I'm looking at the 4 post and the 2 post lifts they both have good points.

a borrowed one because its cheaper :D

I wanted a 4 post. A freind wanted a 2 post. He got his first. About 6 months later, I asked him how he liked it. He said, when I move, I'm puttin' in a 4 post. Now we both have them and love them. Just my opinion (and Dave's)

I use a Rotary four post at work and it is the best I have used. It is a drive on ramp hoist with air jacks to lift the front and rear to remove the wheels. It is fast for oil changes and exhaust work and still has the capability for brake and driveline work.

http://www.rotarylift.com/Products/Product_Detail/Product_Detail.asp?PN=Four-Post&CAT=Professional%20Automotive%20Service

2 post because it is easier to do suspension work when you dont have the lift in your way?

2 post. It is more versatile for working on the car plus you can park under it if you need space.

2 post... way more room to work on the car without the hoist in the way... i love using the 2 post when removing the body off the frames... etc...

2 post for sure. As others have stated, much more versatile. I used mine to pull the body from the chassis, then trial fit it back to the restored chassis. Then I used it to fit my media blasted body to the rotisserie I made. I have also made adapters to lift other things. One I made slips into one of the arms and lifts my Harley to work on!

http://chevelle.cvpo.com/Resized%20Chevelle%20Pics%20for%20web%20site/resized%20body%20to%20chass.jpg
http://chevelle.cvpo.com/Resized%20Chevelle%20Pics%20for%20web%20site/25%25%20fitting%20to%20rotisserie.jpg

A 2 post will take up less room because of only having 2 posts instead of 4. 4 physical posts can be cumbersom to work around sometimes. 2 Post is easier to use when the need of wheels coming off. I usually refer those 4 post lifts as a sort of drive on "rack" like an alignment machine would have. Thus removal of wheels isnt quite the easiest on some models.

DRHRSH, I use a air operated motorcycle lift to wax my honda vtx, not work on it.

I wasn't going to do this, but I couldn't resist.:)

Oh, while I'm still here, whats it cost you to heat that building, if I may ask.

Rob

The four post is nice to use. I like sitting in a chair to work on the car. But after seeing that two post above, I will get a two post next time. The four post works well in my two-car garage. And, yes, the car still goes on jackstands for suspension work. I can stow crap under the car and the wife still gets her parking spot. Most of the time.
http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/309/309674/pages/847992/camaroonstands2.JPG
http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/309/309674/pages/847992/elcyonlift.JPG

Hey Rubadub Rob,

Nice comment on the VTX. I meant to say I use the lift to LOOK at my Harley.....of course I don't need to work on it!! I just wipe off the oil leaks.
And who said I heat the shop?? Actually I do have an overhead gas heater, but its on the same bill as my house, so I have no idea!

Anyway Dr., nice place you have there to work on your car.

Rob

Superior 4 post lift here.

http://www.swko.net/~lionsden/forum/carlift1714a.jpg


I haven't found much of anything I can do on it.

Who makes a free standing two post lift?

I'm looking at buying a lift too. The two post versus four post is a tough decision. This is my understanding of the major differences, anybody please feel free to comment on what I might be missing here.

2 post is better for:
- working on the car, less to get in the way. Especially helpful when working on the suspension
- easy quick wheel changes
- two less posts to walk around in the shop

4 post is better for:
- elevated long term parking, (I don't like the idea of storing the car resting on it's frame vs setting on it's suspension).
- 3" thick concrete floors, (standard in most residential garages). Two post lifts require 4" concrete floors at a minimum.

I got a 2 post due to mine is mainly for working and not storage. Hopefully by the end of this coming weekend it will be installed. It will give me one more inside parking place so I might have to go on the hunt to fill it :D

BTW Bend Pak recommends a minimum of 4" @3k PSI concrete or thicker/harder for both 2 and 4 post lifts.

Two post lifts get my vote for actual usage for repair work. Storage would have to be 4 post roll on.

