Wanted: opinions on low-rise lifts - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Mark_T · 08-20-2010, 04:45 PM

I've decided to buy a lift, and I'd sure like to hear some opinions from any of you folks that already have one. I do have a 9' height restriction to deal with, which really limits the field.

I don't see using it for anything much heavier than a Boxster, and it will be for service work only, not storage.

Right now, I'm really liking this:

Single post mobile lift

This also looks like it would do the trick, but it means drilling holes in the floor, and I'm not sure how thick my pad is. Apparently 4" thickness is adequate, but I think I'd want at least 6" before I'd trust it.

Two post portable lift

Thoughts?

eightsandaces · 08-21-2010, 03:18 AM

That single post with the rollers is cool, clearly the access is better with the twin post. IMO, you would be fine on the concrete, just do your diligence on the best fasteners, it looks like the number of fasteners used should make the unit solid, after all you aren't putting a suburban up there...

extanker · 08-21-2010, 04:49 AM

i bought a 6000 lb cap mid rise scisors type from gregsmithequiptment del. and have been happy with it.....you will put things much heavier than the po. plan on putting down planks to get the car over the lift

JFP in PA · 08-21-2010, 07:56 AM

BendPak has a really nice low rise portable lift, used to have one an it was flawless for what is is designed to do for about $1,800; you can even store it under a car when not in use:

cas951 · 08-21-2010, 08:03 AM

I'm leaning more towards this.

http://www.ezcarlift.com/

landrovered · 08-21-2010, 08:04 AM

Personally I would work under the two post or the scissor but not the first one. I don't like having one side unsupported.

brp987 · 08-21-2010, 09:01 AM

I have a bendpak scissor lift which I'm happy with, although I needed to construct 4" ramps so my lowered box could clear it. Actually, my stock height 911 won't clear it.

Re: the post style, I don't know the size/layout of your garage, but you will quickly tire of moving and bolting it down if thats what you need to do. If you need access to the interior you may not be able to open the doors much with it lifted. For box/911 you only need access to the front or rear so post style access to the middle doesn't help and only hinders as you walk around it to fetch tools and etc. Maybe you have a huge garage or other cars where you need to work in the middle - I don't know. If space is a constraint then I think the scissor style is better. For safety's sake it looks like those post style really need a professional installation. The scissor was delivered ready to go except add fluid and attach a hydraulic line.

Mark_T · 08-21-2010, 01:38 PM

That portable Bendpak unit looks interesting - looks like a practical option given my space limitations. I hadn't looked at scissor jacks because I thought they would restrict access to the underside of the car. Does it allow plenty of clearance to drop a motor/tranny out of the car? Is it narrow enough when collapsed to drive over it (you mentioned storing it under the car). It looks like there are rollers on the end of the base opposite the cylinder, and I'm guessing they are drawn forward as the lift rises? Any issues there? Do they marr the floor and can they tolerate small bumps in the floor?

extanker · 08-21-2010, 02:31 PM

mine weighs in at 1000 lbs and i picked it up in del ,paid cash [green stuff] so i could make a deal .....1000 bucks......my vettes ,malibu and po wont go over it with out 2x6x12,s the pickup and hhr go over it.pulling the motor/tranny would be no problem...if you do exhaust or tranny work on a normal car its a pain...i might sell mine

JFP in PA · 08-21-2010, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark_T

That portable Bendpak unit looks interesting - looks like a practical option given my space limitations. I hadn't looked at scissor jacks because I thought they would restrict access to the underside of the car. Does it allow plenty of clearance to drop a motor/tranny out of the car? Is it narrow enough when collapsed to drive over it (you mentioned storing it under the car). It looks like there are rollers on the end of the base opposite the cylinder, and I'm guessing they are drawn forward as the lift rises? Any issues there? Do they marr the floor and can they tolerate small bumps in the floor?

The BendPak unit I had was equipped with shorter swing arms just like their permanent units. The arms had several adaptors that allowed you to raise up the pads, giving clearance between the lift and the car, and was open enough in the middle for just about any project. It is not fully open in the center like twin post lifts, but that is how it remains portable. The rollers on the floor were not an issue in my shop, but if you have a painted floor, your may have marring.

Using this style lift, I pulled gear boxes out of 911's, Boxsters and the occasional Corvette.

brp987 · 08-21-2010, 04:10 PM

As I recall, the scissor site plans call for 4" thick concrete floor. I never verified that so just in case I got 3 pieces of 4' x 8" x 3/8" steel sheet. One for each roller and one for the stationary end. That also provides a smooth surface. If your floor is uneven or rough I'd get that taken care of first. You don't want to risk binding the mechanism or have bad distribution of forces.

The pump cart has a peg that plugs into the lift allowing the pump cart to be used as a dolly to move the lift around your garage.