Car lifts

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.