Garage/shop lift recommendations

[Gweiner]

I am moving to a new house soon that has a garage with 16 ft height to the ceiling/rafters. Looking into getting a lift for my Bronco and using it to work on it and also store it up and out of the way of the bikes, scooter and other toys my kids seem to hit it with. Any recommendations? Curious if others on here are using any garage lifts as I heard they are getting more and more reasonably priced and easy to install.

 

[Bferrari]

I have a 2 post and absolutely love it. I find that I use it for anything I can because it is so easy to use and convenient to have. I prefer the 2 post over the 4 post because the footprint is significantly less when not in use. It is definitely a tool which now that I have one I wonder how I did things without it!

 

[Amac70]

my other forum addiction http://www.garagejournal.com/ lots of info there on lifts and a couple on mass buy there.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I would def look at a 2 post over the 4 unless your primary use will be to add storage. If you go with a 4 post, be sure to get one that has trolley ramps for jacks etc. so you can do more with it. As for a 2 post, I would also look at the asymmetrical lifts as they will allow you to open a door if need be when a vehicle is lifted. There are plenty of off brands out there and the name brands like Bendpak are within 150 of the off brands.

 

[rmiller747]

I went with a 4 post with jacks for working on it. My main goal was storage and my 4 post is perfect for this.

 

[Gweiner]

Thanks everyone. I am not sure I see the difference between 2 and 4 post models. Is it stability? Can I use a 2 post for storage?. I like the idea of asymmetrical posts on a two post unit to oped the doors if necessary.

AMAC70 - I can see how that garage journal forum can be addictive - some amazing garages out there! I think I found a new addiction to the Bronco.

 

[Apogee]

4-post lifts have drive-on ramps, so you're lifting the rig from the tires, unless you add jacks to the equation. 2-post lifts have articulating support arms that swing out and pick under the frame rails. The 2-posts are generally considered more versatile, but 4-posts are uber-stable and great for typical exhaust, chassis and drive train maintenance work, and with the proper add-ons, can do most of what a 2-post can do as-is. If I had to pick just one though, I'd buy a 2-post myself...maybe next year.

 

[Slednut10]

I pulled the trigger a couple of years ago and bought a 10K 2 post Mohawk
AMERICAN made lift. Not cheap, but the prospect of a piece of crap overseas lift holding up my crew cab F250 scares the hell out of me. No plastic blocks or wimpy cables in this one. This beast weighs over 1000 lbs more than the 9K Atlas I was looking at. Plus it has a clear floor.

 

[JefeAZ]

Went back and forth between the 2 and 4 post lifts and decided on the 4 post mainly because it didn't need to be permanently installed in the concrete and we could move it around. Plus we werent planning on dropping rear ends, motors, transmissions, etc. Oddly enough I needed to drop the IRS from the Cobra 2 weeks ago and couldn't do it on the 4 post due to fitment between the drive on ramps. Still love the 4 post with the sliding jack between the rails. 9' garage doors so we can roll it outside