Besides the obvious height difference, what advantages does one have over the other? I will be cutting it really close in height if I choose an overhead lift. I would have plenty of room if I choose a base plate lift. The only real advantage that I can see is that I don't have to roll the car over the plate if I am positioning it into the lift area. I want to pull the trigger on this thing asap, but I need some opinions on how/why one can be a better buy over the other. If the overhead lift is a much better situation, I will work to find the one that fits my garage ceiling the best. I initially went with a 12' ceiling (144"), but I list a couple inches with the ceiling install. Firring strips and corrugated steel adds up pretty quickly.
The clear floor 2 post is nice, trans jacks and other rolling things such as tool trays/ tool boxes etc, move around nicely between the posts without the plate in the way. Additionally, when sweeping or washing the floor the drive over plate will trap water and dirt under the plate. I am pretty sure you could cut the uprights down if ceiling clearance is an issue. They probably want 6” minimum of concrete under the posts for the anchor bolts to go into, not sure how thick your slab is? Just my 2 bits..Gord
I think the only real difference between the two is the base plate as you mention. So looks like the question is do you want a base plate to trip over or reduced lift height, where you can't fully stand up (unless your really short). I will tell you this, I like the asymmetric style lift because you can open the doors fully. With the standard style lift the posts get in the way of opening the doors so you have to be careful when you do so.
They all have there positive and negative aspects. I had better luck with a wide set Eagle symmetrical lift with plate. I could back my car trailer between the posts and arms and lift a car off the trailer. Also was not as big a deal with the plate as I thought it would be.
Adam, I know your talking 2 post lifts, I have a connection with Backyard Buddy drive on lifts in Warren Ohio. look them up and if you have any interest in there product, I may be able to save you some money on a lift, they have a couple scratch and dent units almost every month as well, Steelvalleylifts.com or Backyardbuddy.com the Co. was recently bought by the folks I know.
If at all possible, go with the overhead. I spend a good portion of my day working under cars, and a bottom plate would drive me insane. Racenu spells it out in his post. If you go with the base plate, you will regret it every time you walk under the car.
I have a 2 post,clear floor and a 4 post drive on. The drive on has a full workaround so it's great for safety or getting in and out with the car up.......but even if I had the Jack's would make getting the tires off hard being so far from them. But for oil changes, transfilters, drive shaft service, most diff servicing, rwd trans removal, it's great. I wouldn't want to mess with a plate covering up cables every day as much as I move stuff under and about. We have a drain hole in the floor that is centered but towards the rear of where the car would sit in the rack and everything in workd falls into that hole no matter what.....i would hate to see what would be lost under a floor plate. I have a small electric hoist bolted to my.over head arm.....with reinforcing plate that 6ft long to spread the load.....but I have pulled 454 with cast iron marine manifold on it with it in several boats....... I placed my rack so the overhead arm went between the rafters so I could have maximum height
My lift is the base plate type and many times I wish it wasnt. However any lift is better than no lift. Only time I have a real problem is rolling a non op car on and off. Depending on which car I'll either use a tractor to pull it over the hump or a come-a-long anchored to the front or back of one of the trucks. It used to get all sorts of stuff under the plate but made a seal with 1x4 beveled at a 60* angle on the outside edges and then foam o fill on the ends. Its located outside in the weather. If it was covered and one day it may be I could recess it into the ground like mentioned above.
This response from BUICKRAT is exactly what I would say as well. My dad and I have both styles of two post lift here, a Rotary with a clear floor (because ceiling height was not an issue), and a low ceiling height Challenger (10'-6" ceiling). Both are fantastic lifts but I can tell you that the floor plate gets old, especially when I'm doing a transmission. So if there is any way possible to do a clear floor, DO IT and you will not regret it. But as others have also stated, any lift, even the model with a floor plate, is better than laying on your back.
Make sure you have planned accordingly in regards to slab strength/design before making your pour. When I poured my slab it was designed as post tension cables with piers. The concrete was poured plenty thick and thought I was fine until I looked at the details for the two post lift I wanted. The lift required so much rebar where the lift post would be bolted down, since I forgot the rebar in that area I chose a four post lift instead. I had engineering firm inspect my slab, he recommended not using a two post unless I cut the slab open and add rebar. He mentioned the word punch out (slab cracking under load) which got my attention, he said it would probably be okay but probably was not good enough for me if I am standing under the car. Ended up buying a Challenger four post with roller jacks, so far so good. The two post has many advantages, I was looking at the Mohawk brand, they seemed liked the best bang for the buck.
