I did the search thing and got a lot of good info.
I'm ready to buy and would like to hear from the owners of the Autolifters offering. I'm looking at the Autolifters M80. It's an 8,000 lb lft for $2,400. From the website www.autolifters.com it appears to be a good, safe lift. The fact that it's made in the USA is a big plus(I've got a few cheap Chi-knee tools, and you get what you pay for). Any first hand experience would be helpful.
I just talked to a guy who ordered one from Autolifters at our breakfast meeting. That's a good price if it includes shipping. I bought a similar unit from Team Lift for $2200 including shipping, but it had a number of "issues" in assembling it....works fine now. In retrospect, I would have gladly paid the extra $200.
I have an Autolifters lift, and am very happy with it. I bought the M6 model, while my friend ordered the M80 model. I didn't have room for the M80, my friend has a much larger garage, and is taller than I am, so he got that one. With the M80 in a larger garage, you don't have to remember to "duck" when you walk under the lift.
I had one bay of my garage converted to a cathedral style ceiling. I can put a car on the lift, and raise it up high enough to store a second car under it. It is one of the best investments I ever made.
Since we both got the same brand, one of us ordered "solid" wheels (can move lift even with a car on it, on smooth surfaces), and one of us got pneumatic wheels (can move WITHOUT a car on it on rough surface, or even outdoors). The wheels were an accessory, and I haven't used mine yet, but, if the time comes, I'll have them handy.
Had the units shipped to a trucking terminal near home, and picked them up with an open trailer (one at a time).
I decided I preferred the design of the Autolifters unit, with a closed 4" post versus some competitive designs with an "open" post design - it looks safer to me. We were both pleased with the quality of the product, and the service.
Be very specific when dealing with these folks....
Their Spec's say one thing and the actual lift will be another....
I had many problems because their lift didn't go down to the 4.5" it said it would do in the spec sheet.... just so it would go under a car.....
I had to remake the arms and they told me to get lost.... finally they sent me a extra set of arms and we had to modify them to get them down to the 4.5" they advertised.
No customer service and it cost me another $700 to get everything set up right ....so it was in spec like their spec sheet...
Cobra Make, Engine: spf1973 "street" all black KCR 331
Posts: 94
Not Ranked
Hello,
I wish I could trade my lift in......I built my garage with plenty of ceiling height just for my lift/rack. Now that every thing is in place I have found that I have to duck to go under the lift to get across the garage. I did not realize I could have purchased a lift that would have had over 6 feet of clearence under the ramps when it is locked. If you have the ceiling height it is crucial to get the taller model.
I purchased the backyard buddy #7k lift. Had my mind set on one I saw in a magazine but went a few hundred extra when I saw the photo's backyard buddy folks had at the Carlisle show a few years ago. The one I liked had collapsed sideways and crushed not only the car below, but the one next to it. The rod on top also suffered. Pinching pennies here seemed pretty "unsmart" since I'd be walking underneath a lot.
If you have 10' ceiling height, considing garage door also, and you want to conserve space, check out the single post lifts from Bend Pack. I have one and love it. Commercial grade durability, no posts in the way, and 3 1/2" approach height. Northern Tools sell them for $2999, shipping included.
Bret.
Can you use a single post lift (like from Bend Pack) on a Cobra?
I've been doing some research. One Cobra dealer says not to use a single post lift, due to the lack of body lift points on a Cobra? Can do damage. I like the idea of no posts in the way, and approach height of the single post lift. Anybody know?
Cobra Make, Engine: FFR Daytona Coupe done to replicate CSX-2299 at the '64 LeMans
Posts: 641
Not Ranked
i went with tht extra height Rotary lift (4 post) 7000# model since I want to be able to park anything under the lift in the up position. It is a very solid lift with a jack tray. runs on 120V. It is so solid and stable that you don't have to anchor it to the floor. $3500, but well worth it for the extra safety and height.
