Scissor car lift or similar

[TROOPER88]

Hi Chaps
I have a good size garage and do a lot of work on cars - it is not my job but forever seem to be doing brake / suspension / general servicing work.

Tbh I have got a bad knew purely from climbing up / down off the garage floor.

I am fed up of jacking up and using axel stands and want a more body friendly means of raising cars. I have a Porsche Boxster but also work on other marques.

The garage has a tiled floor and I have a compressor if required for lifting, I do not have a single phase electricity set up but conventional 240v.

What would be my best option?

I have been looking on ebay and there seems to be a few different systems

Many thanks

[AdeTuono]

TROOPER88 said:

I do not have a single phase electricity set up but conventional 240v.

Isn't that the same thing?

[TROOPER88]

AdeTuono said:

Isn't that the same thing?

Apologies, I meant that I do not have 3 phase

[finishing touch]

There's been a recent thread "Garage portable lift ?"

[buzzer]

Heres my setup as it was and also now where i have sunk it into the ground which makes it easier to move bikes around the garage. The platforms also now work independently so i can have a car in the garage and a bike on the lift. It was a big job to sink it in the ground though...

Edited by buzzer on Wednesday 4th September 05:26

[eltax91]

How’s your headroom OP?

[TROOPER88]

eltax91 said:

How’s your headroom OP?

Thanks for the input chaps, much appreciated.

Head height is not great, the ceiling is citca 2.5 meters but as long as I can get a car high enough so that I can stand up to work on the brakes then this is more than enough.

I do not have the head room or the need to be able to walk under the vehicle.

Even having a car 1 meter of the floor would make a huge difference as I could either stand or use a stool

Cheers

[buzzer]

TROOPER88 said:

Thanks for the input chaps, much appreciated.

Head height is not great, the ceiling is citca 2.5 meters but as long as I can get a car high enough so that I can stand up to work on the brakes then this is more than enough.

I do not have the head room or the need to be able to walk under the vehicle.

Even having a car 1 meter of the floor would make a huge difference as I could either stand or use a stool

Cheers

I dont have the height to walk under, hence I went for a mid height. thing is, with my knackered knees I would never be able to do what I do without the hoist...

[TROOPER88]

What is the general consensus on this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBILE-SCISSOR-CAR-LIFT...

Buzzer, is it the same as yours?

Cheers

[buzzer]

TROOPER88 said:

What is the general consensus on this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBILE-SCISSOR-CAR-LIFT...

Buzzer, is it the same as yours?

Cheers

its very similar... I got mine of these guys

https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/

[alabbasi]

A scissor lift would be good for doing brake work or anything else that you can do while sitting on a stool in front of the the car while it's raised. It will be completely non functional for anything like transmission or exhaust work but you should be able to get to most suspension components. If you want to get under the car and swing a hammer, then a 2 post lift is better suited, but you'll need the head room.

Consider buying a quality brand, even if it's used over a no name far eastern lift of unknown quality. I have a 2 post Rotary LIft that my friend bought and ran in his shop since 1981. I had to rebuild the cylinders and replace the motor 5 years ago but it's been flawless since. It's good for 9000lbs.

I also have a 12000lbs Challenger 4 post lift that will load a 1 ton dually. It was also purchased used and is at least 20 years old

I did run a 3 phase lift in the past that I got really cheap. It was a 4 post frame lift from the 40's and I used a 3 phase inverter. It was a huge pain in the rear and I was glad to see the back of it.

[TROOPER88]

buzzer said:

its very similar... I got mine of these guys

https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/

Thanks
I e-mailed them at the start of the week - no reply.

Just for that reason, I would not buy from them.

I may sound harsh but if they can not be bothered to deal with a genuine sales enquiry, god knows what they would be like with a repair job etc

[TROOPER88]

alabbasi said:

A scissor lift would be good for doing brake work or anything else that you can do while sitting on a stool in front of the the car while it's raised. It will be completely non functional for anything like transmission or exhaust work but you should be able to get to most suspension components. If you want to get under the car and swing a hammer, then a 2 post lift is better suited, but you'll need the head room.

Consider buying a quality brand, even if it's used over a no name far eastern lift of unknown quality. I have a 2 post Rotary LIft that my friend bought and ran in his shop since 1981. I had to rebuild the cylinders and replace the motor 5 years ago but it's been flawless since. It's good for 9000lbs.

I also have a 12000lbs Challenger 4 post lift that will load a 1 ton dually. It was also purchased used and is at least 20 years old

I did run a 3 phase lift in the past that I got really cheap. It was a 4 post frame lift from the 40's and I used a 3 phase inverter. It was a huge pain in the rear and I was glad to see the back of it.

Thanks for your advice.

As mentioned, I am limited by head room.

Plus remember that I am working on Mid engine sports cars meaning that I should easily be able to access the exhaust and gearbox on the scissor lift.

[TROOPER88]

Buzzer, can you drive your car straight onto the lift, is there enough clearance??

Cheers

[alabbasi]

TROOPER88 said:

Thanks for your advice.

As mentioned, I am limited by head room.

Plus remember that I am working on Mid engine sports cars meaning that I should easily be able to access the exhaust and gearbox on the scissor lift.

If you're limited on headroom or side room then a scissor lift is the way to go because it will store under a car and take less than a cars foot print. A 2 or 4 post lift will use up a 2 car garage. Lay down some 2x8 boards on each side (or 2x10) and you'll fix any clearance issues that you might have.

[eltax91]

Hey OP

https://twinbusch.co.uk/

I would recommend these boys, bought my 2 poster from them a couple of months ago and they were great, both at point of sale and at when something was missing from the package. The lift feels extremely well made.

I would say call don’t email them, they seemed to respond much better on the phone and were very knowledgable.

[GreenV8S]

alabbasi said:

A scissor lift would be good for doing brake work or anything else that you can do while sitting on a stool in front of the the car while it's raised. It will be completely non functional for anything like transmission or exhaust work

I don't have one, but I'm considering the option. I've seen people using this to lift the vehicle onto tall stands to give access to the center of the vehicle. I guess that's not ideal because the scissor lift is still in the way even in the lowered position, but I guess it's better than trolley jacks and so on.

[alabbasi]

GreenV8S said:

I don't have one, but I'm considering the option. I've seen people using this to lift the vehicle onto tall stands to give access to the center of the vehicle. I guess that's not ideal because the scissor lift is still in the way even in the lowered position, but I guess it's better than trolley jacks and so on.

Maybe I'm imagining this wrong but it would seem that you'd have to climb into the lift which seems pretty dangerous to me. Safety first. There are smaller 2 and 4 post lifts available. If I didn't own my own, I'd make friends with someone who has one. I've certainly loaned mine out a number of times.

[GreenV8S]

alabbasi said:

Maybe I'm imagining this wrong but it would seem that you'd have to climb into the lift which seems pretty dangerous to me.

It's more like raise the vehicle to working height and position stands to take the weight, then lower the scissor lift back down to ground level. A bit of plywood over the lift mechanism gives a reasonably flat surface to lie/sit on. But not as convenient as being actually on the ground.

[alabbasi]

Got it. I think some have casters and can be wheeled out of the way.