What Are Four Post Lifts?
Four Post Lifts Fall Into 2 Categories: Professional or Hobbyist
Professional 4 Posts
Starting with capacity of 12,000lbs, progressing up to 14,000lbs, then 18,000lbs these care professional or commercial lifts. They come in 3 runway lengths to accommodate various wheel bases on autos or trucks. They have air operated locks and secondary slack cable locks that prevent dropping to the ground should anything “unload” the lifting cables.
Four posters come configured for everyday service/repair work or for wheel alignment service with turnplates and sliplates for such work. Often these lifts have “rolling jacks” built in to the runways. One forward another rearward. This allows fast access to the entire undercarriage while allowing the mechanic to remove all four wheels for rotation, tire changing and anything that needs attention under the car or wheels. If you have shop and room for only one lift, a four post is best. Save but for the cost. They average, with built-in jacks, double what the cost is for a two post lift.
Hobby Four Post Lifts
These go by several names: Homeowner, parking lift, storage lifts plus others. They are smaller, lower capacity runway lifts. You might store toys such as motorcycles or 4 wheelers, even wood working machinery or most anything above or below a sports cars, racecar street rod, what have you. These come in 7,8 and 9 thousand pound capacity. Short or long taller or narrow or wide. They have drip trays to protect what is under them. Mechanical locks that are child proof. The usually do not have secondary safety locks that would save them from falling should a lifting cable become slack.
You may order them with rolling jacks much like the professionals have. These make oil changing and hobby repair work easier and more fun. Be careful about clearances, child and family safety. Having one of these makes a hobby more fun. It is sort of like when a kid gets a die cast car, he keeps the box to play with car in and out of it. You can have a clear day fun car, yet the family life carries right on. Fun.
Multi-parkers
A newer item, it goes with the adage, “if one is good, two are better”. I once sold a customer, a professional baseball player, 6 lifts for his storage garage; in which he parked 6 Ferraris. Under which he parked various other cars and trucks. Thus he has 12 cars parked inside of a 6 car garage, safe and sound. Thus for about $25,000.00 he had millions of dollars worth of cars in a small space. You may not have 6 Ferraris but you could have a beach or mountain place with jet skis, motorcycles or snowmobiles.
The possibilities are numerous. These are one small four post built into two, three or more lifts. They can be safely stored in one place, ready for action when you are. Indoors, secure and clean. Just as easy to buy, a bit more to install but makes your hobby less of a chore.
Cruise to the drive in on Saturday night, run home to get your race car and meet the guys out on that lonely stretch in an hour! LOL! I can dream can’t I?
