Lousy Fit of Vette on Lift

[MBDiagMan]

I have an assymetric two post lift and a C4. The Vette being the out of the ordinary car that it is does not fit the lift to suit me.

The lift does not have posts that are canted to the rear, they face each other. The front arm on each side is shorter than the rear making it assymetric. To fit it on there the front arm extends rearward and the rear arm goes WAY back thus allowing the car to hang out back of the lift with no force whatever in front. It is a 9,000 pound lift so there should be no problem with such a cantilever situation with a 3000 pound car, but it still makes me nervous.

Has anyone had to deal with this? Any brilliant ideas?

Have a great day,

 

[grumpyvette]

whats the brand and model of the lift your useing??

 

[MBDiagMan]

I bought it from Americas Pride Online but it is made by a company in Fort Worth whose name escapes me right now. The model is AP9000A.

Have a great day,

 

[cbernhardt]

I installed a 10,000# assymetric two post lift in my new shop. I'll admit it did look a little strange the first time I put a car on it, but I've been lifting cars for about two years with no problems. I bought mine from a local dealer because, when I started looking at lifts, he made them in house. However when it came time to actually buy the lift, he had quit manufacturing them and was getting the lifts from China via an importer in Texas. He said it was cheaper to buy them than manufacture them.
Charles

 

[MBDiagMan]

Charles,

Yours looks a good bit different than mine. Your arms appear to collapse to a shorter length than mine. Are they short enough that a Vette fits with the front arm angled forward rather than rearward?

I also have had mine in awhile, about a year and a half and it has had all sorts of cars and trucks on it. I've only had to angle both arms rearward for my Vette and my wifes MINI Cooper. The MINI is a lot shorter and the arms don't have to cantilever rearward near as much. The MINI is also lighter. Everything else has fit quite well.

BTW, nice looking building. My shop is an old hay barn that I poured a slab in and made the most of it. I would post a picture of my lift, but the shop is such a mess right now I would be ashamed to show it. Maybe in a few weeks. I hope to clean things up come Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the info,

 

[cbernhardt]

Are they short enough that a Vette fits with the front arm angled forward rather than rearward?

With a C1 loaded the front arms are angled back about 10 deg. With a C5 they are angled back a little more.
Charles

 

[MBDiagMan]

Thanks Charles. I bought an assymetric because it seemed to be the thing to do. It lets you open the door on most vehicles with plenty of room. Since the Vette is the only thing that really has not fit well on it, I guess it was the right thing to do.

The assymetric has allowed me to open front doors wide which is really helpful when doing major work under a dash. I raise the vehicle where I can stand next to it with the door open and work on or under the dash, or even remove it and not have to stand on my head while working. Had I put in a symmetric lift I would not have been able to do this.

The world is a compromise I suppose.

Thanks again for your information and comments,
Doc

 

[MBDiagMan]

Just as a follow up I have had my Vette on the lift A LOT since I started getting it out and working to get it back on the road. I have checked the lag bolt torque after several weeks of this and there has been no change. There have been no cracks in the floor or otherwise no ill effects.

Since it is a 9000 pound lift with a 3050 pound car on it, hanging slightly to the rear, I think I've just been being a worry wart about the whole thing.

BTW, the car has come along well and it is up in pretty good shape now after LOTS of work done over the last several weeks. It's now registered, inspected, insured and legally back on the road for the first time in three years.

Thanks for the comments,

 

[bossvette]

I have a baseplate 9000 when I lift my C5 the arms were too long to reach the lift pucks so what I did is make rings that fit around the main arms and use those to pick it up with, the pucks fit in the rings and I lift it with the short arms. Can't open the doors much though.

 

[grumpyvette]

Ive spent the last month extensively researching my lift purchase options ,(my budget allows up to a $4000 installed cost)
first I refuse to buy a CHINESE MADE lift the lift I purchase must have some important feature,s it MUST be american made! ALI certified/validated by ETL
http://autolift.org/
http://autolift.org/purchase_considerations.pdf

BECAUSE IM GOING TO BE UNDER IT! and it must have all controls easily acessable from one single main location and have a local service company with parts
both two and four post designs are/were extensively researched feature by feature and support/parts availability and service were very important factors. ive narrower the field considerably and much to my surprize this (BELOW) is the lift that currently looks like the winner, its american made and comes with a 5 year warrantee and its certified
http://www.ben-pearson.com/9000si.shtml

yeah! ITS a TWO post!, Im still looking for a 4 post that costs the same, and has the same features (american made) and I looked into every "lift failure"
I could find, most accidents are either on CHINESE made LIFTS or envolve OPERATOR ERROR, since OPERATOR ERROR is not really a LIFT FAILURE UNLESS its a BADLY DESIGNED FEATURE that CAUSED THE PROBLEM, I took that into account also
as some of you know I purchased a lift (ON-LINE/OFF THE INTERNET) last year and got charged but the lift never got shipped(FRAUD) luckly VISA reinbursed the cost after it was proven to be obviously a scam
another reason I will only deal with a FLORIDA DEALER who will INSTALL,and maintain the lift I purchase

 

[MBDiagMan]

Grumpy,

It looks to me like you have made a VERY good decision. If you will be using the lift to actually work under the car rather than for storage, the two post is just the only way to go IMHO. Also I too believe that it is very important to buy an American made lift.

