Vehicle lifts

[Deleted]

I have been in the market for one of these for long enough but it was critical that I purchased the correct one - firstly my workshop only is 2.5 bays so your normal 4 post drive on ramp or 2 post lift with arms are out of the question has they would simply rob the workshop of flexible workspace - secondly a floor to ceiling height of just over 2.5 metres puts paid that idea anyway. Now it's not so much about getting the vehicle high enough so that I can work underneath it - although that will be helpful - it's more about getting the vehicle to the correct working height for myself to avoid crawling about on my hands & knees when working on the lower sections of the vehicle or perched atop a step ladder when working on vehicle roofs. The drive on then hydraulically raised ramps aren't going to cut any slack has I mainly like to have the wheels off whatever I am working on so that I have full access to the panels. I have managed up until now with a good trolley jack / decent axle stands & a bodyshell dolly but they don't give the flexibility in the workshop that I need. So lots of research later and it looks like one of the compact scissor type lifts would do the job - BUT not really - ok they put the car at the height that I need but then you are stuck with this lump of metal in the middle of the workshop that you fall over when it's not in use - you can move them about but it's not an easy task - I really need something that's compact but fully mobile - even better if you can move it with the vehicle on it. Late last year I found what I needed - made by Australian company but at a price - I hung fire until last month then dangled a carrot with one of my suppliers 'I will be in the market for one these at the end of the year - I cant afford at present' - Knowing full well that motor factors / garage equipment manufactures go through a lean spell at the start of the year - they were back with nice discount on the list price within a day - hence it was ordered and I took delivery today - so what is it ?



Cartar Glide Master



Air over hydraulic



Automatic locking system



Fully mobile with hydraulically raised casters



Simple operation



So time to replace this



With this





Fully adjustable load points & arms



Casters lowered



Casters raised



Fully mobile without any effort



All the flexibility that I have ever needed - Only thing I don't like is the shin catchers has the arms protrude - but it will lift 2800kg's so it can even be used on the Range Rover - pretty certain that this will pay for itself quite quickly - but it needs to has it was more than double the price of a standard inflexible scissor lift

[ChasR]

Looks good! What put me off these previously was the inability to work in the middle of the car, like a clutch change for example.

How much was it? You can PM me the price if you wish.

[ian65]

All different kinds of lifts have their own limitations but they all make life easier... I wouldn't be without mine... £1200 brand new...bargain.. I prefer the flexibility of a 2 post whether working on my cars or storing them

[tristanh]

Nice one Chris. I'm about to start on a new 3 bay 45x30 shed for my toys at my own place, to keep non paying stuff out of the workplace, and that's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

[eternaloptimist]

Looks great. I’ve been idly thinking about getting something similar but I just can’t decide what’s best for my space.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2019 7:29:52 GMT eternaloptimist said:

Looks great. I’ve been idly thinking about getting something similar but I just can’t decide what’s best for my space.

If you are not too stuck for the flexibility that I need then one of the cheaper semi movable ones would suit you fine - but in my space I need something that I can very quickly just push to one side if I need to get another vehicle into the garage - I don't think they would be much good if you were planning on fitting an exhaust or doing a rear wheel drive gearbox / clutch change - but for everything else like freeing up all 4 corners of the car / engine access and essentially my type of work which centres on panel / shell restoration & paintwork is ideal - needless to say if you have the ceiling height / workshop space a 2 post lift would be the better option has you have full access under the vehicle and can create storage for a second vehicle with a vehicle raised on the lift

[forkliftfred]

Costco had the Quickjack for £900 a while back. Now I have the money, they are no longer selling them.

[samta22]

Congrats Chris, very jealous - looks like a great bit of kit.

I'm still undecided about the semi-portable version we've previously discussed, something akin to this:



would make the bodywork, welding and servicing of the fleet a lot easier, and with a few projects in the queue it may well be the next bit of kit I treat myself to. SWMBO leaving me unsupervised at the NEC for a few days in March may be an expensive mistake

[gtviva]

Great purchase but I'm extremely jealous at all this kit! its all on my wish list but may have to wait a bit longer yet!!

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2019 12:29:21 GMT samta22 said:

Congrats Chris, very jealous - looks like a great bit of kit.

I'm still undecided about the semi-portable version we've previously discussed, something akin to this:



would make the bodywork, welding and servicing of the fleet a lot easier, and with a few projects in the queue it may well be the next bit of kit I treat myself to. SWMBO leaving me unsupervised at the NEC for a few days in March may be an expensive mistake

Sam - Certainty could be - That stand with the decent coffee & talking to other likeminded individuals never comes cheap

[frodo]

I’d also be interested how much it was if you don’t mind sharing; we’re just at the planning stage for our new garage and I’ve been looking at scissor lifts from the likes of Automotech, but I do like the idea of the castors on this...

[kevins]

We use similar lifts at work, great for flexibly using the space and no installation costs. At home I have a 4 post lift which only cost a couple of hundred pounds and is great for storage and most mechanical jobs but it does get in the way for fwd gearbox work and welding on sills etc

[slater]

I was thinking about getting one of these but I think I would get a cheap one and just make a base with castors on it myself.

[Deleted]

Feb 6, 2019 14:17:21 GMT slater said:

I was thinking about getting one of these but I think I would get a cheap one and just make a base with castors on it myself.

