Where to buy a 4 post lift?

With my new garage almost complete I'm in the market for a 4 post lift. This one will be just for storage so I can stack 2 cars in one spot.

How to get it to my house seems to be the challenge. Obviously I don't have a fork lift at my house, but I do have an 18' flatbed trailer. So If I can pick it up somewhere with a fork lift I can back it into my garage and unload it.

It looks like Lowes, Home Depot and Northern Tool all sell lifts, but they're expensive compared other places.

I'm in Wisconsin. Anyone know of a good dealer that sells lifts?

I bought an Advantage 4-post. Have never bolted it down. Move it from one side of my barn to the other depending on time of year. SUPER stable and well built. I bought the taller version.

Don’t know if you have one of these dealers in your area but I got mine from Greg Smith Equipment Company about 2 years ago, they loaded it with a forklift and I unloaded and assembled it by myself with a cherry picker, paid just under 3k. It is not bolted to the floor and has a wheel system that I can use to move it wherever it will fit in the shop, it came with the wheel system, jack pad that fits between the ramps and drip trays

Look for one that is ANSI and ALI Certified
ALI INFO

We bought some Wildfire lifts last year. They are working out great. Didn't have to pay any freight since we were able to pick them up at the warehouse but that isn't going to work for most people.
https://www.wildfirelifts.com/

Exact same lift as the Advantage brand. The guy selling Wildfire will tell you its all his design, but reality is that the same company makes the same lift for multple end sellers. I almost bought the Wildfire but found out that the Advantage was the same for (in my case) a bunch less money. I ordered 3 at once.

I bought mine locally from Uresco. I ran out of room and had to start stacking Mopars in my garage.

I'm ready to pull the trigger on one too .. www.bendpak.com are on sale til lend of month

I bought mine from Greg Smith Equipment also a couple years ago.
A 9000lb 4 post and at the time it was $3700 shipped to the local Old Dominion Freight terminal.
They loaded it on my trailer I took it home and unloaded it with a cherry picker and then assembled it myself.

It's looks like they've changed their name now (they were in the process back then).
https://www.tooltopia.com/categories/liftingequipment/4-post-lifts/hobby-lifts

Prices have definitely gone up too, looks like over $5k for the same lift now.

There's a Titan dealer near me. Prices are much lower than the others I've looked at which makes me wonder about qaulity.

Good to know.

Back in 2005, I bought a bend pack XT-XL 9000. I bought it from some outfit online where it was ridiculously cheap, about $2,300 bucks if I remember right including truck freight. I had them ship it to a truck terminal down in the city so I didn't have to try and unload it from a truck at my place. Then I went to the truck terminal with my open car trailer and had them set it on the trailer. When I got home I cut the banding off of it and with the help of one or two strong friends, we unloaded it one piece at a time and set it up.
I have looked at the backyard buddy, as well as other lifts at shows. I really like the backyard buddy. If I was to buy another lift, I would not buy a bend pack, I would buy a backyard buddy. It seems much more stable and better designed.

out of curiosity, why are you not liking the bend pak ? I had an hd-12 since 2005 ? or so and no complaints. the only issues I've had were due to lack of maintenance . It's pretty much seen daily use (not like a muffler shop) but has been used way more than a 'hobbyist lift" no real complaints other than parts that have been needed are a bit $$$

I'll REPEAt

If the lift is not ANSI and ALI certified I wouldn't go near it at any price

I bought my 2 post lift online from Bestbuy Equipment. They have tons of different lifts available. They shipped mine for free from California to a freight terminal nearby where I could just go get it with a car trailer.

My bend pack has a tendency to sway a bit when the vehicle is raised up high and you put a bunch of side pressure on it. It kind of sways back and forth which is a little unnerving. I should note that it is not fastened to the floor, it is freestanding. But it is designed for that. I have a wheel kit so I can move it around. Also the safety latches to keep the car from falling if a cable breaks are each operated by an individual air cylinder, which is controlled by a single air switch. I have had problems when lowering it where one of the safety latches does not release all the way and then the vehicle starts coming down on three posts but not the other and goes out of level. I have to pay really close attention to make sure that doesn't happen or else it could collapse. There is no way for the operator to know if all the safety latch is released except to begin lowering the vehicle and see if it comes down level.
When I looked at the backyard buddy, The vertical legs were square box tubes. The carriage rode up and down on tubes that fit tightly around the legs. I had them raise it up and I pushed on the side of it and it seemed like it is more stable against sway than the band pack that has three sided legs and internal sliders for the carriage. And the backyard buddy had a mechanical linkage going to each safety latch so that one of them could not stick without the operator feeling it on the control lever.

I've heard others also say that Bend Paks are wobbly and they dislike the air operated safety latches. My 4 post lift is a Super Lift brand made in MO. If I ever buy another one it will be a Back Yard Buddy or one made like a BYB, with the sliders on the outside of the posts. Some folks don't like BYB lifts because they won't pay the extortion fee to get the ALI stickers, but they are safe and sturdy lifts.

The first thing that pops up in your link says that ALL lifts sold in the US and Canada have to be inspected once per year. How many bobbyists are paying someone to do that?

