Re: [Chrysler300] trying to make room for my 300

["Miklas" <ldmiklas@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jeff

I have six 4-post lifts. Some are from  different vendors and some are 
different models from the same vendor . Having looked at lifts from a dozen 
different vendors, I'm sure that they are all manufactured by the same 
company in China - (except for "Backyard Buddy", which IS different and is 
manufactured in the US).

While all the "China-made" lifts are basically the same, some vendors do 
spec theirs out a little differently, and that does make some of them 
"better". For example, my early EAGLE brand 7000
lift is genetically identical to the DOUBLE PARK lift, but the Double Park 
vendor spec'd out more substantial "stop arms"
 which hold the vehicle in place when the lift is off the ground and at rest 
and which also act as a safety when raising and lowering the lift. The Eagle 
lift stops made only about 3/8 of an inch contact with the uprights, while 
the DoublePark  had  one inch of contact. I had an Eagle lift collapse years 
ago, and that extra 5/8  inch would have made the difference.
Some lift vendors  upgrade the cables and use a better hydraulic ram. Some 
vendors use high quality steel pins to mount the pulleys while others use 
only bolts. I can attest that even grade 8 bolts will snap under the stress 
the pulleys receive. Some vendors add cross bolts at the top of the columns 
to keep them from spreading apart; very important!
Some vendors supply aluminum ramps in place of steel which is a godsend when 
trying to shuffle them around, BUT, if they aren't REINFORCED, as some are 
not , they will bend out of shape under a 300.
I have both 120Volt and 220V pumps. Usually either is available at same 
cost. Both work well but the 120 unit will be SLOW!
Some vendors supply wheels at no extra charge. You might never use them, but 
if you have to use them just once, it will be worth having them. If the lift 
is not bolted to the floor, it will "walk" a little from daily use. The 
wheels do work very well on a smooth solid floor.

Most of my Mopars require an absolute minimum free clearance of 56" . I add 
4" for the  ramp height and subtract from my ceiling height to see how a 
tall a car will fit on the second tier. An 11' ceiling is adequate, but if 
you are tall, you still may have to stoop a little when working under a car. 
You can get away with a much lower ceiling if you are storing Corvettes.
Keep in mind - if your lift is near a garage door, most garage doors don't 
open to the full height of the ceiling. The upper vehicles tail panel or the 
windshield or backlite might obstruct its operation. (With sad results) 
Keep in mind also that one piece radio antennas might have  to be removed.

Most vendors offer two widths. Consider in advance the trac width of the 
cars you will be parking. I have some of each. 300's are a tight fit on the 
narrow model while small cars and cars with narrowed rear axles will not 
seat adequately on the wide ramp models.

At some time, ALL my lifts have been used for more than just parking. Two 
are used constantly as "work" lifts and are outfitted with the "slide-in 
hydraulic jack " units. They have held up very well. They are OLD Eagle 
brand 7000 units that have been retrofitted with the larger stop arms and 
high tensil pulley pins. I can't recommend the new Eagle 7000 lifts because 
I think some time when vendors say NEW & IMPROVED, it just means they have 
"improved" their profit margin. To their credit, when I had major problems 
with an old Eagle unit in the past, they supplied all the parts to repair it 
@ no charge. They also made running improvements to the parts. I believe the 
EAGLE unit is the most COST efficient lift out there.
Personally, I would prefer a BACKYARD BUDDY unit,  but it is easily twice 
the cost and last time I checked there was a 6 month back order. I would 
recommend looking thoroughly at a Backyard Buddy before you go shopping for 
a China-made unit. You will see the difference immediately and it will 
inspire you as to what to ask the vendor.

GOOD LUCK!

SAFETY FIRST! Always walk around the lift when parking a car in a raised 
position and make visually certain that all four safety locks have seated in 
their maximum position!!!!

Jeff Miklas


------------------------------------------------
From: <jela1970@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 7:16 PM
To: <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <JELA1970@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Chrysler300] trying to make room for my 300

>
> Hello,
>
> Have been researching 4-post car lifts for residential use to be able to 
> get some more car storage space in the garage for my 300 convertible. 
> There seem to be a lot of sellers of similar items but a lot of differing 
> opinions of which are well-manufactured and safe/sturdy products to choose 
> from (everyone says why theirs is best for ___ reason - difficult to sort 
> through the information).  Does anyone have any experience with these or a 
> reliable vendor to deal with?  Any ideas what should be minimum space 
> provided between the upper and lower cars for safe clearance? ( I might 
> find I cannot even get one of these things to work as I would like).
>
> Any help/thoughts would be much appreciated.
>
> thanks
>
> Jeff Laiserin
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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