Portable car lift?

[elwesso]

Has anyone ever gotten a portable vehicle lift?  I was trying to think of something that I could really use out in the garage, and by far the thing that I am "sick" of is having to jack up my car and get underneath it..
 
My current situation doesn't really permit me to use a permanently mounted lift, mainly because I don't have a place where I could use it and it could stay there forever.  I want something that is on wheels or could be moved around in a couple pieces..  I would also like something that has a full lift of like 6' or so..
 
I've seen a few different options on the internet and wondered if anyone has had any experience with anything in particular, good or bad..  I would think that 6000lb capacity would be adequate, as I don't plan on owning anything much heavier than my Q which is around 4000lb.. 
 
I don't really have a price range, I want something that will work as its supposed to and last a long time..  Also having a small footprint so it could be stored easily and not take up a ton of space would be nice too.
 
 

[IanS]

I have seen them advertised, but never used one.

The idea kind of scares me. Working under cars on lifts each day gave me a solid respect for how heavy they are and the potential dangers should they fall. Even floor mount two post lifts can be sketchy, i cannot imagine getting under a car that is six feet up, and still on wheels. But maybe thats just me.

[300ZXttZMAN]

I would be down for a portable lift

[nissangirl74]

Ours is portable. We sourced ours at SEMA. I can't remember the name of the company but Greg will. Hit him up for the details.

[AZhitman]

Forget working on a car on a lift. Unless you've got shoulders and traps of steel, you'll be much more comfortable on a creeper.

There's really no "portable" lifts as you're thinking, Wes. Our Direct-Lift unit can be moved around, but once it's assembled, it's not something you're gonna want to take apart.

They're incredibly safe, though. The cam-locks make it virtually impossible for it to "fall". People who have lifts fail are using them wrong, or they've ghetto-rigged something. In fact, I read some material that said there's no documented reports of a 4-post (of the design I have) ever failing.

We paid a hair under $2K, and I assembled it in about 5 hours. It's a sweet design - no need to drill the concrete, and pretty handy for small under-car tasks - But ours is really for storage (turns a 3-car garage into a 4-car space).

[Dattebayo]

Why don't you weld some really long hydraulic cylinders to the inside of the car and have them push you up at the press of a button?

[horubeets]

Why don't you weld some really long hydraulic cylinders to the inside of the car and have them push you up at the press of a button?

Call me nerdy but that makes me think about Speed Racer's Jump Jacks.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43rxThjYWsE[/youtube]

[Oatmealman]

pre-runner guys build skid plates and mount hydraulic rams to them and they lift the entire truck off just the skidplate.its pretty awesome.

[IanS]

Forget working on a car on a lift. Unless you've got shoulders and traps of steel, you'll be much more comfortable on a creeper.

There's really no "portable" lifts as you're thinking, Wes. Our Direct-Lift unit can be moved around, but once it's assembled, it's not something you're gonna want to take apart.

They're incredibly safe, though. The cam-locks make it virtually impossible for it to "fall". People who have lifts fail are using them wrong, or they've ghetto-rigged something. In fact, I read some material that said there's no documented reports of a 4-post (of the design I have) ever failing.

We paid a hair under $2K, and I assembled it in about 5 hours. It's a sweet design - no need to drill the concrete, and pretty handy for small under-car tasks - But ours is really for storage (turns a 3-car garage into a 4-car space).

I guess we are on slightly different pages. We have a 4 post lift at work that I use semi regularly. Its plenty safe. It is of the "portable" design. It must also be disassembled before being moved.

When I think of portable, I was thinking of a lift you can roll off to the side of the garage when not in use. They do make such a thing, and they scare the crap out of me.

As for having shoulders and traps of steel. Working under lifts each day has spoiled me. I dread laying on the floor, it makes everything so much harder. I really dont think any extra muscles are required over laying on the floor unless you are doing it every day like I do. Once we upgrade from our starter home, a lift in the garage will be very high on my list of things to do. Personally I consider them indispensable.

[AZhitman]

Why don't you weld some really long hydraulic cylinders to the inside of the car and have them push you up at the press of a button?

It's been done. KSport actually has a pretty affordable onboard jacking system. Must be incorporated into the initial build at the frame stage.

[IanS]

Why don't you weld some really long hydraulic cylinders to the inside of the car and have them push you up at the press of a button?

It's been done. KSport actually has a pretty affordable onboard jacking system. Must be incorporated into the initial build at the frame stage.

Yes. I believe it is neumatic though not hydraulic.

Air is lots lighter then oil.

[Dattebayo]

Jacking, yes, it's been done. But I meant something that could really get up there a few feet. I guess it's all a pipe dream tho, really...

[ricebike]

many moons ago, i've seen something similar to the following pix at spike tv's powerblock (forgot which show though)

[C-Kwik]

many moons ago, i've seen something similar to the following pix at spike tv's powerblock (forgot which show though)

Is that a pallet jack on steroids?

[AZhitman]

The problem with most lifts is that the lift itself gets in the way of whatever you're trying to work on.

I'll keep crawling around on the garage floor. I hate using a creeper, but I've found the value in keeping a new roll of paper towels handy (makes a great pillow, haha).

[Razi]

I've found the value in keeping a new roll of paper towels handy (makes a great pillow, haha).

That's exactly what we do, plus we also put down some cardboard.