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Replicas are the highest form of flattery!
A friend put a Mohawk 2 post in his shop (it had to lift his 3/4 ton 4WD extended cab long bed pickup.) He spent quite a while looking at the various manufacturers but ended up with the Mohawk for two reasons. It was the sturdiest construction and it has tire adaptors. You can either pick the car up from the frame as normal or install the tire adaptors (about five minutes for all four) and then pick it up by the tires. This is very handy when working with suspension setup for things that need to be adjusted with the suspension loaded. It has a locking point about avery two inches and at 6'5" I can be under the car with just the slightest stoop. Mohawk
I honestly don't remember what he paid for it. I know it was not the cheapest one out there but having looked at lots of lifts it is the best/strongest looking construction.
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We have enough youth. What we need is a fountain of common sense
I just spent over a month looking at web sites and trying to make a decision on which lift to buy. This makes it tough but I had no way to look at any of these lifts in person. I don't know about Autolifters since that not a company I looked at. There are a lot good lifts out there and I think it's just a matter of being careful and not buying junk. I ended up buying an Eagle lift based on a few recommendations, a number of discussions with the saleman and price but it was a wash. I could have as easily chosen a Perfect Park 7, an ARESCO or a Rotary. One thing is pay attention to lift height. There were a few that only went up 63". I am not tall but that seems like stoop height even for me.
Eagle says the lift is powder coated. I also spoke to a guy who had two of them. He did comment that the newer one seemed better. When did you buy yours? I will keep you posted as mine arrived yesterday but I'm not done raising the garage ceiling. Should know in a week.
I've looked at brochures for several companies and, at this point, will probably buy the Backyard Buddy unless something much better jumps out at me between now and this Fall. For anyone going to Spring Fling, the Quaker Steak and Lube has Backyard Buddy lifts in the restaurant. If I had crowds of people sitting under my lift eating dinner, I'd probably spend the extra few $ for the peace of mind. No, I'm not a shill for Backyare Buddy, but after watching their free video, looking at their brochure and inspecting their lifts last year at SF3, I think they'd be my first choice, even though they're a little more expensive. Or maybe QSL bought BYB's because they're located in Warren, Ohio (?). Anyway, they look like a good product.
I just tried to bring up their website and it was unavailable. Hope that doesn't mean they're out of business.
I have been real pleased with my Eagle lift. It is extra long with the wide ramps and is 12,000# capacity. I wanted one big enough for crew cab trucks, my tractor, etc. I did have to build longer approach ramps for the Cobra though.
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David Shelton
Lone Star Gashole!
Cobra Make, Engine: E-M / Power Performance / 521 stroker / Holley HP EFI
Posts: 1,935
Not Ranked
Hello Jack,
I got my Eagle lift late last year.
It was supposed to be powder coated. I'd almost bet it isn't.
It came with a lot of the "coating" (read: paint) scraped scratched and scuffed. It was so thin in places you could clearly read the original steel tubing markings through the paint - it was that thin. The steel seemed to be inadequately cleaned prior to painting.
When I brought this up to Eagle (Mark?) I was told to spray the skinned places with the can of spray paint that was packed in with the lift. I did that and the sprayed places look quite similar to the "powder coat" that I supposedly paid the extra $400 for.
Live and learn...
After teething problems with hydraulic hose length and wrong cable lengths (and wrong "technical" advice from Eagle about how to compensate for the wrong cable lengths) etc etc I got it working.
I find it a bit touchy in the safety stop release area, but I've let it train me about exactly how and where to hold that lever when I'm letting it down.
I very much enjoy being able to get under the car for any excuse whatever including cleaning the wheels and waxing the lower body.
Any lift will do what this one does I am convinced.
I'm also convinced that having a lift is a really good thing!
Whatever you end up with I predict you'll enjoy it too!
Tom
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Wells's law of engine size: If it matters what gear you're in, the engine's too small!
4 post lifts
Hybrid Mode
