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4 post hoist recommendations

rwchatham

By rwchatham
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John_S_in_Penna 25,000+ Points

John_S_in_Penna

Posted
Posted

When I was considering getting a lift,

a friend who was a car restorer recommended

the Backyard Buddy without question.  It is

considerably more expensive than the other

home-garage brands of lifts, but it is better made, too.

I like the way its horizontal beams (tracks) wrap

around the upright posts.

 

I never got a lift, but I did considerable research at the time.

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tomcarnut 1,000+ Points

tomcarnut

Posted
Posted

I have two Direct Lift four post lifts for about three years now. No issues. A friend has had one for 7 plus years and no issues. I looked at the Bend Pak and probably better quality but did not like the need to fire up a compressor every time I used it.

 

Tom

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Frank DuVal 10,000+ Points

Frank DuVal

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, tomcarnut said:

I looked at the Bend Pak and probably better quality but did not like the need to fire up a compressor every time I used it.

 

This happened to me at the local Chevy dealer on a Saturday at the end of a car show.  A friend's car had an issue, and the dealer said use the four post inspection lift just off the showroom. 

Put the car up in the air, fixed the issue quick, then couldn't get the car back down! Sure enough, the air compressor was turned off when the mechanics went home. Lucky a salesman there knew how to turn it on.👍

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Janousek 1,000+ Points

Janousek

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Posted

My bendpak hd9000xw is 6 years old and it's been flawless.    I like the air locks.  Friend has a Rotary Revolution has has a large handle that pulls 4 cables and he's gotta adjust it once a year and really liked the idea of the air ones.   I have air at all times so it's not an inconvenience to me.  

 

I wish I would've bought rolling bridge jacks but was to cheap.   Messing around with jacks is a little pain the butt and I'll probably at least one bridge jack soon.  

 

Some of those "show specials"  look scary to me.  I wouldn't risk my life under a bunch of extra cheap china steel.   My bendpak is china steel but at least it's ALI certified.  

 

My next lift will probably be a mohawk with wheel lift adapters.  Thats when your done fooling around.  

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Matt Harwood 25,000+ Points

Matt Harwood

Posted
Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, Janousek said:

My bendpak hd9000xw is 6 years old and it's been flawless.    I like the air locks.  Friend has a Rotary Revolution has has a large handle that pulls 4 cables and he's gotta adjust it once a year and really liked the idea of the air ones.   I have air at all times so it's not an inconvenience to me.  

 

 

 

I have this exact same lift and it can handle anything I throw at it, from my 1929 Cadillac to my limousine to 8000-pound Dodge Power Wagons. Other than some early hassles with the air locks, it has been a good lift. We also have two Eagle lifts that are pretty light-duty, but I bought the pair for $1000 from a guy who was moving and didn't need them anymore--how can you turn that down? We use the Bend-Pak for the heavy lifting and big jobs where we might be wrenching hard on the car, but the Eagles--admittedly inexpensive, light-duty lifts--are perfectly adequate for storage, oil changes, taking undercarriage photos, etc. I've even had my big Buick on them and they don't seem to mind. They are rated to 8000 pounds.

 

One big factor is 120V vs. 240V. The Eagles are 120V because they're homeowner-grade and they are S L O W. The 240V Bend-Pak seems to jump up to its lift height in comparison.

 

Having researched all the different lifts when I was shopping, I did find the Backyard Buddy to be probably the safest of the bunch, but quite a bit more expensive. I honestly don't really like the Bend-Pak's ladder-style locking system and those air locks, as I mentioned, were problematic. They are shipped with super heavy-duty springs on the locks (apparently some European regulation) and you have to crank up the air pressure to like 150 PSI to retract them, which, of course, blows out the seals in the air locks. We had a tech service it, he removed one of the two springs at each corner and said it would be fine, which it has been ever since. Looks unsafe and flimsy, obviously is not.

 

I think almost any lift will be satisfactory for hobbyist use. None are truly unsafe if you use them correctly, have a level, stable floor, and pay attention when you're using them. I've found that whenever someone with a lift has a problem, it's usually due to not noticing that one of the four locks is not quite secure and the whole thing starts to bend and twist as one corner drops below the others. PAY ATTENTION WHEN USING YOUR LIFT.

 

Once you have a lift you'll never want to work without one. It's a fantastic tool.

 

 

Edited by Matt Harwood (see edit history)
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61-63 1,000+ Points

61-63

Posted
Posted

I went the other direction and bought one of these ten or twelve years ago and no regrets.  I think it was $1499 when I bought it but it is up to $2299 now.  I store early 60s big Pontiacs on it and while I've changed out transmissions under it I also have a 2 post so it is 99% for storage.  It is Chinese.

 

https://www.gregsmithequipment.com/4-Post-Deluxe-Automotive-Storage-Lift

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Mikefit 2,500+ Points

Mikefit

Posted
Posted

I have a friend that has a 4 post lift it's a commercial lift was in a Ford dealer ship  we brought it to his home and installed it worked great  few years he sold the home New owner wanted it out   it was not part on the sale long story short it is how disassembled and in storage would be a very challenging to reassemble it be wood sell it what's it worth. 

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Avanti Bill 1,000+ Points

Avanti Bill

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Posted

One thing to keep in mind is the rated capacity of a lift is with the wheels directly above the cross beams.  So with the wheelbase of most cars being less than the length between cross beams you need to know how much to derate the lift.  With the 9000 lbs lift you don't have to worry too much but with a 7000 lbs you need to know as you may be getting close to the edge of the envelope.

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rwchatham 2,500+ Points

rwchatham

Posted
  • Author
Posted
27 minutes ago, Avanti Bill said:

One thing to keep in mind is the rated capacity of a lift is with the wheels directly above the cross beams.  So with the wheelbase of most cars being less than the length between cross beams you need to know how much to derate the lift.  With the 9000 lbs lift you don't have to worry too much but with a 7000 lbs you need to know as you may be getting close to the edge of the envelope.


bill lifting Cadillacs from the 50s so 9000 is the absolute minimum I would go on a hoist . Thanks 

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TTR 5,000+ Points

TTR

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, alsancle said:

This topic has been covered a few times.   Go here:

 

 

Not only here, but probably million times on every other car forum since the creation of interwebs ...

... and every discussion/thread probably provides same "results", i.e. dozens or more "Mine (insert any brand) is the best, because I have it !"

🙄

Edited by TTR (see edit history)
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