How do you get 240V AC? A step up transformer?The vast majority of lifts sold in the USA market are designed for single-phase 240VAC, usually a 20A circuit.
3-phase motors may be available as an option on some commercial lifts.
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Shopping for 2-post lift: Any recommendations?
- Thread starter gsxr
- Start date
Standard residential electrical services in USA are 120/240VAC, single phase. No transformer required. Most larger all-electric appliances require 240V (stove/range/oven, water heater, air conditioner, clothes dryer).
Unlike the UK, US uses 2 * 110v wires to make 220V in a plug.
The breakers in the picture are double the size are 220v.
The diagrams below should explain things.
Oh my goodness the Mohawk stuff is very nice but too rich for my blood. This is 14K + tax + install !!!!
The main benefit of the Mohawk stuff is that there's no bar at top to limit the height (just a hydraulic line which can be cut / raised to the right height) .... as well as the robustness of build quality.
The drawbacks of the Mohawk stuff as I read on Garage Journal are:
(1) Some people have equalization issues L/R (hydraulic vs cable balancing between L/R). This requires fussing around with the lift (raise to max height and then back down, etc.) to get the sides even again.
(2) The locking mechanism requires the lift go up just a bit after unlocking to reset and auto-lock when going down
(3) The locking mechanism requires pulling a cable on the left post AND the right post, as opposed to a single pull (not sure how big of a deal this actually is)
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My Rotary 2 post lift is circa 1981 has those exact two features. I bought used from a friend of who owned an MB shop and bought it new. It's been up and down more times than things that go up and down a lot. I replaced the seals on the cylinders and the motor and pump assembly when I got it in 2008, and have not had any issues with it since.
There's also no bar at the top, just a hydraulic line that's connects the two posts on the ground. it's covered with a plate that you drive over. The only problem with it is that the cylinders extend past the height of the car so you really need to have 12ft walls for it to fully raise and for me (@5'10) to stand up straight. Raising the lift a little is not an inconvenience and lets me release the pressure on the cylinders once the lift is on the locks which might be beneficial if a car is going to be in the air for extended periods.
As there's no stabilizing bar, the bases on this lift are super heavy. I had to use an engine hoist to set it up.
For those of you with two post lifts in the garage AND asymmetrical arms,
1) Do you load in your 4 door front engine / rear drive sedan with symmetrical vehicle placement or asymmetrical vehicle placement?
2) If you have a rear engine car (like a 911) with 60% weight at the rear, do you load the vehicle in with symmetrical vehicle placement or asymmetrical vehicle placement?
I am asking this question because the answers drive how far front / back I would put the posts of the lift in the garage .... closer to the garage door, or closer to the back wall. Complicating this is the fact that once I change the ceiling of my garage to more closely follow the sloping roof line, I would have more ceiling height at the back wall.
1) Do you load in your 4 door front engine / rear drive sedan with symmetrical vehicle placement or asymmetrical vehicle placement?
2) If you have a rear engine car (like a 911) with 60% weight at the rear, do you load the vehicle in with symmetrical vehicle placement or asymmetrical vehicle placement?
I am asking this question because the answers drive how far front / back I would put the posts of the lift in the garage .... closer to the garage door, or closer to the back wall. Complicating this is the fact that once I change the ceiling of my garage to more closely follow the sloping roof line, I would have more ceiling height at the back wall.
Okay, I made a chart to compare the dimensional specs for the top 3 two post lifts in contention for my specific application.
Since this is a garage in a residential setting, both width are SUPER important and ceiling height is important.
These are all ALI-certified lifts with a pretty narrow footprint - all at less than 10'6". The hope is that I can fit one of these lifts in a 2 car side by side area that is 22-1/2' wide and 23' long.
EDIT : 2025-Feb-24 - I contacted a Rotary distributor who informed me that Rotary is no longer offering the ATO-77 - hence my choice will be between the Nussbaum or one of the BendPak Grand Prix lifts.
Since this is a garage in a residential setting, both width are SUPER important and ceiling height is important.
These are all ALI-certified lifts with a pretty narrow footprint - all at less than 10'6". The hope is that I can fit one of these lifts in a 2 car side by side area that is 22-1/2' wide and 23' long.
| Width | Rise | Inside Cols | Ceiling | Front Arms | Rear Arms | Pad Height | Capacity | |
| BPGP 7 LCS | 125" | 54" | 110" | 9' | 28"-47" | 27"-43.5" | 4.5" | 7K lbs |
| BPGP 7 LC | 125" | 64" | 110" | 10' | 28"-47" | 27"-43.5" | 4.5" | 7K lbs |
| BPGP 7 | 125" | 74" | 110" | 13' | 28"-47" | 27"-43.5" | 4.5" | 7K lbs |
| Nussbaum OTTO SPL9 | 124" | 74" | 105" | 12' | 27.25"-43.5" | 39.5"-59" | 4.5" | 9000 lbs |
EDIT : 2025-Feb-24 - I contacted a Rotary distributor who informed me that Rotary is no longer offering the ATO-77 - hence my choice will be between the Nussbaum or one of the BendPak Grand Prix lifts.
