Four post drive-on lift

michael a

michael a

Senior Member
I have been thinking about one of these I want some of your opinions from those that have them pro and con

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I'm looking at getting one as well.


I thought about the 2-post lifts, but like that the 4-post is pretty stable on its own without being bolted to the floor. I've heard you can get wheels for the 4-post, and be able to move it around if needed.


Curious to see what others have to say!
 
I have the four post lift. It has wheels. It moves easily with no car on it. With a car on it I need to have help to move it and I have to keep reorienting the casters to get it around. I have a 9 ft high shop so I need to push it outside to lift a car high enough to work on it. I can only think of one drawback and that is that the wheels are on the ramps and need to be jacked up to work on the brakes. It came with a heavy plate that fits between the ramps for jacking. It is stable as a rock and has made my life much better since I got it. With high ceilings it will double your storage space.
 
I bought a 4 post 9000 lb lift from Advantage Lifts last year and I couldn't be more pleased. I bought the 9000 XLT extra long and tall because at 6' 11" under the deck I don't have to worry about bumping my head when I walk under it. (I store a car on the lift). Great service, fast delivery and a great product. The dollies come as standard equipment and are easy to use. Check out their web site before you buy. I researched lifts for a couple of years before I made a decision. I saw these at Hershey in 2015.
https://www.advantagelifts.us



TerryO
 
To do things like brakes on a 4 post, I lift the far a foot or two, place Jack stands under the axles, then lower the lift. Now the car is left sitting on the ack stands. Had mine for about 20 years, really good investment!
 
My 4 poster has 2 movable longitudinal beams inside the normal driving-on tracks that lock to the columns at any height. When you lower the hoist tracks away from the beams the car is left supported on these beams at any height, with wheels hanging free. These "jacking beams" can be placed under chassis, under the axles or moved out of the way outside the car for certain work.
SAJ in NZ
 
Harbor Freight has an A FRAME jack stand that's heavy duty to put under the axles to keep the car up when you let the lift down to work on wheel area. I think I paid in the price range $60 to $80 bucks
 
I have two Mohawk four post lifts each with one jack tray for use with bottle jacks and one of them with a hydraulic sliding jack. Easy to lift entire car to do wheel work or to rotate tires. They also come with casters to move the lift and drip trays to catch the oil drips that Model A's like to use to mark their territory. Like others have said, you will kick yourself for not getting a lift years ago. No more crawling on your back under your cars. Makes working a real pleasure.

Carefully measure ceiling height and height of your cars as our antiques are taller than moderns. I have 13 ft ceilings and with an extra tall lift, I can store my '31 Chrysler sedan on top and our '31 Model A roadster under but with only one inch to spare.

Glen
 
Have had a four post lift for twenty years. Thought about a two post but like the stability of a four post. Maybe I was thinking about a friend's pal who removed a rear end causing an imbalance and the vehicle fell off. Mine has the drip trays and jacking bridge so have been able to do what I needed. I admit lifting a body off a chassis is neat with a two post but more for restoration shops. I bought US made as I trusted the welding over offshore.
Obviously, it made accessing certain areas more easy. The downside was now my neck aches and I was looking through the distant-area of my glasses (had glasses made for the right typical distance).

As has been said, I took the tallest car at the maximum lift height plus six inches to determine my ceiling height. I had an option for casters but didn't buy them as I didn't need to move it. One important thing to me was that the cross bars that the ramps are attached to are collared around the post for stability. I avoided the cheaper type that had the cross bar ends inside the slotted columns.
 
Dave,
Most of them come with caster kits that allow them to be moved easily just so long as you have the wheels going in the right direction. The wheels are wide steel ones that don't pivot easily but once rolling in the desired direction, one person can do it with little effort.
Also, most just use the wheels to move the lift to try different positions in their garage and don't make a daily thing of it. Once placed where you want it, the wheel kits are removed and the lift stays put. A decent four post lift doesn't need to be anchored to the floor either. The wheel kits tend to get in the way if you leave them on and they are a storage problem if you take them off but they are great when you really need them. Note that your electric power to the lift must be removed first unless you are only moving it a few feet or so.

Glen
 
RAMP TYPE Lifts DO have some shortcomings, but they're MUCH-MUCH-MUCH safer than Arm Type Lifts, which can KILL or MAIM you or damage stuff!!!
Trust me, I saw a Mechanic KILLED by a HOIST!!!
Bill Sad
 
I am now curious. I have a 9.5' garage ceiling. If you lift a fordor, how much real space is underneath? Could a 1966 Mustang fit under it?

Thanks
 
I bot a used 1980's+- backyard buddy 4 post that had a broken cable for $600..fixed all ..works good now for 10 years ,one problem about storing a car underneath not quite tall enough so I put 2x12x12" wood under pads but not too stable that way but gives you a little more height..how does one break a cable ? these lifts are a little slow not designed for production work..sc
 
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