I need to urgently (within the next 3 months) find room to park my 3 cars in a double garage and the cheapest solution I could think of was to build a “Car Stacker”

My garage is long enough to put the Locost near the back and park the Cobra with it’s bonnet beneath it. I will use a chainblock pulling from the front to raise and lower the stacker.

An additional advantage is that I then have an adjustable height work table for both the 7 and the Cobra.

Any feedback on potential problems or dangers or things to change would be appreciated. Also any urls to plans for something like this.

One obvious problem is cross bracing the back legs where the Cobra goes under.


Description

[Edited on 20/10/07 by Ivan]

having a 1.2m arm is going to make your the force required to lift SIGNIFICANTLY higher than a vertical lift. depending on the weight of ya locost it might be worth doing the maths before building.

great idea though!!

I would have thought that you could get one of these second hand locally

Cheers

Mark

Click

Locost ramp. Until the bidding starts!!!

have you seen the car ramps that are portable ?
they use 4 of the high lift ratchet type jacks that the 4X4 boys use

cant think who make them, but they have been mentioned on here before

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Originally posted by Dangle_kt
having a 1.2m arm is going to make your the force required to lift SIGNIFICANTLY higher than a vertical lift. depending on the weight of ya locost it might be worth doing the maths before building.

great idea though!!

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Couldn't you build something that uses gravity to do the hard work. You'd need something to slow down the swing as it raises and lowers but a rope and pulley should sort that. Anchor the front to the floor and then release it to let it level up when the cars weight is at the back.

[Edited on 20/10/07 by Peteff]
Rescued attachment Untitled.jpg

If you can get something bent to make a rocker you could have a more gradual tilt and manage to drive on and off without heart attacks or build the pivot arms into the floor so they don't rock but hinge like a see saw.
Rescued attachment take2.jpg

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Originally posted by Peteff
If you can get something bent to make a rocker you could have a more gradual tilt and manage to drive on and off without heart attacks or build the pivot arms into the floor so they don't rock but hinge like a see saw.

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OK My two pen'orth

Take Pete and Dangles ideas, but bias the pivot point very slightly towards the front ot the ramp, so that even when the car is loaded the base of the ramp stays on the ground.

Then take Dangles winch idea but have the winch floor mounted under the front of the ramp, with the cable going over the front of the ramp and then connecting to car.

Then (hopefully!) when you start winching the car up it will firstly pull the car up the ramp, then when the car "hits the buffers it will pull the front of the ramp downwards to level it up (or even pull it nose down "a la car transporter" then lock the ramp into place with pins or legs to release tension from the winch.

As an afterthought, finding the exact pivot point could be difficult, and could also change as a result of subsequent mods or car changes, so you could possibly use water ballast to fine tune the balance.

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=Stacker2.jpg

HTH

Frank

Ps Why won't my picture show (it's in my archive)

[Edited on 20/10/07 by fatfranky]


[Edited on 20/10/07 by fatfranky]

[Edited on 20/10/07 by fatfranky]

Think Pete's just invented one of these
http://www.carstages.co.uk/

Why not just fasten two RSJs vertically to the back wall of the garage and hinge a trailer type platform off the top. Winch lifts front edge, after first car is on. then prop securely and drive second car underneath.
Assuming of course that you have a brick/block built garage.
Favourite has got to be a car lift for £163 () as shown above.

Thanks for the feedback guys. All of your responses are what makes this forum great .

Now to consider it all and then back to the drawing board.

Keep the ideas coming.

How about something like a four post car lift , should be able to pick them up cheaply as a lot of garages have/are replacing them with two post lifts. If you have the space and can get one for the right price it would be easier and safer for your needs. Just make sure the car on top has no brake fluid leaks!

quote:

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Originally posted by dave r
have you seen the car ramps that are portable ?
they use 4 of the high lift ratchet type jacks that the 4X4 boys use

cant think who make them, but they have been mentioned on here before

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The guy who has built the 27 litre Rover in PPC (Charlie??) has a set of fork lift truck forks in his garage against one wall. Drive car over forks the use hydraulics to lift car up. Leaves wheels free to work on and takes up minimal space. A bar under the forks when up in the air would prevent the hydraulics dropping over time.



Old electric FLT may be hard to come by but a hand cranked high lift pallet truck would be easier to find. Chris Mason may able to advise max weights and lift height possible. If you do use high lift truck you may be able to turn car around and get all 3 in on the ground, just depends on how deep and wide the garage is.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-TON-1-6-METERS-STACKER-FORK-LIFT-PALLET-TRUCK-MANUAL_W0QQitemZ200164044987QQihZ010QQcategoryZ97185QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem
[Edited on 22/10/07 by DarrenW]

[Edited on 22/10/07 by DarrenW]

Slightly cheaper than the Hammerlift, and Electric as well.

Linky

Worth considering, if you are going to spend out on the hammerlift.
I have a Highlift jack, and its hard work compared to pressing a button

Thats a seriously cheap 2 post lift. Seems to need a fair sized garage but if you have the space defo worth having for diy work.

Pity Ivan is in South Africa, though that 2 post is seriously tempting.

Getting 4x high lift jacks in SA is likely to be pretty easy, don't know about cheap garage lifts. Not sure about the Hamer picture where they are using a axle stand on the lift

Maybe getting a cheap fork lift as DarrenW says is possible.

Still have a few weeks of work left before i can take action - will troll the calssifieds for a car lift - otherwise will design something using the info you all have provided.

Will update thread when I decide what to do - thanks once again for the feedback all.

I`ve seen this somewhere else...
Measurements as needed...
Lousy drawing....??? well, just a bit..

I know of a certain "luxury loft apartment" building in Newcastle that has about a dozen of these:-




that they can't use. Someone didn't check the clearance of the units and the first car to go on top hit the ceiling.

Good luck finding a solution.

Mike

Four electric screw jacks on the corners of a DIY trailer bed wouldn't cost too much. Added safety, as they stay where they are if power fails.

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Originally posted by Confused but excited.
Four electric screw jacks on the corners of a DIY trailer bed wouldn't cost too much. Added safety, as they stay where they are if power fails.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Guinness
I know of a certain "luxury loft apartment" building in Newcastle that has about a dozen of these:-




that they can't use. Someone didn't check the clearance of the units and the first car to go on top hit the ceiling.

Good luck finding a solution.

Mike

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