Never trust the salesman

[Dusty]

Unless this lift is designated just for this vehicle, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've been in that situation many times...a stretch limo a few weeks ago...just chock the front tires(the rubber chocks work best) and set the park brake. It'll be solid enough to even R&R the trans or engine.

Even if the lift WAS just for this vehicle, you could also just use a ratchet strap or 2 and secure the vehicle to the front crossmember of the lift. Too many ways around this minor problem, even when safety is the #1 priority. You seem too sharp to let a minor inconvenience like this cause you to want to get rid of it already. Try it out a few times before you unload it for a loss.

edited to add...the only way I'd get rid of this lift is if it had the built in sliding jacks. You wouldn't be able to lift the rear axle using them...based on what the picture shows.QUOTE]

I have a rolling jack coming after the first of the year, and you are correct, it will not lift the rear end the way that it is.

 

[Ifixcars]

I agree with losing part of the back ramp flaps it you can't get satisfaction from the dealer. Unless you can get the price you want for the lift, that is. You can chock the rear wheels instead if you have to. I know I would raise a fuss about it to the manager of the place I got it from.

 

[gordon21]

This may seem basic, but did you actually measure the lift you have now? If it is not the full 164" as promised, then you have a case against the seller. If the ramps are actually 162.75" , then that is NOT what you ordered and paid for. He already shipped you the wrong item once.

Misrepresentation gets the attention of attorney generals. This guy has one strike against him already with the narrow ramps.

About 5 years ago Mazda printed a bunch of literature and had their website shows a HP rating of the Miata of something like 145HP. They sold many thousand units that year with the literarture. After dyno testing, it turns out the final production car had something like 138HP. Mazda was so concerned about a class action suit they offered this deal to all the buyers who had purchased using false advertising. They would buy your car back for every cent you paid no matter how many miles on it or they would give you a package with free 100%service for 50,000 miles and a $500 debit card.

I enjoyed my free service and the $500. All I had to do was sign a release agreeing that the 138HP would be adequate and that I would not sue in the future for the missing HP.

 

[Dusty]

The runways are the full 164". I did add air to the tires, but it didn't make a noticeable difference. I have been trying to figure out how to get a few extra inches, and I think that I might have hit on a solution. The one important thing is that the tires fully rest on the runways, not any home made part. I am thinking of changing the front tire stops slightly so the front tires can move forward about 2 inches. I think that might be enough. I have also advertised it on Craig's List and a few other places. If I can bail out with a small loss, I will get the 2 foot longer lift.
Dusty

 

[TCBoomer]

I have a rolling jack coming after the first of the year, and you are correct, it will not lift the rear end the way that it is.

That sux, now I understand where you're coming from. I wondered if the jacks were part of the plan. I wish I had the funds right now...bad timing with Xmas next week...but I know someone who might be interested. He just opened his own shop this past summer. Do have a website or link that lists the lift specs or could you PM them to me? What about the jacks, are they to be included or you keeping them when you get them? Price with or without the jacks?

 

[schmism]

how often are you planning on pulling on and off with this monster of a car?

why not (while still on the ground)

jack up the rear end, put it on jack stands under the frame a foot in from the end.... then the rear wheels arnt touching the ramps and are just kinda hanging out were ever they are....

(alternitivly you could add non permenat extenstions that sit on the floor in the front, drive up over the stop, onto your extenstions, then jack the front end up on jackstands with the front wheels hanging out in space.... (the nice thing about this method is if you bilt the ground-extensions right, you could place the jackstands under the car, and use the lift as your jack, because as you raised the lift the front of the car would slowly sink onto the jack stands on the ramps....)

 

[DieselPower]

I see two way's to fix this problem.

1) Either have the ramps extended at the front by a professional fab shop.

2) Make pull pins so you can remove the ramps after the car is on the lift. Then make up some simple roll off stops to replace the ramps with once they are removed. No ramps, no problems.

 

[Dargo]

I'm nearly finished, just need to do some painting etc., but I have a 2 post lift that will also act like a 4 post lift when needed. My runways are 216" long and 18" wide and will lift to 74" high.

Pardon the poor quality of the picture, it was from my phone. I'm making the ramps to be able to hold the entire 12,000 my lift is rated to hold and they will be removable so I can also use the 2 post lift as normal if I need to do any suspension work, brake work, or rotate tires etc. Otherwise, my 2 post lift will be a simple drive on lift. I can take more pics later if you want to see. The trouble is that I'm limited on the time I can devote to building them.

