[kolosy]

So I'm planning on knocking down my garage and building a new one + turning it into a mancave (Chicago city lots are 125'x25', so opportunity for lateral expansion is minimal). Current garage (which I'd have to use the footprint of) is 21'2" interior wall-to-wall. I'll also be re-pouring the concrete pad, so I'll be able to do the high-tensile stuff needed for a lift if I decide to go that way.

So... 4 post? 2 post? 1 post? Primary use is work, not storage. But when not in use, I need it to not be a giant pain to live with, so be able to park 2 cars in the garage, and walk around it.

What have people done?

[TouringM3]

Highly recommend a 2-post since you want to use it for working on your cars, and not just storage.

I've been researching the same thing and quickly came to realize my future garage (hopefully) has a 2 post in it

[Efthreeoh]

I have a lift. I built a dedicated building for it on my property with no space or ordinance limitations. I researched everything about lifts back at the time and I was building a multi-use work shop to work on cars and keep my 250 year old house in shape.

So first off you need a minimum of 12 feet ceiling clearance for a full-size 2-post lift. If your primary purpose is for car repair and you have somewhat of a budget, a 2-post lift is the preferred choice. I'm not sure what lift prices are now, but I'm guessing around $4K to $4.5K for a US-made ALI-certified 2-post 10,000-pound lift. I have a Rotary SPO-A10, which my installed price in 2004 was $3,500. IMO, a 4-post is good for storage but just takes up a lot of volume in the garage. Doing oil changes would be easy with a 4-post, but that's about it. A 2-post lift really doesn't get in the way once you get used to it being there, which takes just a few days. Counter that with it takes about 30 seconds to realize having a car lift to do car work is effing awesome. Just sayin'...

Having full open access to the undercarriage does not limit you to what type of repairs you can accomplish. For working on a 3-series, where you have to remove the exhaust for most driveline work, you need full open access. 2-posts are not preferred for long term storage since some people take issue with leaving the suspension unloaded, but I've never had an issue with it, and I've left cars on my lift for 2-weeks straight at a time. My bay is 18' x 26'.

But your issue is space limitations. Most 2-posts need a recommended minimum bay space of 12' x 24'. If you are limited to 21 feet across, using my lift as an example, the overall width is 11'6", so you could snug it up near one wall and park one car in between the columns and the other car adjacent to it. It'd be tight, and then you'd need to consider the parking talent of the person whom you may be sharing the garage with. And the preferred 2-post design is an asymmetric that rotates the columns inward, which allows for wider access to open the doors of the car to get in and out. If you go asymmetric then the location of the lift is about 8" forward of the lateral centerline of the space, meaning if you have a 24' deep bay, the center of the lift will be 12'8" from the entry wall of the garage and 11'4" from the back wall. For me I have no space issues since I don't park in my shop; I have a separate car port for covered parking. I do keep my farm tractor parked between the lift though.

So just digging around on Rotary's website, if you have the budget, an in-ground 2-post lift like their SL210-MP8 may be a better option for you. It's a 2-post lift that sits in the floor, so you can park over it. It has lifting pads that work perfectly for BMW's lifting blocks and it would give you all the open undercarriage access an above-ground 2-post lift would. The drawback is it is twice as expensive as an above-ground lift ($10K) and the installation costs would be far more costly as well $3K is my guess). You'd have to dig a hole for it and the pit for it would need to be concrete with a sump pump I'd guess. Just an idea since I'm not sure what your budget is for the new garage. If you are financing it, then an extra $8K wouldn't be that big of a monthly financial hit.

My advice is find a local automotive equipment supplier who sells lifts. I bought my lift from such a place in Charlottesville. Working with knowledgeable people is the best route you can take. Installing an above-ground 2-post lift is very easy, just locate the position of the lift in shop bay, then drill the concrete and erect the columns and bolt them to the floor. Run the electric. We had mine installed in about 2 hours. Rotary has a neat hydraulic power system called Shockwave, which is a 12VDC system running off a car battery, so the electric installation is nothing more than a 120V AC line to power a DC battery charger. Most lifts need 220VAC.

