Car lifts

After researching a few, I ended up buying the Direct Lift Pro Park 7. The backyard buddy is was nice but was double the price without the free stuff that comes with the Pro Park. (casters, drip trays and jack tray) Beware of "made in the USA" line. Most of the lift companies out source parts to third world countries. As long as a certain percentage of the parts are made in the USA, they can label it as such. Deceptive if you ask me. I have been happy with it and it fits in my 9' high ceiling garage stacking two Panteras. Check this website, the comparison page and video are informative:

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/

Hi Brad,
Went down this road when I bought the Pantera. I have a Direct Lift and I bought it at Quality Tool & Equipment. 42660 Rio Nedo, Temecula Ca. 92590. 1-800-647-7883.
I went to Pomona to make the buy as they threw in the ramps, castors, drip pans and jack beam if I bought at the show.
If you pick up yourself you will need a 15' flatbed or car trailer due to the length of the package. Paid $1995.00
Looks the same as all the other, have had no troubles at all.
Sorry about the pic, but shows how it fits.

Mark

Hey, same one I have bought from the same place! The package is 14'x2'x2' and weighs about 1500 lbs. A hint that the salesman gave me is that if you hire a freight company to deliver the lift, they'll charge you additional for the fork lift. He recommended that I hire a flat bed tow truck. They tilt the bed and the package slides off into your driveway. The unpacked individual pieces are easily carried into your garage. Worked out great and it was cheap. Assembly was easy. A friend and I fully assembled it in 4.5 hours. After doing it once, we could probably do it in half that time.

Dennis is right, the Direct Lift seems like a good model. I went and got Direct Lift from the same Quality Tool & Equipment in Temecula CA (I assume Direct Lift may be nation wide thought. Was only about $1,699 and they delivered and set up for a low cost. I would never pick up and assemble, damn thing is heavy! And if "you" do your own assembly and by chance your car crushes, maybe ask your insurance company if they would cover for that after you did the assembly. Make sure you measure whatever lift you are looking at. My garage is 98" to top and the cars just fit nice. Bottom car has about 2 inches of clearance from roof to lift. You may have to back in your top car though, since the garage door will then clear the short front hood rather than the big rear. This is where Valium comes in...these cars hard to see when backing up in any environment. Now just try backing up on a ramp where you have a few inches clearance on both sides! My GT5S and Group 4 are so wide that about 1/4 of tire tred sticks out on both sides, so I need to get pretty exact. My technique is the wife, where she stands at the rear of the lift pointing left or right while I back up, and she sniffs excessive hydrocarbons. Who said the wife isn't useful?

Guys with the direct lifts - How’s the quality? Is it strong and sturdy?

What lifts was PI motorsports selling some time ago?

Looks like Direct lifts are about $1700 to $1900 with drip tray/jack tray/caster set (seems like a great price)

Kwiklift about $ 3300 ... extras = more $$$$

Backyard Buddy is about $ 4000 ... extras = more $$$

quote:

Originally posted by ShotgunGrooms:
OK guys, lets talk car lifts... Models / Type’s......

Does anyone have a "KwikLift" brand (RFP7), what do you think of it?



http://www.kwiklift.com/FourPostLift/index.htm

It’s the only one that I can find with a column height of only 80" or 6'8".. Can’t go taller because I want to be able to slide it out through the garage door (only 82") onto the driveway if I want to really get the car up high to work on it

That's a Rotary Revolution lift. QwikLift is one of their distributors. I bought one through QwikLift and it was dropped shipped from the Rotary factory in Indiana. It is an American made lift and one of only 2 hobbiest lifts sold in the US that is certified by the ALI. I'm very pleased with it.

Dan

I am satisfied with the design, quality, and performance of the Direct Lift. For me it was the best bang for the buck.

Actually the Direct lift, Atlas lift and Revolution lifts are manufactured by the same company, the Dover Corp. Actually the Dover Corp. owns Revolution lifts. All now have manufacturing plants in China. Remember my earlier post, just because it says "made in USA" doesn't mean that it is, it could just be the specified amount of parts which is open to interpretation. If you look at the Revolution and the Direct lift, you can actually see the similarities.

Brad, with regards to the column height, keep in mind that when you put the lift up on the casters to move it, the columns will raise adding to the total height.

