03 Z06

I notice the lifts for stacking cars in some of the pics. Where can they be purchased? Price?

Thanks.


[Modified by Randi, 1:40 AM 6/18/2002]

bigdan

http://www.liftusa.com./
http://www.backyardbuddy.com/
http://www.kwiklift.com/

try these
:cheers:

Mr Mojo

Before you buy, seek out a C3 member named "69L71" he had a mishap with his lift, damaged two of his precious vettes.

He can help you in your decision on what to look for and what to stay away from.

Mr Mojo

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=320019

Juliet

And Chris is still battling with the company over the damages. :(

Crusher

The lift company "Double Park" was at GM Carlisle this past weekend. I played dumb and asked them if any of their lifts ever collapsed and they said no. When I brought up the incident documented on the forum they said they weren't aware of it. For that alone, I would never buy there lift. In my opinion, the best lift by far is a Back Yard BuddY.


[Modified by Crusher137, 10:10 PM 6/17/2002]

69L71

Whoa bunky.... Don't come down on Double Park. Its very likely that the local Double Park rep knows nothing about my problem. My lift was a Perfect Park 7000 NOT a Double Park. In fact, since my little episode, I' have looked at , analyzed, and researched pretty much every lift on the market, and Double Park is about the best I've seen. I'll be buying one once the idiots at Lifts Unlimited come and get their collasped wreck out of my garage.

For more info take a few minutes (or days) and read the posts in my sig line. You'll understand what happend to mine pretty quickly. Sorry some of the pics don't open anymore in the post, but you can see them in my pics link.

Let the buyer beware - but read what happend to me first.

Oly

I bought one (M6) from these guys about a year and a half ago. I really like it.


http://www.autolifters.com/


'92 LT1

Chance

No problems here with the Superior lift.
:cheers:

69L71

Be careful with Superior. Its built by gemini Auto Lifts in Ft Worth, right alongside the Perfect Park.

I'm not saying that any of thses suckes are inherently unsafe, but poop can happen, and I've been anything but impressed about how Lifts Unlimited and Gemini stood behind their products.

Crusher

Back at ya bunky......you need to contact Back Yard Buddy, I believe they have pics of a double park collapse also. They have pics of a lot of collapses. They claim they have never had one and I know that doesn't mean much coming from the manufacturer. So if anyone knows of one or more importantly has pictures of one, please speak up.

Chris, since you have done more homework then I have, please let me know why you feel that double Park is superior to BYB. I praise BYB cause they have never had a collapse where most of the other companies have. I tend to go with what works and not with what the companies say about their products. No company ever tells you there product is flawed. I'm sure you thought Perfect Park was the lift to buy when you bought it, and you probably praised it until it collapsed. Now that it collapsed, you wouldn't recomend it.


[Modified by Crusher137, 12:43 PM 6/18/2002]


[Modified by Crusher137, 12:51 PM 6/18/2002]

Denney

Randi, a friend of mine and I both bought the Stinger lifts many (6 or so) years ago. We are both happy with them. There have been a few maintenance items over the years, but nothing to devastating. Well built, powder coated, and the diamond tread pattern on both tracks. Certainly worth a look. :cheers:

Craq

I finished my garage project over this last winter; I designed it, specifically, to accomidate a four post lift. After reading this saga I'm pretty sure who WON'T be selling me one, but I'm also not too sure who will...this is some scary stuff here...

69L71

I have no qualms with the BYB. Its Ok. The things I don't particularly love about it is the hardware store hardware and slot locking mechanism. Not so say its not adequate, but personally I'd be happier with my car sitting on 3-side-welded 2x1 blocks then slots in 3/8" sheetmetal.

Some of things that impressed me so much on the Double Park were the bracing on the top and bottom of the phenolic slider blocks, heim joints on the release mechanism with a plastic/rubber anti-scratch cover on the linkage rods, and cables that are terminated all the way through the threaded fittings instead of just the last inch. They also recently incorporated a flow restrictor that should increase safety by slowing the rate of drop in the event of a hydraulic line failure. I wrote about these things and other observations here: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=320019

As for the Perfect Park, you're right; I won't recommend it, but its not because of its construction. Frankly, I still see it well on the topside of the market, but because they've left me hanging for three months with no resolution to something that was a result of one of their failures I will no longer deal with them. Its a company issue not a design issue. Yes, I'm much less enthusiastic about the enclosed locking mechanism (because I now want to SEE the locks), but the design is sound. What happend to me was a freak accident. It required two simultaneous fatal failures occuring at once. That's why I'm not afraid of 4-post lifts in general. The lock and actuation systems are independent. If either one held up my lift never would have fallen.