There are a lot of good choices for lifts: Bend Pack, Atlas, Challenger, and Rotary are the top four. They all offer competing products with one another.

[kolosy]

that's super helpful, thanks. it does feel like a 4 post requires less lateral clearance than a 2 post -- since the posts can be basically right on top of the rail...

[Housekeeping]

I have a Benpak 4 post, mainly for storing my e39. My F10 won’t fit under it in my garage but a sports car can (911). Great product.

[ToddinTN]

Originally Posted by Sy1616

I have a Benpak 4 post, mainly for storing my e39. My F10 won’t fit under it in my garage but a sports car can (911). Great product.

How tall are your ceilings? Thanks!

[INTMD8]

If you want to work on stuff, 2 post 100%.

12 ft ceiling height is safe but not a rule. Would be needed if you're working on trucks.

I had a bend pak lift built to 11ft 5in for my previous garage. Have never had a height issue but I only work on cars and small trucks.

Also, whatever lift you get make sure you can get low profile arms.

Nothing sucks more than pulling your car on the lift only to have to jack it up anyway to get the arms underneath.

Not sure why you need to re-pour the pad but if it's in good shape 4" is good enough for any lift and the surface can be repaired if degraded.

[Mintsopoulos]

2 Post. No doubt.

[WingZeroX5]

At my house, the ceiling height is 9'6 approx and the BP8000 fits perfectly. I can't get the car all the way up high, but it does the job very well

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

At my house, the ceiling height is 9'6 approx and the BP8000 fits perfectly. I can't get the car all the way up high, but it does the job very well

Agree, but if the OP is building a new garage where he can set the ceiling height, he should go with a full height lift. If he's tall in stature he should think about a lift w/ 6" extension. He still has a 21' width issue if he wants to park two cars side by side with a lift in one of the parking spaces.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by INTMD8

If you want to work on stuff, 2 post 100%.

12 ft ceiling height is safe but not a rule. Would be needed if you're working on trucks.

I had a bend pak lift built to 11ft 5in for my previous garage. Have never had a height issue but I only work on cars and small trucks.

Also, whatever lift you get make sure you can get low profile arms.

Nothing sucks more than pulling your car on the lift only to have to jack it up anyway to get the arms underneath.

Not sure why you need to re-pour the pad but if it's in good shape 4" is good enough for any lift and the surface can be repaired if degraded.

Nice diggs brother.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Agree, but if the OP is building a new garage where he can set the ceiling height, he should go with a full height lift. If he's tall in stature he should think about a lift w/ 6" extension. He still has a 21' width issue if he wants to park two cars side by side with a lift in one of the parking spaces.

yeah, i'm going 14'+ because i'll have a loft above the second car anyway. primary concern is lateral space.

on a 2 post, is there a function/safety issue with putting one of the columns right up against a wall? (or a few inches off, but not enough to walk past)

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by kolosy

yeah, i'm going 14'+ because i'll have a loft above the second car anyway. primary concern is lateral space.

on a 2 post, is there a function/safety issue with putting one of the columns right up against a wall? (or a few inches off, but not enough to walk past)

Not really, the base is larger than the column and that gives you the clearance needed to disengage the safety locks if you decide to put it close to the wall. Lift mfg's recommend a certain distance from the wall so that the user can safely activate the locks and possibly other key maintenance items.

[dscabra]

Another vote for a 2-post based on your usage description. Look for a "clear floor" design so you aren't tripping over a channel on the floor. I park a car in the lift space when I need to with no problem.

You can see what it looks like in my shop:

[kolosy]

looks sharp. what's the floor finish -- polished concrete, or just a clean slab? also -- i read on one of the bendpak docs that you aren't supposed to have the towers separated by a concrete expansion joint.. any concern over that?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kolosy

yeah, i'm going 14'+ because i'll have a loft above the second car anyway. primary concern is lateral space.

on a 2 post, is there a function/safety issue with putting one of the columns right up against a wall? (or a few inches off, but not enough to walk past)

Most 2-post lifts have the hydraulic control and lock release on the right-side column as a safety feature. They do so, so when the operator gets out of the driver's door he immediately sets the driver's side lift arms in place under the chassis, then he goes around to the passenger side and places the right-side lift arms in place. Then he goes to the hydraulic controls to operate the lift. This procedure dictated by the right-side position of the lift controls is aimed at preventing the operator from forgetting to place all 4 lift arms in place.

