Best 4 post lift

[Simms]

All,
I know this has probably been beaten to death on other sites, but what do you all recommend for our cars? I was thinking Backyard Buddy or BendPak? I assume you can get them in various colors to match your garage?

[Simms]

Forgot to add that this is mainly for storage, but also for maintenance and occasional trans swap etc.

[RedTanRT/10]

I've got a Direct Lift pro park, it's been great for 10 years. Many good 4 posts are out there.

If you've got the room, a side mount 2 post is the way to go since you can remove the wheels on the lift.

[99RT10]

Nice to see you post Ian, www.completehydraulic.com

[Simms]

Thanks guys. The Revolution looks like a nice package for the price as well.

[01sapphirebob]

Ive got a backyard buddy and i love it! Well built (right here in ohio) and hasent given me any issues

[Thawk97]

Can't speak to 4 post - but I've got a Bendpak 2 post that I really like

[Ricketts]

I've had a Rotary Revolution for quite a few years now, nothing but good things to say about it.

[SmoknTires]

While I'm usually a big advocate for buying name brand quality, I also went with complete hydraulic like 99RT10 said. We have been very happy. In fact we put on a group buy in our regions and bought over 25 of them. Everyone has been very happy. I got to know the owner and he was a great guy. All their people were great. They'll come out and install for a fee. They were good people to do business with and had among the lowest prices found anywhere. Came with all pans, tarps, casters, etc... that some lifts consider options.

[Joel]

Go look at some lifts to see what you like. I have a good friend who sells equipment and he has lifts in all price ranges. But cheap is usually cheaper quality and he says he does more repairs on the cheap lifts. Talk to some folks who use them and find out what they like and don't like. I have a Rotary and a Nusbaum lift - both post asymetric lifts. Neither will go under my Viper without slightly raising the car but they are great lifts. I have had the Rotary for 15 years and it has never missed a beat. 4 post lifts sometimes are hard to drive a Viper on because of the ramp angle and you can't service the wheels easily. Whichever you buy, you'll love having a lift.

[Brian GTS]

I have 2 Rotary Revolution lifts for about 5 years now....no complaints. I looked at Backyard buddy when I was researching, but they were around 5K at that time, and I just couldn't justify the price difference. I believe I paid about 3K each for the Revolutions. I would recommend them!

[99RT10]

While I'm usually a big advocate for buying name brand quality, I also went with complete hydraulic like 99RT10 said. We have been very happy. In fact we put on a group buy in our regions and bought over 25 of them. Everyone has been very happy. I got to know the owner and he was a great guy. All their people were great. They'll come out and install for a fee. They were good people to do business with and had among the lowest prices found anywhere. Came with all pans, tarps, casters, etc... that some lifts consider options.

Can you still get the discounted group buy price? I need to buy 2 more lifts early next year.

[Slaughterj]

I have a little interest in a lift, but am wondering about some basics:
- for a 2-post lift, it seems (a) you get to change the tires, but (b) may not want to store another car underneath as you don't have pans to catch fluids?
- for a 4-post lift, it seems (a) you can store underneath, but (b) you can't change the tires?

Is that right?

[C.J]

John, most 4-post lifts have a jack tray or a complete jack assembly that will allow you to remove the wheels when it is on a 4-post lift.

I'm in the market for a lift and looked at the following (the info below is from memory...should be pretty accurate though):

Bend-Pak: Nice lifts, but you need compressed air to release the locks. They are Chinese made. They are not sure where their hydraulics are made--guessing China too.
Rotary Revolution: Nice lifts as Brian and Steve noted earlier. They are Chinese made and their hydraulics/pumps are either from China, Germany, or Italy. I read this as "China".
Backyard Buddy: Nice, but nearly $6k delivered and installed! All USA made with Baldor motors.
Challenger: Nice lift, made in KY (as in Kentucky...) by Quality Lifts, USA pumps, hydraulics, etc. Great warranty. There is a local guy that will deliver and install for about $4200 for the 9,000 pound standard size lift. This one is on the top of my list right now. Aluminum ramps are available.
American Custom Lifts: Made by Challenger.
Quality Lifts: Owned by Challenger. They are USA made and this is the division of Challenger that makes the residential 4-post lifts.
Eagle: Chinese made, but some local installers were not crazy about them. They said they would prefer a Revolution lift to either Eagle or BendPak.
Direct Lift: Chinese made, and IIRC, the least expensive lift out there. Lots of folks have them, so they must be doing something right.
Stinger: Nice lift, USA made, lots of Corvette guys have them. Nobody local sells them, so ruled that one out.

I'm looking for a lift that has a good warranty, USA made (if possible), has local dealer to take delivery, install and handle any warranty or service issues, and a lift where the inner lockpoints are adjustable (to accommodate the slope of the garage floor). Right now, the Challenger lift is my top pick, and the price is very reasonable.

Good luck shopping!

[gutterworks129]

dlift.jpglift.jpgI have a Direct-Lift Four post lift that I can roll around the shop or in the parking lot with wheel castors. Hook a drop-cord up to it and lifts great. I like changing tires with the floor jack because I only lift the tires a 1/4" off the floor and easier to handle. Around $2500 out the door local.front.jpg

[LifeIsGood]

Direct-Lift Pro Park 9-Plus.

[viperdude118]

While I'm usually a big advocate for buying name brand quality, I also went with complete hydraulic like 99RT10 said. We have been very happy. In fact we put on a group buy in our regions and bought over 25 of them. Everyone has been very happy. I got to know the owner and he was a great guy. All their people were great. They'll come out and install for a fee. They were good people to do business with and had among the lowest prices found anywhere. Came with all pans, tarps, casters, etc... that some lifts consider options.

