Any reviews on this residential car lift?

Joined
15 February 2015
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4,471
Location
Coral ridge, Ft. Lauderdale
Hey guys,

In the next year I really want to turn my hobby into a passion. Therefore, I am looking into low ceiling car lifts for my garage. I have a 3 bay garage so I have tons of room in width but limited in height.I have been looking at a few online, which look awesome. I have an electrical degree and wiring 208 is no issue as is the delivery of these lifts as I have a work shop near Stockton with forklifts, ect to handle the delivery.
My question is, does anyone own one of these lifts here and could you give me a credible review of such?
My plans are to offer a place for any nsx Northern California guys to have access to these things as city life here is very limited to work space. Here is a link of the one I have in mind as it allows the wheels to be removed. Any reviews would be deemed viable for purchase.
Thanks,
A.J.

http://www.redlinestands.com/catalo...lb-floorplate-2-post-lift-free-shipping-p-362
 
I use a standard 4-pole lift (Direct lift brand) with 9' ceilings. I can stack most two sports cars (short cars). 4 Pole usually have drip trays to protect a car beneath. I started looking at 2-pole but I did not like the drilling/fixing bolts and the feeling of the cantilever moment on each pole. I have moved mine 3 times (with wheels that came with the lift) depending on my projects.

You cannot stand erct under a car on the lift with 8' or 9' ceilings BUT I move around underneath on a rolling stool from AutoZone and am VERY happy with the functionality.
 
Thanks for the review. Sounds like I will need a rolling work seat as well.
 
I have always wanted a lift in my garage as well. Can I assume that if any of these lifts are installed in a standard 3-car garage, that it would become a 2-car garage width-wise? Anyone have done this before that can enlighten me? Thanks!
 
I had a 8,000 lb. 4 post lift with wheels to move it around.
Very useful, easy to install, no floor drilling required.
Opted for the 115V version so no need to wire 220V.
Best feature, raising the car about 3 ft. off the ground to detail the lower body while sitting on a stool.
Slight negative, have to put the car on jack stands while on the hoist if removing the wheels.

Up on jack stands.jpg
 
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I recently got this 2 post lift and love it.
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-BP8000
It makes everything so much easier and I wish I would have purchased one years ago, but I was hesitant to give up the space. I find myself lifting the car up and down multiple times when doing things so that the car is always at the desired height for what I'm getting at.

Greg Smith is local to me and I went down with my car trailer to pick it up and it was a good experience. I'm sure the quality is not that of a Bendpak unit, but for my needs I think it will be just fine

Additionally, I have a four post lift that I purchased years ago so that I could get 3 cars in my 2 car garage. It's great for storage, but more of a nuisance when it comes to using it for any work. The reason is I always have a car on it that I have to move. Plus, I put plywood between the ramps as my old British cars leak oil from every ware. Then you have to jack the car up anyway for most things you would want to use it for. So for me it's just not worth the trouble.
 
I think the two post hoist is much better in all aspects.
In my case I had a radiant garage floor so couldn't drill into the concrete.
 
The two pole is for sure better if you do a lot of tire/wheel/brake work. I thought I wanted a two-pole but cement slab considerations, etc...led me to 4-pole. I stack cars (for room so I would have needed some sort of diaper for the upper car...just in case) and have jacking trays or use the runners to put a standard floorjack on to lift the car (and use jack stands).

The simplest way to get the car off its tires/wheels (with a 4-post lift) is to raise the lift with the car on it and then (carefully) place jackstands on the floor where they can engage the body/suspension AND won't interfer with the runners coming down and touching the floor. Then I just slowly lower the lift and the car engages the jack stands and the lift falls away with the tires/wheels suspended for easy access.
 
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I recently got this 2 post lift and love it.
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-BP8000
It makes everything so much easier and I wish I would have purchased one years ago, but I was hesitant to give up the space. I find myself lifting the car up and down multiple times when doing things so that the car is always at the desired height for what I'm getting at.