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If you're in a residential setting, the juice you get from a 2 post lift may not be worth the squeeze. Have you considered a mid rise scissor lift? They have a small footprint, don't need the height clearance and are mostly supplied with 110v motors. Consider that you also may need to walk around the posts. If they're right up against the wall or another car, it will create a big inconvenience that you might not be thinking about.
Indeed have considered a scissors lift ---- and the middle blockage seems like a pain. It would certainly have been a pain when I replaced the catalysts / did exhaust work on my w210. I am curious as to why you think a 2 poster may not be worth the squeeze in a residential setting?
+1. The scissor is nice to get all 4 wheels off the ground, but sucks for any work on the exhaust or transmission. And if it's not a full-rise, you can't walk underneath.
Good point about the 2-posters being close to a wall or another car, but I assume Jlaa is willing to deal with the potential annoyance.
To use a 2 post, I find that I need a lot more room than the footprint of the posts because I often have to walk around from one side to another The footprint should really include another two to three feet of space past the post to get around the and carry parts. Unless you're sticking it right in the middle of that two car bay, it will be inconvenient.
With a scissor lift, there are no posts so you have more room to work with on the outside and you can also clear the garage and relocate the lift temporarily if you need even more space.
There will be one corner of the garage where if you need to work, you'll be between two walls and the post. If you're doing a job that requires you to mount or dismount a wheel, you'll be squatting while messing with a heavy wheel. The car is likely not be all the way in the air because a struggle to mount a wheel above chest height. So how how much of a ball ache would it be to work in that corner without the car fully raised with tools and parts in the way. Or getting to that corner in the first place.
With a scissor lift, there are no posts so you have more room to work with on the outside and you can also clear the garage and relocate the lift temporarily if you need even more space.
There will be one corner of the garage where if you need to work, you'll be between two walls and the post. If you're doing a job that requires you to mount or dismount a wheel, you'll be squatting while messing with a heavy wheel. The car is likely not be all the way in the air because a struggle to mount a wheel above chest height. So how how much of a ball ache would it be to work in that corner without the car fully raised with tools and parts in the way. Or getting to that corner in the first place.
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Awesome idea to move the lift to Bay 3! Overall it looks great. Since your vehicles are all medium size (124, 210, SuperBeatle, Venza) the existing footprint should be adequate without being cramped.
If you had to stuff a large vehicle (e.g., GLS or other full-size 3-row SUV) in there... it might get kinda snug.
@Jlaa,
That floor plan shows one more garage bay than your new house has. That must be part of your remodel.
I’ll let you do all of my service work after it’s installed.
That was the impression I got when I saw the picture.
@alabbasi, @gsxr, others ---- I am curious about the cross section dimensions of the posts and the baseplates of your "conventional" 2-post lift at your place.
One of the marketing selling points of the ALI-certified Bend Pak Grand Prix series is that the posts are pretty low profile, thus saving space. (They moved the cylinder above the posts so that the posts don't need to be so bulky).
I asked Bend Pak to find me the exact measurements of the posts and baseplates, and they came back with:
Post - about 9" long x 4.3" wide
Baseplate - about 17" long x 10" wide
One of the marketing selling points of the ALI-certified Bend Pak Grand Prix series is that the posts are pretty low profile, thus saving space. (They moved the cylinder above the posts so that the posts don't need to be so bulky).
I asked Bend Pak to find me the exact measurements of the posts and baseplates, and they came back with:
Post - about 9" long x 4.3" wide
Baseplate - about 17" long x 10" wide
I recently stumbled across the Advantage AL-SC10 which is on "sale" at $3000 delivered to a freight terminal ($3500, less $500 with code "OFF500"):
2-Post lift Advantage Lift AL-SC10 - 10,000 lb. Capacity
The AL-SC10 2-Post Lift features 3 Stage Arms, S-column design, single-point lock release, universal pads, and truck stack adapters - all at a great value!www.advantagelifts.com
Looks like the tariffs have caused a significant increase in lift pricing. I believe the pre-tariff pricing was $4000 MSRP / $3000 perma-sale?