I have had a Backyard Buddy for a number of years and am very pleased with it. It started out in the 'car' section of my garage which has a 9' ceiling. I could stack lower height cars like a 3rd gen Vette ,Camaro or Pantera on top of each other, but could not raise a car all of the way up. BYB has a chart on their website to help you figure out how high a ceiling you need to stack your particular cars. I decided I would like to move the lift to the 'woodworking' area of my garage which would allow me to raise the lift to the top. That meant moving the lift through a std. 8' garage door opening with dimensions of 83" high by 95" wide. It was a tight fit, but it went through. The posts on the std lift are 80" and the casters raise it about 1/4". The lift cable bolts add another 2" though. I had a plan if those bolts would not have cleared. I would have removed the upper weather strip and reattached it with screws making it easy to remove , or just made two small sections removable as it's only those cable bolts that might give you a problem. I also had to work one post at a time through the opening as it wasn't wide enough to roll straight through. No big deal. As far as the cost of the BYB, in my opinion, it's worth it. The posts are totally boxed (kind of like boxing hot rod frame rails to handle HO engines) and the locking system is a really a safe design. I'm sure that BYB loses a lot of sales due to price, but I commend them for offering a lift that is built so well. I am not suggesting that other lifts are not safe, but I also think that BYB is not overpriced for what you get. It is probaly over engineered, but I am totally at ease when my 12 yr. old son climbs under the car with me.
Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by ShotgunGrooms:
Guys with the direct lifts - How’s the quality? Is it strong and sturdy?

What lifts was PI motorsports selling some time ago?

Looks like Direct lifts are about $1700 to $1900 with drip tray/jack tray/caster set (seems like a great price)

Kwiklift about $ 3300 ... extras = more $$$$

Backyard Buddy is about $ 4000 ... extras = more $$$

I am extremely satisfied with my Direct Lift!

Another photo

Dang! Dan & Dennis, you guys from out of CA have nice tall garages where you can drive directly onto to the lift without having to back in. Won't find none of that kind of thing here in Southern CA. Everything here requires a shoe horn to squeeze cars in.

Dover Corporation, among their numerous holdings, owns Rotary Lifts. Rotary, until a few years ago, manufactured only US made commerical lifts. Rotary wanted in on the lucritive home lift market and designed and started making the Rotary Revolution in their Madison, IN manufacturing facility. They had the Revolution model independently ALI certified. The only other home lift that is ALI certified is the Bend Pack 8. Bend Pack manufactures their commerical lifts in the US but has moved the Bend Pack 8 production to China.

The Revolution is the 5th lift I've owned. I considered buying a Direct Lift but when one of the Direct Lift importers refused to answer my technical questions and told me he wouldn't sell me a lift because of the questions I was asking, I scratched them off my list. Direct Lifts are manufactured by Hanmecson in China. Hanmecson is the largest manufacturer of lifts in China. The scissors lift in my picture is a Hanmecson.

I ended up buying the Revolution as part of a group buy on another forum. We got a good deal on them otherwise I would have gone with a different brand.

In August of this year, Rotary bought Hanmecson. Hanmecson operates as a seperate company manufacturing lifts in China.

If there is a group buy here...Im in!!

I dont own a lift but a good friend of mine bought a Super Lift and he loves it. The price is fair and he bought it from them while they were at the Auburn Auction. They came to his house and set up the lift for a very reasonable fee.
Heres the link.
http://superlifts.com/
Jeff

I see from photos that some of you are braver than me. I was too nervous to raise my car very high until I had bolted the lift to the floor. Being a government worker I had yesterday off. Spent about two hours drilling holes into my garage floor. Found out the hard way that to do it right requires renting a hammer drill! I'm no youngster so today I'm hurting. But hopefully by the end of this week I can finally park one car under the other.

I bolted mine down also. A friend that had previously installed one had a hammer drill. I feel much safer with it bolted down.

I have learned that some need it to be bolted and others do not require it,,, Backyard buddy claims it is not necessary and it is sold without “bolt holes” ?????

Are Direct Lifts required to be bolted down ?

Backyard Buddy started the option of adding a casters to roll the lift around. All hobbiest lifts have it as an option or included in the price.

In order for a lift and it's latching mechanism to work properly, the lift needs to be square and level vertically, horizontally and longitudinally. So if you move the lift you should re-level it. I have no need to move my lift so I bolted it down. IMHO it's a safety issue.

