Four post ramp in garage with no power

[Fessia fancier]

I should shortly have a garage completed with decent headroom so I can stack two cars. Unfortunately it doesn't have electricity and it looks difficult to get power to it (more accurately, I have had very high quotes).
I wondered if anyone had experience of a four poster which is manually powered. I found this one
http://hamercarlift.com/HAMER-PRODUCT-RANGE
but wondered if there were other options.
Alternatively has anyone experience of using a generator to power a four post lift?
It won't be in regular use, probably only every couple of months and I don't think I will need to use it for working on the car, it is really for storage.
Thanks

[catfishdb]

Interesting.

If I were in this situation my first thought would be to see if a proper cable could be run.....much like an extension cord but of the correct gauge to limit voltage drop etc. Probably quite a serious cable. Is there a source nearby that a cable could be run from....then stored away when not in use? Maybe not possible.

Barring that, a generator will definitely work. Of course it needs to be of the correct size to supply the 110/220 volt power needed to run the hydraulic pump. I have built entire houses using a generator. They are noisy and require fuel and some maintenance but could be used easily. They are handy for other things but can get heavy.

You might also consider the best option when you actually need continuous power to run lights or any tooling if there is a job to be done.

The hand jack idea that you posted looks doable but not certain I would look forward to it each time I went to get a car down and out of storage.

: )

Arthur

[sunbeam alpine]

Is a generator a possibility? I guess it depends whether you have neighbours close by.

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for the replies. Running a lead won't work as it is a couple of miles away from home :-). I'm interested in the generator solution. It would run very rarely and is a way from neighbours so the noise should not be a problem. Any thoughts on how big it would need to be and whether I'd need to route the exhaust gases out?
If a generator works, this is the kind of ramp I have in mind.
http://www.sjrgarageequipment.co.uk/parking-lifts/

[sunbeam alpine]

Fessia fancier said:

Thanks for the replies. Running a lead won't work as it is a couple of miles away from home :-). I'm interested in the generator solution. It would run very rarely and is a way from neighbours so the noise should not be a problem. Any thoughts on how big it would need to be and whether I'd need to route the exhaust gases out?
If a generator works, this is the kind of ramp I have in mind.
http://www.sjrgarageequipment.co.uk/parking-lifts/

You'd certainly want to be routing the exhaust gases outside. I can't really advise on suitability - I do use a generator, but it's providing power to an agricultural workshop 30m x 40m. I think mine's 140 kVa - it's driven by a Scania 6 cylinder diesel and it's overkill for what I need, but I got it cheap at an auction. We built a small lean-to to house it in, and it provides 230v & 400v (don't ask me how - I paid someone to come and wire it in!).

[GreenV8S]

The type of jack that uses can be very dangerous if worn out or if used incorrectly. It only takes one slip for it to start a free wheeling descent which turns the handle into a lethal weapon. They look like hard work too if you're lifting the whole vehicle by several feet.

I wonder whether it would be possible to use a direct engine driven hydraulic pump to operate the lift instead of the conventional electric over hydraulic. That should enable you to get away with a much smaller generator. It might be worth ringing up a few UK car list suppliers to see if they can suggest a solution.

[Saleen836]

Sod using that hand lift thing!
Looks like 4 individual levers to jack each corner, so you would need to do one corner a little bit then corner #2 then #3 etc until you have your desired height. BUY a generator!

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for the input. It sounds like a generator is the thing to explore. I did think the Jack per corner idea looked a bit laborious although I suppose it would work.
I will try to find out the peak load for possible ramps for some generator options. Fortunately I have a little time before the garage is complete.

[66mpg]

I used to have a kit for lowering and raising floodlight columns around an astroturf football pitch. This used a little Honda single cylinder engine to drive the hydraulic pump. That sort of hydraulic power pack should be easily capable of lifting a car, maybe not quickly, but quick enough. The whole thing was about the size of a wheelbarrow, it even had one wheelbarrow wheel on it so it could be pushed to each floodlight column in turn.

[Fessia fancier]

Thank you. In case it is of interest the lift has a 3 horse power / 2.2KW motor which has an initial draw of about 20 – 25 amps, I am told.

[northwestrecovery]

Get a hydraulic ramp and covert it 12v and run it off a couple of batteries , seen it done a few times at farms .

[M22s]

Fessia fancier said:

Thanks for the replies. Running a lead won't work as it is a couple of miles away from home :-). I'm interested in the generator solution. It would run very rarely and is a way from neighbours so the noise should not be a problem. Any thoughts on how big it would need to be and whether I'd need to route the exhaust gases out?
If a generator works, this is the kind of ramp I have in mind.
http://www.sjrgarageequipment.co.uk/parking-lifts/

Garage being a couple of miles away from the house is very Piston Heads - exactly how big is your estate sir?

[Piersman2]

northwestrecovery said:

Get a hydraulic ramp and covert it 12v and run it off a couple of batteries , seen it done a few times at farms .

This. I would have thought a decent battery/inverter would be the best solution rather than the cost and hassle of a generator for just occasional use.

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for the replies. As for the size of the estate, I have a couple of hatches but no estate :-). The garage is in the next village.
I like the idea of an inverter/battery. I will try to scratch my head and see if i can figure out what would have enough power. A bit more building to go first, before we get to potential ramp stage, but any more thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Teddy Lop]

Inverter seems the smart route, gives you 230 without the drag of a generator, can be run off whatever's available or a leisure battery charged offsite, can use other power tools etc etc.

[Fessia fancier]

Thank you. I will look into it especially as that gives options on lighting etc too.

[AW10]

Not convinced about the inverter solution...

2200 watts at 12V is over 180A - that's a lot to ask from a battery for the 45 seconds or so it takes to raise the car. Less than a starter motor but running for a fair bit longer.

Most inverters will have 1 or 2 13A sockets, not a 16A commando socket.

Depending upon use profile you'll be lugging that battery back and forth to charge it; a discharged automotive battery will be permanently dead before long.

Worth asking the lift manufacturer if the supply from an inverter is "clean" enough for their motor. Or, as someone else posted, can they supply a lift with a 12V motor; that at least save the expense and uncertainty of the inverter.

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks. I may enquire about a 12v motor. It would be for occasional use so it wouldn't be a terrible inconvenience to have to take a battery home to charge it each time.

[Fessia fancier]

By way of a very belated follow up, the garage is more or less 90% built now. I can't readily get a 12v powered ramp so was looking at the inverters.

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLINV2500ST....

or

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/streetwize-3000-wat...

Does anyone have any thoughts on these, or indeed any alternative ideas?

I am happy to lug a battery or top it up with a solar panel. I'm curious to know whether the above will have enough oomph to get the ramp going with a car on it.

Thanks

[mudnomad]

Just power the inverter from your car. I'm guessing you will drive to the garage. You will easily find 2000 or 3000W inverters that you just hook up to your car's battery and then run the engine for these few minutes when lifting/lowering the lift