After months of thinking about which brand to go with, what features I liked, and what size I wanted, I FINALLY decided on a Bend Pak HD-9. I had a chance to look at a different brand in person but didn't like the fact that their cables were exposed which meant that the plate on the top of the posts was trying to be bent. Apparently Bend Pak was pushing out a price increase the beginning of the month so I placed the order a few days early. The lift arrived at the shipping terminal (5 minutes away) and I used a friend's car trailer to get it home. I was able to lift the columns myself, but only one end of the cross tubes. I used an engine lift for the runways. Putting it together wasn't as bad as I expected, I only needed help lifting the posts up after the cross bars were slipped inside. Since positioning the runways was the next step I had help with that as well. The only problem I had assembling was with the hardware that wouldn't torque without stripping. I had to replace the hardware myself after I was told they would only send me more of the same hardware! The bolts were labeled 4.8 on the head and are 12MMx1.75, the torque spec was 80 ft-lbs. I wound up replacing them with socket head cap screws supposedly grade 12.9, that's what I asked for at least.

I know there is a whole 2 post vs. 4 post debate but I bought the rolling jack to get the wheels off, so I should be good to go.

Cool!

Did you run into any problems using the regular concrete floor in the garage? Load ratings and all that. I heard that I'd need 6" thick pads for a lift in my garage. It's only 4" thick right now.

Honestly I didn't check it since I'm not bolting the lift to the floor, the minimum recommended thickness is only 3.5" @ 2,500 psi anyway. I've heard of most lifts requiring 4", which one requires 6"?

Completely hearsay, but I thought most 2-posters required 6" for something like 4sqft around each post.

Are you planning on raising the ceiling so you can get the car higher?

In the perfect world, yes, I would raise the ceiling at least 2 feet. That would allow me to stand up, stack my cars, and get my parent's SUVs in the air. Right now the ceiling is 101" above the floor, my car is 50" tall and the runways are 4.5". When sitting on my rolling Summit stool the top of the runways are just about at eye level. So it isn't too bad right now, a little better than what I imagined. The Summit stool has to go since it isn't very comfortable, and something with a back would be nice too. However it will not be very convenient to raise the ceiling the trusses are pre-made. Other options are to lift the whole garage and add 3 layers of block to the foundation or take the roof off and make it a flat roof instead. The city only allows garages to be 15' tall, I'm at 13' right now.

I would double check he floor requirements with whatever lift you're looking at, depending on design they may vary a little.

That is really cool Chris! I would sure like one! I've given up on the idea of a two poster because that's when you need the really thick concrete.

Julie, you could cut 2 holes in the floor to pour thicker sections that are keyed into the current floor. Its not as big of a job as a whole new floor but still requires planning.

Hmmmm! Food for thought! Hubby put a giant slot car track in our barn and it will be tricky!

If you plan on lifting a vehicle at the rated capacity. Mine is rated at 9K lbs, but only lift a 3K lb car. So I didn't do anything special with my slab.

Well, that makes WAY too much sense Mitch!

Chris, can I ask what kind of prices those are getting these days?

http://asedeals.com/garage_lift.html

I placed the order just before the price increase that took effect the first of this month. The lift itself only went up $100 or so, but the casters and rolling jack went up by about the same amount each!

I think I paid $3785 for the HD-9, RJ-45, and casters delivered to the closest shipping terminal. The rolling jack was the pricey part and although I think it is rather overpriced it still a necessity. The casters don't make the lift that easy to move, but it does move. I haven't tried with a car on the lift yet.

I know of a few people who use this stuff and recommend it...

www.gregsmithequipment.com

Yes I know its all chinese stuff but they have a showroom to which you can drive your vehicle into and actually test out before you buy.

I stopped at the Greg Smith in Delaware (no room to put your car on the lift at this location) before I made my decision but I didn't really like their ProPark 8 as much although it was cheaper and included casters, drip pans, and jack tray. The cables were exposed so the top caps of the posts were bending instead of being supported on 3 sides. Also the rollers at the ends of the crossbars were only supported on one side, the other side is a thin metal cover while Bend Pak uses 2 thick plates. Greg Smith's ProPark9 is more like the Bend Pak (similar price) but the posts are very tall, another 10 inches over the Bend Pak and as you can tell I have limited ceiling height.