Besides an air compressor and wide array of hand tools, what else separates a professional repair garage from that of an average hobbyist? There's certainly any number of answers to that question, but an automotive lift will likely be among the replies most commonly heard.
While a lift may not seem practical for some home hobbyists, work under your Pontiac just once while standing instead of lying on the cold, hard floor, and you'll likely start searching for ways to add one to your arsenal. Follow along as we discuss some of the decisions associated with purchasing an above-ground automotive lift, and provide a few helpful tips maximizing space within your garage.
Types Of Lifts
Automotive lifts are designed to safely raise a vehicle and provide complete access to the entire underbody for repairs, and those intended for hobbyist use can be broken down into two major types-two-post and four-post. So what's the difference, and which is best for you? That depends largely on the work you do most, and your garage flooring.
Two-post lifts consist of two vertical columns with a pair of adjustable arms extending horizontally towards the center. Lift pads on each arm are then positioned under the vehicle's frame, and when raised, allow the suspension to hang freely, making this type most desirable for suspension-related repairs. While two-post lifts take up the least amount of floor space, the columns must be anchored to the concrete, and this can require specific floor preparation.
Two-post lifts must be anchored...
Two-post lifts must be anchored to the floor and require a minimum floor thickness of approx-imately 6 inches of high-tensile concrete. After countless considerations, we ultimately settled on a four-post unit from Direct Lift. Our model is fairly compact, contains a maximum capacity rating of 7,000 pounds, operates on a household 110-volt current, and can raise a vehicle to a maximum height of 6 feet in a little more than a minute-for around $2,000. Though this unit doesn't need to be anchored down, it's an option we plan to exercise in the near future. Also, casters attached to each column provide complete mobility.
Four-post lifts consist of four vertical columns and two horizontal drive-on ramps that the operator positions the vehicle onto. Though the vehicle continues to support its own weight, suspension work can be performed with the use of smaller jacks in strategic locations. A distinct drawback to a four-post lift is the amount of floor space it requires, but because there are more columns to evenly disperse a vehicle's weight, they do not necessarily require anchoring, and are oftentimes more compatible with the concrete flooring found in a typical home garage
Garage Space And The Decisions
While designing our ranch-style home, we discussed with custom builder Rick Marasco, of Marasco Homes in Omaha, Nebraska, our plans for a shop-type atmosphere, and the possibility of an automotive lift in the future. His suggestions included an enlarged version of his standard three-car garage, with climate control, reinforced cement flooring, and a maximum ceiling height of just under 12 feet.
After searching various manufacturer's Web sites and garage-based Web forums, and visiting several local area repair shops soliciting pro-fessional opinions, we ultimately chose a four-post lift for our garage. Not only could we still complete virtually any task, but casters (optional on most models) make it mobile should it ever need to move, and it can reliably support a vehicle for extended periods, effectively creating enough space to store another vehicle under it.
Armed with the manufacturers' stated space requirements of those being considered, we constructed cardboard templates representing the exact footprint of each lift, and noted the proximity to several objects including the walls, exterior garage door, and nearest parked car. We then narrowed our selection down to those that left the greatest work area within our garage, yet had a maximum weight capacity well beyond that of our heaviest vehicle, and made the purchase.
 Most residential single-car...  Most residential single-car garage doors are extension sprung, and when open, the door is slightly taller than the exterior doorframe. Running the door closer to the ceiling can increase clearance above the vehicle, but drawbar-type automatic openers are oftentimes out of the question. |  Using the existing exterior...  Using the existing exterior door, The Door Doctor, in Omaha, Nebraska, lengthened our door's tracks, converted it to torsion-sprung... |  ...and added a Chamberlain...  ...and added a Chamberlain Liftmaster 3800 Jackshaft automatic opener in the process. The entire conversion, including parts and labor, was around $1,200. |