S54 E30 M3

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by Terry Kennedy

Same here. I got mine from Ultimate Garage (Steve whats-his-name in Hackensack) before a) he got out of selling anything except full garage makeovers and b) AC Hydraulic products became unobtainium in the US due to a huge price increase. The price seems to have come down a bit, but it is hard to argue with the Great Unwashed Masses about why they should buy any jack better than the $30 one from Harbor Fright.

These days, AC Hydraulics is cheaper than it’s ever been. But the reality is that most people don’t use any of this enough to justify getting one. And the weight and bulk are not insignificant downsides. I have a harbor freight aluminum jack that I use to get the AC jack under cars, as well as for little things like lifting suspension arms, and it’s certainly nice to have a jack that weighs so much less and is so tiny around.

The DK13 is key, though. It’s one lift per end of the car. Most people are used to regular jacks that just don’t go high enough to get on jack stands at full height in one operation.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by John V

I get the comments about the Quick Jack. It's definitely not ideal. But what's really not ideal is having to go to another person's shop just to use a lift.

On another forum there was a discussion on two-post vs. four-post lifts. There are pros and cons to each. I've got a two-post, Larry Casey has a four post. I find it frustrating working under his lift and I'm sure he feels the same about working under mine

The only reason I suggested a Max Jax is for the instances when you really needed a lift, you could roll it out and bolt it down, thus preserving the "feel" of the garage by hiding it away when it's not being used. If the main complaint were loss of a parking spot, just about any two or four-post can be set up so you can park under a car that's elevated on the lift.

Part of Nick's problem is width. A two post in any of the four parking spots would effectively turn it into 3 parking spots on the ground plus one in the air. When a car is being worked on, he'd lose the spot under it. A four post in any of the spots except the most inboard might be a super PITA to get cars lined up for the lift, or to park under them given the angles needed (but maybe not).

Or maybe the problem is thinking too small by thinking of lifts as a one and done solution? If the slab can support it, placing a single two post and two four post lifts in the area of the current four parking spots would open up a good bit of floor space while also increasing storage capacity by two cars.

edit-drafted before Nick's posts

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by clyde

Part of Nick's problem is width. A two post in any of the four parking spots would effectively turn it into 3 parking spots on the ground plus one in the air. When a car is being worked on, he'd lose the spot under it. A four post in any of the spots except the most inboard might be a super PITA to get cars lined up for the lift, or to park under them given the angles needed (but maybe not).

Or maybe the problem is thinking too small by thinking of lifts as a one and done solution? If the slab can support it, placing a single two post and two four post lifts in the area of the current four parking spots would open up a good bit of floor space while also increasing storage capacity by two cars.

edit-drafted before Nick's posts

Setting aside all the reasons why a two post really isn’t happening, any garage layout that doesn’t allow four cars to drive in and drive out without moving any other car is unacceptable.

edit: the garage slab is set up to accommodate two one-post lifts along the north wall. I’m concerned that they would be too bulky and impact the feel, but they would largely not impact utility and would get us to 6 or 7 cars parked reasonably conveniently.

edit edit: https://aclifts.com/lifts/m-1-single-post-car-lift/

[John V]

Ah, I didn't think about the width impact of a two-post. It sounds like parking is pretty snug in there.

One post lifts seem like they are super popular in Europe, but they seem like the true "worst of all worlds" solution. The support arms are guaranteed to be in the way of what you're working on, so they're only useful for getting a car up in the air. What's the point other than storage?

I didn't realize you couldn't weld in residential DC. That really limits your ability to do interesting stuff at home.

Anyway, apologies for the thread-jack.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by John V

Ah, I didn't think about the width impact of a two-post. It sounds like parking is pretty snug in there.

One post lifts seem like they are super popular in Europe, but they seem like the true "worst of all worlds" solution. The support arms are guaranteed to be in the way of what you're working on, so they're only useful for getting a car up in the air. What's the point other than storage?

I didn't realize you couldn't weld in residential DC. That really limits your ability to do interesting stuff at home.

Anyway, apologies for the thread-jack.

Hmmm. My father did a lot of welding in DC (sculpture, jewelry). Those tanks scared the life out of me. He insisted on having them on the top floor of our house, in case they took off like rockets upwards.

[John V]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

Hmmm. My father did a lot of welding in DC (sculpture, jewelry). Those tanks scared the life out of me. He insisted on having them on the top floor of our house, in case they took off like rockets upwards.

The worst that can realistically happen with a welding tank is it falls over and knocks the valve off, which would likely turn it into a projectile, which is why they're supposed to be chained to the welding cart. Having them on the top floor sounds like a really bad situation!

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by John V

The worst that can realistically happen with a welding tank is it falls over and knocks the valve off, which would likely turn it into a projectile, which is why they're supposed to be chained to the welding cart. Having them on the top floor sounds like a really bad situation!

They’ve clamped down on open flames a lot. Plumbers are not supposed to use torches without permits too.

And yeah, the compressed gas tanks are really no big deal. They need room to run to turn into projectiles. The acceleration rate isn’t that high.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by John V

Ah, I didn't think about the width impact of a two-post. It sounds like parking is pretty snug in there.

One post lifts seem like they are super popular in Europe, but they seem like the true "worst of all worlds" solution. The support arms are guaranteed to be in the way of what you're working on, so they're only useful for getting a car up in the air. What's the point other than storage?

I didn't realize you couldn't weld in residential DC. That really limits your ability to do interesting stuff at home.

Anyway, apologies for the thread-jack.

The one post lifts are a storage solution that doesn’t wreck my ability to use the garage, basically. I can put the post against the wall, and hang a couple cars over the “drive aisle.”

They wouldn’t be useful for working on cars, but they are awesome for storage. Four post lifts result in, well, posts everywhere. Not a big deal if the lift is a snug-ish fit in a garage, but a huge deal if you need to travel diagonally across the space.

And no worries on the thread jack!

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by John V

The worst that can realistically happen with a welding tank is it falls over and knocks the valve off, which would likely turn it into a projectile, which is why they're supposed to be chained to the welding cart. Having them on the top floor sounds like a really bad situation!

It was the projectile scenario that freaked me out as a child!

[Nick M3]

Different scale, but this is a great example of how the one post lifts preserve interior flexibility in a way that no other lift can offer.