The car once on the lift arms sits around 18" inside of the column. So if you placed the left column around 12' - 18" from the wall you'd have 2 to 3 feet to walk around the left side of the vehicle. Keep in mind that asymmetrical 2-post lifts use a spotting plate on the left for placing the driver-side front wheel correctly.

If you sung the lift to the left side of your garage I figure you can have about 8' of parking space to the right of the lift. Definitely get a clear-floor model where the hydraulic lines and equalizing cables run over top in a channel above the columns.

Don't get a 4 post; it would just crowd the space. A 2-post is far more versatile in use. I built a huge porch swing for my wife on my lift. It saved me $5K that she was going to buy one for. That alone paid back my lift in one fell swoop. Nothing beats hydraulic, fully adjustable sawhorses.

[dscabra]

Originally Posted by kolosy

looks sharp. what's the floor finish -- polished concrete, or just a clean slab? also -- i read on one of the bendpak docs that you aren't supposed to have the towers separated by a concrete expansion joint.. any concern over that?

Untreated concrete is all. The floor is a single pour with relief cuts vs. expansion joints. If you are doing new construction, consider this option as you won't have to worry about wheels from your creeper, tool box, etc., falling into the joints.

[Alex C.]

If you’re more of a diy guy and just want to use it for work here and there and the lift not being in your way id suggest a scissor lift. Not sure if you are familiar with Obsessed Garage on Youtube but Matt uses the same type lift.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by Alex C.

If you’re more of a diy guy and just want to use it for work here and there and the lift not being in your way id suggest a scissor lift. Not sure if you are familiar with Obsessed Garage on Youtube but Matt uses the same type lift.

I've got a quickjack now, and while it's infinitely better than a normal jack, it's still a pain in the ass to position, and do anything near the side rails. if I can make a 2 post fit, i think i'll go that way..

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by dscabra

Untreated concrete is all. The floor is a single pour with relief cuts vs. expansion joints. If you are doing new construction, consider this option as you won't have to worry about wheels from your creeper, tool box, etc., falling into the joints.

All I did was use a s-load of big rebar plus 9" of 4,000 psi with one single relief cut depthwise. My surface spec was "baby ass smooth".

Under the lift it's 12".

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kolosy

I've got a quickjack now, and while it's infinitely better than a normal jack, it's still a pain in the ass to position, and do anything near the side rails. if I can make a 2 post fit, i think i'll go that way..

I'm not touting Rotary just because I have one, but the SPO-A10 has very small columns as compared to a Bend Pack or Challenger, so the posts are less in-the-way. My bay height is 14'. I do not have a pull-up garage door, I have sliding barn doors. You need to make sure the garage door you use is a high-bay style that allows a full full vehicle lift when the door is open. And spec a heater as well. Cars break in winter...

Plus you'll get used to the lift in the space in no time. It's like a coffee table, once it's in place, you learn to naturally avoid it. I can walk around my shop at night with no lights on and not run into the lift; you just learn to know "it's there". I've had mine now for almost 17 years, trust me on this.

[Mintsopoulos]

Originally Posted by kolosy

I've got a quickjack now, and while it's infinitely better than a normal jack, it's still a pain in the ass to position, and do anything near the side rails. if I can make a 2 post fit, i think i'll go that way..

Really? I have quick jacks at home (My 2 post is in a small industrial building I rent in Bensenville) but I can get my F80 up on the quick jacks so much faster than my 2 post.

I have a bendpak, and maybe its something specific to the model I have but man if the car isnt lined up perfectly I cant reach all the jack pads. Its much easier with 2 people.