 

[MarkV]

Guess I just don’t understand everything that comes into play. It sure looks to me like some pieces of 6” angle, some gussets and a new tire stop on the front would solve the problem. The tire would actually be centered more on the cross beam than it is now. I don’t think the extension would even be carrying any significant load. Certified welders that do on site work around here charge $35 to $45 per hour and would have it done in no time if you already had the pieces cut and the surfaces cleaned.

Have you considered calling the manufacture to see what they had to say about extending the ramp the small amount needed? They may have to him and haw because of liabilities but if the mechanics of the lift are the same as those used with longer ramps a certified welder can attach an extension as strong or stronger the rest of the ramp.

MarkV

 

[montanaman]

I'm nearly finished, just need to do some painting etc., but I have a 2 post lift that will also act like a 4 post lift when needed. My runways are 216" long and 18" wide and will lift to 74" high.

Pardon the poor quality of the picture, it was from my phone. I'm making the ramps to be able to hold the entire 12,000 my lift is rated to hold and they will be removable so I can also use the 2 post lift as normal if I need to do any suspension work, brake work, or rotate tires etc. Otherwise, my 2 post lift will be a simple drive on lift. I can take more pics later if you want to see. The trouble is that I'm limited on the time I can devote to building them.

I know that I would sure like to see more pictures! This is something that I have future plans for so I can use the same lift to service cars and trucks and also tractors and zero turn mowers.

Looks awesome so far!! What is the plan to tie the ramps into the lift? Will they bolt to the lift pads? I assume there will be a few cross members too?

Heck, if I built something like that I could move it around on a carpet dolly and use it as a pair of ramps to unload tractors from a semi when I get a load!

Really nice idea and the fab work looks great!

Why not start a new topic and show us the progress!!

Ken

 

[Dargo]

Heck, if I built something like that I could move it around on a carpet dolly and use it as a pair of ramps to unload tractors from a semi when I get a load!

Really nice idea and the fab work looks great!

Why not start a new topic and show us the progress!!

Ken

You're peeking!! I just came in from starting a fire in the woodstove in the barn and moved one track out of the way to work on the other. That is, I pushed it out of the way on two carpet dollys I bought for $15 each at Rural King. I was going to make flip down wheels on each so you could lock the "landing gear" down and roll them off when not needed, but for zero time and $60 total (two sets of 2 dollys) that issue was handled. And, they are engineered to hold 12,000 pounds when only supported on each end.

Thanks for the kind words. I actually have the engineer from a local steel works factory coming by today to help finish the design of how they attach to the lift arms. He's the one who also did the research on what size channel to use for the strength I needed. They will be movable to adjust to the width of different machines I want to lift. They will handle everything from my 1 ton diesel dually to my ZTR Grasshopper mowers. The only issue is that the geometry of the attachment points will have to be able to move when the lift arms extend and retract if I attach to the lift pads or have a pin drop through the holes if I unscrew the lift pads. If you can picture it, the lift pads actually get further apart from each other as you extend the lift arms. That creates an issue if I want to use them as a point of attachment unless I use a 1" pin in a slotted piece on the drive on ramps.

Ah, I'm probably not describing it right. I have some other ideas as well does the engineer. If there is any interest, I can start a thread on the drive on ramps for a 2 post lift. No such product exists (believe me, I looked). The closest is a set of ramps that you drive on but the ramps hinge away and the vehicle is picked up by the rocker panels. With show cars, that would be a huge problem for me. Those are called "fast lane express" adaptors or something like that. If I took my car into a shop and they picked it up by the rocker panels, there would be heck to pay and likely a law suit. I want the ease of a 4 post lift, the limited floor space used of a 2 post lift, the ability to simply drive on and drive off of a 4 post lift, and the ability to do brake, wheel rotations, and suspension jobs as well without having to mess with 2 separate jack trays and the jacks needed with a 4 post lift. Make sense?

 

[MrJimi]

Dusty, would driving your tires over a 2 X 6 or a 2 X 8 lift the tires enough to clear these ramps?

 

[George2615]

Dargo,
I too would be interested in a follow up on your drive on ramps for my two post lift. I've been thinking about building something similar for servicing the 4 wheeler, tractor, mower and anything else that I can't use the lift pads for but haven't come up with a way to secure them to the lift pads. I did make a drive on ramp for my motorcycle that clamps to the lift arms on on one side. I figured it was safe since I'm only lifting a 750# bike.
Start a new thread and keep us informed.

Thanks, George