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Hoist, symmetric vs asymmetric?

northerndave

northerndave

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I'm going to buy a hoist, a 2 post, probably 12,000 lb. It's got to fit under a 14' ceiling.

I want to buy the right one.

Some of my concerns are low clearance (I need to be able to swing the arms under lower cars without lifting or blocking up the cars first)

Drive through width, the wider the better as I plan to position the lift in a spot that I need to drive through.

Car doors, I want to be able to open the doors without too much concern. Mostly I don't want to always be nervous about my son and others opening car doors and hitting a post or something and damaging paint.

I know some of you guys have hoists, and those of you that have them use them. And that's the best way to know what to look for or what's important feature wise.

Am I overlooking anything?

Can anybody recommend a particular hoist brand and model?

Thanks.
 
ROTORY !! In my mind the best on the market !! I have there 9000 asymmetric and LOVE it ! Had three diferent brands at my shop when I was self employed till I got a Rotory. Thay cost alittle more than some but Hay your standing under it ! How much would you pay to get killed !?!?!
The asymmetric is nice for redoing older cars as it lets you hang the door all the way open Plus gives you more options on position.
I have been under ALOT of lifts in my 50+ years and I realy like this lift !
Here is mine . MVC-024S.JPG130921_0001.jpg
 
Thanks Very much. I have been at the rotary brand.

I believe they are made in USA?
 
Personally, I like Bend Pak. I like the pegs to be able to slide under for uneven frame rails, especially when it comes to high kick up frames like you see on a lot of pickups. I was never a fan Rotary's flip up extenders, I've seen 'em flip down during the rise and then have the frame rail kick off. On the plus side, with the pads flipped down, the do offer a low floor height for getting under lower cars. One of the reasons most shops I've owned or worked in, have both varieties in place to work on a wide range of cars.

Since I've worked on lot of trucks, like F450's and -550's over the years (being a Ford tech) I've never been a fan of asymmetrical, either, wanting the extra stability a symmetrical puts towards the rear on extended wheel base vehicles.

This will be the lift going in my shop.

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/two-post-lifts/xpr-12fd.aspx
 
I was torn between the 2 for awhile when researching mine. In an ideal world, a guy should have both. I ended up going with a symmetrical mostly because I wanted to be able to lift my 3/4 ton 4 door 8' boxed Ram. I didn't like the idea of the center of gravity being offset from the posts. I have been very happy with my decision and have no complaints. Oh - it is a Rotary because I felt that was the best out there.
 
what do you have for clearance between posts on your rotary h2elk? 10'?

ramenth, do you know if the equalizer cover can be mounted flush with the floor for the bendpak xpr 12 fd?

(If a person can provide a formed or cut out equalizer trough when the slab is being poured, before the hoist is installed?)
 
I see them in my local napa tool & equipment t flyer, the versymetric challengers. Not a bad price either.
 
northerndave said:
what do you have for clearance between posts on your rotary h2elk? 10'?

ramenth, do you know if the equalizer cover can be mounted flush with the floor for the bendpak xpr 12 fd?

(If a person can provide a formed or cut out equalizer trough when the slab is being poured, before the hoist is installed?)
Click to expand...

If you want to go that way, yes. The cover plate is strong enough to be driven over and strong enough to hold the weight of the vehicle.
 
northerndave said:
I see them in my local napa tool & equipment t flyer, the versymetric challengers. Not a bad price either.
Click to expand...

Looked at a lot of lifts and this one was priced right. It's been service for over a year, nice lift.
 
I see you can get that one with column extensions that bring the top up to 13' 10" or so.
 
Have the Challenger Versemetric Lift here, in service for 13yrs. You can see in the pics that there is a two foot extension on it. This allows full stand up access under tall vehicles like some camper vans and work trucks. My ceiling height is 14ft 2in. I have just about 2in clearance above the posts. I got a great deal on it because I helped the guy install it.
 

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I have an Atlas lift that is a combination lift (from Greg Smith equipment). It works as both a symmetric and asymmetric lift. I have had it about 2 years and I am really happy with it. My garage with the lift is a one car bay that is 15 x 33, in other words long and narrow. I am able to change how I put cars on the lift based on what I need to do. Since I also put two cars in the bay, I often back a car on to the lift. At that point I use it like a symmetric lift. At any rate, it gives me great flexibility to do both.

(not sure what happened to the picture upload, it was correct when I uploaded it. Now you get a chance to stretch your neck!!! :icon_fU:)

IMG_0731.jpg
 
might want to move the drip blanky to the car on the bottom.

:icon_fU:

lol!

Nice lift, I was looking at the atlas stuff earlier today.
 
northerndave said:
might want to move the drip blanky to the car on the bottom.

:icon_fU:

lol!

Nice lift, I was looking at the atlas stuff earlier today.
Click to expand...

If you look closely, you can see a piece of metal roofing under the 70. It is a cheap and easy way to add a "drip blanket". I hold it up with two furring strips. So far it has worked great. The only problem would be if I had a brake leak. So far I have been lucky.

The top blanket is when I am in the doghouse and have to sleep out there!!! :black_eye:
 
A Rotary brand is real good, look for a used one from a Chain car dealer. The replace these units on a periodic basis for insurance reasons. A good price is 1000.00. Make sure you have adequate thickness Concrete floor, a minimum of 7 inches is ideal for a secure base.
 
I really like the idea of the versemetric lift. I wish I knew about them before I bought my Rotary 10K asymmetric lift. Can't lift loaded vans and pickups. I ended up with a 16K Mohawk symmetric. Mohawk uses hydraulics between the posts instead of cables. So there is no plate on the floor or beam above. They are made in USA, but expensive. I also bought 2 Bendpak four post lifts and was very disappointed they were made in China and the quality was poor at best. I had to spend at least a full day on both filing and greasing things that should have worked out of the crate. Personally I'll never by a bend Pak again.

I'd suggest you seriously look at the versemetric lift if it's in your budget.
 
The versymmetric comes in a little under budget actually, which is nice because that is not the case with some other things.
 
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