4 Post Lifts

[405Forged]

I have started the process of getting a new 4 post lift for the shop and well it’s kinda overwhelming really. I like the Advantage 11k lift, haven’t heard anything negative about them, but also haven’t seen a lot of topics on them either. Then there is Bendpak and Rotary, Tuxedo, and the list goes on. I’ll need at least a 10k because my SRW 3500 is 9300#. Plus I’ll have the RHO….someday….and want to be able to lift the trucks I own.

Is one brand actually that much better than the other. Or is it just the brand names people have seen throughout the years in service shops that means more. My top three I’m interested in are Advantage, Bendpak, Tuxedo.

 

[bryan78jordan]

I use a Forward DP10A 2-post lift in my shop for personal use. My dad put one in as well. 10,000 lb. capacity. I put my 2500 Cummins on it all of the time. It's great! 2-post is much more useful and easier to work under than a 4-post. You're in OKC, so I'd contact Malchi (pronounced Mal-ki) in Tulsa. They supply and service a lot of the lifts to the dealers around here and they're great to work with and reasonably priced. Family owned business. Talk to Grant - I believe he's second generation in the business. You can't go wrong with them. Highly recommend!! http://www.malchiautomotiveequipment.com/

They have 4-post lifts as well if you really want it. I went back and forth and Grant recommended the 2-post and I've never looked back. In my next shop I'll install the same lift and probably a 4-post. The 4-post would really only be for rare instances when I need the suspension loaded to do something - either final torque on controls arms or welding on say bar mounts - again very rare. I mainly want it for future car storage.

 

[SilverBack]

We are in the process of redesigning and rebuilding our garages. Brother uses the Race Tools Direct 9K lb 4-post Storage Lift - Extra Tall/Long. Has his TRX parked underneath. I will be using the same ones (using in two of the bays). You will want something with extra clearance if you are putting the RHO underneath as they are 82" (6'10") and you want at least 1-2 inches over that as wiggle room. The unit comes with a 81" clearance, but we adjusted the cables to lift it 2" higher (83" clearance). It does not go all the way down, but the ramps make up for it just fine and we can load a new Camaro ZL1 and a drag Cadillac CTS-V (low clearance) onto it with no issues. When I do need to raise the RHO, its curb weight is about 6,300 (+ fluid weight) so the 9K limit works great. The TRX just tires just fit onto the runway, but does fit and clears when we are wrenching on it. Generally stowing lighter (sub 3k lb) sports cars up there though. If you add a light bar along the top of the truck, you may be screwed unless you order a super tall lift (made to clear tall vans and such).