Choosing a garage lift (and a garage to go with it (oh, and a house too))

[rumatt]

Originally Posted by blee

If it were my garage,though, I'd save for the two-post.

Yeah, this is what I'm thinking. However, the issue isn't saving for the two post; it's whether we should excluded houses that won't fit a 2-post. Even if I look at million dollar homes with 3-car garages, I think many of them might not be able to fit a two-post lift because of ceiling height.

So there are three choices:

1) Find a house with a massive garage (like this one)

2) Build my own garage after buying

3) Find any 3-car garage and use the scissor lift.

I suppose I will still shoot for (1) and/or (2). But (3) will open up a lot more houses for us, so I'm tying to figure out whether I should consider it. I currently do everything on jack stands, so despite the disadvantages of that lift, it looks wonderful to me! But you're probably right that I would regret it after a using it for some time.

[blee]

I would rather use jackstands than buy a scissor lift, to be honest with you.

I agree with Pinecone and Blee, get the 2 post. If you find a shop going out of business you can pick them up fairly cheap

[rumatt]

Originally Posted by blee

I would rather use jackstands than buy a scissor lift, to be honest with you.

Hmm, interesting.

[Rob]

Most scissor lifts block a significant portion of the car and make it difficult to get underneath the car. The are really designed for tire changes and oil changes, imo.

If I were making the choice you are, I would choose a four post lift. You don't need the clearance that you do for a two post lift and the useability is pretty much identical. You can get decent ones for around $2k iirc.

I was about to buy one until I realized I really needed to change my garage door track to the ceiling if I was going to do it. Then I decided that if I did that, I should just raise the inside roof. Then I decided to go back inside and have a beer instead.

[rumatt]

Originally Posted by rwg

If I were making the choice you are, I would choose a four post lift. You don't need the clearance that you do for a two post lift and the useability is pretty much identical. You can get decent ones for around $2k iirc.

They make four post lifts that raise from the jacking points? I want to be able to work on the suspension.

Then I decided to go back inside and have a beer instead.

[rumatt]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

The mats are only for channeling the water. Depending on the garage designa nd what is under it, you may be able to install a simple drain to an exisintg garage. Just core drill the floor. If the garage floor has gravel under it, you will be fine for occasional use. If not, you would have to get a company like Flow Mole to channel in from teh side to put in an actual drian. Not cheap and simple in that case, but doable.

Interesting. But don't you also need to have the garage floor sloped inward toward the drain? Otherwise all the water will just run our toward the door anyway.

[Plaz]

Originally Posted by rumatt

Interesting. But don't you also need to have the garage floor sloped inward toward the drain? Otherwise all the water will just run our toward the door anyway.

If you're lucky. My house/garage seems to have settled in such a way that the water just runs to one side of the garage and pools.

Usually only a real hassle when there's a lot of car-adhered salty snow stalactites that melt their sodium-filled goodness onto the floor once garaged.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by rumatt

They make four post lifts that raise from the jacking points? I want to be able to work on the suspension.

The four post lifts have trays that go between the "rails" that you jack from. You typically use a bottle jack. Some people use different versions of automatic jacks. It is an extra step, but it was worth taking the extra step instead of not having a lift at all imo. Except I didn't get a lift. I probably won't for some time, now that Hannah has come. My priorities are a little different than they were a year ago.

[ARCHER]

Originally Posted by AF

About washing the car in the garage ... I've never really thought of it because I would be concerned about getting everything in the garage wet while doing it.

In my garage, I use a common garden watering wand found at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. It produces no unwanted overspray and lets the water sheet off nicely and fall straight to the drain, as opposed to a high-pressure blast. The handle cut-off valve can be flicked with a thumb, which is nice.

As for lifts, one of the Jeep guys (mechanic) I've met has a line on repo'd garage equipment. He recently bought a three-month-old, 7-ton lift out of Dallas for $1700 and had it shipped up here for $150 (roughly 300 miles). I'm not sure I could get quite as good a deal but he assures me he can hook me up very nicely if I ever decide to install a lift.

I have the roof pitch to accommodate one but also have easy access to a lift at my brother's shop already. Seems kind of silly to buy one for the house with such easy access.

For anyone interested in a traditional lift, however, I don't mind doing the legwork on a repo unit for you. Or at least trying to hook you up with the guy. He's redneck, but he definitely knows his shit when it comes to garage equipment.