If you're looking for a less expensive American made lift alternative to the Backyard Buddy, try http://allamericanlifts.com/ It's an enclosed collar lift like the BB. I feel it's a better lift and $1000 cheaper.

Brad,
Direct lifts have holes if you want to bolt it down but, its not nessesary.

Mark

The Direct Lift dudes told me it is probably best not to bolt it down here in earthquake country. They also said once you bolt it down, it most likely becomes an attached structural piece of material in the garage, requireing a permit. Maybe Consumer Reports has done something in the past on lifts? That would be interesting to see. My insurance company never heard of any lift failing in all their years, and they cover damage if it did, so that made me feel better when I was checking all this out.

Anyone found a secret for backing a Pantera onto the lift (maybe some type of side guides)? It is pretty nerve shattering, especially for a wide body, even with the wife directing it from behind hacking from the hydrocarbons.

quote:

Anyone found a secret for backing a Pantera onto the lift

Need power mirrors so you can tilt them at an angle that let's you see where you're going.

My wife and I discovered that it is easier for her to guide me from up front. I can see her better and she doesn't have to eat carbon dioxide. The Mangusta is a bear to back on the ramp, you can't see anything!

Anybody have some close-ups of the direct lift (post and locking, maybe cabling) I am having a hard time locating one locally to look at (dealer or showroom) Thanks

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Articles.asp?ID=135
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/ProductDetails.asp?Pr...PARK7&Show=TechSpecs

quote:

Originally posted by ShotgunGrooms:
Anybody have some close-ups of the direct lift (post and locking, maybe cabling) I am having a hard time locating one locally to look at (dealer or showroom) Thanks

If you want specific pictures of a PP7, send me your email address (dyogi@hawaii.rr.com) and I'll take and send you photos of mine.

Thanks Dennis

Sent you a PM

I just recently put up my Superlift. We have been offered a group discount but it is more than the other lifts mentioned in earlier posts. Fully loaded it was about $3500. I went to the factory in Aurora,MO and picked it up. I saw the raw materials and they looked tough to me. The U.S. built 4 post takes 3 big guys to lift the big pieces. The rest of it can be built with just one person. It took me about 2 evenings to put it together. The China lift is much lighter, more than a $1000 cheaper, and powder coat not as tough. Salesman talked me into the U.S. built unit. Just my 2 cents. Use my name and say that Keith gave the ok for the Pantera Group discount. Good luck, Mike Grillot, Missouri

I finally got around to ordering a lift and I decided on a Direct Lift Pro-Park 7. What I received was more like a PP7.5 since it has just been upgraded in some very nice ways to be more like the PP8 but at the same price as the PP7. Now the ramps can be levelled and the safety mechanism is much better than before. The only down-side is that the columns are now 87" tall making them just tall enough to NOT fit through a standard 7' (tall) door opening — should you ever want to move the unit out of a 7' opening.

I also got the accessory jacks that span the ramps and allow you to raise the car off its wheels for service. I've only had it for about 6 hours but I am (so far) completely satisfied and can't see any reason to spend a huge amount more money than I did. If you do order one, make SURE that you're getting one of the new ones with the upgrades.

Cna you post some pictures of the upgrades? I'd like to see what they improved. Boy that column is close! Thanks

There seems to be some concerns about safety latches, etc. Has anyone ever heard of a lift failing or seen something on the web reported? My insurance company has not heard of any in their life time, so I was just curious.

quote:

Originally posted by 4NFORD:
Can you post some pictures of the upgrades? I'd like to see what they improved. Boy that column is close! Thanks

Yup. There's about a 1/2 inch gap between the column and door. It'll be OK when the new door goes in (much higher). Here's some detail shots. From what I was told, the key new features are the ability to level the ramps when at rest on the safety stops. There are larger pins that settle into cut-outs (B) on adjustable (A) hanging 1/4" plate safety-stop ladders that sit inside the columns (C) — which I'm told are heavier gauge now.

