Auto Lifts for Garage

[BradVV]

I am looking into buying an auto lift (probably 4 post) for my future garage. I plan on using the lift to store one of my Camaros & also give me the ability to do underbody detailing & some light maintenance to them.

I have done some Internet searching to see what's all out there for auto lifts. And boy, there are quite a few companies & models to choose from.

Any advice (do's, don'ts, recommended brands, etc) & info that anyone on this board can share with me on auto lifts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[kwhizz]

Go with the Backyard Buddy.....most of the rest are all the same Chinese built lifts sold under different names

Ken

[budnate]

I agree Ken but they have really marked them up lately ... in my opinion way to much for a pretty basic hoist

I committed to one of these this weekend.
http://www.directlift.com/propark7.html

if they lock at all 4 corners they are fine, and to be honest I dont care what they say about the feet not spreading on backyard and some other brands including the one I bought....there silly idea of the bar in the tube preventing the legs from going outwards dont look bullet proof to me..that is plenty of load trying to push out with some levarage...I plan to pin my bottom legs with some 2"x2" 1/4 square box tubing couple holes and some grade 8 bolts and she is not going anyware even if we get a little quake they are selling these on special right now with all the extras for 1795.00 plus 325 shipping to Seattle, you might have to go through my local guy to save the other hundo off the listed price on the site, he claimed it was for the swap meet special...yea right ......I looked this one over well and after looking at a few diff brands in person, its as good as any of the others and priced right.

Bud.

[kwhizz]

Be very careful when you lower it all the way......if you let the cables relax, they will come off the rollers (very poor design) and next time you raise it without checking, you will shred the cable and ruin it......Been there......

Ken

[budnate]

thnx for the heads up!!, I recall reading about that last year but forgot about it, I will ask him about that today.

[southernfriedcj]

I've got 3 Backyard Buddy lifts. Great product. I'm a cheap bastid, but if I'm gonna be under a car I don't want to be second guessing the safety factor of my lift. IMHO the BB is well worth the extra $$. I've heard horror stories about the cheap Chinney lifts.

Jim

[budnate]

I fully agree with you guys and dont want to get squished either!!...there all copied of the buddy or whoever before the buddy..there just steel welded together, with mechanical locks on all 4 legs, so it aint coming down once locked, and they all make the feet with the same offset to the inside to counter the outward force the legs are having from the weight, they all run the same pump...and all get tested by the goverment before they can sell them...

like I said before maybe its just me but that 12 inches or so of square pipe riding at the same level as the runways is supposed to keep the legs from going anywhere with the offset feet...now that dont look to good to me but is a easy fix to tie them together so they cant go outwards even if they wanted to, I think that would make any of these brands bulletproof...


I am concerned with the cable/pulley thing though and will double check that, one would think the cables can be tensioned so there is not crazy slack when the runways hit the floor??? or set the limit switch to stop the motor when it should???

anything else I am missing????

heading over to watch the backard vid and see what I may be missing when they compare to brand X.

[mockingbird812]

Rotary Lift- for a bit more you get 4 arms, 10K capacity, and with locking system can lock car in multiple "up" positions and park another below. You have "full" access to undercarriage vs. those you drive on. My rotary lift is my favorite tool in the shop.

[budnate]

I was rrrrrrrwrong ok I said it, there is a night and day differnace from the buddy and the others......

[Allen]

For those without high roofs to work with, has anyone used the lift at the link below?

http://www.kwiklift.com/