4 post lift

Dennis,
Same lift I have had for 4 years,no problems and was able to keep my other toy.
Enjoy, Mark

Wow! Looks like you got too many toys! nice stable!

DeTomaso never invisioned these lifts when he designed the Mangusta. GT40's don't work with them either.
I think maybe a Cobra would work though on the bottom bunk.

quote:

GT40's don't work with them either.

Why not? Ground clearance? I can get my P'car on and off with 36" ramps, no problem. It's lowered about as low as I 'd want to go on the street. 1" clearance to low curb on chin spoiler.

Kelly

quote:

Originally posted by Panterror:

quote:

GT40's don't work with them either.

Why not? Ground clearance? I can get my P'car on and off with 36" ramps, no problem. It's lowered about as low as I 'd want to go on the street. 1" clearance to low curb on chin spoiler.

Kelly

You can open the deck lids while under the lift with another car stacked on top?

That's great. You must have 20 foot ceilings in your garage?

Doug,

Obviously, doing service on these lifts with BOTH cars there is not possible, but are you aware of some reason why a Mangusta or a GT40 would not fit on one? I am just about to order and that would be a deal killer for me if I'm missing something obvious. My GT40 has 4" clearance — just about an inch less than my Pantera. Thanks,

No information to that effect at all Mark. I was refering to the flip up nose and tail and the gullwing engine doors on them.

I didn't know the chains were illegal in Canada. I guess I shouldn't have been in that club in Montreal afterall? I knew there was something wrong with that. I should be punished.

FYI you really should "drill" in some reinforced concrete footings through the slab for the legs on the lifts.
A 3" slab in a residential garage is nothing to stand these things on.
They can do an awfull amount of damage to the surroundings when the topple over.

Sorry, I haven't been as lucid lately as I normally am. There are these little green creatures wearing yellow hats, scratching at the back door in the dark.
I don't know why I see them. It must be true what everyone says.

Happy knew year, nu-year, new year...whatever!

The goose is a lot lower than even my lowered Pantera but still easily drives up the ramp. The wings will likely hit if opened while the goose is parked under the rack. I didn't expect it to be able to do so, just needed the extra parking to fit the three "kids" in the garage.

My house was custom made with a thick concrete slab throughout the entire foundation. No worries there.

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
I didn't know the chains were illegal in Canada. I guess I shouldn't have been in that club in Montreal... I should be punished.

Well, Doug THOSE chains are legal. It's the tire chains that are banned. Happy New year!

quote:

FYI you really should "drill" in some reinforced concrete footings through the slab for the legs on the lifts. A 3" slab in a residential garage is nothing to stand these things on.

Do you really think so? Most have a fairly thick (1/2" or so) 12"x12" plate on the bottom of each post. Though they don't perfectly distribute the weight, the contact patch is still much larger than the contact patch of a tire. The lift and my Pantera together weigh less than a large SUV. But then again, you turn around and park another car right under it don't you? Still, I've never heard of a floor giving out under a lift.

Ahh, don't sweat it Doug. Buy a lift!

Have a good one.

Kelly

I checked with th Direct Lift distributor, they recommend 4" slab but the guy said that with the 4 pads, the weight is distributed well and that 4" is an over estimate to be on the safe side. As far as it tipping over, they say that if it ever tips over, the fallen lift will be the least of your worries as the earthquake will have damaged your house much worse. There are provisions to bolt it down but for me that would defeat the purpose of buying this lift. Its amazing how easy it is to move with the caster wheels.

Great information. It is best to be safe then sorry right?
I suppose with a 4 post you will only have 800#'s at most per leg.
('ever notice the cracks through the floor under the door and through the appron?)
You don't need to worry about no stinkin' earth quakes. Nope, not in HI.
How high is the roof of the goose? My Pantera measures 42". I didn't realize it was lower.
Can you go right under the trailer on the semi?

