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Maybe a little off topic, but does anyone have advice on which is the best hoist for use at home or recommend a supplier ?

I want it for both double parking the cars but also for hobby mechanics, so I don't want something downright unsafe. Any ideas ? 4 post vs 2 post ?

After using both 4 post and 2 post I would recommend 4 post for its ease of use. You can drive most cars on and off with ease, where as the 2 post you have to locate the jack points and lowered cars tend to have to be jacked to fit the scissor arms under.


That said however 4 post hoists tend to be much more expensive

Daz wrote:Maybe a little off topic, but does anyone have advice on which is the best hoist for use at home or recommend a supplier ?

I want it for both double parking the cars but also for hobby mechanics, so I don't want something downright unsafe. Any ideas ? 4 post vs 2 post ?

240v one so you don't have to get 3 phase power put in

the cantilevered two post ones are probably the best because you cant bang your doors into them

however they are more expensive than a balanced two poster & 4 poster

Might be hard finding a 4 poster in 240v too

fwiw there are other parking managment options that will double stack cars
and you could work on it to (might be a little harder though)

could a 2 post lift possibly damage a car if left supported on its jack points for a few months or so ?

2 post lifts imho make life slightly easier to work on a car as you dont have the ramps in the way and the car is supported by the jack points allowing you to easily access wheels brakes suspension etc

but yeah not sure how a car would go being supported on its jack stands for extended periods of time i.e. through winter

Watchout for earthquakes.

3 phase power I think would be very expensive to get put on.

I'm pretty sure someone used to advertise these in Race magazine <http://www.racemagazine.com.au/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=16>
might be worth asking Neil Roshier, the owner/ editor, as they were selective about advertisers & the quality of their products.

bruce wrote:Watchout for earthquakes.

Thought I was done with those when I moved back from San Francisco !

The research I have done says that most of the "hobby/parking" hoists have a single phase option, even 4 posters, but they take more than twice the time to lift... not a problem for me like it would be for a mechanic that has the lift up and down 50 times a day.

group buy?

2 post, 240VAC any day of the week.

a 4 post hoist you cant change ur suspension / wheels / brakes ect as the car still has the wheels on...

my dad has a 2 post and its awesome.
jacking points are not hard to locate and no, it doesnt damage the car.
just speak to gp15, 1red5, mrstarlet, mrgreen, rob (err, dont remember his fourm name) lowmiata ect, ect.
alll have had their cars on this very same hoist.

Doesn't CT have a hoist? I remember him discussing it years ago?

Mactype wrote:http://www.tufflift.com

Is that a recommendation or an FYI ?

I came across them, actually they sell the same chinese hoist that I was seeing at car shows in the US and got me thinking about all this. It seems to be the leading brand for the home user, but there are several more on the market. Each web site claims that the other peoples hoists are junk and will collapse on you... maybe they are all correct ?

Sometime ago when looking for a good floor jack a specialist in Vic told me that many of the older style hoists were superior to Chinese hoists and he said many of these latter units were poor quality, dangerous and some were not serviceable. I would dismiss the idea of using it as a parking bay ( you need a lot of head height which most garages do not have- there has to be a better option. Also I would go and talk face to face with the professionals who supply garages to at least get some views based on long experience. Any brochure can promise all you want but today the facts may be different. Many appliances for example are now subject to recalls and are rubbish and dangerous but they are on the market and the authorities no longer enforce the old rules and standards. Take care with this one- interesting subject.

sliq wrote:group buy?

Well, now that you mention it ... yes

greenMachine wrote:

sliq wrote:group buy?

Well, now that you mention it ... yes

If we can all settle on a hoist, or at least a company, lets do it, this is my #1 candidate :

http://www.tufflift.com/page11.htm

I am still a little freaked out by all the doom and gloom talk of these chinese cable lifts being unsafe....