Car hoists - styles and types

CharlieR

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Tadpole
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Brisbane
I'm in the fortunate position of building a shed and being able to put a car hoist in it. The car in question is a 1970 DS.
Any thoughts on a two-post wheels-hang-down version vs a four post drive-on version? Any ideas to pass on? I'm over wriggling around on the ground to do work, so lifting the car to be at a convenient height is desirable.

I plan to use the bay in the garage for both cars and motorbike maintenance, so I'm tending toward a two poster as I don't have to raise the lift to get space on the ground.

Charlie
 
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Just saw this photo and thought it appropriate to this thread 😁

Car on hoist.jpg
 
I have a 2 poster. Good for the d as the suspension hangs down and makes life easy to work on it. Can be fiddle to get the arms lined up but you get good at it
 
I've recently had a high lift 4 post from Tufflift installed. It seems pretty good so far - its primarily going to be a parking hoist (for the GS), but will be great for working on the cars too. I've got a sliding jack which can be used to lift enough to take a wheel off, and access seems pretty good. If you're storing cars on the hoist, don't forget that 4 post hoists can have oil trays between the tracks, which will be useful!

(Apologies for the lack of French cars, the GS will make its way down from KenW's place soon enough)

2qa4HJD.jpg
 
I've recently had a high lift 4 post from Tufflift installed. It seems pretty good so far - its primarily going to be a parking hoist (for the GS), but will be great for working on the cars too. I've got a sliding jack which can be used to lift enough to take a wheel off, and access seems pretty good. If you're storing cars on the hoist, don't forget that 4 post hoists can have oil trays between the tracks, which will be useful!

(Apologies for the lack of French cars, the GS will make its way down from KenW's place soon enough)

2qa4HJD.jpg

Definition of brave would be parking a brake fluid DS above anohter car ....... Could the drip trays EVER be big enough :ROFLMAO:
 
what about those scissor lifts that are everywhere now? when flat they fit under a parked car and lift around a metre.... anyone tried them and any insights please? cheers, jon
 
what about those scissor lifts that are everywhere now? when flat they fit under a parked car and lift around a metre.... anyone tried them and any insights please? cheers, jon

I have a scissor lift that goes to full height , I can walk under the car without hitting my head , I find it a very usefull hoist . There are no posts to open a door on to , can just drive on and park on top of it , wheels hang free for maintanance .
Only disadvantage is , its not a parking hoist though , only one car in that space .
 
Last week I sold an early 1990s Molnar 2-post hoist for which I had a 3.6 x 1.8m steel platform made. The platform allowed you to store one car above another or, by removing the platform (not a huge job - just sit it on a trailer temporarily), to work on a car with wheels drooping.

For perspective, I regularly parked my C4 Picasso under the hoist with the platform fitted (and a car - or trailer or whatever - stored on the platform).

Chris
 
I use a four post Tufflift hoist which has made life much easier (and safer) working on the DS.
I hadn’t seen that jacking deck though...gotta get one of them!
The jacking deck will make things easier when replacing suspension boots as a bit if a fiddle getting the front wheels hanging freely on the 4-poster.
 
I guess I have another dumb question about the jacking deck :) ...... How high does it go? Will it lift high enough to overcome a range rover classic and citroen DS suspension articulation ? They both droop a loooooonnnnnggggggg way :clown:
 
Hi Shane, I reckon with the help of some axle stands, or wood blocks it might. It has a set of extensions for the lifting cups. If you can get it underneath the car, you could lift up enough to get some blocks underneat the car, then let the jack down and change to a different set of extensions.

Here is some more details on the jack here - US site, but this is the one Tufflift sell.

https://www.redlinestands.com/catal...-bridge-jack-for-7k-9k-lb-storage-lifts-p-485
 
I'm in the fortunate position of building a shed and being able to put a car hoist in it. The car in question is a 1970 DS.
Any thoughts on a two-post wheels-hang-down version vs a four post drive-on version? Any ideas to pass on? I'm over wriggling around on the ground to do work, so lifting the car to be at a convenient height is desirable.

I plan to use the bay in the garage for both cars and motorbike maintenance, so I'm tending toward a two poster as I don't have to raise the lift to get space on the ground.

Charlie
Hello Charlie,
I bought a two post for my DS and it works well for me.
Can work on the suspension and all under the car, makes it a joy to work at the right height.
Cheers
Colin
 

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My Tufflift 4-poster extra height hoist was installed two days ago. After my sparky installs a 15amp circuit (tested using a 10-15amp converter) on Monday I look forward to using it. The installer said Tufflift also sell an air jack which, when placed centrally under the car sill, will lift the both wheels on the same side off the deck. When I told him about the 'jack' for a DS he said that should work fine with a piece of wood underneath the 'jack' to spread the load on the deck so it doesn't dent. There's plenty of width on the deck for axle stands so getting the front or rear pair off the deck won't be an issue. I went 4 poster for safety and to avoid bending down to position arms. The Tufflift also comes with castors so that the hoist can be repositioned very easily if needed. The castor attachment is dead simple but also designed in such a way that the hoist can only be moved when it is empty ie the castors must be removed before a vehicle can be driven on to it.
Cheers, Robin
 
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