Haven't had any foundation cracking since the house was built. We actually have has some decent earthquake shakes in the past year but they have been hardest hit on the Big Island not here on Oahu where I live. The Goose is 40" to roof and still could use some lowering in the fender wells. I was also suprised to learn that the goose was lower than the Pantera. The under carriage is scary low, especially the oil pan and bell housing. I'm going to look into fabricating skid plates for the oil pan and bell housing.

I have a 4-pole direct lift with a "normal" slab...don't recall the thickness but I think 3"...and 9 foot ceilings.
I LOVE the 4-pole
Pictures/discussions:
http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/garage/7789402-1.html

http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/garage/7904504-1.html

quote:

FYI you really should "drill" in some reinforced concrete footings through the slab for the legs on the lifts.
A 3" slab in a residential garage is nothing to stand these things on.
They can do an awfull amount of damage to the surroundings when the topple over.

I find that suggestion curious. The base plates on my Backyard Buddy lift are 12x12. I doubt the contact patch of a 335-35-17 tire is half that, and a more conventional tire perhaps 1/3. Assuming a 3000lb Pantera on a 2500 lift, that's 5500lbs / 4 = 1375lbs per leg or 98 PSI. A 5000lb SUV in my garage would probably triple the PSI with it's contact patch of perhaps 1/3rd of a Pantera, and I don't believe it's going to break through the floor and topple over.

quote:

Originally posted by johnk:

quote:

FYI you really should "drill" in some reinforced concrete footings through the slab for the legs on the lifts.
A 3" slab in a residential garage is nothing to stand these things on.
They can do an awfull amount of damage to the surroundings when the topple over.

I find that suggestion curious. The base plates on my Backyard Buddy lift are 12x12. I doubt the contact patch of a 335-35-17 tire is half that, and a more conventional tire perhaps 1/3. Assuming a 3000lb Pantera on a 2500 lift, that's 5500lbs / 4 = 1375lbs per leg or 98 PSI. A 5000lb SUV in my garage would probably triple the PSI with it's contact patch of perhaps 1/3rd of a Pantera, and I don't believe it's going to break through the floor and topple over.

I do agree with you about the unlikiness of anything happening. After all the weight on each post is going to be no more then 800# plus the weight of the posts. (on a four leg post).
The load on the two legs would be the issue here.
The local building departments are involved in them also. They want a "minimal footing" under each which translates into a 12" diameter by 12" deep where the footing is not subject to unheated and thus freezing temps. If it is, and it would be safest to consider them as potential freezing, they would have to be 42" deep as well.

I'm sure that most will have no problems just sitting on the floor and equally as sure that there will always be a horror story, just because of human nature.

That's all wonderful when it's on the floor.
What about when the car is raised to the maximum height and you start pulling and pushing on it.
Are you familiar with the term "overturning moment"?

John

Exactly the reason to invest in a quality lift. I purchased a BackYard Buddy lift (yea, stupid name) last year, ordered another this week.

A 4 post lift is the safest. The two post are for the more adveturesome.

quote:

Originally posted by JOHNEYE:
What about when the car is raised to the maximum height and you start pulling and pushing on it.
Are you familiar with the term "overturning moment"?

These lifts generally require that they are at the lowest setting where a lever action lowers the wheels to enable moving the lift. I doubt they're very easy to move without a car on them, let alone WITH. Attempting to move a raised lift with a car would hopefully result in a well-deserved Darwin award nomination...

quote:

I doubt they're very easy to move without a car on them, let alone WITH.

I have have a BYB and it's easy to move with or without the car on it. In fact with a car on it (lowered of course), you need to stay on the down grade side because it tends to creep that way as you move it, but it can easily be done solo. Also no problem without car because the weight of the ramps can still easily overcome the weight of the columns as the casters go over-center.

Kelly

I agree, with the large, high quality wheels, easy to move with or without a car on the lift. For reference, the base plates on the posts are 12"x12".