Garage Lift

[74 Bronco Billy]

Woohoo, designing my ultimate retirement garage. Need a lift. 14' garage height. Plenty of depth at 30', 3 bays. Plan to have a future 4 post, and a 2 post which needs to fit Broncos and old Japanese Autocross cars, i.e. low to ground. I'm 5'10", plan to build another Bronco, possibly a factory 5 in future. Looking at Race Tools Direct lifts. 220V for sure.

Would you get asymmetric or symmetric 2 post lift, especially for Bronco, why or why not?

How big? 7K, 9K or ?

Other brands but I'm on a budget?

Other conditions / features / options that are important?

Thanks, F



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[Soylent]

Woohoo, designing my ultimate retirement garage. Need a lift. 14' garage height. Plenty of depth at 30', 3 bays. Plan to have a future 4 post, and a 2 post which needs to fit Broncos and old Japanese Autocross cars, i.e. low to ground. I'm 5'10", plan to build another Bronco, possibly a factory 5 in future. Looking at Race Tools Direct lifts. 220V for sure.

Would you get asymmetric or symmetric 2 post lift, especially for Bronco, why or why not?

How big? 7K, 9K or ?

Other brands but I'm on a budget?

Other conditions / features / options that are important?

Thanks, F



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I have an asymmetrical rotary 10k lift and works great. Allows you to open doors. I had limited depth so needed asymmetrical to fit pitch of roof. All lifts will have issues with getting under lowered cars. The arms fit under my stock M4 but since it is now on MSS HAS I need to drive up on spacers (2 planks of laminate flooring). Same would apply for a lowered Miyata, Godzilla or whatever you are running. I wouldn’t let that deter you as it’s a simple fix with the thinnest speed ramps or such.

 

[tackhouse]

I have the BendPak XPR-10AP in my garage and it does the trick, but I wouldn't have chosen it if I had 14' ceilings. I vaguely recall 15' being ideal for Bendpak's tallest setup. It’s a 10k setup but 9k will work just fine.

Your height shouldn't be an issue - being able to stand up fully under a bronco - as it is for me (im 6'4"). Do not get a floorplate version. I still suggest getting the tallest version your shop with allow.

Asymmetric is the way to go if you plan on lifting a variety of cars/trucks.

You should know broncos are probably the worst type of vehicle to lift. The frame is impossible to use as lifting points due to the location of the radius arms and rear leaf springs. My heart always skips a beat when I starting raising mine. Definitely get risers and frame cradles as 'options'.

And, hopefully your foundation is thick enough to install the posts without having to cut and pour deeper footings. Confirm this before scheduling installation. Also, think about the door opener track and location. I swapped out the traditional above car for one that mounted on the door wall to maximize lifting height.

Good luck!

 

[74 Bronco Billy]

Thanks guys for quick responses. Yes, my garage doors will go up garage door wall. Nice to know about risers and cradles. Asymmetric for door openings, hadn't thought of that or how hard it is to get the lift under the Bronco due to the rear leaf springs or front radius arms. I may want to design in a pit as well...hmm. looking at hose reels for air and electricity. I'll probably go for the 9K size.

Any other choices / factors?

Why no floor cross connections ?

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[tackhouse]

Thanks guys for quick responses. Yes, my garage doors will go up garage door wall. Nice to know about risers and cradles. Asymmetric for door openings, hadn't thought of that or how hard it is to get the lift under the Bronco due to the rear leaf springs or front radius arms. I may want to design in a pit as well...hmm. looking at hose reels for air and electricity. I'll probably go for the 9K size.

Any other choices / factors?

Why no floor cross connections ?

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Floor crosses just makes getting a disabled bronco in and out difficult, not to mention body carts when removing from chassis. Doable, but annoying if you have the height.

Pit is probably overkill. I got used to where and how to get it in the air. I don't think a pit is worth the cost.

Good air compressor location and reel is key. Lots of electrical, too. Leave room forward for tool boxes and tables.

 

[Wild horse 75]

I have both a 2 post and 4 post hoists. I use the 4 post for pretty near everything just due to the ease of use. Drive on and drive off no repositioning to get the arms exactly where they need to be. That said I don’t have rolling jacks on it so brakes and suspension work all go on the 2 post. I do have jack plates so I can put a floor jack on it and use jack stands if I know I’m going to have something apart for a long time.

As the others said. Asymmetrical is key. Being able to open the doors while it’s on the hoist is so nice. And clear floor always. It’s a serious pain in the ass to pull a tranny when the tranny jack wants to be half on and half off the floor plate.

 

[74 Bronco Billy]

Jack plates on a 4 post lift? Haven't seen that before, I'll have to look into that.

I have a 2500 RAM, so, I'm looking forward to a pit so I don't need to put it in the air. The pit would be below the 4 post lift, gives me more options. Pit would be in basement garage, concrete averages 5.5", 9" in different areas due to W cross section.

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[Soylent]

Make sure you get a pair of these (9”)so you can lift on the frame behind/rearward of the front leaf spring attacment. The cylinder attachments work well on the front body mounts.

 

[Dude 713]

I have a Challenger 15,000 lb. 4 post lift with two 7,500 lb rolling jacks and love it. No trouble lifting that 2500 Ram. I have lifted my motorhome and John Deere 350 Dozer with no problem. The rolling jacks make life easy if you want to rotate tires.
Get a big enough lift and forget about a pit.

 

[Jaybr]

I built what I thought was going to be my retirement garage a couple years ago. Only 28x32 due to space, wish it was double that.

I went with a Bendpak XPR 10S and it works fine for me. Was going to get a Rotary but was purchasing during Covid and rotary had a really long back order.

Also going to a Quincy QT5 with Max package and it kept up with all my air needs without braking a sweat. The only time it runs very long is when I’m using the blast cabinet.

I ran air outlets to all 4 walls which has worked great, hose real is between garage doors. I used 3/4” Rapidair Maxline for the air lines and it worked great.

Good luck with your project!


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[74 Bronco Billy]

Make sure you get a pair of these (9”)so you can lift on the frame behind/rearward of the front leaf spring attacment. The cylinder attachments work well on the front body mounts.

View attachment 918193

What are those 9" risers called? Made by?



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[Soylent]

What are those 9" risers called? Made by?



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Extended height adapters. Many lift companies make them.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...MIvqWU-6OBhAMVwTjUAR10OwL5EA0YASABEgLB3vD_BwE

 

[Broncobowsher]

I have used a lot of lifts over the years. By far my favorite is a 2-post IN-GROUND. They are still made. You can still get them. The install is more difficult. In the end, it is a permanent addition to the building. The above ground are loved because they are the cheapest to buy, install the fastest, and when you move you can take it out and take it with you. The 2-post in ground has a party trick that is really hard to beat, when down, it goes away. There are a couple heads on the ground and that is it. You are free to walk around, not bumping the door into the hoist, etc. Those at work that have the in ground will not give them up. All the new ones are above ground, because of bean counters.

Now if you are not after the ultimate, just good enough. Budget is the constraint, back to picking a 2-post above ground. Just get the widest post spacing you can fit/afford.

 

[Timmy390]

Loving my 4 post I installed a couple weeks back. Plan to add a couple sliding jacks when my budget recovers.

Tim