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Vehicle Lift?


Chris_911

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14 hours ago, Busybee said:

Is it the getting in and out David? Mate just bought a two post lift. Raves about it. 

Any lift is better than no lift but you have to think about what jobs you want it to help you with in order to pick what suits your needs best.

Indeed a 2 poster gives better access to the underside of your car, you can park a car under a lifted car etc etc but I find the posts just seem to get it the way a lot and they absolutely stop you from doing any interior work through the door opening. I have also found the 2 poster lifts I have used a bit less steady than a the lift I have at home, In an ideal world you would probably have one of each (scissor & 2 post) but for me the scissor is the more universal tool if you have to pick one.

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I had a 2 post for about 10 years at home ,great for brakes ,suspension ,exhaust work ,general service stuff.was electric motor linked by chain on the floor in a box cover ,very stable but you try pushing a disabled car over that bump,right pain.cant steer with door open as post in way,really only suitable for driving onto.

new ones are better I think but you get a problem with short cars and getting arms in the right place to lift,a Porsche will need a trolley jack to lift high enough to get arms under,awkward if you have body kit or Cill covers .

i have just got a scissor lift and for what I need I think it's great,when not in use the garage seems empty ,doors can open to full width.

my other half now won't have to get stuck in the car,up in the air while I bleed brakes 😄

Mark your are welcome to pop over and see mine in use ,only at Gillingham.

pete

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Pete, not quite true. I have a 2 post lift and the arms go under my lowered 911 easily. You just have to buy right and look for a lift with a low minimum pad height, the cheapo Chinese ones do not.

Chris.

 

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1 hour ago, Chris T said:

Pete, not quite true. I have a 2 post lift and the arms go under my lowered 911 easily. You just have to buy right and look for a lift with a low minimum pad height, the cheapo Chinese ones do not.

Chris.

 

What lift do you have Chris? Think the advantages of a two post would suit me as I can park a car under etc. 

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It's made by Ravaglioli, forget the model number. It took me a LONG time to find a lift that wasn't too high for the garage, too wide for the space I had, had low pad heights and ran from single phase supply...... As a bonus, this one has 2 long threaded rods which rotate in the towers to raise and lower the arms, meaning no safety brake/lock is required and the driveshaft joining L-R is quite low profile.

I got it from a garage supply place up north somewhere, guy gave me such a good deal on it that a month later he no longer worked there.....

Chris.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

It looks interesting Haith, and obviously very portable. I would be a bit concerned about stability, but maybe I’m being a bit paranoid about an IB falling on me! I’ve no doubt that it would be stable once lifted and just sitting there, but what about pulling and shoving when wrestling with getting something to fit or removed? There are pro’s and con’s with any lift, even the bog standard four poster seen in a lot of garages means jacking the car up if needing to work on suspension etc. To my mind, a good quality scissor lift is the best all round; good clearance all the way through from front to back (working on fuel tank / pumps / gearbox and engine drops). Great for suspension work as all wheels are dangling free, (most have ramp end plates that can be locked in the up position if needed). I am six foot two, and can easily stand underneath the raised car and can walk underneath from front to back. Have recently replaced my entire exhaust system and the access and ease of working underneath was fantastic! 

Regards,

David.

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Forgot to mention in the foregoing that on my concerns about stability, should have stated that my scissor lift is bolted securely to the concrete floor. Even if the bl@@dy car fell off the lift, staying within the twin ramps would be safe!!

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Part of the attraction was the portability David. Use it and push it out of the way when not needed.

I have a push along electric forklift that we use in our warehouse. Lifts a 1000kg pallet, 3.5 metres up in the air and can be pushed along with that up there. Is a bit hairy with a fully loaded pallet that far up if you’re travelling but I think it’s psychological.  There would b3 a large factor of safety built in I’m sure. 

I like your full height scissor lift though. Im sure it would be more stable. Where did you buy it?  

Just a bit fed up of rolling around on the deck and want to make my life easier. 

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9 hours ago, Busybee said:

Part of the attraction was the portability David. Use it and push it out of the way when not needed.

Just a bit fed up of rolling around on the deck and want to make my life easier. 

Have a look online for people using those - all the ones I saw were pretty unstable looking.

Sounds like you are canny settled where you live so why not just sink a scissor lift into the floor like this:

dsc_1023-2.jpg

dsc_0389ii.jpg

Never in your way, nothing to move / store when you're not using it, steady as a rock etc etc etc.

Sooner you do it the less time you have to regret not doing it sooner ;)

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That garage looks gorgeous!!

But I am WAYYYY too messy to work on my car in such a climate.  I manage to get oil on my bum changing windscreen wipers, never mind trying to keep a white floor clean :blink:

Am liking the look of the lifts though, very neat although I would imagine require quite a bit of digging down, foundations etc to fit correctly?

