http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/tld/4118863673.html


I found a supplier very close to me and the link posted shows a 7K lift but for $100 more I can get a 9K lift.

I'm thinking for home use this would be all I need. Thoughts? Comments?

The nice thing for me is it is a local pickup so no freight charges

Car Lift

 

I bought a used one from one of the local lift installers.

They are the first called when one gets removed like if a business goes under. Mine was barely used and half price installed. It has worked flawlessly since last year when it was installed.

I would call your favorite shop and ask for contact info for the local lift installer.

 

My lift is a Bend Pac and have had zero issues. My only concern, is would you want to trust your life and vehicle on a life if 80% of it was made in china? A lot of the less expensive lifts are made in china. I would be sure to check out the lift your talking about as far as country of Manufacture.
Good luck
Larry

 

Similar ad here.
9000 LB AUTO LIFT

 

I also bought a used lift and installed it myself, not at all difficult. I wanted an American made lift (a Rotary Lift) with a good reputation. I paid just over 1/2 of the new price in your post. One of the other things I like about my lift is the spread on the post support. I get a little concerned when all there is only the square anchorage pattern where you Hilti or red head it to the slab. Mine has about a 4' heavy section angle welded to the column base that is parallel to the vehicle. It gives the lift a much bigger foot print. There are pictures in my albums.

 

I also have a rotary 2 post lift, asymmetrical arms 7000lb. Bought it for less than half of new from a shop going out of business, has been flawless and should last forever in a home shop. The shop also had a 9000lb lift for sale but was a symmetrical lift and I like the asymmetrical much better. I would watch craigslist and ebay, they are for sale quite often. I have some offshore made 4 post lifts that I use for storage only, I would want a real USA made lift for active work. There are some interesting lift test videos on youtube as well.

 

Apparently these are everywhere...

2 Post 7k Car Lift (SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICE)


I gotta agree with Bill, having the whole thing supported by an 8" bolt pattern makes me a bit nervous. I'd like the weight to be spread out a little more.

 

I bought an older Manitowoc 9000 lb lift going on two years ago. It's heavier built lift than any I've ever seen. My friend bought a lower cost lift and had the top of one of the lifting cylinders pop off while raising a SUV on it. Luckily he owns a fleet of forklifts and he was able to lift the side of the SUV up and support it while he repaired the cylinder.

I did a lot of research before buying my lift. The Garage Journal, a section of the HAMB board has a lot of information about lifts from people who have bought all different types of lifts and brands. There are also a few members who are in the business of lifts and have given a lot of important information.

What I have found is you want a lift that is ALI certified:

Safety & Testing | Automotive Lift Institute

Also, the floor of your shop has to be thick enough and built to support a two post lift. You also have to maintain a certain distance from any crack or expansion joint in the floor. I drew out the floor in my shop with all of the expansions joints and placed my closest mounting bolt 8" from any expansion joint. Bills lift sounds like it has a similar mounting system to the one on mine with the long piece of angle iron.

One more fact I will guarantee about the lift is the first time you use it you will wonder why you didn't get one sooner. I just changed the U joins on my daily driver and with the help of another person to hold the two piece driveshaft up we had the shaft bolted in a matter of 15 minutes, at most without having to crawl on the ground.

 

About 30 years ago I worked in a auto body shop. At that time we'd get some guy, not always the same guy, that would stop by the shop with a engine cherry picker, upright air compressor and floor jack in the back of a pick up. They were new and dirt cheap. One day while driving down a back road in a town about 100 miles away I saw a fleet of about 20 trucks pulling out of a long driveway loaded with the exact same set up. Some one must have bought a box car full of Chinese tools and were sub contracting guys to sell them. After reading the CL ads listed it seems like the same deal except back then we didn't have CL so they had to send people out to sell their Chinese junk. I'd check out those lifts every which way before buying one and especially raising a truck on one and walking underneath one.

 

When I was shopping for a lift I looked at those cheapo chinese 2 post lifts at the local lift dealer. Scary. No way I would stand under a vehicle lifted up on one. The welds looked iffy and the metal was pretty thin. Plus no warranty or company to back them up.
I ended up buying a Bendpak 9k 4 post lift and am very happy with it. If I find a good used 2 post I will buy it and have one of each style.

 

We used to sell lifts years ago. AAMCo mostly, good quality stuff. If one broke, you can get parts and service from local companies. Alot of the cheap homeowner quality lifts now are made by fly by night companies. They set up shop, sell cheap and if they have a lawsuit they're gone overnight. No insurance. Move somewhere else and start a new company. I saw a shop buy a cheap lift that broke when a car was raised. The lift didn't drop, but the car was stuck up in the air. Also saw a jeep fall off when the arms bent. Fell onto its front from about six feet up. My advice is to research and buy a brand name. Use what the pros use, not some hot rodders deal.

 

Mine is a 1990 Bend-Pak 7000lb. Got it for free and had to fix some items. If I was buying and I would get the 9000lb for a minimum, especially if it is only $100 more. Like already stated, buy one that has been around with a good record.

 

I see the foot print on these is much larger
Mohawk A-7: Two Post Automotive Lifts used

I watched some youtube vids and now I have changed my mind..... still looking........

 

This is one tool where the capacity and brand mean a lot. I looked for months on CL and finally found a 10,000lb 2 post Asymmetrical lift by Wheeltronics (Canadian built sold by Snapon) from a shop closing down for $800. So advice is... decide first, then look (and/or contact local Snapon tool guy).

 

I would install one in a heartbeat if some of you guys would pop over and lift my shop ceiling up about 4 feet .