Which is better for home use - a 2 post or 4 post lift?

Just as a point of discussion - not that I'm in a position to buy anything like this.... but if you were going to look for a craigslist deal on a car hoist/lift that would live outside since your garage ceiling isn't high enough for indoor use... etc

blah blah blah.

you get the picture.

Woodja go with a 2 post or 4 post?

Curious,
George

2 post so I could do tire/suspension work

If $$ was no option? Ultimate garage

4 post, since I have more cars than garage spots. You can do any work on a 4 post that you do on a two.

With the price of lifts in the US these days, I can't believe more people don't have them.

Having worked with both types,I would always choose the 2 posts.My reasons are as follows.
1.Almost always more affordable even with accessories
2.Cuts the chance of walking into the post by half,still have scars
3.Easier to get support tools like tranny jacks,welding stations,support stands and toolboxes undernealth the vehicle
4.Cuts the chance of walking into the post by half,still have scars
5.All 2 posts plenty strong enough for our cars
6.Takes up less space
7.Cuts the hell you get the picture
8.Uses less power to operate whether electric or air
Take Care and Be Happy
Flasheroo

My current garage is too tight for a lift but my next house will probably get one. You're right, prices are crazy cheap. I think some folks don't even know how cheap they're getting. I was at a liquidator auction about a month ago and they sold four shop lifts for MORE than you could get a brand new residential one.

I know I helped install an older 2 post in his garage...then I moved out of state. Lol! Could have easily done a frame off! I would personally take the 2 post, but it is all I have worked with in the past..so dunno.

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I'd take a 2 post without a doubt. Much easier to get to things on a 2 post, (like getting the rear tires off a wagon). If I could I'd buy a used lift from a defunct car dealer or independent garage before I bought a new residential lift myself.

Flasheroo wrote:

Having worked with both types,I would always choose the 2 posts.My reasons are as follows.
1.Almost always more affordable even with accessories
2.Cuts the chance of walking into the post by half,still have scars
3.Easier to get support tools like tranny jacks,welding stations,support stands and toolboxes undernealth the vehicle
4.Cuts the chance of walking into the post by half,still have scars
5.All 2 posts plenty strong enough for our cars
6.Takes up less space
7.Cuts the hell you get the picture
8.Uses less power to operate whether electric or air
Take Care and Be Happy
Flasheroo

Gotta agree with Jim on this one!!

LOL....... Watch your...... never mind.....

Two post for sure!

(I have the scars) lol

prob vote for the two post, but if a 4 came along and was in my price range (read dirt cheap), I'd be all over it.... I was longingly looking at some in Daytona during the Turkey Run....

my prob is, I don't have the ceilings for one....

So let me ask a stupid question: how do all those two-post lifts stay in place and don't tip over? Are those bolts deceptively long? Do they use the world's largest wall anchors in the floor?

I wouldn't even bolt it down. I'd just be careful.

I have been looking at this lately:

http://www.dannmar.com/dannmar-products/two-post-lifts/maxjax.asp

Sells up here for $2,500 bucks. Not a full hieght lift but it will allow you to get under the car without crawling around on your back.

Bill

Like Joel stated, I was a little concerned about a 2 post lift because of safety and the stability of it. I opted for a 4 post lift and am very happy with it. It's incredibly simple to use and seems much safer to me. Another issue is the fact that I am fast becoming an old man (63) and getting the pads in the right spot on a 2 post can be difficult. Also with a 4 post you can actually park 2 cars in the space if needed.

that's my two post that Chris posted above. IIRC we used 3/4 inch concrete anchors to bolt it down. It is very stable. It has a dozen+ of them between the two posts. You need a floor of the right thickness and psi strength (4" in my case was enough) You just have to be careful about making sure the car is balanced weight-wise when you raise it up. I always get it just barely off the ground and then test it before raising all the way up. If you start removing parts you need to think about how it will change the wight balance. We dopped the whole subframe, engine and trans out of a 99 STS using my lift with no problems. Once the car was back in the air without the cradle we used my home-brew tall jacks stands to support the rear of the car since it was now heavier than the front. they are made of old brake drums with 1" rigid conduit, threaded rod, a bold and some welding. we made some interchangeable "hats" for top so they can be used to support various things.

a 4 post would be much easier for the casual user, but I bought a 2post for the flexibility and space conservation aspects. It was also a great price since it was used, out of a car dealership, and the brand happens to be manufactured here in Louisville (Challenger). I don't think you can do "everything" on a 4 post that you can on a two post. I've used both, and 4 post is wayyy easier to load/unload the car & perfect for a lot of tasks that don't involve the wheels. Most provide a way to lift the car off of the lift floor so you can remove the wheels, but you will be further away from your working area due to the additional width. With a 2 post you can get right up into anything you need to work on.

I had a car parked under a 1 ton truck on my two post for about 6 months, so you can do that too. It's easier with a 4 post since you can easily block off the underside to prevent drips on the lower car (with the right accessories).

It really depends on what you want to do with it the most. If you just want to be able to change fluids easily & park a car underneath ,a 4 post is the clear winner. If you want the flexibility to do "anything" the two post will win, and from a cost base the 2 post will usually win.

Oh, and I'm 99.99999% sure you cannot use a two post without bolting it down.

There are several 4 post models that are usable without being anchored, and some that run on 110 and even have casters so you can move them around when not in use.

Bewber wrote:

I wouldn't even bolt it down. I'd just be careful.

Oh really...

You might want to stick to something like this then....

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hahaha


I know some folks that use a small 4 post in a normal residential garage. They go up to about 6', so you need 10-12' of ceiling height which is not uncommon in a garage. The limiting factor is the height of the car - the posts are not much more than 6' tall.

brokecello wrote:

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Looks like the start to a nice bonfire to me

WTF good is that wooden deal anyway? I could (kinda) see home brewing a POS that you could at least SIT under, but that thing isn't even tall enough to do much more than you could with jackstands.

It's interesting, but not at the same time.

Lol!!

what you can't see is the 4' pit they dug in their apartment parking lot.

fail.

brokecello wrote:

I know I helped install an older 2 post in his garage...then I moved out of state. Lol! Could have easily done a frame off! I would personally take the 2 post, but it is all I have worked with in the past..so dunno.

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Is that "Ralph Malph" from Happy Days?

Tom C.

yes. since joanie fell in love with chachi he decided to spend his time working on B-body wagons.