Car LIft questions

[joe smith]

I am sure these have been bantered around here b4, but can I ask them again?

What is the difference between Assymetrical and Symetrical Lifts... I understand how they set but what is the advantage, disadvantage to each

What is the difference of Floor plate VS Clear floor??

Thanks everyone..

 

[wagonman]

I have used both and the symetrical is better for large vehicles like trucks. The clear floor I prefer when using a trans jack and not tripping over the floor plate. In the Dealers I worked at all were clear floor. Get one that is Certified like a Benwill if you have the $$. A 12k is a little overkill but you never know what you are going to be lifting like a 1 ton Dodge truck.

 

[peabodyracin]

On an asymetrical the rear arms are longer than front. Moves the vehicle back a bit and makes it essier to open the door for access since the lift post doesnt interfere so much. You can deal with heavier vehicles, just need to pay attention to vehicle center of gravity so youre not too heavy out the rear. Of course you need to watch center of gravity all the time youre using a lift.

Shorter ceiling lifts typically have the floor plate which covers the lines and cables running to the other upright. Good for ceiling clearance but a pain in the butt to walk over all the time youre under the vehicle. Particularly bad when using a tranny jack. If you dont have clearance issues I would not consider the floor plate style.

In my experience a 9k lift will suffice for typical hobbiest needs.

 

[joe smith]

So the advantage to an assymetrical is being able to open the car doors?
And the clear floor wires are fed over the top of the machine?

 

[65-440]

I have one of each and the asymmetrical still weirds me out! I always feel like the vehicle will fall back at any moment! Of course I've had zero issues but when I buy my 3rd 2 post it will a symmetrical!

 

[Mackman]

I have an asymmetrical lift with a clear floor. I wouldn’t want the floor pan style, but they need a little less ceiling height. Probably a 9000 lb. lift is plenty. My four door Cummins 2500 4-wheel drive with 8ft. box weighs 7400lbs. with me in it. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[peabodyracin]

So the advantage to an assymetrical is being able to open the car doors?
And the clear floor wires are fed over the top of the machine?

Correct to both. You can get the door open further with an asymmetrical, but still not wide open. It's then easier to get in and out. As a very rough guide, on a front wheel drive car you line the dash board up with the uprights and on a rear wheel drive car about the front edge of the seat lines up with the uprights. A pickup would be different and again different between 4wd and 2 wd. Then there's the box length to keep in mind and I'd recommend the box being at least close to empty.

You're just trying to make sure you don't have too much weight out front or out back. It's not that difficult to get a feel for. I've had a Challenger 9K asymmetric for years and haven't killed myself yet. Have had cars (even rear engine ones like VW's and Fiero's), pickups ( 2wd, 4wd and crew cab), a car trailer and a late 70's vintage Dodge dually dump on mine.

Having said all that, when my Dad was alive, he refused to use the lift unless I was there. He was a very intelligent guy, taught chemistry and physics much of his life, but always said 'that thing scares me'. He sure liked using it for his oil changes. He was a clean oil fanatic.

I also had the opportunity to use a symmetrical at a space we rented for a couple years. I much prefer the asymmetrical style.

A clear floor unit normally requires 12' ceilings.

 

[bandit67]

Challenger makes one called a Versametrical. I have bought two of those. They allow for the offset of the vehicle so you can open the door completely . I had a semetrical for years and was glad to have it but I would never go and buy one again. Hated the bottom floor plates that tied the two post together. PAITA when you need to push a non powered car on the rack or have to stumble over when using tranny jacks and lifts. The Versa Challenger is much more expensive but worth every penny if you can afford it. In order to hold these big offset loads such as trucks, busses, big heavy cars, the posts are VERY large with the largest bottom post plate I ve seen yet. This is what supports the big offset loads. Being able to open the doors fully truly helps an old man doing interior work, especially under dash work. I just don't squat and work as I once did as a young man. Challenger makes brackets for this lift made so you can lift atvs, four wheelers, golf carts , about anything, safely so you can work on those. I bought them, but they still in the delivery crate as have not needed YET. This model is still made in America I THINK.

 

[joe smith]

Challenger makes one called a Versametrical. I have bought two of those. They allow for the offset of the vehicle so you can open the door completely . I had a semetrical for years and was glad to have it but I would never go and buy one again. Hated the bottom floor plates that tied the two post together. PAITA when you need to push a non powered car on the rack or have to stumble over when using tranny jacks and lifts. The Versa Challenger is much more expensive but worth every penny if you can afford it. In order to hold these big offset loads such as trucks, busses, big heavy cars, the posts are VERY large with the largest bottom post plate I ve seen yet. This is what supports the big offset loads. Being able to open the doors fully truly helps an old man doing interior work, especially under dash work. I just don't squat and work as I once did as a young man. Challenger makes brackets for this lift made so you can lift atvs, four wheelers, golf carts , about anything, safely so you can work on those. I bought them, but they still in the delivery crate as have not needed YET. This model is still made in America I THINK.