Greg Smith is local to me and I went down with my car trailer to pick it up and it was a good experience. I'm sure the quality is not that of a Bendpak unit, but for my needs I think it will be just fine

Additionally, I have a four post lift that I purchased years ago so that I could get 3 cars in my 2 car garage. It's great for storage, but more of a nuisance when it comes to using it for any work. The reason is I always have a car on it that I have to move. Plus, I put plywood between the ramps as my old British cars leak oil from every ware. Then you have to jack the car up anyway for most things you would want to use it for. So for me it's just not worth the trouble.

thanks for the link Chris. Your lift is even less in height and price! Are the arms low enough for a lowered nsx?

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I had a 8,000 lb. 4 post lift with wheels to move it around.
Very useful, easy to install, no floor drilling required.
Opted for the 115V version so no need to wire 220V.
Best feature, raising the car about 3 ft. off the ground to detail the lower body while sitting on a stool.
Slight negative, have to put the car on jack stands while on the hoist if removing the wheels.

View attachment 121990
JD, your garage is filthy! How do you work in such a mess?:biggrin:
 
thanks for the link Chris. Your lift is even less in height and price! Are the arms low enough for a lowered nsx?

I don't know yet as my car isn't lowered, but I think it will. If not I'll put some plywood down. If I were you I'd go for the MaxJax. Someone told me they do group buys on garagejournal.com and I have a coworker that owns one and thinks it's fantastic. The two reasons I didn't go with the MaxJax are ceiling height wasn't an issue and wanted to be able to walk under a car and my wife's car is right at the top end of the weight capacity.

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/

Honestly, with a normal 3 car garage I think the flexibility it offers is worth the price.
 
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gary
 
Highly Recommend BendPak 7000 pound lifts. Come in various heights and widths depending on your garage measurements. Company was excellent to work with. They had a network of installers and did a great job of installing. I had a tight space and they made it work.
http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/four-post-lifts/

IMG_0940.jpgIMG_0944.jpgIMG_0945.jpg
 
Wow! Thanks for all of your real world reviews guys! This is why I love our car community. Keep them coming as I am clearly not the only one that is of interest.
 
OMG! I WANT ONE OF THOSE SCISSOR LIFTS!!! Are there any companies or contractors that will do this type of install beginning to end? I'm willing to pay even serious bucks for that!
 
I bought a lift which is similar to the original link you posted. Its a 9k lift, uses 220 hook up, and it works with my ceiling which is just a tick under 10 feet tall. Just to test it I lifted a fully loaded Tahoe which was probably on the order of 6,000 pounds and it lifted it no problem. Since the NSX is only 3,000 it is no issue. You have to make sure the concrete in your floor is up to the task. Mine was 3000 psi 4" thick. One of the best things I ever bought. Good luck. Here is a link for mine.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/139663-An-uplifting-experience
 
I own a Maxjax. It's great for a DIY garage. It's portable and makes Brakes, tires, detailing, fluid changes an easy job.

Major weakness: It only goes 4 feet up in the air so it obviously can't be used for storage. You have to drill Anchor bolts into your garage floor. It's probably not an issue at your home but our shop garage floor cracked after a couple of years of use.

I'm looking at Direct Lift or Bendak so I can store an extra car in my garage. My Maxjax will be for sale soon.
 
I was just served a dish of Debbie downer. I measured the ceiling in my garage and it is barely 8'. Looks like a scissor jack is the only option. Or I could move to hotlanta and have a mini mansion for 300k.
 
thanks for the link Chris. Your lift is even less in height and price! Are the arms low enough for a lowered nsx?

I just installed an Atlas BP-8000 (same as Chris) and it just barely does not fit under my NSX. Will need some custom adapters or some wood on the floor. My car is 4" under the jack points and the lift supposedly goes down to 3.5" but without any adapters the arms will hit the rocker panel before hitting the jack points.

Because I had to lift something I put the family car on it:

 
Congrats on the lift jwmelvin. I'm still pleased with mine and every time I use it the more appreciative I am to have it. My 1998 with stock suspension is high enough for the arms and I don't have any issues. However, I've been working on a 1994 that was fine until I installed bilsteins on the lower perch. It's so close now I can actually push up on the roof and kick the arms under. I'd love to get a set of wheel adapters fabricated and may just have to get around to it one of these days.

Good luck and aye yai yai AWESOME GARAGE!
 
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