I hope you enjoy and get as much service from your lift as I have. I rolled around on a creeper for about 34 years and before just walked on my shoulders if you know what I mean. In the very beginning I would use a bumper jack to raise the car and put it on solid blocks or old rims and had no creeper.

There are SOOooo many things that are MUCH easier done with the lift that you wouldn't even think of. When doing engine work that requires some access from below you can easily go top or bottom. Even doing work that only requires access from the top is eased considerably by raising the car to a level where you don't have to bend over so much.

Working under the dash is also easier by raising the car to a level where you can stand next to it OR easily climb into the seat.

I've been gathering tools and equipment for about 42 years and my lift is at the top of the list of things that I SURE AM GLAD THAT I HAVE!

Enjoy the lift and Merry Christmas,

 

[grumpyvette]

it was close but sometimes its what they DON,T say thats important also, heres what the sites say.... I called several companys who could not or would not even tell me where I could inspect one of thier lifts in the area or tell me who was the local service company, or tell me they sold american made CERTIFIED LIFTS

cost about $3000 installed
Model: XL-9X
Manufacturer: Bend-Pak NO LOCAL SERVICING DEALER
Weight: 1395.lbs
no mention of (Single point safety release )
9,000 pound lifting capacity
Narrow design
Dual hydraulic cylinders
Electric/hydraulic power system
Large, 17" x 17" A36 steel base plate
Self-lubricating Dura-Glide polyethylene bearing system
Safety locks in each column spaced every 2-inches
Automatic arm restraints
Heavy-duty chain lifting system
Low profile columns for low-ceiling applications
Truck and van adapters standard
ETL Approved
cost about $3600 installed
Ben Pearson's LOCAL SERVICING DEALER
Ben Pearson's 9000SI Two-Post.
ALI certified /validated by ETL
Single point safety release
Weight: 1700lbs
Padded overhead shut-off bar
2-5/8" & 5" truck adapters included
Extra long carriage for smooth lifting
Convenient stack-pad storage rack on post
Automatic engage and release arm restraint
Extra large ultra-high molecular bearing blocks
Low profile arms for low ground clearance
Optional height extension kits for taller vehicles
Clear floor design for convenient use of floor jacks

now I called and talked to all the companys listed in the first post in this thread to get a feel for the sales/service,and ask questions on features but what clinched it between the two for me personally was calling both companys for locations where each had installed lifts,and finding and looking over both lifts at local shops, I found three shops with BEN PEARSON lifts, THEY WERE ALL VERY HAPPY,so happy they were braging about how trouble free they were! while the two shops I visited with the BEND PAC lifts were happy but found nothing to rave about, now Im not sure thats a valid source of info but it impressed me! since the local shops with the ben pearson lifts also mentioned the local dealer stops by or calls about once every month to check if they need service or shop tools (kind of like the MAC tool guys, the BEN PEARSON GUYS have a route)
IVE pretty much narrowed the list at this point, Ill let you know how things work out! once I order and install a lift


well I went and did it!. I had one of the local shops put my vette up on his lift, I checked it out, operated it,then I went home and I ordered the lift, it will be installed tomorrow (now thats fast)and total cost will be about $3600(expected)
my floor slab is 6"-8" thick 3500psi concrete so it will have a good base for the (16) 7/8" anchor bolts

 

[MBDiagMan]

Grumpy,

I think your research will pay off. I fully expect that you will have a good, useful unit and get years of service from it.

Now the next thing to research is a transmission jack. With a full height transmission jack you will be able to do anything. You can use it to support or raise a wheel for suspension work, exhaust or maybe even a transmission. A transmission jack is the next mandatory piece of equipment.

Merry Christmas,
Doc

 

[grumpyvette]

the lift
ive worked on both 4 post and tw post, no question that the better two post lifts give better access to the suspension,and undercarraige, or that the 4 post designs are inherantly at least POTENTIALLY more stable, but finding a well made CERTIFIED/TESTED AMERICAN MADE four post lift with a warranty for the same price as a WELL MADE CERTIFIED/TESTED AMERICAN MADE TWO post lift with a warranty , that was priced under $4000 (INSTALLED) proved to be impossiable in my particular area.
I went with the two post lift and after using it a few times Im kinda glad it worked out the way it did, theses more floor space and the lift has performed exceptionally well so far..,All I need do is center the vette between the posts and pull up untill the mirror is even with the post and get out, swing the arms in,under the frame and lift

 

[MBDiagMan]

Grumpy,

That's a nice lift. That's a nice building too. For me a concrete block building is far superior to the metal buildings that are so common nowdays.

Get you a transmission jack to go with your lift. Get one that has a flat plate on top with the adjustable ears for securing a transmission. Then the flat plate will fit under all sorts of things including tires that you need to lift or support. This will at least double the usefulness of your two post.

Enjoy it,

 

[grumpyvette]

heres more pictures of my garage project if you missed them on the other thread

well finally got the stucco

the lift

the bathroom installed in my new garage so Im advancing slowly

 

[MBDiagMan]

Great looking building!

I am currently getting by with an old converted Hay Barn. It gets the job done, but it's sure not much to look at.

When I hit the lottery, I will be building a building of the same construction. Since I don't buy lottery tickets, I think my odds of winning are kind of low though.

Enjoy,