Low Rise or Mid Rise Lift?

[Richie_007_1968]

:welcome: Ok.. So now I"m in a position where I think I might wish to invest in a lift for servicing my car. Researching the types of lifts lead me to two types as follows:

http://www.asedeals.com/low_rise_lifts.html which will get me a 29" lift for $1250

http://www.asedeals.com/mid_rise_lift.html which will get me a 48" lift for $1500

My question is this... do I need the extra inches to clear tranny, engine etc? If I drop the engine, can I get it past the 29" clearance or should I bite the bullet and go for the 48" lift anyways?

My right rear wheel bearing has failed do it is either $1400 at the shop to replace both or $100 in parts, $100 in labor to press the new bearings in and I do the job myself.... Hmm.... so do I take it to the shop or buy the lift and do it myself?

What are your thoughts guys? Please post alternate vendors if you know of a better deal/manufacturer on the lift. I am in Northern Virginia and would prefer not to have to pay freight.

[ar38070]

You do not need a lift to do a wheel bearing. You can do it off of blocks or jack stands. You also need the ball joint tool if you do not already have it. You can get it at Harborfreight for $89. A lot of people have done it without the tool but you risk damaging the seals. You can also get at least one of the Bend-Paks lifts from Harborfreight.

Now whether or not you should invest in a lift is a completely different question. Can you use a 48" lift in your garage i.e. if you raise the car all the way up is it going to run in to anything? I would also check the height of the lift points. Do they fit under the car or will you have to drive onto boards to get the car high enough so that the lift points will fit? If in the future you lower the car will the lift still fit?

Check the power requirements, voltage and current.

Any lift is a compromise unless you are willing to spend big bucks. Sometimes you want to lift by the frame, sometimes by the wheels, sometimes you want to lift by a different part of the frame, etc. A friend of mine recently built stands (he has one of these small lifts) so that after the car is up we can drop the car on its wheels onto the stands. This way we can do alignments but it also now allows complete unimpeded access to anywhere on the bottom of the car.

[adsach]

29" is high enough to sit crosslegged inside the engine compartment with the tranny removed and look up at the flywheel. Transmission definitely can roll out with the body in this position. Engine will be closer - it may or may not pull straight back with the bumper off.

As AR38070 pointed out, the bigger question is what the lift frame blocks and what lift points it touches and how you plan to use it. Will the engine be 'boxed in' when hte car is in the air? And if you plan to pull a transmission or engine at this height, how will you lift and lower the drivetrain parts? I personally would be more inclined to buy a good transmission/engine lifting jack to go with my floor jack and jack stands.

[ar38070]

I was looking at the referenced site and found this lift

http://www.asedeals.com/pit_lifts.html

It is a little more expensive ($1800 but they say call for the sale price) but I like it because there is no mechanism between the lift points and therefore you have complete and clear access to the entire bottom of the car.

[deliriousga]

For $250 more, get the 48". You don't always have to lift it that high, but you'll be really upset if you need more room one day after spending $1250.