Dennis is right about the assembly. I had DirectLift do it (call me lazy-ass) and it took them about 2.5 hours (2 guys). I could have done it, but I would have futzed around a lot, hurt my back more and taken 6 hours IF I had a friend helping out. I've had it over 24 hours now and so far it hasn't collapsed.

and

and last:

Nice lift, dude. Looks like it'll even hold up my XXL frame. Maybe we'll drop in and sit up there drinking beer while you clean up all the stuff you moved out of the way. Nice work. Let me know when the new door is coming. I will be glad to direct.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Charlton:

quote:

Originally posted by 4NFORD:
Can you post some pictures of the upgrades? I'd like to see what they improved. Boy that column is close! Thanks

Yup. There's about a 1/2 inch gap between the column and door. It'll be OK when the new door goes in (much higher). Here's some detail shots. From what I was told, the key new features are the ability to level the ramps when at rest on the safety stops. There are larger pins that settle into cut-outs (B) on adjustable (A) hanging 1/4" plate safety-stop ladders that sit inside the columns (C) — which I'm told are heavier gauge now.

Dennis is right about the assembly. I had DirectLift do it (call me lazy-ass) and it took them about 2.5 hours (2 guys). I could have done it, but I would have futzed around a lot, hurt my back more and taken 6 hours IF I had a friend helping out. I've had it over 24 hours now and so far it hasn't collapsed.

OK, I feel better, mine looks like yours, I guess I got the modern version too! I had my door lifted closer to the ceiling and gained about a foot. Several companies told me that I had to put in a new door as the angles were too much of a change. One company told me that the others were full of it and it was as simple as adding new tracks to extend the height and raising the existing brackets. They did the job and it hasn't given me a problem since.

Did the cable drums and spring assembly have to be raised too?

quote:

Originally posted by JOHNEYE:
Did the cable drums and spring assembly have to be raised too?

I haven't done it yet, but in my case, yes, they will. My new door will go vertical to the ceiling before turning horizontal.

Well, as it turns out, I didn't need to change anything, but if my cars were any taller...

quote:

Originally posted by JOHNEYE:
Did the cable drums and spring assembly have to be raised too?

I had them raised and gained about an extra foot of space.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Charlton:
Well, as it turns out, I didn't need to change anything, but if my cars were any taller...

Oooh, that must be a pucker factor when raising the car that extra inch to engage the locks. That is close. The first time must have been nerve racking!

I might be a little late but I have a brand called Stinger. Have had it for 10 years. I believe it is the best piece of equipment I have ever bought. It went together and works great. I never bolted it down because in my last garage turned it side ways using the casters to store the lift side ways once the car was on the lift. I have even rolled it outside my garage to use a pressure washer to clean the underside of my truck. I had to tweak the relief valve a little, but now it will lift my 3/4 ton diesel short box crew cab.

quote:

Originally posted by 4NFORD:
My wife and I discovered that it is easier for her to guide me from up front. I can see her better and she doesn't have to eat carbon dioxide. The Mangusta is a bear to back on the ramp, you can't see anything!

I have 2 convex mirrors mounted on the left side posts (one at the rear-allowing me to align with the ramps and one at the front-to make sure I'm straight).

I also used "chrome" spray paint and masked off a "high vis" alignment line and "stop" line/mark. Finally, I hooked a spotlight up to my garage door opener so that when the door moves, the front left quadrant (with the mirror, tire/wheel, and ramp (with alignment stripes) is illuminated. :-)

On garage lifts, you have several styles- there are two-post side lifts, 4 post lifts and the one poor boys like myself buy- a single post hydraulic type from a bankrupt gas station. Going price is $500 and you move & install it. It runs off a 1-horse air compressor and has three heights of safety locks. It installs easily once you dig a 7' hole 24" in dia. The column slides in and is backfilled with dry sand. In some areas like CA, the cylinder with 45 gallons of hydraulic oil is considered to be a 'hazardous waste container' and they want you to build a concrete containment pit with an alarm & sump pump in the hole. Mine's in NV, and we don't mind other people's business.
With a single column, the center of the car is inaccessible and with the 4-post types, the suspension is inaccessible. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the two-post side lift type which has no inaccessible areas, but a friend in the Bay Area had trouble with his new (Bend-Pak?) 2-post. For the 1st try, he lifted his wife's 05 Caddy to 7ft. At full lift, one cable popped off the ram, dropping that side 18" until the safety lock engaged. This left the expensive 4000-lb car slanted sideways at 30 degrees, 7 ft in the air. LOTS of quick work by 3 guys with floor jacks and 4x4s to push it back up to where the loose cable could be put back onto the hydraulic ram top. Turns out that one hydraulic cylinder was slightly bent in shipment; he quickly made a pair of steel plate brackets and tack-welded them to the tops of both rams as cable guides. Always something.....

quote:

Originally posted by TomCat:
I have 2 convex mirrors mounted on the left side posts (one at the rear-allowing me to align with the ramps and one at the front-to make sure I'm straight).

