4 Post Lift Recommendation

4 Post Lift Recommendation

Author
Discussion

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Friday 25th January 2019
quotequote all
Dam that iPhone business. Obviously two post!

Even though we have stored two cars in the garage occasionally I would be happier long-term with a four post lift.

As for versatility, you can’t beat a two post, far more access to the underside of the car. That’s why all garages use these for general repairs.

TwinKam

2,937 posts

94 months

Friday 25th January 2019
quotequote all
I can't speak for hydraulic lifts, but a mechanical lift with screws and nuts cannot creep.
Two poster for access definitely, but yes it is a bit of a fag to position the arms.

CerbWill

670 posts

117 months

Sunday 29th November 2020
quotequote all
Hi all. I'm just installing a Model 1 lift from SJR. I'm utterly confused as to how these brackets attach to the lift for the warning buzzer activation and the manual makes no mention of them I'm pretty sure. Can anyone who has 1 explain where they should be attached?




Also (and I'll email SJR for some advice too) I ordered a jacking beam and got this.




Given the utterly crap Chinglish I think it means fill the box with hyd oil and connect to an air line? Anyone else got one who can advise? I don't think much to the jacking beam TBH. It sits 10cm proud of the runways, and the rocker switch/pedal is a cm or so higher than that so might be close getting my cars (TVRs) on/off.



RONV

533 posts

133 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2020
quotequote all
this is my old faithful had it for years it came out of the TVR factory on Bristol Ave when is shut down, your car may have been built on it

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2020
quotequote all
MK1 Cortina, one of my fav cars.....

RONV

533 posts

133 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2020
quotequote all
phazed said:
MK1 Cortina, one of my fav cars.....
thanks mine to and it's a Crayford

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2020
quotequote all
Lovely!

My dad bought a new 1500GT in 1966 and a new 1600E in 1969. Happy days.....

TwinKam

2,937 posts

94 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2020
quotequote all
RONV said:
phazed said:
MK1 Cortina, one of my fav cars.....
thanks mine to and it's a Crayford
A nice collection you have there, Mr Ronv thumbup

Dollyman1850

6,316 posts

249 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
I can't speak for hydraulic lifts, but a mechanical lift with screws and nuts cannot creep.
Two poster for access definitely, but yes it is a bit of a fag to position the arms.
All ramps whether mechanical or hydraulic are lowered into safety locks so they cannot creep over time !!
N.

TwinKam

2,937 posts

94 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
Dollyman1850 said:
TwinKam said:
I can't speak for hydraulic lifts, but a mechanical lift with screws and nuts cannot creep.
Two poster for access definitely, but yes it is a bit of a fag to position the arms.
All ramps whether mechanical or hydraulic are lowered into safety locks so they cannot creep over time !!
N.
Not so.
I have a Bradbury two poster, screw and nut, no safety locks, bought new in 2001. No hydraulics to leak, no cables to wear. It's 100% mechanical, one 3ph motor drives the top of one side by triple V-belts, a cross-shaft takes the drive across at floor level via a pair of bevel gearboxes to drive the bottom of the screw on the other side. Beauty of it is that you could cut the belts, remove the gearboxes or the cross-shaft and it would still stay exactly where it is. Zero creep due to the irreversability of a worm and screw system. Simples!
But nuts and screws can wear, and here it also has a cunningly simply, mechanical fail-safe device to monitor that wear and eventually immobilise the hoist. The main load-bearing nut on each side is connected by a linkage to a slave nut running just under it. With wear, the linkage progressively moves outwards as the two nuts move closer together, and a claw at the base would eventually lock out at the end of a descent and mechanically prevent another ascent. In 20 years of daily use these have haven't noticeably moved.
Best hoist design I've ever seen. If I was buying another I would have exactly the same again.

