Looking at lifts

finyuk2005 · Monday at 1:28 PM

I tidied my shed the other day, my welding bench was clear for, at most and hour.... and thats because I went for lunch

Melvyn Best · Monday at 2:15 PM

Mick Annick said:
Did you work with Ken Muir there?

Yes, he started a while after I did. No sure but I think he became a service manager? Haven’t seen him for probably 25years

anto44 · Monday at 2:20 PM

ATH-Heinl GmbH | Leading Workshop Equipment Supplier in Germany ATH Heinl GmbH & Co. KG

ATH-Heinl GmbH, one of the leading workshop equipment suppliers in Germany, specializes in lifting technology and tire service. Discover our high-quality car lifts, tire changers, and tire balancers. Located in Illschwang, Germany.

www.ath-heinl.com

I've had a 2 post lift from this crowd since 2009, they're top quality, the only thing I've had to replace in that time is the rubber pads. The arms are really well sized, everything from an A1 to big long wheelbase vans fits on it perfectly, works well with low vehicles aswell.
It was nearly twice the price of the chinese offerings at the time though. The electrician who wired it up was really impressed with the quality of the electrics in it, he said it was all well known brand name components used.

Matchless · Monday at 3:03 PM

My Chinese single sided 2.5 ton lift has been faultless so far, 8 years of light use, only issue was that the upper limit switch did not hit the carraige so did not work, will make a bracket one day!

Matchless · Monday at 3:07 PM

Bornfree said:
Been past that garage hundreds of times and I've never noticed that.

Interesting as Bernard Wallice was an Esso petrol station, I knew the pump girls very well, never had a problem getting vouchers for those Esso glasses, ended up with 100's, probably still have some!

fizzy · Monday at 3:30 PM

Aren't Bradbury still going?

Melvyn Best · Monday at 5:20 PM

fizzy said:
Aren't Bradbury still going?

Pretty sure they were taken over by Stenhoj years ago

premmington · Monday at 5:46 PM

fizzy said:
Aren't Bradbury still going?

?

Mick Annick · Monday at 6:03 PM

Melvyn Best said:
Yes, he started a while after I did. No sure but I think he became a service manager? Haven’t seen him for probably 25years

Our wives worked together at the Halifax in Aldershot when we married in 1979, we stayed friends but then they moved away and lost touch.

Farside · Monday at 7:36 PM

Robotstar5 said:
I used to be intrigued by the single hydraulic ram lift that came out of the floor in the centre of the car I've seen on some old American TV programmes.

Used to work with one of those. It was ok, but occasionally the centre piece would get in the way of doing a gearbox drop.
On one occasion some eejit (not me) forgot to put the chocks on the drive-on plates and the car rolled off at height.
Luckily it jammed against the roof beam as it toppled.
I've never moved so fast as I did to shove the lever 'up' as I did then, and saved some unlucky bloke who was working on a car just in front of the ramp.

Farside · Monday at 7:39 PM

Mick Annick said:
No lift is perfect for every occasion, but for me a Bradbury 4 post with the wheel free beams is as close as you’ll get.

I'd have a four-poster tomorrow. I grew up with them and never found anything that couldn't be done on one. Four-poster with rolling bars and jacking beam.

Melvyn Best · Monday at 7:47 PM

Mick Annick said:
Our wives worked together at the Halifax in Aldershot when we married in 1979, we stayed friends but then they moved away and lost touch.

Now you mention Aldershot I remember that’s where he moved from, it was probably 1980 he started there?

Mick Annick · Monday at 9:17 PM

Melvyn Best said:
Now you mention Aldershot I remember that’s where he moved from, it was probably 1980 he started there?

That would be about right, we both married about the same time in 1979 - it’s our 45th anniversary today! I can’t remember why he and his wife moved away - they went to St Neots - we spent a weekend there with them after they moved.

finyuk2005 · Monday at 9:30 PM

Farside said:
I'd have a four-poster tomorrow. I grew up with them and never found anything that couldn't be done on one. Four-poster with rolling bars and jacking beam.

A jacking beam does looks really handy!

Bulldog_ · Monday at 11:49 PM

You can see here how they install a 2 post on a driveway, there is a pt.2

LR Time

Bornfree · 2025-12-09T06:27:31+0000

Bulldog_ said:
You can see here how they install a 2 post on a driveway, there is a pt.2

LR Time

I think land rover supply them with every new vehicle.

malcolm · 2025-12-09T11:30:08+0000

It'll be interesting to know which you go for. I'm preparing the barn to make it into a workshop this winter and the short lift from the first link is a good find - would probably suit without modifying the roof structure.

jmp49 · 2025-12-09T11:46:55+0000

Farside said:
I'd have a four-poster tomorrow. I grew up with them and never found anything that couldn't be done on one. Four-poster with rolling bars and jacking beam.

+1
I have a fog 4 post with rolling jack beam setup, and a HH Intertek 2 post lift which is a heavy duty thing out of a jaguar dealership originally. I laid my floor to the specs for the intertek but having lived with the fog for a few years and done plenty of driveshaft/upright and suspension work on it, its just stood up in the corner of the workshop & is just waiting for me to get round to getting rid of it now.
On the four post I can put a engine beam between the jack frame and the front of the lift crosspiece and put a bellows airjack on that giving me free access to either side of it when working on fwd stuff where the box has to be supported from below while the engine is removed, normally past the special manufacturers bespoke support jig. Some turning plates would be nice eventually.

Another advantage, the 4 post doesnt stress the floor nearly as much, the requirements seem to be its flat and stable and somewhere to pop some anchor bolts in. My friend had the same 4 post in his commercial garage, and one day he showed me where one post had pulled its anchors since he took the place over 4 years ago but was still in daily use. Another friend has one outside exposed in the weather with a plastic oil drum with the top cut off upside down for weather protection for the pump/electrics.

Disadvantage, when theres a car on the lift but you need to tidy up or sort out, its very tempting indeed to wheel everything under it out the way while you do the sort out. But I think that's a facet of having a quart stuffed in a pint pot in terms of what I have jammed in my workshop. Also, if your thinking of using one for parking, make sure you have clearance under it for your second vehicle. I cant fit a landrover underneath, but the merc slk or one of the kids cars can. Real parking lifts go higher but they are more expensive...

Guineafowl · 2025-12-09T14:28:34+0000

What put me off the four-poster was having done a couple of Freelander 1 Td4 clutch replacements, where you have to drop the front subframe. It didn’t look possible on a four poster, and that’s at least partly why I went for a two-poster. I might be wrong, though.

Melvyn Best · 2025-12-09T16:46:43+0000

Guineafowl said:
What put me off the four-poster was having done a couple of Freelander 1 Td4 clutch replacements, where you have to drop the front subframe. It didn’t look possible on a four poster, and that’s at least partly why I went for a two-poster. I might be wrong, though.

Rear wheel drive Transit needs the subframe lowered to get the gearbox out, it is possible on a 4 poster with a jacking beam or by jacking up and supporting the body

Looking at lifts

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I started with nothing, still have most of it left

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