But what really gets me is the topic of this thread. I don't know why, but every time I see it browsing the forum, I keep thinking you're referring to a lift for a vehicle, and immedietly in my mind I think, "wtf, a lift kit on a chevelle, is this guy nuts?"

I like the Forward Lifts. My brother worked at a chevy dealership and they had both Forward and Rotary lifts. Most of the dealers in my area use these two manufacturers. He liked the Forward better. The Rotary had issues with the photo-optic lens at the top of the lift. When you try to put the car down, one side of the lift would go down faster than the other. Then the saftey locks would lock, preventing you from lowering the car. He did not have any problems with the Forward lifts though.
The Rotary lifts had alot of extra "gadgets", which I don't care for. I like the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle, less things to break. The Rotary lifts have electronic up/down buttons and other electronics, which I feel are less reliable that the old fashioned mechanical controls.
Enough with my opinions. You want two things that are the most important, saftey and reliability. You don't want your precious car falling off the lift and especially ON YOU! Check out http://www.autolift.org/ they have a good website about lifts. Check their list of saftey certified lift manufacturers, then go from there.
I also don't feel confortable about used lifts. They could have been operated outside, abused or who know what. Your life and car are worth the extra money, spend it wisely.
http://www.forwardmfg.com/
http://www.rotarylift.com/
Good luck.
PS, I bought a Forward two post 10,000lb lift (DP10AN) including delivery, installation, and sales tax for $3760.

What is the hieght of your ceilings and do they need to be at least ......certain hieght.
I have 9ft ceiling, would I be able to lift it high enuff to work under it, besides wheels

I like both 2 posts and 4 posts , they both have their advantages and disadvantages . But my lift is not just for the Chevelle , camaro , and Mustang . Its got to hold up some pretty heavy loooooong trucks as well ! And since mine is outside due to low celings , I just figured bigger was better , :thumbsup: .

Just a thought, if you have thin concrete for the 2 post setup, jackhammer the part up you need thicker and pour it as thick as you need. I like the 2 post and have been looking at some as well....for those of us who'd like all four tires resting on the support for storage, you could build(weld or bolt together) a rectangle almost the full length of the car with squares to surround the tires and attach that to the posts with bolts and welded on attachment plates to the original lift arms....thinking out loud here.

I have a 2 post lift but debated about which style to buy for a long time before I got it. I think it depends a lot on how much garage space you have and what you will primarily use it for. The primary reason I selected a 2 post lift is because I have a fairly small shop and the 2 post lift takes up a lot less room when I am not using it. When I am not using it I keep the arms up and can safely walk under the arms(this would not work for people much over 6' tall) and then I just have the posts to work/walk around. The 2 post is also better for wheel/tire and suspension work but it can be a PIA to properly set the lift pads under the vehicle and some cars, like my C5 Corvette require special adaptors for the lift pads.

I think the 4 post lifts are great for oil changes, tranny, clutch and exhaust work. They are also very good for car storage. Just drive on and lift away. They also makesit easy to get in and out (the door may hit the post on a 2 post lift)

You can get 2 post lifts that are able to lift any personal passenger vehicle, including large pickups. Mine is rated at 9,000 pounds. I have a fairly tall ceiling, 10'10" (WISH IT WERE 12") With this ceiling height I have room to spare with any "normal" size car but I can't put it all the way up with some trucks, jeeps etc. Even with full size trucks, I can usually get them up over 5' so I have to stoop over a little bit to work under them, but it's not too bad. A 9' ceiling would be so low that you would really have to be bent over, or on your knees to even work under a car.

With a 9' ceiling I think I would only consider buying a lift if it was primarily for storing a vehicle or if I was going to use it in the driveway. It that was the situation, I would want a 4 post lift with casters. With casters you could use it for storage in the garage and then roll it out onto the driveway to work under vehicles. It has been a while since I looked at the 4 post lifts but some of them had nice caster systems that engaged and lifted the entire lift when the lift was lowered, making it very easy to move the lift around.