Hi,

As per the title really - I'm looking to buy a lift for my garage and circumstance are pointing me more towards a 4 post than a 2 post. I've looked at the Twin Busch 436p mainly because it features in a really good YouTube channel I subscribe to ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLLpxcworT8275nBXODXyqw ) but it seems very pricey for what is basically the same as the Automotech AS-4T36 ( https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-4t36-mobile-4-post-parking-lift/ )

The reason I'm leaning towards a 4 post is partly because my garage floor concrete is very much an unknown quantity as it's an old agricultural style shed which has had various reconfigurations over the years and appears to have a base layer of concrete which is an unknown thickness with another 4 inch layer added on top but not across the entire width of the shed. Even if the bottom layer is also 4 inches, as you will appreciate, two separate 4 inch layers isn't the same as a single 8 inch (or even 6 inch) layer laid at the same time. Also, 2 post lifts are quite wide (3.4m) which puts me at the edge of the upper layer of concrete on one side of my garage and right in the middle of a drainage channel on the other. The 4 post lift doesn't need space to get out of the car door so can be much narrower (~2.6m)

The other reason is because my shed only has a single vehicle access door more or less in the middle of the apex of one gable end. The lift will need to go where the roof is highest which is right down the middle and I currently store my Locost off to one side. To get the Locost into this position I had to do a bit of manoeuvring on little "skateboards" but obviously once the lift is installed (4 or 2 post) I won't be able to keep the Locost here anymore. But if I get a 4 post lift then the Locost can basically live on top of the lift when not in use.

So, if anyone has experience of either this or other Automotech lifts then I'd love to hear about your experience with them. I'd be looking to buy a hydraulic jacking beam with it as well to let me lift the wheels when required. I know you can also do this with the included jacking tray plus a normal jack but the jacking beam makes it a lot easier.

Thanks,
Craig.

When I installed the new two post lift in my workshop I cut the existing concrete floor to a slightly larger foot print then I measured the thickness of the base “H” before putting in a new concrete pad with a drain the thickness of the base below the final floor level so there was no “ hump” to drive over or to interfere with a transmission jack. It is also possible to store your locost on the lift with another below it

Yeah, if I was going for a 2 post lift I'd probably do the same thing to remove the hump, although I expect you'd need to be able to adjust the mechanism to make the swing arms disengage from the safety locks to take account of the difference in ground level. Also, I expect you'll lose a little bit of maximum lift height. I could do something similar with the 4 post lift by having it drop into the floor but then I'd have an uneven floor when the lift was fully raised which isn't ideal.

As for storing cars on a 2 post lift, the only problem with that is that if you have metal-rubber suspension bushes then you probably won't do them any good having the suspension in full droop for long periods. In my case I have nylon bushes with crush tubes so it wouldn't be a problem. What would be a problem is the lack of convenient places to put oil drip trays since my V8 is leaking in a few places and probably loses 1/2 litre a year through drips. Of course, once I have a lift available I can hopefully attend to that!

I was certainly tempted by the Automotech AS-235SBE 2 post lift as it has the "H" base plate which reduces the need for concrete strength but what almost caught me out was the extra width of the 2 post compared to the 4 post lift. It's almost a metre wider which would definitely cause me some issues.

Don't get me wrong, there are clearly pros and cons to both types of lift and I think probably overall the 2 post has the edge if there were no other constraints, but it all comes down to how each person prioritises the particular pros and cons. For me, the 4 post appeals to me for these reasons:

Overall safety - it's hard to argue that a 4 post isn't inherently safer than a 2 post all other things being equal (quality, price etc)
Overall width works better for my garage
Ability to store a vehicle on the 4 post for long periods without issues (drip trays, no "hump", no suspension damage etc)
Easier to tighten metal-rubber bushes with car at ride height. I realise you can use a transmission jack with a 2 post
No need to position the jack blocks every time you lift the car, nor to worry about the arms engaging the safety gears
The 4 post I'm likely to buy is actually mobile so it can be wheeled outside or repositioned in the garage easily.
It has a handy workbench on both sides when working on the car

The only major con I can think of is the exceptional access to the underbody you get with the 2 post. For sure it's a big benefit of the 2 post and I have no doubt there will be times I will wish I had bought the 2 post but I'm confident the addition of a jacking beam will give me plenty of access 90% of the time.

I've not made a final decision yet though and have already changed my mind twice so stay tuned...

[Edited on 19/4/2021 by craig1410]

I purchased an old Zippo two poster with large feet which negated having to re-enforce the concrete floor - it cannot ove balance as the arms stay within the footprint.

The 3 phase motor required a larger single phase (I think I went from 3 to 5hp as you need to get it started) and for around £800 all up and running.

Do not underestimate the amount of space a 4 poster will take up, just 2 posts gobble up a lot of room.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your comments. Sounds like you got a good deal with your Zippo! I did actually have a deal on the table with an old friend to buy his 2 post lift which he said cost him over £2k not so long ago which he was going to sell to me for £600. But I’ve asked him about it a few times and he can’t seem to decide if he’s actually selling it or not! So time to move on...

As for the space taken up by the 4 post lift, thanks for the heads-up. The type of lift I’m looking at is quite neat with much smaller posts compared to the 2 post. It’s 2630mm wide and 4460mm long and there is a shorter version which is roughly a metre shorter. When the lift is raised it has about 6 foot of clearance underneath and the ends and sides are completely open so access is mostly unimpeded. I was talking to Automotech this afternoon and found out that they supply floor fixing bolts which are flush when not in use so if you ever needed to move the lift out of the way with the included wheel kit, you don’t leave behind any protruding studs. The guy also told me that you don’t need to bolt it down if you’re only using it as a parking lift but they do recommend bolting it down if using it for performing mechanical work where you might be pushing and pulling on the car etc.

Here’s the brochure for the lift with dimensions - see what you think: https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AS-4T36-Spec-High.pdf

I’ve been crawling around the garage floor working on cars since I was a teenager and I’ll be 50 next year so I think it’s time for a different approach!

I bought my farther an automotech 2 post lift on the advise of a friend who is a garage equipment installer. He recommended them for the best value for money for hobbie use, all hydraulic so no screws to wear out. It seems well built and had no problems with it yet, it’s about 5 years old.
We had to concrete some pads under the 2 posts as floor was not thick enough, I’m pretty sure they were about 1 meter square and about 12” deep. Drilled rebar into the side of the existing slab to tie them together. All done under the advise of my mate again.