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Thread: Who has a lift/hoist in their garage?

  1. #1

    Who has a lift/hoist in their garage?

    I know, wrong forum for this topic. I should be posting on the garagejournal forum but I like it here.

    I'm looking at getting a hoist of some kind for my garage at home. It's a tiny 20wx21deep garage but has 10 1/2' ceiling. I know a few of you have quickjacks that work for you. I want something that'll lift higher, working on the floor sucks. A 2 post would be ideal but I just don't have the room, 4 post is out. So far the two lifts that I think would work best for me are a "6000lb" scissor lift Attachment 19300 that lift around 48" high and a more sketchy looking single post That can lift up to 6' Attachment 19299. I'm leaning towards the sketchy single post. Has anyone used one of these things?


    Mirage videos:

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  2. #2
    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
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    Both look terrifying! I can visualize being underneath and wrenching with some oomph and it either slides, rolls, or tips over.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


  3. #3
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    The MaxJax is a popular 2-post lift. It's around $1800 from Costco (shipped). You need a decent concrete floor so you can bolt the posts down. But you can unbolt them and roll them into a corner. This is probably the best bang for the buck out there.

    I almost went with this lift...but 98% of the time I wouldn't be using it and I just didn't want the 2 posts taking up space in my garage. Plus I have garage door openers that would limit how high I could lift a car. No matter what lift I have, it will never get a car high enough for me to stand under in my existing garage.

    I went with an EZ Carlift. It's the same price as a MaxJax, but it's a lot more portable. It will lift a car 26 inches. It's purely mechanical and goes up/down with a cordless drill. Since I can't get a car very high in my garage, it works fine for my purposes. But it's not for everyone. It also only lifts 4400 pounds.

    Here's my Mirage...only partially lifted. This is probably about 3/4 as high as it will go...

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    Last edited by Top_Fuel; 09-27-2020 at 02:26 AM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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  5. #4
    I think the single post lift seems the sketchiest. There's a lot of leverage and things to break off but people use these all the time Attachment 19302
    Whatever/whenever I get something, I'd be using jack stands all the time. Attachment 19304
    Mirage videos:

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  6. #5
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    I've seen one of the single post "sketchy" lift ones in action, for my Ford Escort.

    My Dad's friend has one at his farm. Pretty slick.

    He has it in an 80 x 30 drive shed. 20?' ceiling. Has got a Kawasaki motorcycle in there with a plate sticker from 1985.

    In conclusion, the one post lifts are not sketchy in real life.

    *edits sorry

    The whole thing operates in a similar principle as a forklift truck does picking up heavy stuff from one side only. At least the lift ones can be mounted real good compared to a forklift lol. You can't pick up a Nissan van in the air by accident from the physics.
    Last edited by dspace9; 09-25-2020 at 08:33 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  7. #6
    I guess it's similar to one of those order picker forklifts? The single post in the pic above doesn't mount to the floor, it's movable. You can jack it up like a pallet jack and roll it around.

    This guy has one to lift his big block c10 Attachment 19305
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  8. #7
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Wow. Physics and (hopefully) really good welds.

    It looks like physics should keep the vehicle from rolling off sideways as long as the material and welds are sufficient. Lack of triangulation is spooky, though.

    I'd be more concerned about the vehicle tipping forward/backward. Especially something that's inherently imbalanced, like a typical FWD car. But, if you put some good jack stands under each end... maybe?

    All I can add is that I have a friend with a semi-portable 2-post lift. He leaves one side attached to the floor near the wall. The other side he unbolts (4 bolts) and moves out of the way when he's not using it. My observation is that it's a hassle to set up (compared to just rolling out a floor jack), and it doesn't lift high enough, only about 3 feet, maybe 3.5. I guess (???) it's better than being on 12-18" jack stands. You can roll under there with a chair. But, you can't stand. So, you often end up sitting/kneeling/crouching on the floor. In the end... I think I get just as sore and uncomfortable from doing work over there with his lift as I do in my own garage with simple ramps and jack stands.

    I guess it depends on what kind of work you're doing, and how often.

    I wouldn't mind having something like Top_Fuel has. Would be useful for a lot of things. But, my garage isn't big enough to keep a lot of stuff like that around. So, I'll probably stick with a good jack (which I finally picked up from a friend who is moving! $200+ jack for $35, nearly new), and jack stands.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Top_Fuel (09-26-2020)

  10. #8
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    I guess it's similar to one of those order picker forklifts? The single post in the pic above doesn't mount to the floor, it's movable. You can jack it up like a pallet jack and roll it around.

    This guy has one to lift his big block c10 Attachment 19305
    The lift my Dad's friend has looked pretty similar to this one. Not cheap, but this guy worked at Ford St. Thomas since age 16 lol..

    I haven't been over to his farm since around 2012, when I replaced my Chef Boyardee exhaust with a custom pipe. Having a lift like this really makes working on cars easier.

    I'm no expert, but I don't remember there being safety jacks used that day. You gotta get something like this installed by hydraulics professionals.

    When I win Lotto 649 and buy my lakefront property, I will have one of these in my shop. Til then..
    Last edited by dspace9; 09-25-2020 at 11:12 PM.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  11. #9
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    ...I have a friend with a semi-portable 2-post lift. He leaves one side attached to the floor near the wall. The other side he unbolts (4 bolts) and moves out of the way when he's not using it.
    That sounds a lot like the MaxJax. The posts are "portable" so you can move them around...but it takes time to do that.

    ...it doesn't lift high enough, only about 3 feet, maybe 3.5....You can roll under there with a chair. But, you can't stand. So, you often end up sitting/kneeling/crouching on the floor. In the end... I think I get just as sore and uncomfortable from doing work over there with his lift as I do in my own garage with simple ramps and jack stands.
    That's why I didn't buy one. If I can't stand under the car, it really doesn't matter if I'm on a creeper with the car 2 feet in the air or on a chair with the car 3 feet in the air. That extra 12" of clearance isn't really helping.

    I'm not sure how high my garage ceiling is...but it's not tall enough to lift a car 5-6 feet in the air unfortunately.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Loren (09-26-2020)

  13. #10
    I just discovered some water damage in my basement. No windows or water lines nearby so I likely have a cracked foundation ffs. But I don't always have my priorities in order so I'll just tarp off that part of the house and pretend it's not there. Hopefully order up a lift of some kind after Christmas.
    Life is less stressful if you ignore annoyances.


    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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