Current is $6000 MSRP, $5000 "sale", and OOS / backordered / not taking any new orders:
10,000 Lb. 2-Post Car Lift | Advantage Lifts
It's time to treat yourself to a proper 2-post lift. Advantage Lifts 10,000 pound 2-post comes loaded with features like 3 Stage Arms, S-column design, single point lock release, universal pads, and FREE Truck stack adapters! The AL-SC10 is a high-quality lift offering tremendous value and...
realgaragelife.com
Based on what I've heard some companies are doing... Advantage may have told their China supplier to hold all shipments until further notice. Advantage can't afford to pay the tariff to get the product shipped from China to USA, and are hoping something will change.
I'm curious what lifts are produced outside of China, other than USA-made Mohawk, discussed previously in this thread.
We are seeing the real time un-anticipated effects of the USA / China Trade War going on now.
I have been designing my garage w/ the architect and the structural engineer for the recently released BendPak GP-7 ALI certified lift. I just contacted them to confirm one key dimension and they told me that all GP-7 lifts are immediately discontinued and they are blowing out remaining stock. (USD $1900 discount)
Their new GP-10 replacement lifts are wider, using a two-cylinder-located-in-the-posts design, as opposed to the novel width-reducing GP-7 one-cylinder-located-at-the-top design. Also the new GP-10s are NOT ALI certified.
I spoke with Bendpak directly and then spoke with a reseller to fact check the Bendpak rep's comments. This is what I learned:
Anyways, I'm going to re-re-design my garage based on increased lift widths, suck up the costs for non standard garage door widths, and suck up the costs of revised lift pricing and shop for different brand lifts again.
This feels like crazy cost-push inflation to me ---- much worse than the previous administration's demand-pull inflation!!!!! Oh well.
I have been designing my garage w/ the architect and the structural engineer for the recently released BendPak GP-7 ALI certified lift. I just contacted them to confirm one key dimension and they told me that all GP-7 lifts are immediately discontinued and they are blowing out remaining stock. (USD $1900 discount)
Their new GP-10 replacement lifts are wider, using a two-cylinder-located-in-the-posts design, as opposed to the novel width-reducing GP-7 one-cylinder-located-at-the-top design. Also the new GP-10s are NOT ALI certified.
I spoke with Bendpak directly and then spoke with a reseller to fact check the Bendpak rep's comments. This is what I learned:
- With the trade wars, the GP-7 is no longer price competitive. This is because ALI certification requires a PER-UNIT fee against the manufacturer, not just a one time testing fee. The GP-7 price was $7400. The blowout price is $5500.
- The GP-7's single cylinder design at top was more problematic from both an installation perspective and reliability perspective as the conventional 2 cylinder design in the posts ...... but of course that single cylinder design is what allowed for the narrowness.
- The new GP-10 is not ALI certified and can remain price competitive. ($4200).
- The ALI certified 10-AP is super similar in design and dimension with the new-upcoming GP-10.... and we can see the ALI certification makes the 10-AP 78% more costly than the GP-10. ($7500)
Anyways, I'm going to re-re-design my garage based on increased lift widths, suck up the costs for non standard garage door widths, and suck up the costs of revised lift pricing and shop for different brand lifts again.
This feels like crazy cost-push inflation to me ---- much worse than the previous administration's demand-pull inflation!!!!! Oh well.
Except the “previous administration” didn’t cause anything, a global pandemic did.
This is all just self inflicted.
@Jlaa why not stick with the narrow design? It’s probably simple enough that you can repair it yourself if necessary. Plus you won’t be using it as much as a shop would be. Save the money, get what you want and roll from there. Don’t spend architect fees to redesign to get what you don’t want.
Make the trade policy work for you instead of the other way around. No?
maw
This is all just self inflicted.
@Jlaa why not stick with the narrow design? It’s probably simple enough that you can repair it yourself if necessary. Plus you won’t be using it as much as a shop would be. Save the money, get what you want and roll from there. Don’t spend architect fees to redesign to get what you don’t want.
Make the trade policy work for you instead of the other way around. No?
maw
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Ha! I'm scared of the narrow design's installation and reliability issues. In the narrow design, the cylinder top piece thing is a 300 lb thing that the installer needs to hoist 12 feet in the air and set it on top of the two posts. Yes, this might be a one-time deal ..... but if that thing requires servicing --- then Ugh.
FWIW the previous administration did shower everyone with lots and lots of money printing / loan forgiveness / pandemic era grants ..... but I don't want to make this a political post --- I'm just grousing. I won't say anything more about politics now.
These lifts are overdesigned. Chances are good you will never have any issues in the capacity you are using one.
