2 Post Lifts

[Gizmo.Y]

Anyone had one of these £40 a Month, 0% Finance, 2 post lifts?

Urgently need a Lift, as im turning away so much work due to not having one, Getting pretty desperate and these look like a good solution.

I dont have much £££ to buy one, so the finance option looks pleasing.

Similar to these.
http://www.garageequipment.co.uk/Ga...09-Peak-2-Post-Baseplate-Lift-–-4-Ton-1ph-3ph

Anyone have any experience with them? Toying with the idea of a £300 ebay 2nd hand jobby, but most need £300-400 to service them back into working order.

 

[johnik]

there are some video,s on youtube about Chinese ones that go pop,for that money i would expect they come from there.
i had a Teclamit one,new nuts and a service and it was good as new for the 6 years i had it,at least i knew it was properly built....end of the day,it,s your head that will be underneath it.

 

[Wedg1e]

I've worked on a couple of Chinese single-post lifts (got one in for conversion to an x-ray head lift as we speak), my guess would be that the security of your floor fixings would be the weak point as there's not much to go wrong. Hydraulic pump and ram, length of chain, some nylon slider blocks. They have a safety pawl that's supposed to catch the lifting frame if the lifty bits fail.
I've seen moans that they restrict access to some parts of the underside but unless you did a lot of propshafts and exhausts I can't really see it being an issue.
The first one we used has been in regular (24 hours at times) service for 3-4 years although it's only lifting a couple of hundred kilos rather than car weights.

 

[Ton-up]

I know you said you are urgenly looking for one, but l would'nt touch some of the Chinese stuff. You're better off searching for a second hand Bradbury or simular. There's always a couple on ebay/Gumtree but ask around in the trade.

 

[Stueeee]

For everyday use I wouldn't want a Chinese made lift where not only is there a potential safety issue, but parts may be a problem when it needs routine servicing.

if you buy a quality secondhand Tecalemit/Bradbury/Stenhoj or similar lift and budget for new load nuts and or cables it should be good for years of service.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Have a look on YouTube for lift fails, I doubt you'll want a cheap no-name jobbie after that - or at least, you won't want to go underneath it with a car on...

 

[knighty]

mechanic I know got a £1000 Chinese one on ebay, it's been perfect for 6 months daily use in garage

I helped him fit it, looks decent to me, lifts a transit van no problem

 

[Wedg1e]

Have a look on YouTube for lift fails, I doubt you'll want a cheap no-name jobbie after that - or at least, you won't want to go underneath it with a car on...

...and how many of those (without looking) were failures of ill-maintained brand-name lifts, or those that were overloaded etc.?
I know a guy who bought a 4-poster (Bradbury I think) secondhand. He had to replace the cables as strands snapped like spaghetti if you flexed them: that cost him more than he'd paid for the lift.
Then when he came to put a load on it the thing kept creeping down; turned out the ram was shot, that cost him the same again - and to be on the safe side he renewed all the safety nuts. That was the reason he sold me a set of TVR wheels, to pay for the nuts
Granted he ended up with a lift that will last in domestic service for years but he may as well have spent the money on a new one to start with!

 

[ajlelectronics]

How would a lift of any sort fare outside? It is the only place I have to install one.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I'm sure there was post on here a few years back where somebody bought a named 2nd hand lift and then couldn't use it as they couldn't source any replacement nuts.

 

[Bill Edwards]

...and how many of those (without looking) were failures of ill-maintained brand-name lifts, or those that were overloaded etc.?
I know a guy who bought a 4-poster (Bradbury I think) secondhand. He had to replace the cables as strands snapped like spaghetti if you flexed them: that cost him more than he'd paid for the lift.
Then when he came to put a load on it the thing kept creeping down; turned out the ram was shot, that cost him the same again - and to be on the safe side he renewed all the safety nuts. That was the reason he sold me a set of TVR wheels, to pay for the nuts
Granted he ended up with a lift that will last in domestic service for years but he may as well have spent the money on a new one to start with!

This is what I had in mind:

 

[rtbcomp]

How would a lift of any sort fare outside? It is the only place I have to install one.

A garage near me had one outside, they just kept the moving parts/screws/cables &c well greased. I'd be inclined to make some waterproof bags to put over the posts & motor.

