Home Hobbyist customers who are considering a Four Post Lift always have many questions about what lift to get and what factors to consider when trying to determine which lift to get for their home garage.
Whether you are using it for storing one vehicle over another, or you are using it for servicing your cars, there are many details to base your decision on.
The First question we would ask you is, what type of vehicles are you parking on, and under it? If you are parking a tall vehicle underneath, we would steer you toward an extra high lifting model. If your storing a couple of sports cars one over another, the standard height model would work just fine.
How wide are the vehicles that you are parking on and under? We have some extra wide models with adjustable runways for SUV’s and full size trucks. We also have extra long models for your crew cab and extended cab trucks.
Take a good look at our dimensional drawings on our web site. They’re there for a reason. Measure twice and buy once. You don’t want to get the wrong lift for your application. Make sure it will fit in your garage. Make sure you have enough width, enough length, and enough ceiling height. We advise you of a simple formula that applies for most of our parking lifts. If your storing one vehicle over another, simply add the height of both vehicles, and then add ten inches to that figure. And that’s how tall your ceiling must be. Ceiling height is important, but don’t forget about any other obstructions that may be above, such as your garage door opener, light fixtures etc… There are kits out there that allow you to move your garage door track and opener closer to your ceiling if necessary.
Lets not forget about electric power requirements. Many Parking Lift models require 110v and some require 220v. So pay attention to that detail. 220v will be more powerful, while 110v is more readily available for most home garages.
Another consideration is your garage floor. It needs to be fairly level and free of cracks. Each type of lift will have different requirements, but most 7000 lb to 9000 lb four post lifts will require about 3.5 to 4 inches of concrete at about 2500 psi.
These are just some of the factors to consider when making a decision on your car lift. There are many others of course, including your budget, and ability to unload it from the delivery truck and install it. But those are subject matter for future posts, so stay tuned.
