Quote:
Originally Posted by kolosy
yeah, i'm going 14'+ because i'll have a loft above the second car anyway. primary concern is lateral space.
on a 2 post, is there a function/safety issue with putting one of the columns right up against a wall? (or a few inches off, but not enough to walk past)
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Most 2-post lifts have the hydraulic control and lock release on the right-side column as a safety feature. They do so, so when the operator gets out of the driver's door he immediately sets the driver's side lift arms in place under the chassis, then he goes around to the passenger side and places the right-side lift arms in place. Then he goes to the hydraulic controls to operate the lift. This procedure dictated by the right-side position of the lift controls is aimed at preventing the operator from forgetting to place all 4 lift arms in place.
The car once on the lift arms sits around 18" inside of the column. So if you placed the left column around 12' - 18" from the wall you'd have 2 to 3 feet to walk around the left side of the vehicle. Keep in mind that asymmetrical 2-post lifts use a spotting plate on the left for placing the driver-side front wheel correctly.
If you sung the lift to the left side of your garage I figure you can have about 8' of parking space to the right of the lift. Definitely get a clear-floor model where the hydraulic lines and equalizing cables run over top in a channel above the columns.
Don't get a 4 post; it would just crowd the space. A 2-post is far more versatile in use. I built a huge porch swing for my wife on my lift. It saved me $5K that she was going to buy one for. That alone paid back my lift in one fell swoop. Nothing beats hydraulic, fully adjustable sawhorses.