 

[PhillipM]

...and how many of those (without looking) were failures of ill-maintained brand-name lifts, or those that were overloaded etc.?
I know a guy who bought a 4-poster (Bradbury I think) secondhand. He had to replace the cables as strands snapped like spaghetti if you flexed them: that cost him more than he'd paid for the lift.
Then when he came to put a load on it the thing kept creeping down; turned out the ram was shot, that cost him the same again - and to be on the safe side he renewed all the safety nuts. That was the reason he sold me a set of TVR wheels, to pay for the nuts
Granted he ended up with a lift that will last in domestic service for years but he may as well have spent the money on a new one to start with!

On the other hand I bought a decent German-made screw-nut type lift instead of hydraulic, popped it in, replaced the cable for the safety nut and it's running strong 4 years later for the grand total of £300...

 

[Bill Edwards]

How would a lift of any sort fare outside? It is the only place I have to install one.

A local garage has had one outdoors for a few (4 ish) years and it's certainly working. I presume it's not been a problem for them, as above keep the electrics dry and everything greased and I wouldn't expect it to be a big issue.

 

[grim_d]

I'm sure there was post on here a few years back where somebody bought a named 2nd hand lift and then couldn't use it as they couldn't source any replacement nuts.

That was me. scrapped it in the end up though could now make a pair of nuts on the lathe in theory.

Main problem was that the manufacturer was obsolete. I don't recall their name.

It had Been used until the main and safety nuts collapsed and jammed the carriage, in hindsight that should have been enough to make us walk away.

Replaced with a late 80s tecalemit, spares still available in abundance if required. it's a fantastic unit but not the prettiest, i'm almost glad the first one didn't work out.

Moral of the story. used ramps are great, just makes sure spares are available before you take it home.

Second hand I would always be looking at screw types.

 

[knighty]

This is what I had in mind:

I think those have been over rated... 10,000lb is 4.5ton

even if they were made for 4.5ton... you'd have to be pretty stupid to put 4.5ton on a two post lift, that's just bolted to the floor, and has no mast/support between the posts (I've seen a couple with a mast between, guess that improves things a lot)

my mechanic mate's Chinese 2 poster doesn't move at all with a transit van on it, and he's had it checked for his insurance etc.. and it was no problem - checked by proper lift expert guy the insurance sends out to compercial garages)

(ok... I've only seen it with a small transit on it, but you get the picture)

 

[scottmk1]

I have a Chinese vehicle scissor lift. Fair enough it's different to a 2 post lift but it is solidly built & I have no issues going under a car on it. Just because it's made in china doesn't mean it's not fit for purpose or dangerous.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I seem to spend half my life under my Chinese scissor lift and am not worried about it.

There is a youtube vid saying how they are a death trap by some idiot who has misused his, you are always going to get that.

 

[Bill Edwards]

I think those have been over rated... 10,000lb is 4.5ton

even if they were made for 4.5ton... you'd have to be pretty stupid to put 4.5ton on a two post lift, that's just bolted to the floor, and has no mast/support between the posts (I've seen a couple with a mast between, guess that improves things a lot)

my mechanic mate's Chinese 2 poster doesn't move at all with a transit van on it, and he's had it checked for his insurance etc.. and it was no problem - checked by proper lift expert guy the insurance sends out to compercial garages)

(ok... I've only seen it with a small transit on it, but you get the picture)

Very fair points.
At the end of the day my experience of cheap Chinese stuff has seen more or less both ends of the scale. Some things are very well made and certainly fit for purpose and excellent value for money but some things are no good whatsoever. Sometimes even the most basic things can be designed or built so poorly that they're not fit for purpose, even thick metal that's of terrible quality can sometimes break at the drop of a hat and so I'm very cautious about what I will buy these days. When talking about a vehicle held above me I certainly want to be sure that it's not going anywhere.

Ok, the video I showed did put a heck of a lot of weight on a lift that clearly wasn't capable of taking it before it failed and it could be seen to bend but when it did go it was quite dramatic and obviously lethal.
What isn't easy to test or see is how such a thing performs over time. Metal gets tired and breaks when it's not really strong enough, it works for a while but eventually gives.
I have not seen or studied the cheap Chinese offerings and it could be that they're mainly safe for normal use, but it's something I would approach with caution. I'd be more interested in a decent old one that's stood the test of time, provided it's in fair condition.

 

[Wedg1e]

This is the one we've just bought:

http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/7521-single-post-vehicle-lift/