shop or garage lifts |
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bight
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 20 Aug. 2020 Location: mid coast maine Status: Offline Points: 1689 |
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Posted: 21 Apr. 2023 at 8:00pm |
anybody have a shop or garage lift?
i am seriously considering getting one and need experienced input. i am going to have a garage built so i need to pre plan the foundation. i will have 4 bays, one with lift. it will be very lightly used. primarily for CJ-2A's. no large trucks. oil changes on SUV's. largest vehicle is FJ Cruiser. my first thought was 2 post. but might be kinda nice to be able to store one jeep above the other on 4 post? brands? i see some sold by dealers on craigslist.
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CJ-2A 72586 tan (stock)
CJ-2A 197624 green (resto-mod) the wife abides (def: to bear patiently; TOLERATE) |
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Bruce W
Member Joined: 29 July 2005 Location: Northeast Colorado Status: Offline Points: 9652 |
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I have a 2-post lift that I bought used. To tell the truth, I couldn't still be doing this stuff without it. I can't get down and up like I used to. I often "store" one jeep on it and park 2 others under it. The problems I see with a 4-post lift are 1) If you wish to do any brake, wheel bearing, rear axle or tire/wheel work, you have to jack the jeep up while it's on the lift. And 2) The runways, or ramps, or whatever you wish to call them, will always be in the way, for getting to the wheels etc, and for banging your head. When the engine and drivetrain are at a workable height, the runways will still be lower and have to be ducked under or gone around. I see the four-post lift as a storage solution, not a working one.
BW
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It is NOT a Jeep Willys! It is a Willys jeep.
Happy Trails! Good-bye, Good Luck, and May the Good Lord Take a Likin' to You! We Have Miles to Jeep, Before We Sleep. |
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nofender
Member Sponsor Member x 3 Joined: 10 May 2016 Location: Maryland Status: Offline Points: 2035 |
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Good topic. I'm considering the same.
My friend has a 4 post in his shop. We are doing some work on his CJ7. Four post is okay. The platform is nice for tools, lights, etc. Wheel work is a pain as mentioned. You are constantly crawling under the lift if you forgot a tool or something. I consider a four post more for storage than work. Keep in mind the four post does go as high as you think. In my buddy's case - he wanted to store his waggy above the 7. Neither would fit with the lift raised to the highest point. Even his tractor wouldn't fit under a vehicle. I'm sure 4 post come in different sizes. Just make sure you measure. A CJ2a with the windshield down - no problem. But most utility/off road rigs won't fit under a four post - at least not the one I'm familiar with. I'm leaning towards 2 post myself, based on that experience.
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46 CJ2a rockcrawler
46 CJ2a - 26819 46 Bantam T3c "4366" 47 Bantam T3C - 11800 68-ish CJ5 |
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m38mike
Member Joined: 23 Apr. 2007 Location: Colorado High Country Status: Offline Points: 3798 |
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I have a two post lift, and I really like it a lot. I've got good access to all parts of the vehicle from underneath. The arms provide a flat spot to set tools on. My limit for lifting is the the 12 foot ceiling, and the 7 foot height of my posts. I put this setup on a 5 inch thick concrete slab without any problems or cracking. It's only a 7,000 lb capacity lift that I bought well used off of Craigslist. But it's working very well for me. Like Bruce said, I don't get down and up very well anymore, so this is a back saver for sure.
The one thing about mine that I don't like is the tunnel in the middle under the lift. It's almost 2 inches high and gets in the way of things like my transmission jack. I can't get rid of it because it holds the safety cable and the hydraulic pipe that make sure that both sides of the lift go up and down at the same rate of speed. I'm thinking about building up the floor with plywood and 2x lumber underneath the lift to give me a smooth surface for rolling my lift tools. |
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M38Mike
46 CJ2A SAMCJ2A 4?-5? CJ2A/3A/M38 Jigsaw 51 M38 Green Jeanne 52 M38 Blue Mule, 51 M100 Blue Mule Tale 52 XM38EV1 Electro-Willys, 52 M100 Juice Box |
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bight
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 20 Aug. 2020 Location: mid coast maine Status: Offline Points: 1689 |
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been getting the notorious u-tube training. it does seem that in general, 4 post for storage, 2 post for work as you guys are stating. 4 post hampers wheel/axle/suspension work.
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CJ-2A 72586 tan (stock)
CJ-2A 197624 green (resto-mod) the wife abides (def: to bear patiently; TOLERATE) |
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bight
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 20 Aug. 2020 Location: mid coast maine Status: Offline Points: 1689 |
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mike,
thanks for the info. as i have been researching, i would probably go with 2 post with overhead lines to eliminate the floor problem. could the floor tunnel type be modified with a small trench in the concrete to recess the lines in the floor?
