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MG TD TF 1500 - Need some recommendations for garage lift?


Good day all.
I know some of you have installed lifts in your new or existing garages, I’m in the planning process of adding another bay and need some help with determining which to get; 2 post or 4 post? Also which brand is best, any recommendations. What is the minimum ceiling height? What did you do about the garage door opener hardware attached to garage ceiling? Any help would be greatly appreciated. John
John Hambleton

Hey John, I selected 4 post Backyard Buddy with a wheel kit. 10 years, so far, so good. My ceiling is 12 feet to allow raising my MGB with the bonnett open. Under the lift is 6 feet at maximum, The garage door guy put on a rail extension kit and it works just dandy. I can send pictures if you like. ( I think(! Regards, Tom TC2850
Thomas McNamara

Thanks Tom
Pictures would be great, can you send them to my email
mgtd3atmsndotcom I quit linking my email address some years ago because of all the offers to make me rich and 6,034 women in my area that want to meet me.
Thanks for your offer. John
John Hambleton

John,
Up for a long read?
Search the archives for:
Abingdon Hootersville North ~ Anex
Abingdon Hootersville North ~ Anex Revisited

The lift went in about halfway in the thread.
Link in there for the one I got.
So far been real happy with it (and the service "after" the sale).
2 post / 9000lb / 11 foot ceiling / $1800 delivered (to nearest loading dock)

I can get some new pictures to you Sunday if you like.
(Working and won't be able to do till then.)

Cheers,
David
David Sheward

I bought a 4-post BendPak lift 6 years ago and it works great. A 2-post didn't make sense in a 2-car garage, and it was used to store the TD and it is better to not let the suspension hang (so I've been told).

The reasons I chose it were that it was made in the USA, could handle my SUV, and had a narrow enough opening in the middle to take a TD. TD's have a very narrow track so every little bit of extra space helps you avoid dropping a wheel off into the middle! Also, they are ALI inspected.

I bought the wheels to move it around (haven't used them yet), two drip trays (very necessary to avoid oil on the cars below), and a jacking plate (also necessary in my opinion).

The lift requires compressed air to disable the locks which isn't too bad since I have an air tank for that. There are back-ups for if the cable ever fails too. Overall it seems like a very good design. There might be some new designs out there now that are better.

I have a 10' ceiling and after raising the garage door to within 6" of the ceiling, when the TD's windshield is horizontal I can put it all the way up, which allows ~6' under the lift to walk.

Jay Leno has at least one Bend-Pak lift in his garage (I saw it on TV).

Scott
Scott Linn

Hey John,

I’ve done quite a bit of research on this. I couldn’t see the need of a monstrous lift to pick up a 7,000 pound truck. I was aiming for something that would pick up an MGB or less.

From what I can see, there are the below classes of lifts:-

· In-the-ground hydraulic post - expensive, big, heavy and needs a separate hydraulic power pack
· Four Post lift. This is the most popular and most affordable. Each corner is driven by an electric motor. On some models, there’s only one motor. Most 4-post lifts are drive on, and while they’re great for servicing the undercarriage, attending to the wheel/suspension calls for articulated pads/
· The 2-post designs are usually of the style with 4 articulated pads that supports the car selected points under the chassis. These are popular and are affordable. Most, but not, all are electric.
· And the single post lift. I was able to only to find two manufactures of the single post, but I’m sure there must be more. Single post lifts can be very compact Have a look at:- http://www.superlifts.com/singlepostlifts/sp4.html
· Then there scissor lifts. These wok best on lighter cars, and are usually mobile. The one I liked best was a hydraulic one made by Holden in Australia, but unfortunately, they stopped making them. A picture is attached.
· Finally, the one model that most interested me, is a simple pallet lift with a capacity of 2,200 pounds (1 Metric tonne). Its affordable and mobile, and has the capacity to lift an MGB. Have a look at http://www.mrksales.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=48. I’m considering one to use in finishing the PA.

Hope this helps.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.



Gordon A Clark

A lot of the decision depends on what vehicles go on it and if you expect to do a lot of repairs, or just park a car. Go to ebay and list up "car hoist" to see a wide variety.

Single post in-ground hoist are virtually outlawed in the US, and they're not nearly as convenient to work under as a 2 or 4 post.

I went with a 10k 2 post for best flexibility to work on vehicles & equipment. I also ran the cables & hoses through the roof for MAXIMUM lift (and I didn't want to trip over them underfoot while working), since my box trucks are already 10' high, but that's probably not on your radar.

If you do go to a 2 post, MAKE SURE YOU CONSTRUCT A DEEP, WELL REINFORCED CONCRETE FOUNDATION UNDER THE POSTS!!! Anchor bolts only work when the concrete holds, and the loads are seldom centered on the hoist. It is not a pretty sight when the anchors pull out with a vehicle up on top.
Jim Northrup

Jim hit the nail on the head!
What is "best" is what is best for what you want to do with it.
I have had everything from my Dodge pick-up to my garden tractor on mine. I also use it as an elevator to the storage in my garage atic. For that reason I did not want an "overhead beam" With an 11' ceiling I do have to watch how high I take things up. I rarely want to have one lifted 6' up as I work most of the time sitting on a roll around stool. (Mainly because I don't have a left leg...it's a lot easier on my right knee not hopping around on one foot!)