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1 minute ago, Sidewaysfun said:

although I would imagine require quite a bit of digging down, foundations etc to fit correctly?

Not really - the platforms are just weight bearing, no leverage etc so you needn't go too deep.

Lol at the oily bum comment :)

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On 2/15/2019 at 2:23 PM, MaxDiesel said:

I've just picked up one of the BH Repairs scissor lifts (http://bhrepairs.co.uk/) secondhand this week. I'd had an eBay search for a year for one within 15miles and it finally came good. Its a much bigger, heavier bit of kit (450kg!) than the pictures would lead you to think. Getting it out the work's van and down my garden took six of us and methods similar to those they used to build the pyramids!

I've got under my 914 and given it a go - it's got plenty of lift height - I'm not planning on going under it when its this high - but glad I built the shed with a high ceiling!

Photos below from late Wednesday night after hauling it down the garden:

Lift1.thumb.jpg.5c794848088e50d758e72afb0d450814.jpg

Lift2.thumb.jpg.572a8b493f7ff6ac753e4fec9b45d026.jpg

I think it'll be more this height whilst I'm working on it - its rock solid on the lift alone, but the axles stand give some extra reassurance!

Lift3.thumb.jpg.23415ae6ad396ff749a56f0ed1ad92b0.jpg

I'm going to have a better look at it this weekend - but initial impressions are it's a great bit of kit and will make engine drops, suspension work etc. a hell of a lot easier.

I’ve just bought one of these!

Superb bit of kit.

I used to sell garage equipment and this is one of the best I’ve seen. Especially as it’s so portable. And cheap🤣

I just put some scaffolding planks down each side (they are going to be joined/hinged and the rubber mats sorted out when I have time) and drive the car onto them. It’d probably clear the floor of the car but I wanted to be sure. 

As you can see, my garage is diddy but it gives me plenty of room on all sides.

5A96E2D9-F208-4ABA-8323-BFCCC0B28B77.jpeg

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4 hours ago, jevvy said:

Have a look online for people using those - all the ones I saw were pretty unstable looking.

Sounds like you are canny settled where you live so why not just sink a scissor lift into the floor like this:

Never in your way, nothing to move / store when you're not using it, steady as a rock etc etc etc.

Sooner you do it the less time you have to regret not doing it sooner ;)

Thanks Jev. The in grounds look perfect. Cracking garage that. We are pretty settled with no intentions of moving anytime soon but.... I'm pinching a bit of our works warehouse for the lift. Don't really want it to be a permanent fixture in there. Fixed would be perfect but for now, something mobile would be just the job. 

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10 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

anything wrong with something like this?

https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-7630-mobile-scissor-lift/

capacity is more fitting for our lighter cars and seems more straightforward installation/cost effective (£995) for occasional spannering.

Looks like the same as the one I’ve just bought. The pump unit may be slightly different.

Price is identical.

Shipping cost?

Regards

Russ

Edited by Rustybum
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16 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

anything wrong with something like this?

https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-7630-mobile-scissor-lift/

capacity is more fitting for our lighter cars and seems more straightforward installation/cost effective (£995) for occasional spannering.

Looks a decent lift and the price is great. How are you finding it @Rustybum?

My only reservation with a mid height scissor like that is the max lift height of 1300mm. I wanted one I could walk under. No idea why but I have it in my head, one day, I’ll regret not buying one that I can walk under. Stools are fine and I have a nice low mechanics st00l but if you need to swing on something, nothing like putting my 10st (ahem 🙄) behind it? Or am I looking at a potential that doesn’t exist? 

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22 minutes ago, Busybee said:

Looks a decent lift and the price is great. How are you finding it @Rustybum?

My only reservation with a mid height scissor like that is the max lift height of 1300mm. I wanted one I could walk under. No idea why but I have it in my head, one day, I’ll regret not buying one that I can walk under. Stools are fine and I have a nice low mechanics st00l but if you need to swing on something, nothing like putting my 10st (ahem 🙄) behind it? Or am I looking at a potential that doesn’t exist? 

I’ve only used it once Haith.

But it’s perfect for me. I’ve got height restrictions in my garage to so I can’t, even if I wanted to, get it right up in the air to walk under.

My mate runs his own garage so I can go there and use his two poster if I’m struggling.

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well yeah, we'd all love a 4 poster to walk under but if your garage has limited headroom and its for occasional hobby/maintenance spannering then these mid height scissor lifts seem more the ticket with less outlay. :)

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  • 7 months later...

So I've bounced around to this topic once again.

I'm going to be replacing my fuel lines early next year and my thoughts have turned to making life easier.

@Rustybum @MaxDiesel any further thoughts on the BHrepairs lift you both have?

I need something compact that can reside under the car.

Edited by Chris_911
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