Edited by bight - 22 Apr. 2023 at 10:53am |
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CJ-2A 72586 tan (stock)
CJ-2A 197624 green (resto-mod) the wife abides (def: to bear patiently; TOLERATE) |
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dasvis
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 07 Sep. 2019 Location: Salem, Oregon Status: Offline Points: 1550 |
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Jealous of you lift guys.
My 8’ garage ceiling rules that out. Dammit.
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1947 CJ2A #88659 "Rat Patrol"
1953 CJ3A #453-GB1 11266 "Black Beauty" 1964 Thunderbird convertible ..... & one of them moves under it's own power!! |
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Oldpappy
Member Joined: 09 Apr. 2018 Location: Tennessee Status: Offline Points: 4920 |
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This is something which has long been on my wish list, unfortunately my garage ceiling is not high enough for a lift.
A new garage, with higher ceiling, is also on the wish list, and if I am going to keep working on these things I'll either have to break open the piggy bank and get one built here, or buy another place with an appropriate garage / shop already in place. We have been thinking of downsizing anyway, and taking care of pasture land with no livestock on it is a chore I could do without. Having used both two and four post lifts in the garages of friends I too recommend a two post for the reasons already mentioned. Edited by Oldpappy - 22 Apr. 2023 at 11:50am |
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If you can't get there in a Jeep you don't need to be there!
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m38mike
Member Joined: 23 Apr. 2007 Location: Colorado High Country Status: Offline Points: 3798 |
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Bight,
To put the tunnel contents in a channel in the floor might be difficult. The hydraulic line could go easily because it's just 1/2" pipe. But the tension cables come off pully wheels in the base of the towers. They go straight from tower to tower. The towers have to be a specific distance apart because the cables are one length and they don't have much room to adjust the length. If you recessed the bases for the towers also, then you could have everything below the floor. In order to do that you may have to excavate below the slab to create a foundation block to hold each tower base, then cut a channel in the slab for the cables and the hydraulic pipe. If you were putting in a new floor in a shop, this would be a great thing to plan for. I added mine to a 10 year old floor. Fortunately I had my floor slabs poured at 5-6 inches so they could take the weight of anything I might roll on top of them. The manufacturer recommends at least 4 inches of good concrete under each tower for a small lift like mine. More lift capacity requires more concrete to hold the lift. As it was, I had to work my anchor bolts around so they would avoid the pex tubing I put in the slab for infloor heat. I was successful but it took some adjusting. My planned solution to getting rid of the tunnel is to cover it with plywood. I'm thinking I'll make a plywood deck out of 1/2" plywood supported on cut-down 2x4's. It'll be 8 feet wide and 12 feet long. The two sheets on each end will be ramps with a shallow slope. One edge will sit on the concrete floor and the opposite edge, 4 feet away, will be 2" off the floor. The center sheet will be level, and parallel with the floor, over the tunnel. I'm thinking that I'll give this idea a try to see if I like it. I see a possible tripping hazard along the edges of the plywood. But it would be easier to roll some of my tools up under a Jeep with the floor built up like this. Or to roll tools like the transmission jack with a transmission on it out from under the Jeep.
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M38Mike
46 CJ2A SAMCJ2A 4?-5? CJ2A/3A/M38 Jigsaw 51 M38 Green Jeanne 52 M38 Blue Mule, 51 M100 Blue Mule Tale 52 XM38EV1 Electro-Willys, 52 M100 Juice Box |
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rocnroll
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 20 July 2005 Location: Tuscumbia, AL Status: Offline Points: 13609 |
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Maybe a steel plate edge on the trip hazard plywood edge?
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'47 CJ2A PU
'48 CJ2A Lefty "Common sense is not that common" |
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Oilleaker1
Member Joined: 06 Sep. 2011 Location: Black Hills, SD Status: Offline Points: 4412 |
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I have two 9000 lb rated 4 post lifts. The 7000 lb would not go high enough to walk under. I have 14 foot ceilings. Yes you have to jack up and use cross member supports on what end or which wheel you are working on. The huge biggie is my lifts are not bolted to the floor and have wheels so you can move the entire thing around on your floor. 110 volt pump motor to raise it up.