What I look for now is a company that is willing to admit that their lift is a mechanical system and has maintenance requirements. The Perfect Park had no such advice. It gives the user a false sense of security that its a plug and play tool. It is my feeling that 99.9% of the lift failures are because of lack of lubrication and inattention by the user. Why these lift companies don't use glow-in-the-dark orange letters to tell the user to periodically inspect the pulley packs, inspect and adjust the cables, and lubricate the pulley bushings is beyond me. So far, Double Park and Bend Pak are the only two that I know of that list recommended maintenance. Even Denney's friend had to have his pulleys replaced because Stinger never told him (until he called) that the bushings needed lubrication. When he did, the bushing and pulley bolt were both quite worn.

Incidentally, 5-6 years ago, Stinger lifts were retailed by Stinger but manufactured by Cytech, which now only builds the Double Park. Now they are independent.

For the record, I have been informed to two failures on Back Yard Buddys.



[Modified by 69L71, 12:23 PM 6/18/2002]

Denney

Chris is correct that our friend's (it is Chris' friend also) Stinger lift had a bushing failure after about 6 years, however the use of that lift over those six years was pretty high compared to most folks. The idea and concept of all these 4-post lifts were (are) for moderate parking/service applications. All mechanical items will wear out over time without proper lubrication, lifts are not an exception. As a result of Chris' experience, I have forced myself to examine my lift for proper operation (and lubricate) almost every time I use it (which, admittedly is not even close to a daily basis). Chris is also very astute as to the differences in the designs and I know he has examined the pros and cons of nearly all the 4 post lifts out there extensively. I would highly recommend that anyone looking to purchase one should examine their choices in-person and not by only looking at the glossy pictures in the manufacturer's literature. Believe me when I say that you will definitely get a good idea of which are better by doing so.

WEF's 95

Do the 2 post lifts (Bendpak) have similar problems?

GARVETT

I have autolifters 7 years no problems very happy

03 Z06

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I can't imagine having one of these things collapse.

One thing I gleaned from the discussion is that these are not intended for heavy use (up and down). That definitely concerns me because we drive all of our cars so whatever got put up there would be taken down at least once a week.

I think I'll build another garage!

Lionsden

Randi
I think this has been a good discussion on car lifts.

Through 69L71's misfortune we lift owners are brought back to reality that car lifts are a maintenance item. I don't believe they are any less reliable than floor jacks and stands. There have been failures with those also.

69L71 gave information on the Double Park lift. His information is accurate and informative.

I physically went through Double Park's manufacturing facility in Wichita, KS. Then I went across town and looked at the Superior lift. If I didn't know better I would bet they came from the same manufacture. Its amazing how much they are alike. Some of the additional features that the Double Park has I call "fluff". For a little more money the DP lift is a prettier lift than the Superior. They make the lift more attractive but not necessarily more reliable or safe. I can't figure the need for the end caps on the Nylon blocks. They look neat but if the shear strength of the attaching bolt doesn’t hold them there is a serious problem somewhere else. The coating on the lowering rods looks good but not really a safety feature. The orifice in hydraulic line is one difference that I can see as a safety feature. If a hose bursts the orifice will regulate the speed at which the lift lowers/falls. The down side of the orifice is that when normally lowering the lift it is painfully slow especially in cold weather.


Again routine maintenance and maintaining correct cable adjustment is imperative to a safe lift.

Don't let a lift mishap stop you from a purchase. The conveniences and benefits are numerous.

A picture on my lift is posted above. :) I have no problems working around or under a Superior or Double Park Lift.

The deciding factor for me choosing the Superior over the Double Park was that on the base model my 1/2-ton extended cab short bed Chevy would fit on the Superior but not on the Double Park.

GS Ragtop

I've had an AutoLifters four-post unit for a few years and remain a happy camper. In my sig you can see that stacking was the primary reason for buying the lift.

In the new house, I have enough room to keep the lift functioning as a work tool.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION FOR ANYONE BUYING/USING A LIFT. IN TIME, THE CABLES WILL STRETCH AND REQUIRE ADJUSTMENT. I CHECK MINE EVERY THREE MONTHS AND NEED TO ADJUST ALMOST EVERY TIME.

Great item to have in the garage, but treat it like any expensive, complex tool - proper adjustment means safe operation.

Brad