I had considered this but with a full workshop diary I just don't have the time and when I added in all the castors plus the additional hydraulics etc there was only anther £500 - £600 to purchase the one I have - don't get me wrong £500 + is not an insignificant amount but I would probably spend a few days building it - and that's time I don't have currently or for the foreseeable future - now having this one in the flesh it would be easy to replicate on to a standard lift has you plan

[neilsdavies]

I know this might seem like a complete thread hijack, but given the title it's probably the best place to put it!
On Wednesday at school we received an email from the supplier of the Bendpak 2 post lift in my workshop, telling us to stop using it immediately. It would seem that there is a problem with the locking devices on the arms, requiring one component on each arm to be replaced. Without that change there is the risk of the arms moving and letting the car fall - all this had come from an investigation into the death of a mechanic.
Why am I putting this up here? Well our lift was made in October 2013, the HSE issued their bulletin in late November 2018 but we didn't know until this week, so it stands a chance that other users may not be aware, just like we weren't.
We're getting the repairs done on Monday, and it is an easy thing to do, so please check your lifts!

www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/bendpak-two-post-vehicle-lifts.htm

[eternaloptimist]

This might turn out to be an expensive week.

All being well, I’ll get a professional’s view as to how I can modify the roof in my garage to get more height for a lift. The roofline is slightly unhelpful for what I’ve got in mind, and I can’t recall how deep the slab is, so a two poster might be a problem. However, I might be able to get more than the 2.4m I’ve currently got which then opens up a bit more potential for a scissor lift or similar.

Minimum requirement is to get all four wheels off the ground at sitting height and be able to get under the middle of the car. A small scissor lift should do that. Better than that would be wheels off at chest height. I’d need a bit more headroom hence structural engineer’s advice before I chop up the trusses and watch the roof sag/collapse. Ideal is a two post lift allowing full access and parking another car underneath. That would need a fair bit more work to the structure of the garage than I think I want to do.

Anyhow, I’ll be at the NEC for the PC restoration show on Friday, there might be a few bits of hardware to look at. I’m getting tired of lying on my back underneath cars.

[Deleted]

Mar 17, 2019 16:19:34 GMT eternaloptimist said:

This might turn out to be an expensive week.

All being well, I’ll get a professional’s view as to how I can modify the roof in my garage to get more height for a lift. The roofline is slightly unhelpful for what I’ve got in mind, and I can’t recall how deep the slab is, so a two poster might be a problem. However, I might be able to get more than the 2.4m I’ve currently got which then opens up a bit more potential for a scissor lift or similar.

Minimum requirement is to get all four wheels off the ground at sitting height and be able to get under the middle of the car. A small scissor lift should do that. Better than that would be wheels off at chest height. I’d need a bit more headroom hence structural engineer’s advice before I chop up the trusses and watch the roof sag/collapse. Ideal is a two post lift allowing full access and parking another car underneath. That would need a fair bit more work to the structure of the garage than I think I want to do.

Anyhow, I’ll be at the NEC for the PC restoration show on Friday, there might be a few bits of hardware to look at. I’m getting tired of lying on my back underneath cars.

Having owned mine for several weeks it's the one thing I would miss out of the workshop - its brought so much more flexibility into virtually anything that happens in the workshop - not critical to everyone but with myself operating a business it's very quickly paying for its self in many ways - the amount of time it saves I could have never predicted but this one piece of kit saves over a day a week of messing around with trolley jacks, axle stands & dollies - plus shuffling cars about etc - if you are at the show come & say hello - very obviously on the Jowett Car Club stand in Hall 3 - Chris

[51rider]

I have been tempted by a lift for a while now but my floor is not thick enough. You need a minimum of 6” high strength concrete & most domestic garages are unlikely to have the correct mix unless specified at the time of pour.
The QuickJack is looking like the only viable option at the moment unless I jack hammer the floor and pour new pads for the lift. I still couldn’t fit in a regular 2 or 4 post due to roof line so would go for the mid rise removable 2 post type as I want to retain the flexibility of the space and need to be able to get my motorcycle in and out.

[Nathan]

Mar 22, 2019 8:53:01 GMT 51rider said:

I have been tempted by a lift for a while now but my floor is not thick enough. You need a minimum of 6” high strength concrete & most domestic garages are unlikely to have the correct mix unless specified at the time of pour.
The QuickJack is looking like the only viable option at the moment unless I jack hammer the floor and pour new pads for the lift. I still couldn’t fit in a regular 2 or 4 post due to roof line so would go for the mid rise removable 2 post type as I want to retain the flexibility of the space and need to be able to get my motorcycle in and out.

As above, my current garage build has be soley based on having a 2-post lift installed.
I had to request a more industrial concrete type also had to go deeper and stronger with the whole install.
Makes it look small there, but thats 6m x 12m

[rattlecan]

Mar 22, 2019 9:48:31 GMT Nathan said:

Mar 22, 2019 8:53:01 GMT 51rider said:

I have been tempted by a lift for a while now but my floor is not thick enough. You need a minimum of 6” high strength concrete & most domestic garages are unlikely to have the correct mix unless specified at the time of pour.
The QuickJack is looking like the only viable option at the moment unless I jack hammer the floor and pour new pads for the lift. I still couldn’t fit in a regular 2 or 4 post due to roof line so would go for the mid rise removable 2 post type as I want to retain the flexibility of the space and need to be able to get my motorcycle in and out.

As above, my current garage build has be soley based on having a 2-post lift installed.
I had to request a more industrial concrete type also had to go deeper and stronger with the whole install.
Makes it look small there, but thats 6m x 12m

I’ve got a 2 poster in mine, the section of the garage it is in was originally just my double garage before I extended at the back. Can’t imagine it’s anything other than bog standard garage base. House was brand new in 1990, so won’t be owt special. I just drilled it & put in the floor bolts it came with, never had an issue.
That said if you are doing it from scratch, you might as well be sure