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Strongman clifden scissor lift


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Can anyone give me practical guidance on this lift? I like the technology and the quality looks good. it fits my garage. My concern is how to use it with my TR6. I'm worried about the clearance between the bottom of the car and the lift. There seems to be enough if the car is flat on the lift to insert the rubber blocks, but as the length of the lift is shorter than the car, I suspect the gap between lift and sill/chassis will be much lower, given the wheels will be lower than the lift bed as they will be on the the entry/ exit ramp.

 

My car has a ground clearance of circa 130mm and is as far as I know not lowered.

 

Anyone out there using this lift for a TR6 who can give me guidance as to whether I can purchase one confident that it will work?

 

Thanks for the help

 

Chris

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Hi if this is an enquiry about the Strongman Clifton scissor lift they are excellent.

If you have the hinged approach and depart ramps they allow the car to travel along and over the ramp (as you have found) but from memory the lift stands approx 110mm if placed upon the garage floor you will ...just have clearance underneath the TR to stand over the ramp. To allow the excellent down car access of 820mm between the ramps means there will be a considerable amount of ramp protruding out either side of the TR (about 300mm) which acts as a brilliant trip hazard as you move around the TR thinking about what you are doing, use it for a couple of months and count the bruises !

I bought my Clifton model second hand through e bay which is where Strongman often offer their excess or used examples (mine was a snatch back from a hire firm which closed, I saw pictures of it in use, I think it had worked for a couple of weeks at an airport). It cost £500 without the ramps and no hydraulic controller. I didn't need the ramps (surprisingly expensive) and I bought a new hyd controller again through e bay for £238. 

To reduce the amount of bruise cream needed, and reclaim more garage space I had an on site builder to cut the floor 110mm deep in a square to take the lifts footprint and then backfill another 150mm under that in concrete to ensure it's safe use. The large steel "cassettes" which house the ramp workings give a safe and spread footprint on a solid surface. It only cost £150 to the builder which would probably be the ramp purchase costs anyway.

 

578512815_Scissorlift.thumb.JPG.60bbadf8d2567e4adfae543436759683.JPG

 

The finished lift sunk into the floor is easy to work with, the car is just driven over the ramps and gives no trip hazard and the front and rear wheels hang loose and available for working on when sat on the small trolley seat, I filled in the floor between the ramps with timber crossbearers with a plywood covering (no lifting on but ok for walking), I give the double acting rams (the lifts action is vertical and doesn't walk forward like some other ramps with a couple of travelling roller feet) a squirt of oil every 12 months and that's it.

There is a slot about 150mm wide and 100mm deep between the ramps back edge here shown on the left under the rubberised tile covering (over a 4mm steel cover plate over the slot) which carries the ramp pipework to the hydraulic controller fixed upon the wall. I use a tyre inflator to give an air feed to lift the pneumatic safety locks from out of the locked safety position, only filling the pipe and a valve at 60 lbs which is achieved almost immediately (hardly any volume).

I use a couple of steel crossbearers when using TRs or a Stag on the lift, the 820 mm working space taking the inner edge of the ramps just beyond the chassis (although the Stags rear subframe for the trailing arms will just sit on it). It's useful being able to slide the crossbearers forward or backwards as required freeing up the area between the front and rear wheels for work.

362370132_Strongmancrossmember.jpg.82cd9fd3f72d69a4737f26bacd5ea312.jpg

Library picture.

Wouldn't be without it.

Mick Richards

 

 

                   

 

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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Thanks. This is very helpful - particularly the bruise warning. Sadly setting into the floor is not an option so my main concern is whether I can get the blocks under the car before the lifting operation. I don't see the point of having to work with axle stands and jacks just to be able to use the lift. I want drive on, lift up. Lazy I know but at the new price of a Clifden that seems a small ask!

 

Regards

 

Chris

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1 hour ago, Chris96 said:

Thanks. This is very helpful - particularly the bruise warning. Sadly setting into the floor is not an option so my main concern is whether I can get the blocks under the car before the lifting operation. I don't see the point of having to work with axle stands and jacks just to be able to use the lift. I want drive on, lift up. Lazy I know but at the new price of a Clifden that seems a small ask!

 

Regards

 

Chris

seems odd that you need to work on your car on a lift so often that spending a few minutes to get it set up nicely each time is an issue. 

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2 hours ago, Chris96 said:

Thanks. This is very helpful - particularly the bruise warning. Sadly setting into the floor is not an option so my main concern is whether I can get the blocks under the car before the lifting operation. I don't see the point of having to work with axle stands and jacks just to be able to use the lift. I want drive on, lift up. Lazy I know but at the new price of a Clifden that seems a small ask!

 

Regards

 

Chris

In that case Chris the popular fix is to screw about 4 short reducing length planks  about 1" thickness each together of about 24" total length before and beyond the hinged ramps * like this, or don't bother buying the hinged ramps. Drive the car over the planks onto the ramp, the increased length of the lifted car now allows your normal under car space for blocks and rubber lifting pads to be put under the car where you wish (don't forget the crossmember). After your work drop the car on it's wheels onto the planks remove your crossmember and rubber lifting pads and drive off.  

*__________

_________________

_________________________

___________________________________

 

Mick Richards

 

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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11 hours ago, Motorsport Mickey said:

In that case Chris the popular fix is to screw about 4 short reducing length planks  about 1" thickness each together of about 24" total length before and beyond the hinged ramps * like this, or don't bother buying the hinged ramps. Drive the car over the planks onto the ramp, the increased length of the lifted car now allows your normal under car space for blocks and rubber lifting pads to be put under the car where you wish (don't forget the crossmember). After your work drop the car on it's wheels onto the planks remove your crossmember and rubber lifting pads and drive off.  

*__________

_________________

_________________________

___________________________________

 

Mick Richards

 

That’s what I do, but I don’t have the planks screwed to the floor as I keep tripping over theM :D

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  • 10 months later...

Hi all, I was seduced into buying a Clifton lift at the NEC show, mainly on the recommendations here. Just a bit concerned about pick up points. With the end ramps locked in their up position and a cross beam with blocks under the front cross member. At the rear, initially I had the blocks on the chassis outrigger next to the trailing arm pivot. I was astounded to see the door gaps open up. So, I have moved the rear blocks back to pick up on the trailing arm itself. No perceivable movement at the door but I can't say I'm confident. The chassis is restored and strengthened, so no issues there.

Should I be satisfied with that, or something else i should do?

Paul

 

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Hi Mick,

Thanks for the link, odd it didn't come up on my search, anyway a great thread. The ramp extension is really impressive.

The only thing is I would like to keep it as a wheels free lift.  

I was more concerned about the front end, being so heavy and I made sure it lifted at the front cross member, didn't  realise the back end was so flexible. Maybe I'm wrong there and should bias it towards the rear a bit. All got a bit fraught yesterday, I'll take another look this morning.

Paul.

 

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