You can do all sorts of wonderful things. Nothing under the lift either, so a transmission jack can roll anywhere. They come with roll on/off ramps and wheel chocks. A metal cross member that sides full length and you can buy extra crossmembers and even a crossmember low profile hydrallic jack. Another biggie are drip pans that also slide full length and you can buy extras. I bought them through a company called Benco and the make is Direct Lift. You can roll a low profile rig under, tie off the body to the treads, and lift the body up off of the frame. Magnetic light bases anywhere, lay out your tools, or use as a work bench and lay out a entire Jeep differential both ways, piece by piece. Let it down to the floor, roll a heavy piece over and shift it on to the tread. Then pick it up to chair or standing height to work on it. If desired, raise it up high out of the way. A padded cap working on any hoist is a must. you will hit your head. Do not run to answer your phone either!!!!! Oilly
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Green Disease, Jeeps, Old Iron!
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Rus Curtis
Member Joined: 25 Mar. 2010 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 1733 |
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Yep. BTDT
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Rus Curtis
Alabama 1954 CJ3B Bantam T3-C |
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redrunner
Member Joined: 01 Apr. 2016 Location: NW Iowa Status: Offline Points: 308 |
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I have a four post, used a two post often in my school shop. I went with the four post for a few reasons, first, I can move it in my shop it is not mounted to the floor because of in floor heat, two yes the break work is a pain but the car will never tip and fall off the lift, third it works great for storage with one under the other. I really like it and use it often. It is not much of a hassle to move the other cars to get to the lift open to use.
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“Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”
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Mark W.
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 09 Nov. 2014 Location: Silverton, OR Status: Offline Points: 7986 |
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Im in the same boat as oldpappy my highest point in the shop is 9ft and it sloops down to 7ft at the door 20ft from the high point so the closest I could get to a hoist is a grease pit.
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Chug A Lug
1948 2A Body Customized 1949 3A W/S 1957 CJ5 Frame Modified Late 50's 134L 9.25"clutch T90A D18 (1.25") D44/30 flanged E-Locker D25 5.38 Since 1962 |
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Oldpappy
Member Joined: 09 Apr. 2018 Location: Tennessee Status: Offline Points: 4920 |
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I have thought about a grease pit too. It is a workable old school approach if you can provide some drainage and cover to keep it from becoming a mud pit. That would be a viable option on the hilly ground I have here.
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If you can't get there in a Jeep you don't need to be there!
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Mark W.
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 09 Nov. 2014 Location: Silverton, OR Status: Offline Points: 7986 |
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i was thinking about just framing up forms and pouring a 4" floor and 3.5" walls. With a good liner to keep out water. But I doubt I will ever bother.
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Chug A Lug
1948 2A Body Customized 1949 3A W/S 1957 CJ5 Frame Modified Late 50's 134L 9.25"clutch T90A D18 (1.25") D44/30 flanged E-Locker D25 5.38 Since 1962 |
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Dahdo
Member Joined: 13 Mar. 2018 Location: Oregon Status: Offline Points: 63 |
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I'd love my own lift, and I think a 2-post would be the way to go. My garage ceiling is too low, although I do have room on the side of the house to build a covered bay with a tall ceiling. There is even a concrete pad. Meanwhile I can take my rigs up to my son's two-post a mile away, but I'd like to have my own so I can a) have it right out the door, and b) not keep his lift tied up for days (ok weeks) which is what it take me for some of these projects ;)
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46 CJ-2A
59 Wagon "it's not hoarding if it's old jeeps" |
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m38mike
Member Joined: 23 Apr. 2007 Location: Colorado High Country Status: Offline Points: 3798 |
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Getting a two post lift in my shop is the best thing I've ever done for my back, and my elbows, and most of my old joints. But I'm not sure about my head. I now wear a bump cap most of the time. My wife was getting upset at me for cutting up my scalp and bleeding on my shirts because I didn't duck far enough to miss a spring bolt or a skid plate corner.
Lighting under a vehicle can be a problem also. My old eyes need lots of light to see what I'm working on. I added two portable flood lights to the bases of my lift and they do a good job of lighting up a Jeep while it's up in the air. You can see them in the photo I posted up above. But lately I've been thinking that I need to add an LED headlamp strip to my bump cap to light up what's directly in front of me. So not only would I be able to see my work area better, but I'd be more inclined to wear the bump cap more often, and avoid getting more scars on my scalp.
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M38Mike
46 CJ2A SAMCJ2A 4?-5? CJ2A/3A/M38 Jigsaw 51 M38 Green Jeanne 52 M38 Blue Mule, 51 M100 Blue Mule Tale 52 XM38EV1 Electro-Willys, 52 M100 Juice Box |
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