4 post car lift at home..........

4 post car lift at home..........

Author
Discussion

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Has anyone fitted a used 4 post lift at home? Been offered a very good deal on a refurbed bradbury 8.

However I'd have to pay to get it taken down and delivered to me. Has anyone done this? Who did you use? What would it cost?

Sorry for all the questions. Basically it means I can lift my car into the roof space, also use it to lift bikes upto the boarded section.

944fan

4,962 posts

184 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
I've always wanted one. Don't have the space.

Sticking points will be. Who is installing it? Do you really trust yourself with 1.5 tonnes of car over you?

Also I think they need a 3 phase power supply, which you wont have. Not sure how much they cost.

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
944fan said:
I've always wanted one. Don't have the space.

Sticking points will be. Who is installing it? Do you really trust yourself with 1.5 tonnes of car over you?

Also I think they need a 3 phase power supply, which you wont have. Not sure how much they cost.
I'm going to get a company to remove and install so no issue.
No worries at all about a car being over me, they have safety lockouts.
I've got 3 phase power as I've got a rotary phase converter I use for a lathe/mill etc.

944fan

4,962 posts

184 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Fair enough sounds like you are all set.

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
944fan said:
Fair enough sounds like you are all set.
bar finding the cost of having it moved...... and by...

smile

blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
What is it being bolted down to ?

motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
blade7 said:
What is it being bolted down to ?
That's a very good question because some lifts need atypically (of domestic garage floors) deep and solid flooring to bolt down on to resist the stresses of cantilever forces.

Howitzer

2,828 posts

215 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
I thought this was the benefit of a 4 post lift, they could essentially be free standing unlike a 2 post lift which needed to be fully secured?

Dave!

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Yes, 4 post lifts don't have the same requirements as a 2 post lift. However my garage sits on a reinforced floating slab.

TA14

12,722 posts

257 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Can't see Jason's slab being any problem.

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
TA14 said:
Can't see Jason's slab being any problem.
Quite smile I imagine its stronger than some garage floors.

motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Howitzer said:
I thought this was the benefit of a 4 post lift, they could essentially be free standing unlike a 2 post lift which needed to be fully secured?

Dave!
That is true and why I said 'some' lifts. Two posters are more severe anyway because there's fewer posts to share the load without the cantilever aspect.

Actually I'm only envious of the opportunity to have a lift of any sort - my garage has insufficient headroom for any that I've seen to date.

blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
motco said:
blade7 said:
What is it being bolted down to ?
That's a very good question because some lifts need atypically (of domestic garage floors) deep and solid flooring to bolt down on to resist the stresses of cantilever forces.
I don't know much about it tbh but I thought the floor only needed to be reinforced where the lift was bolted down ?

was8v

1,927 posts

194 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Could you dismantle it yourself? That way you will know how it goes back together.

Might involve borrowing something like a forklift or telehandler to manoeuvre the posts and a trailer to carry the lot.

Ask a manufacturer what specs the floor needs to be. A core drill could be used to see what you have got.

motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
blade7 said:
motco said:
blade7 said:
What is it being bolted down to ?
That's a very good question because some lifts need atypically (of domestic garage floors) deep and solid flooring to bolt down on to resist the stresses of cantilever forces.
I don't know much about it tbh but I thought the floor only needed to be reinforced where the lift was bolted down ?
To imagine cantilever loads, think of standing with your feet together, arms outstretched in front of you and a heavy weight suspended from your wrists. You'd fall on your face obviously, unless your feet were firmly stuck to the floor and you had sufficient ankle strength to resist the force trying to tilt you forwards. Most two post lifts are like this, and I believe some four posters. If there's a bracing beam between the tops of the towers opposing each other that's fine, but normally the only connection between the tower tops is a cable duct - if that. I haven't studied four posters, but I did look in some detail at two-posters that came in to my budget area and all would have need costly floor upgrade.

Edit. The Bradbury 8 is a ramp type lift with rigid cross members carrying the ramps. Therefore there is no appreciable cantilever stress. Below is what happens with a two post lift that carries the car by its sills is not properly installed!




Edited by motco on Monday 20th July 14:19

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Ooops, I meant 40 series, 3 tonne jobbie so quite compact compared to some.

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
So to bump this thread.......

I've had one quote so far, of £400inclusive to remove, deliver and rebuild with a few new bolts etc. This is for a lift 100miles away. I think thats not to bad? I've found a few really tidy bradbury 40 series lifts for £600, so £1k all in for a used(tidy) working lift. Seem about right?

TA14

12,722 posts

257 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
I'd want to spec the bolts/studs and fixing material carefully. Any guidance from the manufacturer?

Also think carefully about the electricity supply; I wouldn't want to cut through the slab. It sounds like you want to install it next to the mezzanine so can it be routed that way.

At a stab in the dark your prices sounds OK.

jason61c

Original Poster:

5,978 posts

173 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
TA14 said:
I'd want to spec the bolts/studs and fixing material carefully. Any guidance from the manufacturer?

Also think carefully about the electricity supply; I wouldn't want to cut through the slab. It sounds like you want to install it next to the mezzanine so can it be routed that way.

At a stab in the dark your prices sounds OK.
Where it would sit, a lead would go straight to the rotary phase converter, so no slab cutting. It would go in the open bay here...



Bradbury are getting back to me with the right spec of bolts etc, the company I've spoken to would supply these in the price and warrant them.

Where I have dropped a bk is on the lift, I'm pretty sure the hydraulic post extends as the lift rises, so I need to see/measure where that post would go and if it clears the pitch of the roof. If I was any good at maths i'd do it using trig smile

alphaalfa

38 posts

139 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
I hope that this may help anyone considering Installing a Car Lift at Home........ Shameless self promotion for the company but it should give you an insight regarding the pro's and cons!

http://garage-tools.co.uk/home-car-lift-installati...