RONV

533 posts

133 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
A nice collection you have there, Mr Ronv thumbup
just received my 2021 calendar from the Crayford club and look who's car is on the month of June

rigga

8,727 posts

200 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
Dollyman1850 said:
TwinKam said:
I can't speak for hydraulic lifts, but a mechanical lift with screws and nuts cannot creep.
Two poster for access definitely, but yes it is a bit of a fag to position the arms.
All ramps whether mechanical or hydraulic are lowered into safety locks so they cannot creep over time !!
N.
Again in all my time in the trade, using 2 post ramps, non had mechanical locks.

Dollyman1850

6,316 posts

249 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
Not so.
I have a Bradbury two poster, screw and nut, no safety locks, bought new in 2001. No hydraulics to leak, no cables to wear. It's 100% mechanical, one 3ph motor drives the top of one side by triple V-belts, a cross-shaft takes the drive across at floor level via a pair of bevel gearboxes to drive the bottom of the screw on the other side. Beauty of it is that you could cut the belts, remove the gearboxes or the cross-shaft and it would still stay exactly where it is. Zero creep due to the irreversability of a worm and screw system. Simples!
But nuts and screws can wear, and here it also has a cunningly simply, mechanical fail-safe device to monitor that wear and eventually immobilise the hoist. The main load-bearing nut on each side is connected by a linkage to a slave nut running just under it. With wear, the linkage progressively moves outwards as the two nuts move closer together, and a claw at the base would eventually lock out at the end of a descent and mechanically prevent another ascent. In 20 years of daily use these have haven't noticeably moved.
Best hoist design I've ever seen. If I was buying another I would have exactly the same again.
Sorry. should have said all modern Hydraulic lifts. Bradbury are great but I guess the cost will be prohibitive for anyone other than pro garages where lifts are up and down all day.. smile


phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
rigga said:
Again in all my time in the trade, using 2 post ramps, non had mechanical locks.
Mine has mechanical locks.

rigga

8,727 posts

200 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
phazed said:
rigga said:
Again in all my time in the trade, using 2 post ramps, non had mechanical locks.
Mine has mechanical locks.
Possible difference between industrial and home use versions?
Or just the type the garages I worked at had fitted.

TwinKam

2,937 posts

94 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
rigga said:
phazed said:
rigga said:
Again in all my time in the trade, using 2 post ramps, non had mechanical locks.
Mine has mechanical locks.
Possible difference between industrial and home use versions?
Or just the type the garages I worked at had fitted.
I think it's more the case that hydraulic and cable hoists both need mechanical locks because hydraulics can leak/rupture, and cables can break... suddenly and catastrophically, whereas screw and nut types don't.
The other massive advantage not previously mentioned (which those of you who use hoists will recognise) is that you don't have to go up to go down wink and you have very fine incremental control, handy when lowering a car onto an engine or a body onto a chassis.

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Thursday 3rd December 2020
quotequote all
Quite possibly. Mine is about four years old or thereabouts, maybe five. Yes, It may well be aimed more at the DIY market because of the price but it has had a huge amount of work, (mainly because one of my sons is a mechanic). Hasn’t missed a beat.

This is mine:

https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/235s...


rigga

8,727 posts

200 months

Friday 4th December 2020
quotequote all
Definitely screw and nut type I used, as periodically they were taken apart and the big nut was inspected /replaced, annoying half way through the day and you needed the ramp, and got shoved onto the unloved 4 poster.

andygtt

8,344 posts

263 months

Monday 7th December 2020
quotequote all
CerbWill said:
Hi all. I'm just installing a Model 1 lift from SJR. I'm utterly confused as to how these brackets attach to the lift for the warning buzzer activation and the manual makes no mention of them I'm pretty sure. Can anyone who has 1 explain where they should be attached?
Hope you got it sorted?

Must admit the SJR lift was the top of my list, but after trying to reach them on the phone 5 times and even sending messages on Fb etc with absolutely no success I went to Automotech.... In my mind I thought if they were impossible to reach when your trying to buy the unit, how effective would they be when i'm trying to install it?

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Monday 7th December 2020
quotequote all
Automotech were very good. Answered the phone straight away, dealt with a few questions I had an even sent a couple of bits FOC. Highly recommended.

A bit off topic but it may help someone.