Which 2 poster?
Discussion
Hi all
I’m in the very fortunate and privileged position of building my own house. Naturally the garage has been designed to my own spec and with that in mind it time to start viewing the options out there for 2 post lifts.
I’ve got plenty of head height (8m at peak) and this don’t need/ want to go down the scissor route. I will have a 16a single phase ‘commando’ plug available for the lift and my welder.
I’m looking at something to be able to lift up to a large 4x4 as no doubt one day a lifted off roader will be back in my stable.
I’ve looked at automech services for a while since I saw them on here on a couple of threads. They do a ‘hobby’ sized one for around £1100.
https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-6...
I have set myself a budget of £1500 max.
So, question is, does anyone have one they could comment on? Either automech or A N Other? Interested in any and all advice/ experiences
Cheers
I’m in the very fortunate and privileged position of building my own house. Naturally the garage has been designed to my own spec and with that in mind it time to start viewing the options out there for 2 post lifts.
I’ve got plenty of head height (8m at peak) and this don’t need/ want to go down the scissor route. I will have a 16a single phase ‘commando’ plug available for the lift and my welder.
I’m looking at something to be able to lift up to a large 4x4 as no doubt one day a lifted off roader will be back in my stable.
I’ve looked at automech services for a while since I saw them on here on a couple of threads. They do a ‘hobby’ sized one for around £1100.
https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-6...
I have set myself a budget of £1500 max.
So, question is, does anyone have one they could comment on? Either automech or A N Other? Interested in any and all advice/ experiences
Cheers
Edited by eltax91 on Monday 10th December 21:38
Ran a Bradbury 2 & 4 post equipped garage & was looking for a 6T 2 post for LCV work, couldn't stretch to the anther Bradbury at the time & went for a cheaper alternative very similar to the one you have linked to. I was dubious about the arm lock mechanisms straight from the off as the teeth appeared pretty soft, tooth alignment quite poor & while not stripped they looked to be deforming within a week. The supplier was contacted & new "improved" locking mechanism fitted.
Less than a week later, lots of commotion & noise from service floor - a perfectly well placed / set-up LCV had just dropped of the ramp for no apparent reason & was left hanging on one arm.... it could easily have been fatal to the tech working on the vehicle, but lady luck & all that.
Apart from the locks being inadequate, the arms were inconsistently angled against their mounting sleeves & there was excessive flex in the structure itself, probably all putting too much load on the arm locks. I don't remember the specific brand but it was a generic, cheaper model. Pure s*** death-trap in my opinion.
The ramp was stripped & slung out into the car park that day, awaiting collection & refund from the supplier. For what it's worth if I was looking for a ramp for myself I would go down the recognised brand route & if the coin was excessive for that I would go used recognised from a reputable dealer before considering a cheaper ramp (I would dig a pit in the mud before doing that again). I'm going back 5 years or so ago, but the cheap ramp was around £2.5K the eventual branded replacement was in the region of £7.5K.
Less than a week later, lots of commotion & noise from service floor - a perfectly well placed / set-up LCV had just dropped of the ramp for no apparent reason & was left hanging on one arm.... it could easily have been fatal to the tech working on the vehicle, but lady luck & all that.
Apart from the locks being inadequate, the arms were inconsistently angled against their mounting sleeves & there was excessive flex in the structure itself, probably all putting too much load on the arm locks. I don't remember the specific brand but it was a generic, cheaper model. Pure s*** death-trap in my opinion.
The ramp was stripped & slung out into the car park that day, awaiting collection & refund from the supplier. For what it's worth if I was looking for a ramp for myself I would go down the recognised brand route & if the coin was excessive for that I would go used recognised from a reputable dealer before considering a cheaper ramp (I would dig a pit in the mud before doing that again). I'm going back 5 years or so ago, but the cheap ramp was around £2.5K the eventual branded replacement was in the region of £7.5K.
- I don't know if the ramp your are looking at has the potential to be as bad as the one that I had experience with - mileage may vary, but the product images, price & lack of manufacturers name does suggest that it may fit that bill.
I have two ramps in my workshop both from the 1970s/80s 4 post is a bradbury and 2 post is a laycock/ kismet . i would rather use my 40 yr old ramps than a lot of the new pressed steel crap out there . But if you want new as most people do rather than quality then on your head be it , pun intended ! .
+1 more for the old stuff. As long as you know what lift nuts and safety nuts are (and replace them) you'll be ok. Got a Bradbury, Autec and Stenhoj, didn't pay more than £500 for any of them.
Edit to add: You need to find out the weight of what you're lifting first too.....
Edit to add: You need to find out the weight of what you're lifting first too.....
Edited by 227bhp on Tuesday 11th December 19:23
Thanks guys. I’m not against a used lift. My fortune is further extended by the fact I have a time served mechanical engineer for a father in law. He also happens to be retiring at Christmas so he’s got plenty of time to refurbish/ safety check and fix a used lift.
Other than eBay, where would you guys say are good places to look for used lifts?
ETA: after a bit of a look around there’s a fair few available. Obviously a lot of ex garage stock, and of course a lot seems to be 3 phase. So, killer question, is it easy to convert to single phase?
Other than eBay, where would you guys say are good places to look for used lifts?
ETA: after a bit of a look around there’s a fair few available. Obviously a lot of ex garage stock, and of course a lot seems to be 3 phase. So, killer question, is it easy to convert to single phase?
Edited by eltax91 on Tuesday 11th December 19:35
Should be reasonably easy to convert, but I imagine that you will have two seperate circuits to deal with (drive & control), a post on the subject HERE
There are quite a few used garage equipment specialist around that are familiar with what they are selling & will inspect prior to selling, which takes much of the headache away, THIS outfit being one (I know nothing of them, just an example really).
There are quite a few used garage equipment specialist around that are familiar with what they are selling & will inspect prior to selling, which takes much of the headache away, THIS outfit being one (I know nothing of them, just an example really).
Edited by Novexx on Tuesday 11th December 20:42
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