I also used "chrome" spray paint and masked off a "high vis" alignment line and "stop" line/mark. Finally, I hooked a spotlight up to my garage door opener so that when the door moves, the front left quadrant (with the mirror, tire/wheel, and ramp (with alignment stripes) is illuminated. :-)

Tomcat, I would love to see photos of your mirror set up. I would think the convex mirrors would distort too much to really see where you are on the ramp. I got a "baby monitor" small wireless camera with a 3" monitor that I am going to try to see how that works. With my wide body, I don't have much room on the sides, and if I start getting slightly crooked on the ramp it just aint good. Your mirrors sound like they may work, let me see what it looks like, thanks.

I think that mirrors that are large enough to see the length of the ramp on both rear pillars are the key. My 335/35's take up a lot of the ramp and sometimes in getting them centered my fronts become crooked. I guess being able to see the length of the ramp and maybe border lines will make it a one shot deal. I must be getting old, its getting harder every year!

quote:

Originally posted by DOES 200:
I got a "baby monitor" small wireless camera with a 3" monitor that I am going to try to see how that works. With my wide body, I don't have much room on the sides, and if I start getting slightly crooked on the ramp it just aint good.

The baby monitor worked pretty good for backing the car straight on the ramps.

quote:

Originally posted by DOES 200:

quote:

Originally posted by TomCat:
I have 2 convex mirrors mounted on the left side posts (one at the rear-allowing me to align with the ramps and one at the front-to make sure I'm straight).

I also used "chrome" spray paint and masked off a "high vis" alignment line and "stop" line/mark. Finally, I hooked a spotlight up to my garage door opener so that when the door moves, the front left quadrant (with the mirror, tire/wheel, and ramp (with alignment stripes) is illuminated. :-)

Tomcat, I would love to see photos of your mirror set up. I would think the convex mirrors would distort too much to really see where you are on the ramp. thanks.

Mirror shown on left rear post. I lined the car up perfectly (the first time I had the mirrors) and sat in the driver's seat and got a good "sight picture" (1"-2" of exposed ramp beyond the width of the tire) and its been EASY ever since.

Tomcat, thanks for the photo post showing the mirror. But I see you pull your car in forward. Have you tried using them to back in? That is where I had issues, backing in with a wide body.

Have any of the lift owners had to deal with a slope in the garage floor? Mine is about 3" from front to back. It allows water to drain off the floor. JD

quote:

Originally posted by DOES 200:
Tomcat, thanks for the photo post showing the mirror. But I see you pull your car in forward. Have you tried using them to back in? That is where I had issues, backing in with a wide body.

I haven't tried backing...I think you have an issue! I might back it slowly with the driver's door partially open looking at alignment???

Do you jave to back it for ramp clearence or door/ceiling clearence?

quote:

Originally posted by JD #7052-GTS:
Have any of the lift owners had to deal with a slope in the garage floor? Mine is about 3" from front to back. It allows water to drain off the floor. JD

I THINK mine is 3%...but no, my 4-pole doesn't seem to mind.

Mine has a similar slope and it is not a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by TomCat:
Do you jave to back it for ramp clearence or door/ceiling clearence?

Yes, I have to back in because of garage clearance over the front hood is lower vs the tall rear of the car (see my photo in the post above). I was just wondering if your mirrors helped backing in, but it looks like you pull in forward. The baby monitor video camera that I got works pretty good in keeping the car straight. I velcro the 2" camera under the car by the rear wheel when I am ready to park and I have the ramp marked with a strip of masking tape where the rear tire is to travel. Then I get in the car, watch the video while backing it in and make sure my rear tire is just on the tape all the way to the rear of the ramp. Another method that kind of works is holding a small mirror out at arms length out the window so you can watch the rear tire on the ramp as you back on the ramp. The side mirrors don't work well since you can't see the tire/ramp area. For those that don't know, it is real easy to get crooked on the ramp when backing in almost blind in our cars that you can't see well anyway out the rear. Start off just 1" at a crooked angle and you got big problems 1/2 way down the ramp before you even know it. Can't keep the door open either to look back, since the lift post is there. I usually do a good dose of valium before backing in, seems to help some.

