTS104 makes a good point about a higher weight capacity; if you've got a 2500 truck its weight will test the 7000 lb limit.

 

[Sonny 00 GTS ACR]

Hi David,

I'm doing great. I hope you're the same! Yes, I'm looking forward to the VRL and Willow Springs is awesome!

We've actually been having quite a winter this year so I'm all the more excited to head out to California.

I love my Rotary lift!

Take care,

 

[Vanquish]

Guys,

I just ordered Autolifters 4 post lift they are running a sale for $2599. They will pay $250 toward shipping. My total cost was 2703. They sent me a video of all their products with tests results. One demonstration shows the lift with a car on it being hit with a forelift. The video goes into detail of the points to look for interms of the short coming with their competitor lifts ie. safty feature and materials used. I was going to get one from Auto lifters but the info that they sent was not that indepth. But I was able to compare the two Lifts and Auto lifters appeared to be a superior product. Just my opinion.

They have a 3 week delivery window.

Regards,
BR

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

The M80 looks pretty interesting. I will call them tomorrow.

 

[SteveT]

I have had a Douple Park unit for awhile now. It is a first class unit and was not hard to install. I purchased it in the Prowler Owners Association group buy. However I am in the market for 3 more and I am going to inspect a lift that at a local (Fort Worth,TX)company that I saw advertising at the last Good Guys show. The pricing is 20% to 30% less than the Double Park but I want inspect the unit for myself. If it looks good I will post the contact info.

On the lift failure, I was at a guys house to look at a car (on a 4 post lift) and he was not paying attention when he began to lower the car. The rear locks did not release and he did not notice that the car was tilting. Luckily he stopped in time but it would have been an ugly site. You have to follow the manufactors intructions for operation and maintenance.

Steve

 

[Ron]

<FONT face="Century Gothic">Something else to consider...</FONT f>

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[Dakota Viper Collector]

I had a local salesman come out and look at my garage and he suggested "directlift" (www.directlift.com/direct_park7.htm).
He said he has sold a bunch and everyone likes them. I called one guy that has one and he said it is very well built. I still think I want something heavier so he suggested a commercial lift made by "Forward Maufacturing" Model 12000EWT (www.forwardmfg.com/page4.html). I went to look at one and it was VERY well built.

At this point I think I will purchase the Forward Lift and maybe check out the Directlift some more and buy one in the future (as a 2nd unit).

Foward Lift (12000EWT) $3785.
Directlift (Park7) $1995

The only question I have now is how long do I need the ramps to make a 6" incline?

 

[Vipermed 97.01]

if you dont mind spending a little more look at "my racedeck pictures" you will see a "twinnlift" i have had many lifts, this is by far the best, uses less space than a single lift picks up two cars at the same time,has seperate hydraulics that work independant of one another rated at 9000lb per side,anchors are rated at 50 tons as long as you have at least 2500 psi concrete it will work,i have a direct connection to the distributor and get them at cost

 

[Jack B]

Here are some opinions and observations. The pics attached are of an Eagle lift. The ceiling height is 10'. The ideal working height is when the car is 51" off of the floor. I use a chair type creeper. It actually works better than when the lift is at full height. I have approximately another 18" of lift to full height from the 51" working height.

Most cars can be parked below the lift when it is at full height. I recommend getting the optional jack plates if you go with a four post lift. I have six under-the-car projects underway currently and I was tired of laying on my back. The ability to park another car underneath was just a plus.

 

[FrankBarba]

Saw the Eagle lift at Carlisle this past summer. The Distributor sold me the unit and we agreed that i would pay him when he came back for his next show. The eagle distributor decided that he did not want to sell me a lift at our agreed upon cost. I then called Eagle and complained about the distributor, i rec'd a call from the owner who said that this would get straighted out. Never got straighted out and i would not purchase or endorse any of Eagle's products. It is a FORWARD 4 Post for me.