2 Post lift advice

[jamieduff1981]

Hi all,

First time in here - I'm looking for some advice.

I'm a fairly keen amateur and get the keys to our next property in 4 weeks' time. The property has a nice big shed with power, light and water and I intend to get a 2 poster in there which will make my car work so much easier and more pleasant. I'm currently outside on a stone-chip driveway!



I'm looking for advice on 2 posters really. Any to go for, any to avoid, any issues or things to watch out for. Can anyone offer me any guidance?

[Old Merc]

I had near fatal accident with an old two post,long story,my fault. My advice is buy new (or nearly?) and have it fitted by a professional,making sure everything is spot on and SAFE!.They are a big expensive piece of kit so do you really need one??.Most garage equipment company`s will quote a fitted price and do a survey before.
Remember two post (4 pads)lifts are designed to be used with every day modern cars lifted under the sills.It can be difficult lifting very old classics,sports cars and so on.
Do your homework and take your time.

[jamieduff1981]

Thanks for that - I'd definately want it fitted properly, and to be honest it's not something I could really be bothered doing.

It's not so much a case of need but want. I won't be so blase as to say the money isn't important but I'm confident my hobby time would be much more enjoyable if I wasn't crawling around on my back.

That said, I definately do not want a lift keeling over and trashing the car at best or snuffing me or anyone else out at worst, so I want to buy well and have it installed properly.

[Old Merc]

Believe me after spending time jacking up,fitting axle stands on all fours etc. Working on a two post is total ecstasy.
One other thing,most lifts are 415v three phase electricity. There are plenty of single phase available.

[imagineifyeswill]

Avoid these Italian made lifts advertised on ebay for around £2000 and go for a well known mame, Bradbury, Tecalimit, Stenhoj all probably around £3500 - £4000.

[sunbeam alpine]

I posted this on another thread recently:

http://www.twinbusch.de/product_info.php?products_...

Single-post moveable. Ordered one, but not got it yet (recommended by a friend).

Not exactly cheap, but very flexible.

At the moment I'm using one of our forklifts with extended arms.

(Still haven't yet got it)

[blueST]

sunbeam alpine said:

I posted this on another thread recently:

http://www.twinbusch.de/product_info.php?products_...

Single-post moveable. Ordered one, but not got it yet (recommended by a friend).

Not exactly cheap, but very flexible.

At the moment I'm using one of our forklifts with extended arms.

(Still haven't yet got it)

CJ Autos do one of those now, saw it at NEC on Sunday. It's a bulky thing, I'm not sure where you'd wheel it too when not in use.

[jamieduff1981]

sunbeam alpine said:

I posted this on another thread recently:

http://www.twinbusch.de/product_info.php?products_...

Single-post moveable. Ordered one, but not got it yet (recommended by a friend).

Not exactly cheap, but very flexible.

At the moment I'm using one of our forklifts with extended arms.

(Still haven't yet got it)

Looks like that would deny a lot of access underneath? The beauty of a 2 poster is that apart from 4 pads under the sills there is unhindered access to the entire underside

[jamieduff1981]

imagineifyeswill said:

Avoid these Italian made lifts advertised on ebay for around £2000 and go for a well known mame, Bradbury, Tecalimit, Stenhoj all probably around £3500 - £4000.

Thanks for the pointer. I picked up the 3 phase versus single phase power requirements in my research today. I'll be needing single phase.

I'll also need to find out how thick the concrete floor is.

[Steve H]

You'd do well to beat these for value - http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/product-catego....

I've got the baseless 4ton unit in single phase, great bit of kit, fitted it with a hand from my Dad - took a day to get it all up.

You're right about the floor depth though, make sure it is 100% right.

[bearman68]

You may want to consider one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-LIFT-MID-RISE-SCISSO...

I bought one of these about 3 years ago, and have used it pretty much every day since. Superb for brakes and things, and requires less room than a 2 poster. I use it on a concrete floor, with a steel plate over it to protect the floor.
Lost count of the number of clutches and things I've done on it, and great for all sorts of front wheel drive stuff. Not so good for exhausts etc, but you can manage.
Another advantage is that you can open the car doors, without bumping them into the lift posts.

You'll need 4m of headroom for a 2 poster, and a bit more width.

cheers

[davejones]

Hi - I had the same dilemma/opportunity about a year ago - a friend has a Chinese made lift and is very happy with it - it cost about £1800 all in - however when I came to order one I had trouble contacting the supplier, so instead I contacted Hofmann who are part of Snap on and they did a "free floor" asymmetric arm two post 3.5t "screw" lift for about £2500 fitted - Boy am I glad I paid the extra, this has been a fantastic purchase and we are fortunate that we have a three phase supply but I'm sure they do single phase versions.
The quality is much better than the Chinese alternatives and a Hofmann will retain a decent amount of it's value as these are industrial strength pieces of kit.
The peace of mind that you can get support and spares is very appealing even if the initial expense is a little bit more.
The free floor allows us to easily use it for low ground clearance races and the pads have lots of adjustment.
Regards
Dave

[Old Merc]

I would agree about Hofmann lifts,they are the best available.
In 1987 I bought a car repair business and in the workshop was a nearly new Hofmann lift.
That lift is still in perfect working order today,nearly 30yrs old.It has to be good, because it has to be inspected for insurance purposes every year.

[RobM77]

Do these require a thicker concrete floor under them than is standard for a typical garage? I'm sure I read somewhere that they did.

[m4tti]

RobM77 said:

Do these require a thicker concrete floor under them than is standard for a typical garage? I'm sure I read somewhere that they did.

Yes.. and the concrete pad in an industrial premises is usually deeper than a domestic. Hence they can assemble large steel framed units on them.

One of the reasons I went for a scissor lift with clear central access.

I guess one option would be to dig out 5 square pads to go under the rams of the two post.

Edited by m4tti on Friday 6th June 10:45

[mattrosersv]

I know you want a 2 poster, I ummed and urrrred and eventually went 4 poster (£2K Chinese job) with a jacking beam.

On working on my TVRs the only hinderance I get from the 4 poster is occasionally banging my head on it. I have also used it to pull the body off.

Plus points are:

I am not reliant on the TVR outriggers when lifting the car
Jacking beam is very handy when pulling the gearbox (I don't have a transmission jack)
It makes a good work bench when the car is not on it
Handy for putting tools on when working
It still needs a good concrete footing, but in itself it is inherently stable
Easy to install yourself
You can stack cars one above the other with drip trays installed (provided)
You can set the suspension up with the car in the air
While mine is bolted to the ground it comes with a set of wheels so you can lift it and move it

Having done my fair share of crawling around on the ground on a gravel driveway I now would not be without it

It has seen a decent amount of use on all sorts of cars and has been fine for 3 years

Anyway having a lift in the garage is a revelation, you won't regret it whatever you do!

Matt