Near the top on my list of wants for this garage is a proper lift. To be sure, just having sheltered workspace on a smooth concrete floor will be a true game changer for me, and for which I will be grateful.
But a lift would be the
pièce de résistance.
I’m not sure when I’ll be able to actually install a lift, but the garage floor and door spacing need to be designed to accommodate whichever type I choose. So that decision needs to be made fairly soon.
I considered the three basic designs to choose from - two post, four post, and scissors - and excluded the last, as it doesn’t get the vehicle to a decent working height.
I’ve also given thought to a pit, thanks to a suggestion by
@Carlaisle; but also had to exclude that from consideration, primarily due to the high water table here. There are some other factors that make a lift a better solution for this application, but a pit was definitely worth considering.
The remaining choice, then, is between a two post and a four post lift.
Since early in the planning phase I’ve assumed that I’d eventually install a two post lift. The main reasons are that it allows easy access to wheels and suspension components; allows access to nearly the entire underside of the vehicle; has a smaller footprint than a four post lift; and is somewhat less expensive.
However, realizing that I didn’t know much about four post lifts, I decided to learn more about them so that I can make a truly informed choice. Thanks to youtube and other sources on the interwebs, I’ve been able to sample a decent variety of information and opinions on the subject.
As a result I’ve learned some things.
For example, I hadn’t realized that a four post lift can be configured, by adding a trolley jack, to lift the front or rear of the vehicle sufficiently above the lift ramps to allow wheel and suspension work. This one modification is expensive, but pretty much eliminates a main limitation of a four post lift.
A four post lift, while not idiot-proof, is inherently more stable and therefore safer (which I sort of knew). This would seem particularly important with the largest of the vehicles that will go on this lift: my K2500 7.4l Suburban.
What really surprised me is that a four post lift doesn’t necessarily have to be bolted down at all. What’s more, it can actually be moved around within the shop (without a vehicle on it, of course), on casters. This seems like a pretty nice feature, as it would allow experimenting with different placements (fore and aft, side to side) before deciding on its final location. And then maybe bolting it down. Or leaving it moveable.
A four post lift is clearly the better choice for vehicle storage; a second vehicle can be parked beneath the first. However, I don’t envision that being a significant need in our application. If we had a garage queen or two, I could see it. But we don’t, and we’re not likely to.
One key factor in selecting the type of lift is accommodating the variety of other vehicles and equipment in the fleet. It would be quite handy, for example, to be able to put the mowers or the RTV 1100 on the lift for repairs and maintenance. I’m not sure that I’d put the JD 2520 tractor on a lift, but suppose that it would be possible. A two post lift would handle all of these pretty easily; it’s not clear that a four post lift would, particularly the smaller lawn tractor.
A two post lift requires 220v, whereas most four post lifts do not. Since I’m planning on wiring the garage for 220v, that’s not really a factor.
And so forth.
So that’s the selection process I’m working through, which has been both interesting and worthwhile. At this point, I’m still not sure. A four post lift has some advantages that I hadn’t considered. However, I‘m still thinking that a two post lift is the better solution for this garage. Fortunately I don’t need to make that decision for at least another week or two. We’ll see.
