Lift or mechanic's pit for new garage?

[EscapedSuburbia]

on the cat!

I have a creeper and some ramps made from stacked 2x12s for the past 30 years. I'd like a lift in my future. Thinking about a mid-rise, similar to this...

BendPak MD-6XP Portable Mid-Rise Scissor Lift

You haven't experienced state-of-the-art portable lifting convenience until you've used the BendPak MD-6XP mid-rise scissor lift.

www.bendpak.com

I have something similar called the QuickJack that's also made by Bendpak. The difference is there are two so you put one under each side of the vehicle. They're better than a floor jack and jack stands but only barely. They're heavy and awkward to get into position, they need to be stored somewhere, and they don't lift very high. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't buy them. I'm in the process of building a pole barn with 18' walls so I'll be buying a real lift.

 

[Jaygyver]

For a 2 poster, concrete depth is only ONE thing as you also need to have the required PSI rating (strength) of the concrete required by the manufacturer also. Should be around 4000psi to 6000psi depending on the manufacturer.

There is also a couple different versions you can get, unlimited overhead but have cables you drive over (under a metal cover) and a cross over bar on top (that has the cables) between the two posts (open floor) with a stop switch connected to it.
The drawback on the plate/cable on the floor is if you roll your tool box around, only an inch or so high but rolling an 800#+ tool box over it would be a pain. I gave up rolling mine around years ago. On the overhead bar, you have an open floor but you may not be able to raise a small motorhome or similar height to the full chassis height. Just depends on your usage. Finding the lift points on a vehicle is fairly straight forward but finding the center balance is a calculated guess.

Fortunately I have a high roof. The things I looked for in the 2 poster is how high the bottom of the ARMs go and the width of the uprights. The bottom of the arms would be the lowest part of the vehicle, other than the tires, so I wanted to avoid hitting my head as much as possible. And the width was just that much more room for mirrors and getting in and out of the vehicles. The Asymmetrical ones (to me, again that's just me, as there are lots of them out there) just made me nervous on lifting anything at the upper extremes of the capacity.

I've had the Bendpac 9K# for around 15 years and it has worked for everything I've ever needed. Even used the arms as a lift to lift other non automotive items. I did buy a "stand" to use on my bugs for when I pull the motors out to counter balance it. Well, also the taller oil drain container when changing/draining oil, OMG I love that thing.
I have stored a couple of vehicles up in the air for a few months but in general try not to. Supposedly it's not suggested for long term storage on some manufacturers lifts but haven't seen it in writing myself.

As been mentioned about getting in and out of the vehicles, at least on my symmetrical one (arms are even side to side) is kind of a pain. I've gotten smarter, I get the wife to bring the car/truck in and out now.

 

[repete]

Although with a two post lift you will come to hate running boards....

 

[Shawn T. W.]

some ramps made from stacked 2x12s for the past 30 years.

So do I!

The 30-40 year old creeper didn't survive, hence the shiny new red one!

 

[dfkrug]

Why would you ever need to put a tractor on a lift?!? Sounds pretty silly considering that one can get all around a d under a tractor just as it sits .

I have split and re-attached maybe 10 tractors by now. No need for lifting or jacking inside the workshop, but it is sure nice to have a trolley/hoist to suspend and roll one of the half-tractors in assembly. It really helps with ROPS/FOPS removal and installation as well.

I never chose the pit over a lift to save money. Casting it into the floor was not easy, even if only 3' deep. The cover is 1/4" Al diamond plate, and it slides open and closed in a few seconds. Safe for walking on, too.

 

[cj7]

Although with a two post lift you will come to hate running boards....

Many two post lifts have extension pad adapters that can be easily added to gain clearance for running boards.