Four Post Lift suggestions

I am comparing four post lifts for the toy box. I have looked and Backyard Buddy, Bend Pac and Direct Lift. Direct has the most features for the price. I would like some feedback from user of all brands , likes and dislikes of each.
 
I use Backyard Buddy lifts. I have two of them. I like this manufacture because I feel safe using the four poster of that design. No Problems in 7 years of service. If you use the search feature, you'll find many discussions of 2 vs 4 post lifts and the manufactures. Gone are the days of laying on cold concrete floors.
 
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Tony,
I have had one of the Direct Lifts for almost ten years. Very ez to set-up and move around. Works well, and a great product for the price. Have fun, Scott
 

Julian

Lifetime Supporter
Direct lift here too and I've been very happy with it. On reflection I'm glad I went all out and got the sliding jacks too.
 
I have one of the Chinese (eeeekk!) made 4 post lifts....an 8,000lb from this place: Find Four Post Car Lifts Or 4 Post Cars Lifts, Whatever You Call them, for the Lowest Prices

List price is about $2,400 bucks but if you get on their email mailing list you'll regularly see a sale on this lift for about $1,800 bucks.

It's actually very well made and gives excellent service. And it should, after all, we're putting 3,000lb exotic sports cars on these things, not 6,000lb suburbans or range rovers. Safety is not an issue, there's lots of safeguards such as well designed stop locks, and the quality of the thing is actually very good.

IMHO what makes a bigger difference in safety with these things between Chinese v. Bendpak or whatever is how securely they are mounted to the floor. None of these four post lifts will do very well in an earthquake for example if they're not securely mounted to the floor. Personally, I have a 12 inch slab on top of 6 inches of crushed and compacted gravel on top of (very) hard pan clay...8 inch 5/8th concrete bolts with double nuts securing the feet to the floor. It's not going anywhere.

The only reason you can buy one of these Chinese made lifts for so cheap is because the people making them are getting about 50 cents an hour for their work....
 

Ron Earp

Admin
I've had a Rotary asymmetric two post for the last four years. I absolutely love it.

Rotary Lift - the World's Most Trusted Lifts

Never had any problems with it and it seems to be of high quality. Mine is a small one that is only rated for 7000 lbs, but we're generally working with 2200-2500 lbs cars on the lift so it is quite happy with that. It is not so happy with a big truck on it though, but it gets the job done.

The two or four post debate has been on the forum for awhile but it sounds like you'd like the four post. I feel the two posts are better for purely mechanical car work but clearly if any sort of car storage is part of the equation the four post is the only choice.
 

Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
One of my friends has sold and installed all of these for decades. His ranking of quality, in order, form top to bottom:
-Nussbaum
-Whip
-Challenger
-everything else.

Mind you, most of his customers use them ALL the time and pick up things much heavier than our cars....

..he also feels that parts backup is best on Nussbaums.
 

Gregg

Gregg
Lifetime Supporter
Tony, I am using a 12,000 lb Rotary lift. I also have two rolling jacks and the oil drip tray. It has served me well without issue, for storage as well as maintenance on the family cars. I was leaning towards the backyard buddy, and then found this lift used from a car dealer. I saved a lot of money buying used. You may want to search you local Craigslist for used lifts, or even talk to the companies who service the lifts in your area. I know the local company by me, buys and sells used lifts. Just a thought. Good luck. Gregg
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
I saved a lot of money buying used. You may want to search you local Craigslist for used lifts, or even talk to the companies who service the lifts in your area.

That's a good suggestion; that's how I got a 7,000 LB two-post professional-quality lift installed in my garage for $1,300.
 

Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
Yes. From his point of view, as far as how often he has to service them, HF and Rotary would be in about the same bracket. They would both break a lot. I don't think a commercial garage would use a HF left. From OUR point of view, which is that of someone who uses the lift far more gently and less often than a professional garage, a Rotary would be reasonable if it weren't made in China. I would not, honestly, want to be under a car which was on a Chinese-made lift, after some of the horror stories I've heard from him. In this case, with safety at a premium, I'd rather be under an American or European made lift. Having a car fall on you would ruin your day and all your days to come.
 

Julian

Lifetime Supporter
Many of the Chinese lifts are now ALI/ETL certified, so at least you can be assured they meet minimum standards for safety. Ask what style of locking mechanism they employ, that seems to be the main difference between brands.

I just purchased an additional two lifts to install in a race trailer, Chinese made but I got both for the price of a single Bendpak and about half what I was quoted for a Gemini or Stinger trailer lift. As I have to modify them for width anyway I wasn't too concerned other than the locking mechanism had to be external to the post. I'll also use decking beams under the lift ramps when hauling for added peace of mind.

Julian
 
i have an eagle 4 post lift my recommendation is aluminum ramps. the steel ramps require two men and a small boy to lift and move. once the car is on the lift you remove the ramps to lift the car. so yo you spend a lot of time moving the ramps.
Lloyd
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Yes. From his point of view, as far as how often he has to service them, HF and Rotary would be in about the same bracket. .

Seriously? Let me guess: what lines is your friend selling right now? Nussbaum, Whip and Challenger?

If I were selling lifts and Rotary were a competitor to what I sold, I'd probably say the same thing. No, actually I wouldn't, because comparing Rotary to Harbor Freight is simply ridiculous, and discredits your friends recommendations. That's the trouble with taking brand advice from sales people. They have a built-in conflict of interest. Maybe he would like to come here and provide some actual honest data.
 

Ron Earp

Admin
Interesting points of view. As stated I have a Rotary lift and spend an appreciable amount of my leisure time underneath it. With running two race cars out of my shop and work occurring on them three to four times a week, I suspect we use the lift far more than the average enthusiast.

I'm not worried about being underneath the Rotary and the quality of the lift is much better than any HF lift I've seen an doesn't break a lot, in fact, it hasn't broken or malfunctioned at all. I assume Jim is correct that they are made in China, but given that China has an industrial infrastructure that can produce whatever product you could desire, as long as you're willing to pay for it, then I don't consider that a problem. With the global nature of modern product production it is difficult to try and be a consumer that only purchases goods made in a single country.
 
Like Ron, I have a Rotary 2-post, and have had no problems with it since I installed it 8 years ago.

The Rotarys are used in all the local Audi, Porsche and other local high-line dealerships I've visited, and presumably, give good service there.

And, BTW, mine was made right here in the US of A, not China.
 
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