Ivan
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 06:30 AM |
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Building a Car Stacker
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]
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 07:44 AM |
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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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mookaloid
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 07:56 AM |
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I would have thought that you could get one of
these second hand locally 
Cheers
Mark
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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Thinking about it
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 07:59 AM |
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Click
Locost ramp. Until the bidding starts!!!
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dave r
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 08:00 AM |
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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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Ivan
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 08:41 AM |
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quote:
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!!
Yes- still have to work out how to do the math - I suppose one would take the arc of a leg and calculate lift against movement foreward ratio for the
first 10 mm of lift which would be the worst loading.
Would love a hoist but cost is prohibitive here and they're not easy to find.
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Peteff
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 09:13 AM |
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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
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Peteff
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 09:28 AM |
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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
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 09:52 AM |
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quote:
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.
nice simple idea that! with a decent locking mechanism on the far leg and a back up chain it will mean your cobra would be safe.
i'd use a winch to pull the car up the ramp, as you will knacker your clutch in time on an incline like that.
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fatfranky
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 11:29 AM |
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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]
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iank
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 12:11 PM |
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Think Pete's just invented one of these
http://www.carstages.co.uk/
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Confused but excited.
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 12:54 PM |
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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.
Tell them about the bent treacle edges!
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Ivan
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 02:27 PM |
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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.
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 03:09 PM |
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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!
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iank
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| posted on 20/10/07 at 06:37 PM |
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quote:
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
As a coincidence I was flicking through the frost catalog and they have started selling them.
http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?productID=9202
Manufacturer site here:
http://www.hamercarlift.com/
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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DarrenW
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| posted on 22/10/07 at 02:24 PM |
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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]
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wilkingj
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| posted on 23/10/07 at 07:59 AM |
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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
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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DarrenW
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| posted on 23/10/07 at 10:39 AM |
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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.
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iank
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| posted on 23/10/07 at 10:53 AM |
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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.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Ivan
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| posted on 23/10/07 at 04:53 PM |
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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.
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Angel Acevedo
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| posted on 28/10/07 at 12:57 AM |
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Stacker Idea
I`ve seen this somewhere else...
Measurements as needed...
Lousy drawing....??? well, just a bit..
Beware of what you wish.. for it may come true....
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Guinness
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| posted on 28/10/07 at 09:22 AM |
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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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Confused but excited.
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| posted on 28/10/07 at 02:54 PM |
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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.
Tell them about the bent treacle edges!
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mr henderson
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| posted on 28/10/07 at 06:46 PM |
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quote:
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.
OK for lifting, but what keeps the bed from simply falling sideways?
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Angel Acevedo
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| posted on 13/12/07 at 06:47 PM |
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quote:
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
Mike,
Maybe that would be it, if the units don`t work, maybe you can offer to remove and dispose for peanuts, and then sell them to locosterers as the
locost is such a low car...
Beware of what you wish.. for it may come true....
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