To do suspension setup and such? Thinking of making them as a bolt-on attachment? Sounds a bit hairy to 'bodge' something up and then raise a car 6 ft in the air on it. 4 post ramps also have stops on the end to stop the car rolling off, and such. I don't think trailer ramps would be up to the job and most wouldn't be long enough - would have to be custom made and strong!
Would have to be securely fixed to the 2 post ramp pads, no intention of bodging something that could be dangerous. Some jobs require car on its wheels, eg I'm currently trying to route cooling ducts to my front brakes, needs the weight on the wheels to confirm clearances etc. also my exhaust knocks on the rear beam but once you jack the car the rear beam drops, best to make adjustments to the exhaust with the car on its wheels.
You can get very tall axle stands, which can be positioned under suspension components, then the ramp can be lowered until the load just comes off the ramp pads and transfers to front or rear suspension to load it up for checking clearences. We used to do this alot when I worked in the motor trade.
2 posts are in my opinion the best. apart from when you are really ragging on something and the vehicle starts to rock around.
Agree. 2 post ramp with a couple of hydraulic transmission supports for loading suspension components.
Wheel alignment place had the one barny posted on page 1. It was great for that job, However i did get under it and have a look if you could weld my jacking points with it and it was in the way slightly. The middle section lifts up and you just have to block the car up with some blocks and lift it. Massive ramp and very expensive no doubt!
found this online the other day, doesn't lift quite as high as a fixed 2 post but can be packed away when not in use. http://maxjaxuk.com/default.aspx
That looks intresting Steve, the main thing with 2 post which is the one I rate way over a 4 post the 2 sides are in sync, thats when they have issuse tipping the car off! the other one is when cars arn't lifted on jacking points or inner sill sections and the arm fights the weight and want to 'PING' out just a fraction and it has nothing to stop it. I've seen someone set a ramp up on the bottom of the outer sills of a mk5 golf which are soft & rounded. It would only take one to bend or ping out to drop a car!! if you have the room, you could have a perm one fitted, and still park underneth!! (providing the locks work!)
Bit of an update, I've decided to go for a Bendpak XPR-9. It's available in the UK as the XPR-9T with triple extenders on each arm so cars of varying engine configs can be driven or reversed in to suit the work being done and can be set to a wide configuration for greater door clearance. It's not the cheapest but is solid and well built. Also if i ever need spares/help the official UK importer is not far from me, i don't think there would be much support for some of the cheap Chinese imports on eBay. This study also helped make up my mind: http://www.bendpak.com/a-study-in-lift-design/
For aligment work some MS teams use 4 table platforms that go under the wheels on a 2 post lift http://www.twinbusch.de/index.php?cPath=2
link has nothing to do with the table platforms, just meant as a link for decent quality at a decent price...
We have two pole ramps with four platform feet at work...these work well as the car manufacture has been using flat undersides with four jack blocks for years, this means you drive over the ramp and take the car straight up without the need to bend down and set up legs etc with all but a few cars
Steve that is an interesting read, thanks. Is the cost off the Bendpak lifts a lot more than the "Chinese" stuff? My thinking is that for commercial use then totally Bendpak, but for the weekend spanner thrower the the Chinese one would still be many times better than a jack and stands? And for the few times it would be used then would be well up to the job? Also has any one used one of these style lifts? http://http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCISSOR-LIFT-VEHICLE-RAMP-MOBILE-CAR-LIFT-CAR-RAMP-HYDRAULIC-220-V-NOT-2-POST-/171148571853?pt=UK_Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item27d93ff4cd As if the concrete floor is not quite up to spec I guess this could be a good second idea?
The XPR-9 is around 2,750 fully fitted, setup, tested & comes with a decent warranty. More expensive for sure but for me its worth it for the quality, support & installation thats included. I've been and looked at one and its solid, rated for far more weight than I will ever lift. Peace of mind/trust in the equipment while under a car is very important to me. The holes have been dug to suit it and the concrete for my garage floor should get poured this week so i'm committed