As for the lift, I picked a Worth lift out of Texas. They are not the most expensive nor the cheapest, but I was specifically looking for:
1) Asymmetric (Meaning the posts are angled so that you can open a car door without banging it into the posts). Normally angled about 30 degrees.
2) 10,000 capacity, so that I can lift most all cars and trucks.
3) Overhead style - (meaning that the connecting cables and supports) are connected at the top of the lift as opposed to on the floor under a metal tray. I wanted this so that I could hide the upper cables and supports in the attic.
4) Heavy Duty maintenance free upper bearings - as I was planning on boxing in the upper section of the lift and did not want a lift that required oiling or greasing frequently. After installation, I sheet rocked everything back up so it now looks like just two posts standing independently.
I have had this lift now for about 10 years and dont ever regret having installed it. It has easily paid for itself after about the first 6 months.
Worth sent me the lift motor-freight. The truck company would not deliver to a home residence, so I had to rent myself a U-haul to pick it up. My wife and I picked it up and the trucking company loaded it into the U-haul trailer with a forklift. The weight of the lift was about 2300 pounds all parts strapped together.
When we got it home, we had to unpackage it in the U-haul and move the separate components into the garage. That also was not easy. I did find out that my wife has a very strong back!! Once I made the appropriate measurements, I had to rent from Home Depot a big concrete drill and purchased concrete anchors. While I had the drill I installed a few extra anchors around the garage for pulling body panels. I cut a slot about 8 foot by 2 foot into the garage sheet rock ceiling, we installed the upright posts, bolted it all together, put in hydraulic fluid and then wired it up. It runs on 230volt 50 amp. Keep in mind that you only run the lift about 45 seconds while going up only. Going down does not use the motor. The lift does use quite a bit of momentary electricity, so if you are on a 200 amp service, you could blow your breaker in the heat of summer with your A/C.
Worth told me that they could send someone out to install the lift at the cost of $450. I declined, on the belief that I could probably do it better. Hope I was right.
All lifts require that you check the mounting bolts regularly for tightness, grease the slides in the columns, check cable tension, and minor lubrication. The cost of the lift by itself was about $2500 and it came with free shipping. With the U-haul trailer, drill rental, hydraulic fluid, and other things, probably add about another $250. What was the cost of maintaining the lift for the last 10 years? About $100 total (being some grease, oil, and red and yellow spray paint for touch up).
In purchasing a lift, dont buy the cheapest or the most expensive. Decide on what you need and then find a lift that will suit you. A mechanic friend of mine is 6 foot 10 inches. He dealt with a lift company that was able to modify the lift to make it higher so that it would allow him to fully stand up under a car. Again, find a lift that suites YOUR needs.
Your neighbors, friends, relatives will all love you for my lift. In the winter or during a hail storm, we often will put a vehicle on the lift and then drive another vehicle under it. That way we can get 4 cars into a 3 car garage. If you have a large tractor or large mower, you can get an attachment for the lift to raise your tractor up like a car.
Doing transmissions, engines, lots of brake jobs, and my automotive work, Im sure the lift paid for itself in less than 1 year. I cant imagine having to get out the creeper. My back really appreciates it too! And yes, my wife really does come out and often helps me install transmissions and engines when necessary. She is a good sport about this, just as I am when she shops at the Coach store.
If you have any specific questions about a lift, feel free to ask.
