nigtr6 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Hi, I was wondering what the members have found to be the best vehicle hoist that fits into a domestic double garage? would be Interested to hear opinions please. Regards Nige Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mtrehy Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 My workshop is same width as a 1.5x domestic garage but longer and higher. I use a full height scissor lift which is recessed in the floor so leaves a completely flat floor when not using it. 2 or 4 posters require a lot of width for posts. Lifts are designed for different purposes, 2 posts are great, very quick to get a car on and wheels in the air, they leave the wheel area completely free but are very difficult to work on sills, 4 posters are great for wheel alignment but the platforms are often in the way for brakes, suspension work Scissor lifts are a nice compromise. I've restored TR6's on mine, I've also restored on 2 and 4 posters and if I had all 3 available I would go for the scissor lift plus rotisserie. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nigtr6 Posted January 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 OK Thanks for the information Quote Link to post Share on other sites
roy53 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Mtrehy which one do you have ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hawk Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 (edited) Depends what you want to do. Scissor lifts are not much use if you want to work on the sills and a good number making working on the underneath of the car tricky - but are brilliant for working on wheels, brakes etc. 2 post or 4 post lifts needs a lot of space and not really suited to domestic garages. For some jobs (and most people), ramps and axle stands are enough. I toyed with a number of solutions (2 post lift, 4 post parking lift, scissor lift) and in the end have just bought these https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-scissor-hydraulic-car-ramps-1360kg-cr06xhd/ Edited January 8, 2021 by Hawk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanG Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 SHORT 2 POST / NARROW WIDTH! IDEAL FOR HOME-USE AND WORKSHOPS WITH RES – LIFTECH Garage Equipment I 've got one of these. Takes up a surprising small amount of room in my standard height double garage and can still get two cars in if necessary. Alan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 4 hours ago, nigtr6 said: Hi, I was wondering what the members have found to be the best vehicle hoist that fits into a domestic double garage? would be Interested to hear opinions please. Regards Nige Hi Nige constructed a very big ramp. 20" ground to chassis. Very good for, all jobs. Good fun running up/down it. Easy enough to make but I don;t know if they can be bought ready made. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ed_h Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Its hard to beat a 2 post for access to most underside areas. it does take some side to side room. Ed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harrytr5 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Used to get two cars in along side each other. I can just get one underneath the two poster now. The two poster is made for the home garage and just fits under my ceiling leaving around 20mm clearance on the posts. I cut a letter box in the ceiling to clear the windscreen and surrey backlight so I could get the TR higher. Regards Harry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 ed-h: is that copper pipe running forward on left of differential carrying petrol? I'm no expert on IRS & PI cars, but it strikes me as somewhat vulnerable hanging that low. The car seems to be lacking the automatic oil spray protection normally afforded the undersides of Triumphs! I find that a trolley jack, a pair of beefy ramps, a hydraulic bottle jack or a screw jack, and a pair of axle stands (I have 2 sets) allow me to elevate the car sufficiently to permit me to crawl beneath the car to fettle exhaust, change oils, adjust brake cables and remove rear axle (with my son's assistance - it's heavy!). Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barkerwilliams Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I just love the ceiling "letter box" Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mtrehy Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Hawk said: Depends what you want to do. Scissor lifts are not much use if you want to work on the sills and a good number making working on the underneath of the car tricky - but are brilliant for working on wheels, brakes etc. 2 post or 4 post lifts needs a lot of space and not really suited to domestic garages. For some jobs (and most people), ramps and axle stands are enough. I toyed with a number of solutions (2 post lift, 4 post parking lift, scissor lift) and in the end have just bought these https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-scissor-hydraulic-car-ramps-1360kg-cr06xhd/ I'd much rather do sills on a scissor than a 2 poster and definitely want to be standing up when I do them! When I do them I put tall axle stands or wood blocks on the scissor platform so it's essentially the same as having the car on the floor and on stands but at a height I can stand up. I have also used a 2 poster, to lift the car and then put a heavy duty work bench under each of the 4 wheels so it's pretty much the same as your link but much higher. You need a lot of space for that though! I made my workshop floor so the scissor would go flush which makes other jobs easier Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mtrehy Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 5 hours ago, roy53 said: Mtrehy which one do you have ? https://geg.co/product/eurotek-fhs3-scissor-lift/?v=79cba1185463 But I paid a lot less than that. About 2 years ago at least but I paid less than 2k including delivery (to the road). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim D. Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I invested in a scissor lift a few months back. Works well and takes up little space. Already shown benefit in a recent clutch change. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 (edited) And my Strongman Clifton scissor lift was a used item from E bay via Strongman for £545, nearly new but didn't have a hydraulic controller which I bought new separately from e bay for £130. Unit was bought like this and went into the floor... like this A builder working on the house charged me £150 to dig out a square 110mm deep (total original concrete depth was just 150mm) into the concrete and then another 150mm concrete with steel cage reinforcement below that. A little home handyman timber framing by me between the ramps allowed me to make it a flush floor between ramps (walking only non load bearing). It's a restricted height scissor which lifts to 1 metre and I don't need more because of overhead beams etc. It has the 820mm between the ramps which allows unhindered down car access especially useful for engine gearbox and diff work. There are a number of scissor lifts which have a ram placed in the centre which are cheaper but restricts access, the 820mm means the rear of the chassis will sit on the ramp (just) but a crossbeam needs placing across the ramps at the front to allow placement of the lifting rubber doughnuts there. My garage is single car width and there is 22 inches spare either side of the ramp up to the wall, a TR width fits down the ramps about in the centre. Mick Richards Edited January 9, 2021 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ed_h Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 6 hours ago, ianc said: ed-h: is that copper pipe running forward on left of differential carrying petrol? I'm no expert on IRS & PI cars, but it strikes me as somewhat vulnerable hanging that low. The car seems to be lacking the automatic oil spray protection normally afforded the undersides of Triumphs! Ian-- Yes, that's the fuel line. It does look a little exposed in the pic, doesn't it? In person, it doesn't look that bad. Either way, I think it's close to the original routing. And, yes, the auto-lube protection for the chassis doesnt seem to be working right now. I'm going to try to get by without it. Ed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BritishRacingGreen Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 As someone else said, your choice of ramp depends on what you want to do under it. I purchased my full length “MR1 ramps” from Mike Dawes several years ago. Sealey tools have now taken over production of the MR1® design and are now able to offer a revised and updated product. https://www.sealey.co.uk/MR1-Carlift I bought mine for safety reasons. My galvanised ramps are massively strong and give me confidence to slide under the car on a crawler. With sufficient space to enable me to work on the whole length of the underside to change engine, gearbox and diff oils, to work on the exhaust and silencer, grease trunions and prop shaft, adjust brake cables and conduct routine inspections of brake lines, fuel lines, clutch slave cylinder, paintwork etc etc. A stitch in time… And because I have limited garage space I park the TR6 on the lowered ramps - which is a gentle slope, less steep than many public roads or driveways. It also means I can silently roll the car out of the garage without starting the engine. Scares the life out of the neighbour’s cat… Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drewmotty Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 I’ve always fancied one of those but they always looked (and still do) a lot of money for quite a simple fabrication. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 Hi Nige, Do a search here, there is much written on getting our Tr's up in the air. Be careful with two posts, and there need for seriously decent concrete for fixing. I looked at lifts for a couple of years before buying a Strongman Tools four poster, Their Glenfinnan, never regretted it for a second. Done loads of work, and during the current lockdown has my longterm 3a project parked there, and my four, lives underneath at night. As Harry shows, possible to make things work in a domestic setting with the right mindset, when the four is on teh lift, on full height I can stand under, fully upright, but the windscreen is one side of the main garage roof joist, and the surrey rear window is the other, all I need to do is remember to wind the windows down. Ask anything else. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnC Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 22 minutes ago, John Morrison said: all I need to do is remember to wind the windows down At my age that might be a deal-breaker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 12 hours ago, ed_h said: Ian-- Yes, that's the fuel line. It does look a little exposed in the pic, doesn't it? In person, it doesn't look that bad. Either way, I think it's close to the original routing. And, yes, the auto-lube protection for the chassis doesnt seem to be working right now. I'm going to try to get by without it. Ed I think you`ll find originally it went down to the chassis just in front of the shock mounting and then forward, see section 19.55.02 in the Brown book. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JeffR Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 The best lift I've come across taking account of the access it provides and its cost is the 3 in 1 tilting adjustable car lift sold by CJ Autos. In my view it's a brilliant investment for circa £400. On TRs and cars with similar chassis layouts it lifts from under the chassis allowing all wheel access, full access to the sills and can be tilted to raise the front or back of the car to work easily on these areas. It is also portable as it folds down and will fit in the boot of my wife's BMW. I'm told it will fit in the boot of a Mini. When not in use it stands upright on it's two 'feet' against the wall of the garage taking up no more than 4" in width. It adjusts to 3 widths so will lift narrow chassis' such as Morris 1000s as well as TRs and moderns. So far I've used it for my two TRs, a Honda Civic and my wife's BMW 3 series. No problem and easy to use. See this link and the photo below. https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/3in1-tilting-adjustable-car-lift-1-5-ton-cl01/ The only downsides in my view are that a sufficiently wide garage is needed to roll the lift under the car - so not suitable for use in a single garage and that it it doesn't allow access under the central section of the car to work on items in this area or for example to remove the gearbox - anything else is fine including working on the sills. I hasten to add, I have no links with this company - just a very satisfied customer. JeffR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ed_h Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, stuart said: I think you`ll find originally it went down to the chassis just in front of the shock mounting and then forward, see section 19.55.02 in the Brown book. Stuart. Looks like you are correct, Stuart. I will fix that next time it's on the lift. I think I was misled by the shape of the original line, which was probably distorted in storage. Thank you Ian and Stuart for pointing this out. Ed Edited January 9, 2021 by ed_h Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steves_TR6 Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 5 hours ago, JeffR said: The best lift I've come across taking account of the access it provides and its cost is the 3 in 1 tilting adjustable car lift sold by CJ Autos. In my view it's a brilliant investment for circa £400. On TRs and cars with similar chassis layouts it lifts from under the chassis allowing all wheel access, full access to the sills and can be tilted to raise the front or back of the car to work easily on these areas. It is also portable as it folds down and will fit in the boot of my wife's BMW. I'm told it will fit in the boot of a Mini. When not in use it stands upright on it's two 'feet' against the wall of the garage taking up no more than 4" in width. It adjusts to 3 widths so will lift narrow chassis' such as Morris 1000s as well as TRs and moderns. So far I've used it for my two TRs, a Honda Civic and my wife's BMW 3 series. No problem and easy to use. See this link and the photo below. https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/3in1-tilting-adjustable-car-lift-1-5-ton-cl01/ The only downsides in my view are that a sufficiently wide garage is needed to roll the lift under the car - so not suitable for use in a single garage and that it it doesn't allow access under the central section of the car to work on items in this area or for example to remove the gearbox - anything else is fine including working on the sills. I hasten to add, I have no links with this company - just a very satisfied customer. JeffR I really like the look of these lifts, but only have a 9’ wide garage. how much space beside the car is needed to roll the lift in sideways Jeff? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aardvark Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 2 hours ago, Steves_TR6 said: I really like the look of these lifts, but only have a 9’ wide garage. how much space beside the car is needed to roll the lift in sideways Jeff? Steve, from memory 50 inches. You definitely won’t have enough room with a 9 foot garage. My garage is 3.6m wide. I put the car on dollies and push it to one side, then man handle the really heavy tilting lift into place into the centre of the garage whilst trying not to drop it on the car, then push the car back over it. I only just have enough space to do this. My view of it is that it is good once you have it in place, but the hassle for my size garage isn’t something I regularly want to do more than once a year. If I had the money then a proper drive on scissor lift is what I would go for. cheers dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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