My Dad and a customer both bought Wildfire lifts and was happy with the quality. None are cheap. Was able to pick it up at the shipping terminal in Portland, Oregon where they are shipped from China.

Thanks for pointing that out, one can explore the website OR Start here,

[url=https://www.autolift.org/ali-history/]ALI HISTORY AND MORE INFO[/url]

There is a download that is quite informative but too large to attach

I have 4 BACKYARD BUDDY lifts in my place . 3 of the Buddy Lifts are 7,000 OverHeights , and 1 is a 9,000 OverHeight Lift for My 1 Ton Quigley 4X4 V-10 Van . ALL Made in the U.S.A. with USA Steel . None were Cheap , and can hold a Tank without moving around . And when I retire , I'll sell them and get a lot of my money back . and My 2 Post Work Lift is a 10,000 pound MOHAWK , which does Not apply to this post . Ronnie

Mine is bolted and I have never experienced a problem with the latches. I will look on mine but I believe the height of the latch plates are independently adjustable and should all engage at the same time. Only other thing I could think of is the spring loaded latch is not functioning properly. Whatever the issue is I would investigate and get it corrected as it is a definite safety issue that could have catastrophic consequences

not to be a problem on the OP's post but IMO,
ALI certification should be a requirement for any lift sold. Here's a link to a video that explains things a little bit more

VIDEO LINKY ON ALI CERTIFICATION

That's who I was going to buy from some year back, then got a deal on a used one from a friend of mine. They seem like a good bunch of folks.




Movement is scary to me. The Backyard Buddy was my favorite when I was shopping. Not at all cheap, but very nice.

I read the ALI site thoroughly. The problem I have is they only have one level of certification, which I assume is based on commercial, not consumer, use. The reason this is important it it means a consumer is likely over buying because the lift won't go through anywhere near as many cycles as it would in a commercial setting. It's a shame they don't have a consumer level of testing since people only using them for a hobby have no way of knowing the quality of a lift without paying a high price for a lift certified for commercial use.

My buddy just put a garage up and bought an Advantage lift. I'm sure he sourced it through a local distributor. Maybe a Google search would get you some info? We are in SE WI. If I get any more details/info I'll pass it on.

Valid point, but when someone's life could be at stake I' say spend the $$. a 1000 or 1500.00 isn't worth it to me>
I don't know what the certification costs but for some reason I don't think it's cheap but it's worth a premium to me.
My first two lifts, when it was still a hobby for me, came from a company named Auto Lifters out of Wichita KS. Both lifts were made here and certified. Great company They could not compete with the overseas garbage so the owner said rather than lower his standards/cost he shut the business down.

Yeah with all the cheap chinese crap you can get these days it's too bad there's not some sort of minimum certification. So that you know what you're getting is actually safe but you're not paying a premium for commercial unit.

And that's the quandary. I have a finite budget for my garage. I agree that the assurance of safety is worth the extra money, but if I spend another $2000 on a lift I'm going to have to give up on something else.

Last night I sent an inquire to a local place that sells Forward lift, which are built by Rotary.

just make sure it's not you life as the 2k won't matter at that point nor will what you bought with it just trying to be helpful not a smart a--

Reminds me of years ago a buddy stopped by ona Sat. and said I just saw the best license plate frame yet! i said OK what'd say? He says get me a beer first.
I hand him the beer:

He proceeds to say "He who dies with the most toys, is DEAD". Whoa, that made me think a bit

I almost stopped him at the comma and said that's older than you thinking he was going to say WINS.

Agree with above Post , thats why I bought Backyard Buddy's after bumping into my friends 4 post Rotary Challenger Lifts with a heavy 59 Dodge on it . He started Screaming at me because he thought it was going to fall over onto his next lift with another 60F 300 on it . Made in China and flopped around like it was on springs with the cars in the Air ! But I said Yours is ALI certified ! I said I wouldn't put a VW Beetle on this Chinese ALI certified Lift , and called Backyard Buddy ! ALI Certified or not , My USA with USA Steel Lifts don't move , Especially the Monster 9,000 Pound Backyard Buddy Lift with My VANZILLA on it !

I have a Rotary Revolution 4 post before they started to offshore them. Got it off Craigslist for $2k and had a rollback haul it to my garage and roll it in.

I got mine from a local Meineke that they where selling because they where putting in a 2 post lift. $1200 it was a no brainer, When i came to pick it up the guy said he got a ton of replies about it. I looked everywhere to find a manufacture name but nothing. The cylinder was leaking so repacked it and it's good as new. Still don't know who made it but if it's in a chain repair shop it's not cheap o. Looks very similar to this.

i just wished i had room for a lift !
when i replaced the roof on my garage, i had thought about raising it and adding a second story or a loft.
that was the perfect time to do it, but like the dumazz that i am, i didn't do it.
been kicking my a$$ ever since. [ my old man : "get a bag full'a quarters and back up to the a$$ kickin' machine !" ]

If that' what it takes to be safe so be it. But I don't want to spend the money just for a sticker.