garage lifts

Pass on that one.

That is a symmetrical host and you want an A-symmetrical host. The difference is in the arms. Symmetrical hoists have equal length arms and the upright posts would be near the center of the vehicle. A-symmetrical hoist has shorter arms in the front and longer arms in the rear so the uprights go near the A post of the vehicle. Forward sells one that has special arms that can be used as both styles.

It really depends on what your needs and requirements are when picking a hoist, but I would spend a little more money and buy a 9,000 or 10,000 lb hoist. You can normally get them a little wider than you can a 6,000 or 7,000 lb hoist and while you may not think that is important. Think about this the wider the hoist the easier it is to get in and out of the vehicle without doing body damage. It's also nice to be wider when doing jobs that require you to be both in and out of the vehicle. As an added bonus it will lift your truck.

The hoses running off the legs of that hoist will also be a trip hazard and a real pain in the ass to work around. You really don't want anything in the way of rolling say a trany jack under the vehicle. You want a hoist that has the power unit mounted on the upright.

As far as brands, I have worked off a number of different hoists and by far like the Forward brand hoist best. I love the extra height option along with the extra width option, but some of that depends on the building that you are putting it in.
 
Apparently that outfit hits a lot of forums an has group buys for around 1600 bucks.
The big selling point is you can undo a few bolts and roll it off to the side for storage.
They don't lift very high, so you have to sit on a rolling chair to work under the car.
Check out CF, I think they still have the group buy in the C6 section and have some reviews by buyers.

With so many places shutting down around here, there were some great deals, and the assymetricals are the best by far. Wish mine was.
Mine is 8000lb and I put full pickups up all the time.
 
I am looking at this lift just for the vette,and it has to fit in my garage with the typical 8ft ceilings. I would prefer one that wold lift high enough to walk under,but that would mean doing away with 1 spare bedroom or my daughters room. One of the problems i will have with a lift like this,is that my car has side pipes.
 
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I like that lift, I would install it permament tho.

It doesnt lift very high but seems solid, I saw a few and looks sturdy.

I'm doing a Mustang rear sengine seal, brakes change tires etc.
Would be good for my bikes too.
theres always something to do on the cars.

The only thing is the assymetrical thing, but I could live with that.

The next big buy for the garage.

That would be welcomed for sure.

I have a 24 ft wide garage, I would install it in one door and later would get a 4 post to park 2 cars for the winter etc.
 
anyone going to comment on concrete floor thickness? I have 3.5" in my shed and I don`t think it`s thick enough.
 
redvetracr said:
anyone going to comment on concrete floor thickness? I have 3.5" in my shed and I don`t think it`s thick enough.
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The information on Norther's website says minimum of 4 inches. I would be nervous under 5 inches. You could always cut out the concrete where it was going to mount and pour some pilings for them.
 
I am not sure what the thickness is of my floor, i intend on cutting out the floor and pouring a thicker pad.
 
Here are a couple links to threads over at CF about the concrete and anchors etc.
One guy I think is going to try his existing slab and another guy cut and poured new footings, a little more than necessary, but that's good too.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-tech-performance/2740512-maxjax-group-buy.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-general/2763501-maxjax-install.html

If your going to cut things open and have a permanent install, you may want to consider some conduit under the slab to fish the hydraulic lines thru to keep them out of the way.:devil:
 
010752 said:
Here are a couple links to threads over at CF about the concrete and anchors etc.
One guy I think is going to try his existing slab and another guy cut and poured new footings, a little more than necessary, but that's good too.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-tech-performance/2740512-maxjax-group-buy.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-general/2763501-maxjax-install.html

If your going to cut things open and have a permanent install, you may want to consider some conduit under the slab to fish the hydraulic lines thru to keep them out of the way.:devil:
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A permanent install would be nice,but i will keep it portable for now. I may be building a new house with a bigger shop in the near future :bounce:
 
Once you get the slab open for the new footings, shoving a piece of pipe (conduit) thru the gravel under there should be no trick.
 
TimAT said:
Once you get the slab open for the new footings, shoving a piece of pipe (conduit) thru the gravel under there should be no trick.
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If not underground, it wouldn't be bad running them up to the ceiling and across.
 
I like the 4 post lifts. But I would like to have the room for any lift here.:bomb:
 
big2bird said:
I like the 4 post lifts. But I would like to have the room for any lift here.:bomb:
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Yeh, join the club, if I was 20+ years younger and still making money, I would tear into the garage and reframe the whole damn thing into a 12' ceiling and have a 4 post lift.....

as it is, I just sleep under the car.....on my back......:gurney:
 
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