Car lift group buy?

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Bryan

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2 poster will in almost all cases need a suitably strong concrete floor to bolt to as well, and a lot of domestic garages would not be built with that in mind

Was going to comment that myself. I don't understand how a 2 poster is considered more "safe" than a scissor lift. With a 2 poster you're effectively putting all the weight of the car and the lift down through two points of contact to the ground which are in no way balanced. The bolts into the ground must be under tremendous strain with a heavy car on a two post lift. The scissor lift, on the other hand, has 4 points of contact and is much more balanced in my opinion. I guess the 2 poster might be safer in the event of a failure of the rams/lifting mech but I'm sure there's a safety locking system on the scissor lift too.

I would love a portable scissor lift myself but it would need to be at a once in a lifetime opportunity price for me to be able to convince the wife it would be worthwhile :p
 

thefool1983

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I've never really considered a scissor lift.
It looks like it could be a nightmare if working on anything under the middle of car (IE exhaust brake lines even rwd gearbox etc)
I would guess the 2 posters with h section base would be safer also to balance out the load better

No mater what. I wouldn be working underneath any lift without a separate back up. Such as acro jack or similar. Especially when swinging on tight bolts etc
 

Nicky

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I've never really considered a scissor lift.
It looks like it could be a nightmare if working on anything under the middle of car (IE exhaust brake lines even rwd gearbox etc)
I would guess the 2 posters with h section base would be safer also to balance out the load better

No mater what. I wouldn be working underneath any lift without a separate back up. Such as acro jack or similar. Especially when swinging on tight bolts etc

They don't have a H section base. The ramp you see on the floor between the 2 posts of a lift is a cover for the cables. The way the cables are routed via the pulleys at the top and bottom of each post ensures that the top of the posts are effectively being pulled away from each other once there is weight applied to the ramp legs. If you see the tops of the posts moving in towards each other, it means the cables aren't tensioned correctly.

I seen a video of 1 brand of ramp lifting a car to full height and then the anchor bolts being removed from the ground purely as a publicity stunt to show that their ramps are that well balanced. Must have a look online for it here as it gives a great explanation to their workings...
 

thefool1983

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I meant a h section fwd and aft. Like this:
$_57.jpg

Think that is one of the screw thread ones which may work differently that you describe.
 

Bryan

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They don't have a H section base. The ramp you see on the floor between the 2 posts of a lift is a cover for the cables. The way the cables are routed via the pulleys at the top and bottom of each post ensures that the top of the posts are effectively being pulled away from each other once there is weight applied to the ramp legs. If you see the tops of the posts moving in towards each other, it means the cables aren't tensioned correctly.

I seen a video of 1 brand of ramp lifting a car to full height and then the anchor bolts being removed from the ground purely as a publicity stunt to show that their ramps are that well balanced. Must have a look online for it here as it gives a great explanation to their workings...

Without seeing the video I bet they used a very well balanced car with a 50:50 weight distribution :p
 

stevieturbo

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Theres is very little you wont be able to do on a full height scissor lift. Also very nice not to have the post in the way of the doors etc and feel like they are smaller too.

That very much depends on the scissor lift. The one shown with the platforms linked...would make it impossible to remove the box on a rwd car along with lots of other work requiring work to the underside of the vehicle.

And with them having a small footprint on the ground it wouldnt take much height before centre of gravity becomes very easy to knock to a bad position.

But of course a 2 poster needs a secure base, but with that it will be far more steady than most scissor types. That said, there are very good scissors out there too, but they tend to be in the £2k+ range. The cheap or portable ones really would only be for very light work.

Some half decent looking scissors here and would allow some degree of middle access and good lift height. But unless a scissor is recessed into the floor...there can be difficulties with very low vehicles.
Same access applies to a lot of 2 posters too. Some have very bulky legs and the pad height will struggle for low vehicles.