I was part of the group buy a few years back that Alex just posted here. My lift has been great, it was a good deal. Here is the catch, a guy a week or so at work asked me about where to buy a lift so I said complete hydraulic, went on the net to find their info and see lots and lots of negative reviews of the place since the time we bought. I think the company may have gotten into trouble since the time we time we did the group buy. So just use caution and do research on it before you decide.

[sparkrn]

I have a 4 post BendPak that is great. I like how bendpak uses no cables to move the locks, but instead use hidden pneumatics. Very smooth look and acutually uses engineers to safely design their products. Garage equipment supply sells this brand. I did a ton of research when I bought and thought the other brand looked like it was made in a backyard.

[Glen97]

Mine is an Eagle 4 post with a jack that slides from front to back 7 years works great. Came with wheels. I think it was around $2500.

[10PISTNZ]

I have the Direct Lift with the optional lifting jack. No problem changing tires.

[Matt M, Pa]

I've had a BendPak 4 post for a few years...no problems. I too, preferred the air-locks as opposed to mechanical locks. Plus, the BendPak (and I'd suppose some others) has redundant locks at each corner. Besides the air-locks at each corner, there are also locks at each corner that automatically stop that corner should the cable get slack or break. They are also ALI certified...which to me is important. Great customer service, tech support and lots of options. I installed mine myself and am well pleased. My understanding is that the hydraulic units are USA made.

I know some guys with Backyard Buddy lifts and they are well made, quality lifts. My gripe would be (as a fanatic for maintenance) that the outsides of the Backyard Buddy posts should be greased/oiled. I'd likely rub into it, against it...etc...and get grease on my clothes, in the car, etc.

[Joel]

I think the Revolution is the only Chinese made Rotary - which they did to compete I guess with other low priced lifts. Of course the others are quite a bit higher - $2500-2800 versus $3500+ but the higher priced Rotary lifts are usually 9000+ lift capacity so you do get a bit more for the money. And it is not just the hydraulics you have to worry about. Sometimes the steel used in cheap lifts is just not up to par with better quality lifts.

John, most 4-post lifts have a jack tray or a complete jack assembly that will allow you to remove the wheels when it is on a 4-post lift.

I'm in the market for a lift and looked at the following (the info below is from memory...should be pretty accurate though):

Bend-Pak: Nice lifts, but you need compressed air to release the locks. They are Chinese made. They are not sure where their hydraulics are made--guessing China too.
Rotary Revolution: Nice lifts as Brian and Steve noted earlier. They are Chinese made and their hydraulics/pumps are either from China, Germany, or Italy. I read this as "China".
Backyard Buddy: Nice, but nearly $6k delivered and installed! All USA made with Baldor motors.
Challenger: Nice lift, made in KY (as in Kentucky...) by Quality Lifts, USA pumps, hydraulics, etc. Great warranty. There is a local guy that will deliver and install for about $4200 for the 9,000 pound standard size lift. This one is on the top of my list right now. Aluminum ramps are available.
American Custom Lifts: Made by Challenger.
Quality Lifts: Owned by Challenger. They are USA made and this is the division of Challenger that makes the residential 4-post lifts. Eagle: Chinese made, but some local installers were not crazy about them. They said they would prefer a Revolution lift to either Eagle or BendPak.
Direct Lift: Chinese made, and IIRC, the least expensive lift out there. Lots of folks have them, so they must be doing something right.
Stinger: Nice lift, USA made, lots of Corvette guys have them. Nobody local sells them, so ruled that one out.

I'm looking for a lift that has a good warranty, USA made (if possible), has local dealer to take delivery, install and handle any warranty or service issues, and a lift where the inner lockpoints are adjustable (to accommodate the slope of the garage floor). Right now, the Challenger lift is my top pick, and the price is very reasonable.

Good luck shopping!

[SuperBird4404BBL]

I love my backyard Buddy. I wish I would have picked one up sooner!

[sparkrn]

Bendpak hydraulics are made by SPX located in Rockford, Il.
Also for you guys that own a bendpak and used the anchor bolts that came with it. If u cut the excess threads off the stud you can cover them with chrome lug nut covers for a Dodge 1 ton pickup. Looks really nice.

[C.J]

Had a Quality Q4P09H 4-post lift installed yesterday. It's a nice unit that has Chinese steel and is assembled (not really sure what that means) in the US. The pump and motor are USA made and mine is wired for 220V (no cost option). The lift went together pretty easily (had an installer but I ended up helping him as his usual guy was out of town) and it squared up and leveled out quickly. A couple things that struck me as strange was the total lack of grease on the spindles that a little pulley rides on--look at the small black pulley in the following photo:
DSCN2394.jpg

These take the slack out of the cables. A couple of them barely turned at all, so I removed the C-clip, cleaned, greased, and reassembled all four of them -- once cleaned, they were very easy to rotate. Two of the pulleys had some junk (like parts of an old rag) in the pulleys that was easy to clean up:
DSCN2397.jpg

Here's a photo of the small pulleys back in place with the cable and the sheaves. The axle the sheaves ride on is large...probably 1.25 inch diameter, maybe larger, so they should be very reliable.
DSCN2404.jpg

I also ordered the 4,500 pound capacity rolling jack. Pump was defective (China) so Quality is sending me a new pump. The rolling jack is Chinese-made all the way. Not overly impressed with the build quality of the pump. The lifting part of the jack looks okay, but for the dough, it looks like there is room for improvement. I'll add comments once I get the replacement pump.
DSCN2414.jpg

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