I did head Jim's warrning early on about reinforced foundation. (thanks to some very scarry pictures he sent me!) My floor in 5" sump ...except under the lift where we poured 10" reinforced, and no pex tubing for my radiant heat there.

Tried to plan for everything but did discover a bonus after the install. The hammock fits nicely on it! I get a nice breeze with the garage door and the back door open. Great place to enjoy a cold one and kick back with some tunes! LOL

As a postnote warrning: My 220 lift came with no wirring instructions. DO remove the cover and look inside! Mine came with a little "pig-tail" that we hooked up temp to test it. So what would your guess be? 3 wires: Red / Yellow / Green.
(If you guessed Red=Ground...you are smarter than I...and my Amish friend that was leaning against it when I threw the breaker!)

David Sheward

I put in a two post Bendpak ...10000 lb. Shops open gable 10' side walls with a 4/12 pitch. Have to watch the rise with the pick up or the wifes Yukon on there but all the MGs can go full height with out any problems. 220 volt motor driving a hydraulic pump and cylinder on each post. 6" rebared concrete on the floor. About $2300.00 assembled and bolted to the floor. I did the wiring myself.


LaVerne

GORD,
That pallet lift will handel the weight, but it's only 27" wide,,, Even that PA will hang dangerously over each side of the lift,,,
Please be carefull!!!!!!!!!

SPW

STEVE WINCZE

Check out garagejournal.com and search the archives there. You'll find more about lifts than you ever wanted to know.

I bought a Maxjax lift this last time after having a 4 post lift in the past. I REALLY like working on the car on the Maxjax, much better than the 4 post. Those big ol' ramps on the four post were the devil to work around, particularly on small cars.

I got the Maxjax because of the low ceiling clearance and the fact that you could easily move it out of the way when not in use. Good for places where you don't have a lot of room. maxjaxusa.com
David Littlefield

Thanks all for the information.
Right now i think I'm going with the Bendpak 4 post, I like the fact it's made in the US. With our economy the way it is now we need to spend more money at home. Wal Mart will take care of China.
David S--- I watched as your garage was built, sort of lurked in the background. Enjoyed it very much.
Gordon C. I go to Cornwall, Ont. alot, I have tried to lookup Rockburn, Que, my relatives don't know where it is. If I get there later this year I would like to come see your cars.
Thanks all. John
John Hambleton

I've done a comparison of various lifts on this page: http://www.mgnuts.com/autolifts
Steve S

Jim summed it up for me on lifts, what do you want to do with it, store cars or work on them, or both.

A two post seems best for my application, SAs are heavy, 3500lbs, so I have had 10" floors with rebar installed to give a decent foundation. Check around at local shops and see what they have. My local tire place had three units, all in constant use, and the USA made unit worked the best, but cost $900 more.

You get what you pay for, and 'Safety Fast' always
Lee Jacobsen

John Hambleton:-

Please contact me at the addr on the left.

Cornwall is only an hour's drive from here. We're just off NY State 11. I can e-mail you a map.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

Hey John,

I just took a look at the BendPak site since I haven't looked in 6 years, and I see that they are now doing lift manufacturing in China like everyone else... Gone are the "Made in the USA" tags that used to be everywhere.

http://www.e-autolifts.com/Factory/ForumDialogue.html

One thing of note is that they aren't just outsourcing manufacturing, but building their own factories in China so they still have full control.
Scott Linn

Don’t mean to sound unpatriotic, but with a president that purchased $2.5M worth of custom busses not built in the USA for a 1 week trip (to talk about putting Americians back to work?), a congress that has taken the entire month off with the economy in the mess it is in right now, and the last new GM car I owned had water in the oil from the first oil change, (something GM refused to admit until “out of warranty” years later). Somehow I don’t feel guilty about purchasing a lift from an American company, even if it was made in China.
David Sheward

I think these lifts are still made in Ohio, although they also offer a cheaper imported model.

http://www.backyardbuddy.com/


An important consideration on the 4 post style is the corner post construction. Most of the cheaper lifts have slotted post with the hoist cables inside the post. The better ones have a collar that slides around the outside of an uncut post. The cheaper ones post tend to twist and buckle.

The problem with the GM engines was one of "modern engineering" using aluminum and plastic, not where it was manufactured.
Chances are whatever "foreign" car that people are choosing over "American" cars was actually manufactured here in the USA or Canada, with local workers.


Dallas Congleton

The armoured busses were made right here in Québec by Provost, under the terms of NAFTA, which gives the US the same advantages as Canada. As I understand it, these busses went to tender over a year ago and it looks to me as though Provost had the sharpest pencil.

I will admit though, that the weaker US dollar probably had something to do with it.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

This thread was discussed between 19/08/2011 and 23/08/2011

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