2 Post Lift Requirements

[PNWTim]

Hello - I am installing a 2 post lift in my shop and am curious if anyone can tell me how low the lifting arms must be to fit under the coupe at normal ride height? Most of the lifts I am looking at are around 5" which I am thinking is OK but I want to make sure. I really don't want to have to use ramps to use my lift. I am specifically looking at ALI rated lifts which tend to have heavier arms and don't have that super low 3 1/2" pad height some of them do. Thanks in advance.

[lewma]

My coupe sits at 4" ride height and its difficult to even get quickjacks under it.

I use these now which makes life a little easier:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Papa]

I had a Bendpak low-profile two-post lift (XPR-10AS-LP), and still had to raise my MK4 a couple of inches to get the arms to clear the side pipes. Also, I had my lift configured in the narrow setting and it was almost too much of a stretch to get the arms under the 4" rails in the right place to lift the car. I'll be going with a four-post lift when I get one for my new shop.

[PNWTim]

My coupe sits at 4" ride height and its difficult to even get quickjacks under it.

I use these now which makes life a little easier:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Those ramps were exactly what I am thinking I will need to use (someone else off forum said the same thing). I am building a Daytona so not sure if the ride height is different than a Cobra but either way, probably too low.

[PNWTim]

I had a Bendpak low-profile two-post lift (XPR-10AS-LP), and still had to raise my MK4 a couple of inches to get the arms to clear the side pipes. Also, I had my lift configured in the narrow setting and it was almost too much of a stretch to get the arms under the 4" rails in the right place to lift the car. I'll be going with a four-post lift when I get one for my new shop.

Good to know. I will be lifting a Daytona so not really sure where the jack points are (I suppose I can check the digital manual) but I don't think reaching those will be an issue.

[Dgc333]

When I built my garage I hemmed and hawed for almost a year on whether to get a 2-post or 4-post lift. I was at WoW one year and the lift guy kept sweetening the deal and I still could not make up my mind. My wife finally whipped out her credit card and got me the 4-post lift. 15 years later and I have not regretted it for even a second. There has not been one task that I needed to do that I could not do on the 4-post lift. It came with a trolley jack that allows you to lift an axle off the ramps for suspension/brake work. I had thought about a second trolley jack so I could lift both axles off at the same time but it has not ever been a necessity.

The best part of owning a 4-post lift is you don't have to get down onto the floor to set the arms, just drive on and up it goes. One thing I never thought of was the ramps are a perfect shelf for your tools while working under the car. I built my 33 Speedstar on the 4-post lift

[PNWTim]

When I built my garage I hemmed and hawed for almost a year on whether to get a 2-post or 4-post lift. I was at WoW one year and the lift guy kept sweetening the deal and I still could not make up my mind. My wife finally whipped out her credit card and got me the 4-post lift. 15 years later and I have not regretted it for even a second. There has not been one task that I needed to do that I could not do on the 4-post lift. It came with a trolley jack that allows you to lift an axle off the ramps for suspension/brake work. I had thought about a second trolley jack so I could lift both axles off at the same time but it has not ever been a necessity.

The best part of owning a 4-post lift is you don't have to get down onto the floor to set the arms, just drive on and up it goes. One thing I never thought of was the ramps are a perfect shelf for your tools while working under the car. I built my 33 Speedstar on the 4-post lift

That's great information. I have to admit, I have an aversion to the 4 post just because I feel like it would constantly be in my way. I am sure there is a work around for everything but I can't quite wrap my head around how limited a four post is when it comes to actually working on the car, not storing it. I am not needing auto storage so having to walk around the platforms and needing a trolley to get the wheels off the ground seems like more a deterrence than anything else. Just to be clear, I am not disputing the fact they work and people love them, it's more my mental road blocks that slow me down from considering them.

[Cincy123]

I built my Coupe (ride height 3.5 inches) using Bendpak MaxJax. To get the lift arms under the car I do have to jack up all 4 corners and put a piece of 2x4 under each tire first. During the build it really didn’t come off the lift very often so not a big issue from my point of view. Now that the car is done it’s nice to unbolt the posts from the floor anchors and roll them out of the way into the corner.

[Namrups]

Most coupe ride heights are in the 3" to 4" range.

[Skuzzy]

That's great information. I have to admit, I have an aversion to the 4 post just because I feel like it would constantly be in my way. I am sure there is a work around for everything but I can't quite wrap my head around how limited a four post is when it comes to actually working on the car, not storing it. I am not needing auto storage so having to walk around the platforms and needing a trolley to get the wheels off the ground seems like more a deterrence than anything else. Just to be clear, I am not disputing the fact they work and people love them, it's more my mental road blocks that slow me down from considering them.

