2 Post Lift

[Gary J.]

I am looking into purchasing a two post lift and wonder if anyone has a lift made by American Automotive Equipment. I have spoken to them and and they can ship me a lift in three weeks. I am considering their 2 post TPO9. The lift is asymmetric where you do not have to worry about the car doors. Their web site is www.americanautomotiveequipment.com. The weight limit is 9,000lbs and the lift is made in Fort Worth, Texas.

I can also buy an Auto Lifters, www.autolifters.com, low profile 8,000lbs. which will cost $100.00 more and the wait is 6 weeks. I figure a lot of you have Auto Lifters and like them but I am wondering about American Automotive Equipment quality, saftey, and which is the best of the two.

Gary Jaynes
#3503

[Jim T.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

Sure don't have the experience to evaluate the best of the two. I have two four post lifts from Autolifters. Autolifters manufactures their own lifts according the the video they sent me of their manufacturing facility in Kansas. My purpose was for car storage more than anything else.

[Gary C.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

I have a Rotary two post lift. Prior to purchase I considered all the options much as you are now. The bottom line for me was safety. No amount of money was worth a compromise in safety. I chose to go with a local professional who installs these things on a daily basis. As you know the instillation is important, and a little more difficult than the average four post lift. I chose Rotary because they have a strong commercial reputation, they are not big at the hobby level, however. There are some obvious benefits to having a local dealer involved.

[Werner R.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

did the installer require a 6" slab instead of the standard garage 4" slab in order to strengthen the anchor bolts??

[Gary C.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

werner

My guess is the installer would attempt an instillation into a typical 4" slab. he was mindful of explaining all the particulars. he states one can estimate how well the expansion bolts are "set" by how many threads are exposed after the bolt is tourqued down.

In my particular case the slab is a commercial property and was no problem.

Any questions re the slab would only make a local dealer all the more valuable, as my original post suggest. While the installer has liability insurance, I am sure he does not want to do any type of instillation that is likely to end in failure, any more than his customer

This particular dealer claims he has attended a Rotary training session where a truck was lifted without the lift secured to the floor. I suppose to illustrate some design features

[Werner R.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

thanks gary
good thoughts. i suppose i could contact the manufacturer and ask. if a 4" slab is ok, then movability is the only issue. i can move the 4 post lift on castors, but the two post seems fixed. i don't know yet whether or not this is a big issue with me.
werner

[John H.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

I had about fifteen Rotary 2-post lifts at the Viper Plant, and the Rotary rep was very helpful to my skilled trades guys when we installed them; at one point I asked him about a 2-post home installation (before I bought my Double-Park 4-post lift), and I recall him saying that Rotary wouldn't install one without a minimum 6" re-rod-reinforced slab. The asymmetrical lifts in particular impart a significant cantilevered tensile load on the slab.

[Werner R.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

thanks john
makes a lot of sense

[Michael S.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

Rotary invented the lift about 70+ years ago. They are the world leader in commercial lifts. They "now" have a hobbyist line of equipment. I believe they only make 4 post lifts for the hobby market. Parking type lifts.

A 2 post lift is great for work and service of your Corvette. A 2 post is NOT a good parking lift. Decide what you main focus of use will be and purchase a lift for that use. "I" do NOT use my 2 post for any type of storage. If a car is on the lift after play time, I lower it to the floor.

I second, third or however many recommended that you buy locally from a dealer who will provide installation if you purchase a 2 post. It's not worth the hassle or liability to install yourself. This is EXACTLY why I purchased a "Rotary lift". The local dealer has been in business MANY years with Rotary as their only line. Rotary lifts are all over Nashville in many commercial garages.

I do not believe that the purchase of a 4 post is as big a deal as a 2 post. There is a lot more engineering and load calculations/positioning that go with a two post lift including the "fixed" mounting to your floor. Most 4 posts available to hobbyists are just that, a hobby lift. They are certainly are not commercial grade. I have not seen any "Back Yard Buddies" in local car dealership service garages. That is not a "knock" of Back Yard Buddy, commercial use is not their market. Another quality lift that has an extensive dealer network across the US are "Challenger Lifts".

Buy a good lift once. I looked at good used before I purchased a new Rotary. Price difference was only about a $1,000 installed. I purchased a new Rotary 9000 # lift new in 2001 for $3,000 installed with a 5 year FULL warranty including the installation. It took the installer about 3 1/2 hours and he does this stuff everyday and has the tools.

Installation is something else you need to consider with mail order lifts. Or should I say the lack of installation you receive when you buy a 2 post mail order lift. They all say they have local installers available. When you have a problem, is the lift and manufactures fault or did the installer make a mistake? I think you know the answer to that question. Neither will take responsibility. Buy local so the seller and installer are the same and there are problems.

[Mike McKown]

Re: 2 Post Lift

Gary:

I just bought and installed an Auto-Lifters 8000# clear floor lift. Never did one before. It was easy. The biggest job is squaring the lift to the garage and drilling the holes for the anchors. If you have a good, sharp drill, there shouldn't be any problem with drilling. It seems most hoist makers want to give you a cheap anchor. The best are Hilti anchors which are not usually included. The cheap ones are okay and like someone said, you can tell how good your anchor is by the number of threads pulled when you tighten it up. I somehow don't believe that the lift manufacturerers would set themselves up for a lawsuit on something that is unsafe.

If you have a symmetrical lift, they will just about stand alone with a car on them with no anchors. The other kind with the off-center arms are a different story. It is my OPINION that anchoring to the floor is not a major safety issue. Where you can get burnt is in the cylinder size, quality and the pump and motor quality. Some lifts brag the fast lift time. Those would be the ones with the small cylinders which wil lift faster but work under more pressure. Hey, this is a hobby! Whos' in a hurry!

I looked at a Rotary Lift. The price scared me off. They are premium quality lifts. I didn't think I needed something like that for my hobby.

I like my Auto Lifter clear floor. Looks like quality parts and there is a helpful guy named Paul on the service line to take care of your problems.

[Dick W.]

Re: 2 Post Lift

Gary, no matter what lift you buy, I would look for a certification label. The lift manufactures has a voluntary certification program (I believe it is ALI). It has to do with safety. Some of the cheaper lifts do not have this certification. Rotary, for one, does have this certification. I have had two Rotary lifts, one twin post in floor, and one symetrical above floor. No problems with either