Yeah but you'll still have to wait for the USD to rebound. Right now it's T + USD damage. The USD damage has been 5% on top of the tariff rates. Maybe both can rebound quickly, maybe not.
But for all of that complicated math I'd just buy what I wanted in the first place and take the discount.
maw
I'm gonna wait before spending any money on a lift ... happy to defer big purchases like this for another 3 years. I think companies in the business of selling these things to consumers (like the reseller I spoke with) are scared / hurting big time. When I spoke with the reseller this morning, I could tell that he was not in a happy state and was re-thinking whether he wanted to be in this business.
I was surprised at the level of vitriol the reseller was willing to direct towards the current trade situation. I would have thought that given the demographics of many of his retail customers, he would have been more accepting of the current trade situation, but he was clearly up in arms over it and very happy to share his disappointment about it with me (a prospective customer)!!!
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I may have suggested before but it might be worth while to keep an out for a used lift from a well known company like Rotary and Challenger. They're usually professional grade lifts that are designed for a shop enviroment and therefore much better built. I picked up my 12000lbs Challenger 4 post for $1200. I'm pretty sure that it's a $12000 lift new.
I'd consider used if you could disassemble it yourself. And, you can verify it works before payment & disassembly. Otherwise, you're paying for a pile of parts and praying that (1) it works, and (b) the other guy didn't lose anything important.Thanks gents. Yeah, used is probably a great value --- I'm a snob. Since I'm investing in a death-prevention device, I'd like a new one.
Oof - seeing some of those prices (and price hikes) makes me feel like less of a heathen / animal for laying on cardboard with the car on jack stands Having a lift would be the dream - unfortunately garage only has 8 ft ceilings.
That said, sounds like there are some crazy good deals to be had in the used market!
Having a lift would be the dream - unfortunately garage only has 8 ft ceilings. That said, sounds like there are some crazy good deals to be had in the used market!
Or just work on G-wagens, which are high enough that you can comfortably work on them from below with no jack stands, lift or other items required. Just cardboard..... and lots more room in the engine compartment than sedans and such.Oof - seeing some of those prices (and price hikes) makes me feel like less of a heathen / animal for laying on cardboard with the car on jack stands
That said, sounds like there are some crazy good deals to be had in the used market!
That was the way my purchase went. The shop owner was kind enough to have his employees help with disassembly...or it just could have been I was blocking two of his bay doors.I'd consider used if you could disassemble it yourself. And, you can verify it works before payment & disassembly. Otherwise, you're paying for a pile of parts and praying that (1) it works, and (b) the other guy didn't lose anything important.
Not that I have an issue with anything just because it's made overseas, but between consumer grade and professional grade. The used Rotary or another pro lift will likely have thicker steel, stronger latches and better welds.Thanks gents. Yeah, used is probably a great value --- I'm a snob. Since I'm investing in a death-prevention device, I'd like a new one.
I watched this video as a "How to use a 2 post lift 101" video ---- I thought the explanation between loading cars symmetrically (with arms points front / back) vs loading cars asymmetrically (with arms both pointed back) was useful.
The video talks about loading vehicles with CG near the middle in a symmetrical fashion, and loading vehicles with CG near the front end (like a modern FWD car) in an asymmetrical fashion.
How are most you loading your w124s?
The video talks about loading vehicles with CG near the middle in a symmetrical fashion, and loading vehicles with CG near the front end (like a modern FWD car) in an asymmetrical fashion.
How are most you loading your w124s?
I put the car roughly centered between the posts and adjust the arms to line up with the lift pads. I don't worry much beyond that. I think the car ends up slightly back from the center, i.e. the driver door edge is behind the post when opened (assuming the driver door seam is the center of the vehicle, which I'm not sure about).
Raise it a foot or so and use your body weight to rock it in the up and down. If it's stable , you should be good.
It's also good to plan exactly which direction to run should the thing come down for any reason. I've seen people freeze when they should have scarpered.
It's also good to plan exactly which direction to run should the thing come down for any reason. I've seen people freeze when they should have scarpered.
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When it came to shopping for my lift, I knew I wanted to go with a known name like Rotary, Bend-Pak, Challenger, etc… I wound up picking my Rotary 9000k up used for a good deal, which came out of a dealership that was getting renovated. Over the years, I have replaced the power unit, and had the cylinders rebuilt with new seals, along with new hydraulic lines, lock cable, but this leads me to my point. The known brands are easy to get parts for when needed, and in my case it was. I have heard that this is not the case with the off brand China lifts. I would not be tempted by the cheaper no name lifts. In the end, I still have less money in this lift, rebuilt, than I would have if I bought a brand new Rotary.
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