Home Improvement

Types of Residential Garage Car Lifts and Their Benefits

Only a few would oppose the importance of having a home garage car lift.

In fact, the best garage car lifts do not only make the cleaning of cars easier. They also provide more space for packing. Hence, protecting the car from theft and harsh weather conditions.

image - Types of Residential Garage Car Lifts and Their Benefits
Types of Residential Garage Car Lifts and Their Benefits

Residential garage car lifts appear in different sizes and shapes. Finding the best one depends on the circumstances, work and location of use.

Changing any of these variables will alter which car lift is best suitable at the time.

Some people fix cars or run repair shops from home. Such ones will get a car lift on a different budget compared to that of automotive repair shops.

To help make a great decision, here are 3 types of car lifts and why to use them.

Types of Residential Garage Car Lifts

Four Post lifts

Renowned for its user-friendliness and especially loved by hobbyists are four-post lifts. They are commonly found in any-size shops and home garages.

This is especially so as they do not require the use of floor anchors. This wheel-engaging car lift is often used for heavy vehicle lifting.

This lift has support columns added to its design. It thus can lift higher capacities than other car lifts such as the two post lifts.

Some four post residential garage car lifts do not require anchorage on the floor. They can be easily moved around casters supplied by the manufacturers.

The Benefit of Using Four Post Lifts

  • It has a wide range of lifting capacity. Small trucks and midsized sedans will easily fit a 9,000 lbs lift capacity. The four-post lifts also have lifting capacities reaching up to 40,000 lbs.
  • The four-post lifts require only an 115V supply of power, unlike the two post lifts which require a voltage of 220.
  • It has a wide variety of accessories
  • The four posts lift are user-friendly

How to Use Four Post Lifts

The wheel-engaging surface-mounted lift allows lifting by the vehicle tires. And this exposes the underside.

The vehicle must be appropriately spotted on the lift. Also, the front tires should center equally from the ramp edges. One must use the manual wheel chocks to prevent rolling.

Safety Tips

Before making any car lifting attempt, proper training in the use of the car lift is mandatory. There is an excellent record held in the safe application of lifts. Yet, improper loading of vehicles still occurs.

Here are some safety tips.

  • The vehicle must rest correctly on the car lift.
  • Before any lifting takes place, the wheel chocks must be in place.
  • It is important to read all instructions in the safety manual before use.
  • For safe operation, proper maintenance and inspection of the equipment are crucial.

Scissor Lifts

Scissor lifts raise vehicles with a mechanism beneath the car’s runway. They have a criss-cross frame that raises the platform.

Scissors lifts are available in different heights. Their heights range from three feet upwards. Their capacities for professional and home use.

They do a great job of lifting very heavy vehicles. The sight of this equipment is more pleasing when it is in use as it shrinks to the ground. This is absent in the operation of the four-post lift.

The scissor lift can be a four-arm lift. It can also be a drive-on. It all depends on the raising rods and cylinder configurations.

The Benefit of Using Scissor Lifts

  • Scissor lifts hold a number of advantages above other best garage car lifts. They include:
  • Ease of use. Scissor lifts are so easy to operate. All they need is simple controls with less training time.
  • Compact size. This equipment is great for its compact size and ability to work well even in tight spaces.
  • They keep low profiles often depending on the capacity and size.
  • Scissor lifts require minimum use of floor spaces

How to Use Scissor Lifts

This mid-lift style host often works for servicing wheels. It is especially useful where great heights are usually not required. The vehicle must be correctly positioned.

Checking for solidity should precede lifting. This check involves pausing the process. It entails shaking the vehicle immediately after it rises above the ground.

Safety Tips

  • Strict adherence to safety instructions in the operational manual is a must.
  • Operators are to wear necessary safety gear throughout the use of the equipment.
  • Thorough inspection must take place before use. This involves looking out for worn parts as they are potentially hazardous.
  • The vehicle must not exceed the lifting capacity of the lift.
  • Hurried use of the equipment increases the chances for errors. Thus, operators are not to be in a rush.
  • Inspections of the frames of the car must be when it is in the lift position. Check for solidity and pinpoint where the car will lift from before proceeding.

Two-Post Car Lifts

The two-post garage car lift has a reputation for the most common auto lifts around. Their incredible sturdy posts and arm stabilization support are commendable.

They are also cost-effective.

They come in different types such as symmetrical, asymmetrical and versymmetrical. The two post lift is symmetrical when its posts directly face each other.

Sometimes, swing arms have different lengths with a rotated post design. In this case, it is asymmetrical.

When the two-post lift has the design of both the symmetric and asymmetric lift, it is versymmetric. It is usual to describe versymmetric lifts as two-in-one accommodating different vehicles. It even does this with ease.

The Benefit of using Two-post Car Lifts

  • It requires little space when compared with its four-post counterpart.
  • It is very cost-effective

How to Use Two-post Car Lifts

  • Ensure that the swing arms are out of the way before moving the vehicle into the service bay.
  • Locate the lift point of the vehicle- the user manual of the vehicle will help identify them.
  • Locate the power button and press. This should continue until the tires reach 6 inches above ground level. After this, check for stability.
  • Press the button to continue lifting to the desired height.
  • Free the vehicle from the safety lock by pulling the release cable. At the same time, hold the lowering handle.

Safety Tip

  • No work should when the lift is in motion, safety locks are inoperable or disengaged. Working under the lift can lead to fatal injuries or death.

Conclusion

There are several car lifts to get for home garages. Each one has its own benefits. Above are three common types of car lifts and their benefits.

To gain from the benefits of any chosen car lift, it is best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. As seen above, taking care of the lift is also important.


If you have a jeep, follow Toolstastico blog to find out about the best jeep hardtop hoists reviews.

View Comments

  • It's great that you mentioned how finding the best car lift depends on the circumstances, work, and location of use. I heard having a car lift is actually very convenient, so I am considering getting one. For that, I probably need to ask for a hoist install service.

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Published by
Perla Irish