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Two post lift

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^Ha ha. I got that email too. I would get the lower one with the connection on the bottom. At least it would fit in my garage. From what I hear, those are fine for the homeowner shop.
 
I have room for the taller one. But, I wonder what the disadvantage is of having that plate on the floor? I was really wondering if this company has quality products. Obviously they are having an end of year sale that is pretty attractive.


I saw that you need a few parts. I will take a look, I might have the pully.

Jerry
 
^Thank you for looking.

The plate on the bottom just gets in the way. You have to drive over it, and it gets in the way of wheeled equipment like a floor jack, creeper or wheeled stool.
 
Legal Bill said:
^Thank you for looking.

The plate on the bottom just gets in the way. You have to drive over it, and it gets in the way of wheeled equipment like a floor jack, creeper or wheeled stool.
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Yeah, we had one at work and i hated it for that reason. But if youy don't have the ceiling clearance, you really don't have a choice, unless you get a portable scissors lift, which limits lift height and task ability.

I've got a bend-pak MX10acx and had to dent the tin in my shop to get it to clear. One thing you can do if you can't get a lift within budget that'll go low enough, is put 2X6(12) blocks on the ground and drive on them to get it high enough to swing the arms under. It just takes a second to lay them out. Had to do it for a vette and my old Z car. Once the car is up, you can leave 'em or kick 'em out the way.
 
A buddy of mine in the Honda S2000 club has a lift in his garage and he does exactly that. A couple of 2x6s do the trick.

What I wonder about those lifts is what kind of anchors you have to put in the floor. Is that a lot of work?
 
These, in 3/4" diameter: https://www.confast.com/products/thunderstud-anchor.aspx

Mine uses five (5) per column.

thunderstud-anchor.jpg
 
Just drill a hole and bang them in. Interesting. I'm not sure I understand how the collar on the shaft of the anchor holds the stud in the concrete, but I guess it work.
 
"I'm not sure I understand how the collar on the shaft of the anchor holds the stud in the concrete, but I guess it work."
------------------------------------
Bill--

Notice the tapered right end which draws up into the split collar as the nut is tightened and locks the stud into the concrete. These can be undone and removed if necessary and I would guess that after a number of removals the hole in the concrete might get a little raggedy and lessen the fastener's strength.

They are sometimes called "Redheads" which is a misnomer as that is a brand of fastener which, along with others, (Hilti, etc) has several types of sleeve fasteners within its line, this being but one of them. They are rated from light to heavy duty. The most critical thing in using them is to make a nice, round hole square to the surface using a hammer drill and masonry bit.

For a permanent installation (which I would have on any lift)there are also fasteners that are inserted into a resin and are permanent and extremely strong. For more information that you'll ever need go to: https://www.confast.com/concrete-fasteners.aspx.

Best--Michael
 
Michael Oritt said:
"I'm not sure I understand how the collar on the shaft of the anchor holds the stud in the concrete, but I guess it work."
------------------------------------
Bill--

Notice the tapered right end which draws up into the split collar as the nut is tightened and locks the stud into the concrete. <span style="font-weight: bold">These can be undone and removed if necessary and I would guess that after a number of removals the hole in the concrete might get a little raggedy and lessen the fastener's strength.</span>

They are sometimes called "Redheads" which is a misnomer as that is a brand of fastener which, along with others, (Hilti, etc) has several types of sleeve fasteners within its line, this being but one of them. They are rated from light to heavy duty. The most critical thing in using them is to make a nice, round hole square to the surface using a hammer drill and masonry bit.

For a permanent installation (which I would have on any lift)there are also fasteners that are inserted into a resin and are permanent and extremely strong. For more information that you'll ever need go to: https://www.confast.com/concrete-fasteners.aspx.

Best--Michael
Click to expand...
Now who's having the fantasy? :wink:

The collar has to be hammered into the hole, so any upward tugging on the shank will serve to force the collar tighter into the sides of the hole.

I won't argue that the type set in resin are <span style="font-style: italic">more</span> permanent, but the style I've linked to cannot be considered temporary.

In another month, my lift will have been in service four (4) years, and only twice now have I thought to check the tightness of the anchors; once, about a month after the installation, and they turned about one flat each (1/6th of a turn). I recently had the opportunity to go over them again, while I replaced the hydraulic hose a couple months ago, and I could not budge them at all. Not one.

My lift isn't just for parking, as evidenced by the 15,000-some pictures of cars I've worked (www.spcarsplus.com/gallery) so it sees LOTS of up/down action in a weeks time, and I have no qualms about tugging on big wrenches attached to parts of cars suspended over my head. It's secure, and doesn't so much as wiggle. :wink:
 
Micheal, I think they are reffered to as "stud anchors" and I have never been able to get one back out of a hole, if I was the original installer.

I just saw a lift in our local "IWANNA" trading paper today for 700.00, disassembled, 5500# cap, 2 post. Also says made in the USA.
 
Thanks guys. I talked to some local people who say my concrete slab has to be a minimum thickness of four inches AND a certain psi quality to support the weight of cars on the footprint of the lift AND hold the anchors in place. this all makes good sense, but underscores the complexity of this decision for me. Now I have to figure out how to determine the thickness of my floor and the grade of concrete.

It also seems I've hijacked this thread to my own purpose. My apologies to the OP.
 
I am enjoying this thread. I am considering a two post lift for my shop, so I've been following along with great interest. Keep up the great input, comments and suggestions.
 
Magyar said:
I am enjoying this thread. I am considering a two post lift for my shop, so I've been following along with great interest. Keep up the great input, comments and suggestions.
Click to expand...
As a fellow two-seater owner, you're welcome to see my installation in Holland (Toledo). Just let me know when you want to come out.
 
The folks at American Automotive sent me a copy of the manual for the two post lifts. this is what it says about your floor:

2. The lift should be located on a relatively level floor with 4” 3000 psi concrete sufficiently
cured with no cracks within 38” and no seams with in 6” of the base plate. Remember
any structure is only as strong as the foundation on which it is located.

The manual reads like a translation, which serves to confirm my suspicion that the lifts are made in China.
 
Nothing suspicious about that; I believe I said <span style="font-style: italic">most</span> of them were made in China in my first reply. Mine is, but the clyinders and hydraulic unit are American made (Monarch Hydraulics in Grand Rapids, MI).

Bend-Pac and Rotary (brand names) are among the more affordable American made lifts, but they cost >$3000.00. Not completely unatainable, but something I'd be less likely to own, than one costing half as much.

BTW, 3000PSI is just about a minimum standard for your home garage's floor, so you should be good, and 4" is likewise, a minimal code satisfying depth.
 
I have been looking on-line and like the Challenger 2 post lift. Maybe just because it weighs more than the other ones (costs more too). I finally found a company local that sells the lifts so I can buy and not have to worry about getting it off a big truck. I can have them load it on my trailer.

My wife says I have to wait till the patio cover is done first.

Jerry
 
I don't want to get off base here, but what's wrong with a four post lift? I know it's not as easy to remove the wheels, etc. But with the notoriously thin and close to fifty year old frame rails on a Healey, I'm just not that thrilled about putting the arms of a two point lift under those rails.
 
Four posts instead of two get in the way and it is hard to work under the car as the ramps and cross rails get in the way. My car has a pretty good frame soI'm not too worried about that issue. But you do raise a good point that i don't know the answer to. Where does one position the pads of the two post lift on the frame of the Healey?
 
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