I have a 4 post and love it. The ramps are great for keeping tools close by. The trolley is useful when stabbing an engine. I have a gantry over my lift. I just lower the engine partially into place, use the jack on the trolley to support the engine until I get the motor mounts lined up. I also use a transmission jack on wheels to stab transmissions. The hump of a two post makes that task difficult.

Once up in the air, there is no bump crossing the floor to drive over, which can be challenging with a car sitting 3" to 4" off the ground. If you go with the overhead connection between the posts you get limited on lift height.

A friend of mine has a two post and he had to make some ramps to keep the car from dropping down once the front wheels went over the bump.

To be fair I also needed to be able to store a car on the lift. Ther are pluses and minuses to any lift type. What works for me, or anyone else, may not be the best solution for you. Good luck in your journey.

[Peter Ross]

In my case everything needs to be mobile, including a lift. 4 post lift with caster kit moves easily when the casters stay upright. The downside of the lift I chose is the caster assembly is thin mild steel that cannot lift the post with the hydraulic pump. Modifying the caster frame is a must, in fact all the casters need addition support.
The 4 post is terrific. Led light kit is a great addition.
My go to lift in the shop is the 7,000 lb QuickJack. I love them. They are slightly bulky but we'll worth efforts. The Coupe-R is too low for the QuickJacks. A friend urged me to buy a Lo-Pro floor jack. Amazing little tool that lifts the car enough from the rear to slide the Quickjacks under the car. It has a tougher time lifting the Coupe-R because the chassis is so stiff but once wheels lift off the ground it moves easily. I used the jack for a last minute wheel spacers swap all around Friday night before hauling the car to a BaT Gathering Saturday. That crazy little jack almost fits in a truck glove compartment.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d1kxs2t4sLpdUiWy8

https://www.calcarcover.com/product/...kiGV9uyccm4BMO

[Dgc333]

The other thing to keep in mind with a two post lift is the floor. Before I wound up with a 4-poster I was looking at the installation requirements for a 2-poster. They require a minimum of 6" of 4000psi concrete for anchoring and recommend rebar in the floor in the area of the posts but is not required. Your typical garage floor is 3" and will be a lower psi rating. This will require cutting out a large section of floor and pouring a new slab in the area of the lift. If you are building a garage it is easy enough (and a minimal cost add) to pour the slab to accommodate the lift.

[ggunter]

While both lift's have definite advantages, I have to go with a twin post because of the lack of room it takes up. I have a piece of 2X10 about 22" long with skateboard tape on the back side (to keep it from slipping when you drive up on it.) beveled on the front edge which give me an extra 1.5" of lift on the front wheels to get the arms under it. Yes, it is a pain in the butt for this old fart to get down on the floor and position the arms, but I like the extra real estate around the lift area.

[Skuzzy]

The other thing to keep in mind with a two post lift is the floor. Before I wound up with a 4-poster I was looking at the installation requirements for a 2-poster. They require a minimum of 6" of 4000psi concrete for anchoring and recommend rebar in the floor in the area of the posts but is not required. Your typical garage floor is 3" and will be a lower psi rating. This will require cutting out a large section of floor and pouring a new slab in the area of the lift. If you are building a garage it is easy enough (and a minimal cost add) to pour the slab to accommodate the lift.

I have to laugh a bit here. When I built my garage 13 years ago, I specified a 4 post lift and told the architect where and what size the pads needed to be. He asked me how much weight would there be. I told him no more than 8,000 pounds. He took that to mean 32,000 (8,000 per post) pounds and his concrete engineer drew it up that way.
There is 3/4" crosstied rebar on 8" centers with a layer of chicken wire above that. The pads have 18" square piers 6 feet into the ground. The top layer is 10" thick.

When I saw the forms for the garage, I called the architect as I knew that it was way too much. He went, "OOps". As luck would have it, the concrete was already on its way due to a failed inspection of a commercial building (45 stories). They redirected the trucks to what would be our new house and poured what they had. It was slightly stronger than what our little home needed.

13 years later there is not a hair line crack anywhere in our house, driveways, or garages. Sometimes luck does go the right direction.

Yes, it is something to consider when looking for a lift. Make sure your floor can handle the weight. A four post will distribute the weight better than a two post will.

[Dgc333]

The concrete for a 2-post also has to be able to handle the bending loads too.

[Papa]

For those interested, here are Bendpak's concrete recommendations:

https://www.bendpak.com/media/wysiwy...on2-Rev._B.pdf