Gee that sounds like a lot of work to back your car onto a ramp. I don't have a ramp, but I do hate to scratch my wheels backing into a parking spot. I also want to have a good view of all the blind spots around the car.

These $5 stick-on mirrors work fantastic. Yes, "Objects are closer than they appear" in half the mirror, but placed as you see them I have perfect vision all around.

And I can see my rear tires perfectly.

quote:

I haven't tried backing...I think you have an issue! I might back it slowly with the driver's door partially open looking at alignment???

Adjustable electric power mirrors are great for this kind of thing so you can aim them down to the ramp as you back in.

With another car on the way I need a car lift as 6 cars into a 3 car garage just doesn't go. I decided on the Direct Lift, but I'll pay the extra and go for the Pro park 9 model to get the wider track ramps for the GT5.

I was in Larry Stock's the other day and happened to mention I was going to get a lift and he said he has 3 other people wanting lifts so we are going to see if we can get a discounted group buy. No harm in trying, if anyone here was on teh fence about getting one maybe an opportunity to join in. We are planning on having them combined shipped to Larry's shop in Reno, so you would likely have to arrange local pick up or onward shipping from there.

I am interested in the "Direct Lift Pro-Park 7". What kind of discount are we talking?

Brad,

Not sure what we can negotiate yet, but obviously the more interest we can get the better chance we stand. I'll see if I get some idea of what would be on offer for say a group of 6, 10 etc. (we have a definite 4 here already) and report back. I would hope we could get 10% or 'add ons' (I want the jack anyway) thrown in free.

Count me in, with or without a car on the way I'm in.

We will have to find out the discount details, if any. Shipping from Reno for some of us may eat up any discount. Eager to see what a equipment vendor can do with the cost on a large order.

Direct lift has a dealer in California. I think it was called Quality Tools. This is where mine was shipped from. The packed lift is about 14'x2'x2' and weighs about 1400lbs. It cost me $700 to ship to Hawaii. If you need it delivered to your home, the cheapest option is to hire a flatbed tow truck, they can slide it off to your driveway. If a shipper delivers it, you'll pay for the flatbed plus the fork lift. Once unpacked, you can carry it into your garage piece by piece. One man can lift the pieces by himself but assembly requires 2. A friend and I put it together in about 4.5 hours with no experience. We could probably do it in half the time now that we've done it before.

Superlifts came in at $2400 with 3 drip trays, castors and jack tray inclusive of freight to Reno. What I like about their 7,000lb model is its extra width for the GT5 (equivalent to everyone elses 9,000 lb model)

Direct Lifts came back with a quote of $1600 FOB Quality Tool Temecula, CA for the Pro-Park 7LL model. We are working on combined freight to Reno and it will certainly be less than if you did this alone. Alternatively I'm betting you could take advantage of the $1600 price and arrange your own freight to the location of your choice.

Hi guys.

Just wondering if anyone has heard of this company in Canada that is selling lifts:

http://www.carlift.ca/carlift_fortress.php#specifications

They have some good deals in market (including a price matching guarantee of being 10% lower cost) and are expecially attractive to me since their warehouse is located in Calgary (where I live).

I checked out their King and Fortress lifts in person today and then came home to compare their lifts to the Direct Lift Pro Park 8 (http://www.adgforward.com/directlift/pro-park-8.htm) and the Kwiklift Revolution (http://www.kwiklift.com/FourPostLift/index.htm). Their spec is very comparible in all areas.

I guess the only thing that is bugging me is I don't know who the manufacturer is ... at least not yet. I am going to make a trip back with an engineer who works for me to ensure I am not getting hosed.

Any feedback is appreciated.

ps. Thanks to Dave Londry and Mark Charlton for their feedback.

Julian, I am still in....let me know what the consensus is and when.