Really? I found Mohawk to be just the opposite. Nice product but at a premium price and not a good bang for the buck when we were quoted prices and compared to other brands. If money was no object I would probably have purchased a Mohawk.
Hey Adam, Here's a copy and paste off of Greg Smiths website. It may or may not help you decide......... Baseplate (Floor Plate/Low Ceiling/Low Clearance) Above Ground Lifts: The hydraulic hose and equalization cables run across the floor and are covered by a beveled diamond plate steel floor plate approximately 1" tall in the Baseplate Lift (Floor Plate). Most baseplate lifts have a locking mechanism that is operated with the dual point release system. OR Overhead Lift (Clear Floor): The hydraulic hose and equalization cables run across the top of the lift through a metal bar (conduit) that connects both columns in the Overhead lift. The metal bar (conduit) is there to guide the hose and cables and is not designed to support any vertical weight. There is a cut-off cable (connected to the power unit) located just below the metal overhead conduit which "kills" power to the motor preventing damage to the top of the car, if the lift operator was not paying attention. Benefits of an Overhead Lift: An overhead lift has nothing on the floor between the two columns; this design makes it much easier to roll jacks, oil drains, etc, through the middle area of the lift. Overhead lifts can accommodate asymmetric or symmetric arm configurations. The baseplate lift can only accommodate a symmetric arm configuration (if you have been advised differently, call us for the facts). Overhead vs. Baseplate (Lifting stability): The basic design of the overhead two post lift offers more lifting stability than the same rated capacity lift that has a baseplate design. The overhead bar (located between the two columns) provides a measure of stability by exerting pressure to the top part of both columns. The bases of the columns (anchored firmly in the concrete) provide the ONLY foundation of support for the base plate lift columns. When a vehicle is placed on the extended lift arms (between the anchored columns) and lifted, there is a great amount of pressure applied to the rear anchor bolts of the column's bases. Imagine two people facing each other (like our symmetrical columns) extending their arms out in front of them (like either our asymmetric arms or symmetric arms). Place a heavy weight (evenly distributed) on the hands (lift pads) of these individuals. Gravity, exerting an enormous downward pressure on their outstretched arms, would force their heels to try and lift off the ground. Their bodies (our columns) would try to "lean forward" to compensate for this load positioned on their hands. However, if the two individuals had a bar between their foreheads (like the overhead lift design), then this bar would exert a certain pressure to keep their "heels on the ground".
Nick, Interesting info, thanks for posting. We did notice that our Challenger CLFP9 (baseplate design for low ceiling height) had much more substantial base plates on each column when compared to the Rotary with a clear floor (Overhead lift). But I never knew it was because the bar across the top of the Rotary is helping to support the columns. My dad tends to overbuild everything so even on his Rotary lift he attached brackets to tie the posts of the lift to the ceiling above. Probably not needed but it made him happy to have a little more support to prevent the columns from wanting to tip toward one another.
Note that Mohawk Specs for the concrete slab are very demanding(http://www.mohawklifts.com/library/manuals/Slab_Require_Recommend_11_07.pdf). Usual 2 post specs are only for 3000 PSI concrete of a certain thickness. I would check with the company who makes the lift; most have great technical support that you can call and talk to about the slab, especially if it is already poured. It all depends on site conditions and local codes, typically installations like 4” (FYI: too thin for a lift, need 4 1/2" min.) of concrete; 6 x 6 #10 wire mesh, 4” of stone and 6 mil vapor barrier are more common. If the slab is not right you have to cut out a chunk and pour the correct design insert. So ask the manufacture, and buy quality! When you decide on a lift, ask to see the installation manual - way better info than the brochure. Adam - can you cut out the ceiling above the lift crossbar and recess it into the ceiling? Of course leaving the limit switch below the ceiling...
The only time I sold a base lift is when there is a ceiling restriction. Other wise there is no advantage.
Adam - I notice you have seams in the floor. In most cases you have to keep the lift floor bolts away from any expansion joints or slab cuts, typically by 6". Again, check the installation manual.
Yes I agree Gary, the cost of the Mohawk lift is more expensive, but I figured a thousand or so dollars more was well spent since it made me feel better standing under it. The Mohawk was the best I in my opinion. Since Adam will be using his a lot, it might worth looking into. My application was hobby only, probably overkill for me for sure. This is where I screwed up, the brochure talked about concrete PSI and slab thickness but no mention of rebar at the footing. Please do your homework Adam.
