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New hoist for garage 2 post or 4 post Ideas ?

PeteBell68

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Looking for ideas on the pros and cons of either a 2 post or 4 post for a large double car garage .
My garage height now stands at 9 ft tall .
Also looking at having the main truss relocated higher if needed in future .
Brand types don't want a Chinese model preferred and looking for recommendations .

Thanks everyone .
 
9’ isn’t enough for either IMO. You’ll barely store two cars at that height and one needs to short like a Corvette.

The 4 post, 2 post debate will depend on what you want to do. 4 post is good for storage and light mechanics. 2 post is for daily repair type stuff.

I did a 4 post from Advantage Lift. I’m pleased with. Very sturdy.

If you want US made your going to have to use professional equipment at double or triple the cost of hobbiest type lifts. At least that’s what I found with 4 posts.

https://www.advantagelifts.com/collections/4-post-lifts/products/advantage-ss-9000
 
I agree on the height . It's a new home purchase with an unfinished garage ceiling .
One friend is a home builder and mentioned a truss can be moved but it will cost you and will need to calculate on the load requirements of the roof .
Looking at these two adds I like the 4 post it's safer for keeping the car on and better for the car to sit on .You can get platforms for lifting the car up off the wheels .
2 post freedom of movement under the car even under the body line and you can park between the posts .
What is needed for existing concrete to determine its strength under the posts ?
 
You need 12 feet ceilings for either style lift to work effectively. My 2 post lift is structurally 11 foot 11 inches high. A 4 post lift that I have at another location stands a little over 8 feet at each post. It lifts the car to a height of about 6.5 foot to the bottom of the car. In a building with 12 foot ceilings that gives you about a foot or less to the ceiling, depending on the cars height. My thoughts are if you don't have 12 foot ceilings neither lift would be effective. I don't think with 9 foot ceilings and a 4 post lift, that I could park 2 of my cars. Possibly I could park 1 of my B bodys and my Viper, but that would be a tight fit.
 
Yes from what I've read everywhere I need at least 11 feet 12 would be ideal with either of the two hoists .
Is it nesessary to pour new concrete pads in an existing garage I am wondering next ?
 
While the 12' is ideal, and typically needed for a 2 post, you can go with 10' with 4 post (Bendix) and store 2 cars. You do have to watch clearances and will only have a few inches for top car and similar under. But it works. (2 B bodies and even modern challenger and B body). You also have less room to work on a car if your tall, but still doable. With the addition of the jack lifts you can do a lot of maintenance on cars. I went with Bendix, used a local installer that services gas stations and dealerships. Drop shipped to them. They delivered and installed. Plus they had used air jacks they sold me and I got two for the cost of one Bendix hydraulic version. The Air bag is less maintenance and what professional shops were using. Good deal over all.

I did all the research including power requirements, location of electrical hook up, air, etc... And finished my garage in support of the lift.

Also do not forget to look at garage door requirement and a high lift kit to raise garage door when open to the ceiling.
 
Bee on my lift with a 10' 2" ceiling.. I'm 5' 10". Still 5" above the car roof to the ceiling, thanks to a poorly positioned florescent light.
beerestoration2015 129.JPG
 
A 4-post should not need additional concrete work, but the 2-post needs real thick concrete pads under it.
I have a 4-post BendPack HD-9XW (Extra Wide, Extra Tall), but celing height is about 16'. It will lift my Ram 3500 quad cab long bed (single rear wheel) truck.
The posts are a bit wider than the runway, so it is posable to get a dually on the lift, but the outer wheels would have to be removed.
Reasons why 4-post. Used more for storage. With the tall axle stands or jack bridge, it s fairly easy to lift the wheels off the runway for suspension work.
You can get under the car and tighten the suspension with the cars weight on the tires. Have alignment turn plates that I can put on the runway and drive the car onto (along with wood blocks for the rear tires to keep the car level), to align the car.
If you are working with a low celing, height, the 2-post would likely be a better choice even though you will need additional concrete work. The 4-posts runway the car sits on will make it difficult to get under the car, and reduce how high you can lift the car by the height of the runway.
 
I’m in the exact same boat as dadsbee.
My ceiling is 10’2” and I have an old eagle 2 post lift.
I can walk under the car without hitting my head. The tires hang lower, so I’ve trained myself to avoid them.
Sure, 11’ would be nicer, but you can absolutely effectively use a 2 post lift with a 10’ ceiling.
Bee on my lift with a 10' 2" ceiling.. I'm 5' 10". Still 5" above the car roof to the ceiling, thanks to a poorly positioned florescent light.
View attachment 715062
 
Two post seems like the way to go don't need to store the car as the only car in the garage will be the Charger .
I can get 10'6 easily and I like the fact that you can do anything .
Going to look at having reinforced concrete done .
Going to also have the door rollers raised .

Thanks everyone for response and for the pictures .
 
Now the Bird is another question... but my trusses run perpendicular to the lift. If it becomes an issue, and it will when I get a 4 poster to store the cars, I'll be cutting a rectangular opening in the ceiling and making a box for the wing to go up into the "attic" when the lifts all the way up.
 
Now the Bird is another question... but my trusses run perpendicular to the lift. If it becomes an issue, and it will when I get a 4 poster to store the cars, I'll be cutting a rectangular opening in the ceiling and making a box for the wing to go up into the "attic" when the lifts all the way up.

I'll take the bird for you I leave that on the ground on a nice rubber floor .Dont spend your money I'll take it for free and promise to look after it .
You can come over and even have a beer while sitting inside it .
 
Of course working on our low cars gives lots of work room with a 10'2" ceiling. Move on to modern cars or a truck and you'll be bending or better yet rolling around on a work chair if you need to get underneath. That said I have no complaints after over 1000 hours of work time on my hoist, even with trucks it's perfect for most work that's usually replacing these modern, useless, 2 bearings an inch apart, unable to take torsion load, designer should have been shot, hubs.
1998 GMC 217.JPG
sierra2500hdnov2014 003.JPG
 
I put in a 2 post primarily because I use it to work on cars, if I was needing to store cars I would put in a 4 post.
 
I like the Mohawk site . They list concrete requirements for every lift they sell .
Once I decide on the model I'll pass the documents to my concrete installer .
 
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