DL&DT,

Send me a PM with your contact details and we'll try and figure it out. We are picking up in Temecula CA and trucking to Reno, so we would have to figure out onward shipping to NYC. Using my company's account and 70% discount I got a rate of $1,200, so you may actually be better at least checking delivered prices with one of the suppliers closer to home. www.gregsmithequipment.com are advertising the Pro-Park 8 for $1695 (Call for better price) and they have a warehouse in Delaware to ship from. We are only getting a $100 discount on the lifts, the saving is in supplier proximity and combined truck freight.

quote:

Originally posted by Joules5:
DL&DT,

using my company's account and 70% discount I got a rate of $1,200, so you may actually be better at least checking delivered prices with one of the suppliers closer to home. www.gregsmithequipment.com are advertising the Pro-Park 8 for $1695 (Call for better price) and they have a warehouse in Delaware to ship from..

I used Greg Smith (I think I still have a testimonial on their site somewhere)and couldn't have been happier.

Additionally, $1,200 seems 4 times higher than I recall...but I DID have to have a loading dock and forklift to get my lift off the semi.

quote:

Additionally, $1,200 seems 4 times higher than I recall

Very likely, my $1,200 quote was based on shipping one of our group purchase lifts from Reno on to NYC. Your comment reinforces the point I was trying to make as it is likely a lot cheaper for DL&DT to order direct from a more local source. Greg Smith has warehouses in Indiana, Georgia and Delaware.

Point well taken, I will do some research here on my end. Thank you for looking out for me nonetheless.

quote:

Originally posted by DeLoreans and DeTomasos:
Point well taken, I will do some research here on my end. Thank you for looking out for me nonetheless.

The type of truck/transportation is HUGELY important.
Using an LTL (less than truckload) carrier...meaning using a "commercial" 40' or larger truck that just pulls up to a loading dock...where you/someone drives a forklift onto the truck and gets your product is 5-10 times cheaper than FedEx/UPS delivering something this industrial to your home.

quote:

Using an LTL (less than truckload) carrier...meaning using a "commercial" 40' or larger truck that just pulls up to a loading dock...where you/someone drives a forklift onto the truck and gets your product is 5-10 times cheaper than FedEx/UPS delivering something this industrial to your home.

When I bought my lift, I just had it shipped to the local freight terminal. I used Yellow freight because we had a corporate discount but so do most of the lift manufacturers. The Yellow terminal gave me a call when it arrived and I had one of the local tow service Co's with a roll-back truck pick it up and deposit it on my driveway. He use his winch, tipped the bed, and let it slide down the bed, and then with the bed still inclined, just inched away until it slid gently down the ramp onto the ground. For me, it was $350 for the freight (about 500 miles) and $69 for the roll back service. Of course, freight will vary base on distance.

High lifting the door was another story.

Kelly

quote:

High lifting the door was another story.

I'm looking at installing one of the screw drive garage door openers that sits on the wall above the door, supossedly only needs 4" clearance. Then I need to figure out how to raise it by adding some track in the runner to get it to open closer to the ceiling!

quote:

I'm looking at installing one of the screw drive garage door openers that sits on the wall above the door, supossedly only needs 4" clearance. Then I need to figure out how to raise it by adding some track in the runner to get it to open closer to the ceiling!

Just be advised, there are some limitations to high lifting a door with a conventional spring balanced opener. Depends upon how high the door is lifted before it starts to feed horizontally, the weight of the door, and the power rating of the opener.

Conventional openers count on the effective weight of the door being lessened by the spring winding up and reducing the effective weight of the door as is closes. The higher you lift before the door goes horizontal, the more the spring unwinds and the heavier the door gets.

-Kelly

quote:

Originally posted by Panterror:

quote:

Using an LTL (less than truckload) carrier...meaning using a "commercial" 40' or larger truck that just pulls up to a loading dock...where you/someone drives a forklift onto the truck and gets your product is 5-10 times cheaper than FedEx/UPS delivering something this industrial to your home.

Great ideas...and the $s seem right to my memory

When I bought my lift, I just had it shipped to the local freight terminal. I used Yellow freight because we had a corporate discount but so do most of the lift manufacturers. The Yellow terminal gave me a call when it arrived and I had one of the local tow service Co's with a roll-back truck pick it up and deposit it on my driveway. He use his winch, tipped the bed, and let it slide down the bed, and then with the bed still inclined, just inched away until it slid gently down the ramp onto the ground. For me, it was $350 for the freight (about 500 miles) and $69 for the roll back service. Of course, freight will vary base on distance.

High lifting the door was another story.

Kelly