DEMO CAR VAN FULL RISE SURFACE SCISSOR LIFT 3.2T SLIMLINE LAUNCH £1799 + VAT | eBay

CAR VAN QUALITY FULL RISE SURFACE MOUNT SCISSOR LIFT 3T SLIMLINE £1849 + VAT | eBay

FULL RISE SCISSOR CAR LIFT / VEHICLE LIFT / HOIST / SURFACE MOUNT / 3000Kg 3 TON | eBay
 

Nicky

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The other advantage of a 2 poster is having one car on ramp and then another parked underneath it

The aul lad has a 4 poster for that very reason; it turned a single car garage into a double car garage. He bought a jacking beam so it can be used for working on the odd motor too, and a compressor to go with it to release the air locks.

I personally prefer the manual locks on a 2 post light though, having used numerous types of lifts from various manufacturers. The problem with the majority of the auto locks is that they require you to raise the lift a couple of inches before you car lower it. This can be an absolute bastid to work with when you have the engine propped up on a stand to change a gearbox/clutch and realise that you need the car lower as little as an inch. To do that you need to go up 2 or 3 inches before you can go down 1... Just something to think about which is often overlooked.

Another thing to consider when choosing a lift, try and get the screw up feet as they tend to sit lower when screwed down fully and they also offer much better positioning under a car as opposed to the solid feet that require extension sections set in below them.
 

weeloaney

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I should have been more specific @stevieturbo, I was talking about the none portable ones with 2 separate ramps and usually rated for 3.5ton.

Yes a 2 post lift is handier for stuff underneath like gearboxes and doesn't get in the way of brake lines.

But rwd and defender gearboxes have been done on the scissor lifts at work and how often do you work at brake or fuel lines?

The handiness of having no posts in the way of the doors is great. Also a little easier and quicker to get a car up on a scissor lift.
 
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Ollie

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I've never really considered a scissor lift.
It looks like it could be a nightmare if working on anything under the middle of car (IE exhaust brake lines even rwd gearbox etc)
I would guess the 2 posters with h section base would be safer also to balance out the load better

No mater what. I wouldn be working underneath any lift without a separate back up. Such as acro jack or similar. Especially when swinging on tight bolts etc

? Don't see how you wouldn't be able to do anything you've mentioned with this type of lift?

IMG_3284.JPG
 

weeloaney

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? Don't see how you wouldn't be able to do anything you've mentioned with this type of lift?

View attachment 135243
Also I'd love to have the money to put on of those in while putting my shed up so I would have to cut the floor up.

Will probably end up getting one like this when the money comes available, that sits on top of the floor

RM-6502%20BANNER_0_0.png
 

Ollie

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Also I'd love to have the money to put on of those in while putting my shed up so I would have to cut the floor up.

Will probably end up getting one like this when the money comes available, that sits on top of the floor

RM-6502%20BANNER_0_0.png

With most of my cars not being "lift friendly" i love the idea of it being completely flush to the ground so i have no clearance issues. also its complely out of the way if i need the floor space in the shed for working on something. They make a handy work bench as well.
 

Robert

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Also I'd love to have the money to put on of those in while putting my shed up so I would have to cut the floor up.

Will probably end up getting one like this when the money comes available, that sits on top of the floor

RM-6502%20BANNER_0_0.png

We have a redmount mid lift sissor lift similar to this in work. It been faultless for nearly 4 years. Granted it only suits certain jobs, but sometimes its better than a two post because there is nothing in the way. Definitely a good choice for diyer in the garage who wants to service brakes, make cleaning easier, etc.
 

Eager

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Aye I would only want one possibly for basic tinkering and cleaning of arches, servicing brakes and calipers etc.
Only down side is once ya get a lift every one of your mates will be needing to use it and likely rope you into helping, oh and leaving the place covered in oil and scarper when it breaks. Lol
 

Ollie

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@Woodcutter

I think there's enough interest that you could make enquiries when you're back in work. It's probably easiest if you post each model you can supply then we can put rough numbers to each one.
 

thefool1983

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? Don't see how you wouldn't be able to do anything you've mentioned with this type of lift?

View attachment 135243
Agreed. But that looks like an expensive setup!!

Like the idea of driving one car under another.

Also. I've never worked at a car on a scissor lift. But on a two poster the only areas where access is limited is around the doors and jacking points. Times when I've been working in around front suspension/hubs you are able to get head right in around underneath etc. Can't imagine that's possible on that type of lift.

Like I said. 2 poster seems to tick all my boxes and nothing anyone has said made me rethink that.
 
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