I went to the Challenger Versammetric site and there is a 10 minute video showing how this lift works.... Thanks

 

[csilko]

Anyone have an opinion of this portable lift? I think I'm going this route to be able to move the lift out of the way for the 90+% of the time I am not using it (my garage is a wood shop and man cave too LOL).

MaxJax M6K Two-Post Portable Car Lift

The MaxJax M6K two-post lift is a portable car lift capable of lifting 6,000 lbs and can be easily stored away.

www.bendpak.com

 

[747mopar]

I bought a symmetrical lift with overhead cables, didn't want the plate on the floor and don't like offsetting a vehicle on a 2 post for obvious reasons. The manufacturer that I went with offered extra width for a small additional fee which helped with the door issue.. nice option.

 

[Jim 68cuda]

I have the asymmetrical lift in my garage and I really like that you can actually open the car door when it's on the lift.

View attachment 1329956

 

[Nxcoupe]

Anyone have an opinion of this portable lift? I think I'm going this route to be able to move the lift out of the way for the 90+% of the time I am not using it (my garage is a wood shop and man cave too LOL).

http://[URL]https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/maxjax-m6k

[/URL]

View attachment 1329939

It still has to be bolted to the floor, so if you move it, you have to unbolt it lift it over the anchors and then you still have anchors sticking up. Kind of a dumb idea imho. Seems pointless. Now a 4 post moveable makes sense. No center of gravity to worry with.

 

[69_Coronet]

It still has to be bolted to the floor, so if you move it, you have to unbolt it lift it over the anchors and then you still have anchors sticking up. Kind of a dumb idea imho. Seems pointless. Now a 4 post moveable makes sense. No center of gravity to worry with.

I have a couple of these lifts in my shop and you are incorrect about the anchors. The ones supplied with the lift are female anchors that you drill into the floor (there are specifications for the concrete and floor that have to be met for using the anchors, but they were easy to meet). The lift plates are secured with bolts, so when the lift is removed, there is nothing protruding from the floor. In order to keep the anchor holes and threads clean when the lift is not attached I have installed set screws (no heads) in them. You are correct, that if protruding anchors were used, this would be a horrible setup, but as supplied it works very well.

I have a seat on casters for use when under vehicles, which puts my head just below the bottom of the car. This works very well with the limited height when the car is lifted. Overall, I have been very happy with the MaxJax. Cheers!

 

[Nxcoupe]

I have a couple of these lifts in my shop and you are incorrect about the anchors. The ones supplied with the lift are female anchors that you drill into the floor (there are specifications for the concrete and floor that have to be met for using the anchors, but they were easy to meet). The lift plates are secured with bolts, so when the lift is removed, there is nothing protruding from the floor. In order to keep the anchor holes and threads clean when the lift is not attached I have installed set screws (no heads) in them. You are correct, that if protruding anchors were used, this would be a horrible setup, but as supplied it works very well.

I have a seat on casters for use when under vehicles, which puts my head just below the bottom of the car. This works very well with the limited height when the car is lifted. Overall, I have been very happy with the MaxJax. Cheers!

Thank you for correcting me, I just knew they needed to be anchored down and got the impression from the OP that he wasn't aware of this. That is a decent idea,wonder how those anchors compare to the standard anchors? And how thick does the concrete in your floor have to be? Mine is 6" which I know is overkill, but I know there is a min safe thickness.

 

[69_Coronet]

Thank you for correcting me, I just knew they needed to be anchored down and got the impression from the OP that he wasn't aware of this. That is a decent idea,wonder how those anchors compare to the standard anchors? And how thick does the concrete in your floor have to be? Mine is 6" which I know is overkill, but I know there is a min safe thickness.

Unfortunately, I am away from my shop right now so I don't have access to the manuals that came with the lifts. My floor was not designed with a lift in mind, but it met the thickness requirements. I think the minimum thickness for mine was 5.5" and 3500 psi concrete. Mine are an older lift that look to have different floor requirements than the M6K mentioned above (I think mine are also rated at 7000 lb). Here is a quote from the M6K manual I just downloaded:

This lift must be installed on a solid level concrete floor minimum 4.25" (108mm) thick, compressive strength 3,000
psi (20 MPa) with no more than 3° of slope. FAILURE TO DO SO COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.

There is also mention of rebar and minimum distance from floor cracks. The manual I downloaded has all the details and is at:

https://www.maxjax.com/pub/media/downloads/MaxJax-Two-Post-Lift-Installation-Manual.pdf

I don't remember the make of the concrete anchors supplied with the lifts, but they were a standard commercial wedge style part that I could buy locally (I added an extra mounting spot for an extra lift point).

Good that you mentioned the anchoring requirement, the OP will need to confirm that his floor meets the minimum requirements for safety. Cheers!