Thread: 2 post hoists - clear floor or not

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

I wouldn't trust any of my shed floors enough for a 2post .... What about a 4post with belly lift ( yeah in my dreams ).

seeya,
shane L.

Yeah, most domestic garage floors are not up to a 2 poster, but you either need to spread the load on the floor or do what I helped a member here do - dig up a sizeable chunk of the floor and relay it with deeper, stronger concrete. I think we did a 1 metre x 3.5 m strip accross the middle, dug down 300mm and poured the better concrete into it.

More work yes, but not too much - a day for a couple of blokes, then you know your car will never land on your head when you're not expecting it.

Originally Posted by alien

As you've heard clear floor is the way to go.
Just thinking outside the square as in your OP there was a mention of costs vs hights.
Would it be cost effective to get a non-clear floor model and recess it in the floor?
You could steel plate over the cable area giving you a flat floor and only loose @200mm of lift that with a 4x4 probibly would never get used.
The concreters would have to have a trench for this so it would all be part of doing the costings.

The only problem with having that trench is that it will be a natural spot for all spills to gravitate to (and no matter how careful you are with the drain tubs, there's always a bit more coolant left in the hoses you're taking off, or you aren't quick enough moving the tub after the oil stream goes from being a flood to a trickle).

If the hoist is in regular use, you'd quickly end up with a real ugly mix in there.

Originally Posted by Homestar

Yeah, most domestic garage floors are not up to a 2 poster, but you either need to spread the load on the floor or do what I helped a member here do - dig up a sizeable chunk of the floor and relay it with deeper, stronger concrete. I think we did a 1 metre x 3.5 m strip accross the middle, dug down 300mm and poured the better concrete into it.

More work yes, but not too much - a day for a couple of blokes, then you know your car will never land on your head when you're not expecting it.

I'm just going to go four post ... if I ever have the opportunity to get a hoist. That way I know it can't fall over (and if my cars aren't running I can still get them on. There too low for the booms of a two post hoist to fit under if they don't run).

seeya,
shaen L.

Originally Posted by steveG

Finally almost have a shed/carport that's high enough (3.6m wall height) to fit the County in with rooftop tent on (~2.4m).

Looking at 2 post hoists, but seeking some advice from those who've used them on how much of a pain the non clear-floor models are to use.

With a clear floor model - due to their overhead beam I need to go to an extra height hoist to be able to use all of the 3.6m+ height I've got available and and be able to walk under the chassis rails.
Extra height definitely pushes the price up - looking at approx $500-800 extra for the higher models.

The non clear-floor models with the balance cables across the floor are only limited by lift height not by an overhead beam so would seem less restricted, but I'm concerned that the balance cable part across the floor will be a pain - either tripping over it or by being in the way when trying to wheel things underneath.

Anyone had experience with them? Are the clear floor models probably worth the extra in this situation or am I imagining a problem that isn't an issue in practice?

Steve

Steve my son and I went for the clear floor hoist, for all of the obvious reasons.
We originally ordered the Molnar (Australian Made) 4.5 Tonne High and Wide as we do some work on small trucks.
It wasn't until after we ordered this model that we were told it would be up to six weeks waiting time as they had to be built to order, not an item they keep in stock.
So we opted for the universal 4.5 tonne model which was delivered in a few days, about $1500 cheaper at $6545.00 incl. GST.
We went Molnar for their quality work and Australian made, could have got a Chinese model same dimensions for around $2500.00 to $4500.00, suppose it's like buying a Crash Helmet, how much is your head worth.
The Molnar is extremely heavy duty compared to the Chinese ones we looked at, Parts and Warranty is almost next door and we have to trust the hoist while working underneath. I have worked with all types of hoists from the old single centre hydraulic ram, to 4 posters, to pits with sliding trolleys on rails and clear floor hoists are great, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by sheerluck

The only problem with having that trench is that it will be a natural spot for all spills to gravitate to (and no matter how careful you are with the drain tubs, there's always a bit more coolant left in the hoses you're taking off, or you aren't quick enough moving the tub after the oil stream goes from being a flood to a trickle).

If the hoist is in regular use, you'd quickly end up with a real ugly mix in there.

The equaliser cables would have to be longer if you buried them in the floor, in our first workshop we had to have the posts set an inch wider to avoid heavy duty rio in the floor.
It was a tight fit and it was hard to get the cables over the bottom pulleys.
Burying them would be the equivalent of moving the posts at least 2" further apart and as the cable supplied is only long enough to do a standard install, BTW we are still waiting for the Molnar approved installer to show up 6 months later, seems he's overseas while people are waiting for him to install.
It is a simple job the only real technical part is adjusting the cables so the automatic locking lugs engage at the exact time on each side, POP, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by bee utey

This is the hoist that I bought for $5K:



Summit ST4000 - Precision Automotive

which specified a 150mm minimum thickness floor of 25MPa concrete, rather than the standard 20MPa domestic stuff. A load spreading kit was available at extra cost for weaker floors but I close to add my own load spreading extension to the side that had only 125mm of concrete under the post. Fortunately I had specified the stronger concrete as I already had a hoist to put up on it. Drilling the 20mm Dynabolt holes took some doing, I can tell you. It's the first time I've had to use pilot drills in concrete. For the first hoist 20 years ago I cheated and drilled the holes while the concrete was still curing, on day 2.

And unlike the old screw post hoist I can open the hoisted vehicle's front doors to a reasonable angle because of the offset post design.

Not knocking your choice of hoist, but the pics shown in your post seem to show very small post base plates, take a look at a Molnar post base plate, they look to be 3 times the area, at least, one of the reasons we purchased Molnar, Regards Frank.

Molnar Pics.

I went for an Alemlube with hump due to my concrete not being thick enough for any other two post. The Alumlube has extra stabiliser braces on the floor to reduce the chance of a post moving.
Inhind site a four post would have been better if you have 100mm concrete, and you can store your extra landys on the hoist permanently if required.


Ian
Bittern

Originally Posted by alien

As you've heard clear floor is the way to go.
Just thinking outside the square as in your OP there was a mention of costs vs hights.
Would it be cost effective to get a non-clear floor model and recess it in the floor?
You could steel plate over the cable area giving you a flat floor and only loose @200mm of lift that with a 4x4 probibly would never get used.
The concreters would have to have a trench for this so it would all be part of doing the costings.

Good thought Kyle, but I think by the time the concretor charged a bit more for the hassle of creating the recess to sink it into, and I purchased a bit of plate cut to the right dimensions the cost would be pretty much the same anyway.
Sheerluck's point about it becoming a cess pit is valid too - and it would definitely be very hard to clean out.

At this point one brand I'm definitely considering is Tufflift. I'm sure the hoists are manufactured overseas, but the company is only about 15mins from where I work so convenient to go and check them out.
Pricing is a step up from some of the eBay ones, but its a local, real company from a warranty/support perspective. I also know Vern has one that he's pretty happy with.

Steve