Questions for anyone who owns their own lift

Hey everyone,
I have always been interested in buying a home use lift but until recently had no place for it.
I am seeing them used with little use for like 1500 to 2000. An initial investment but something that would save me TONS of time and pay for itself very quickly. However I am more concerned with maintnence and upkeep. Instead of trusting the seller to be honest I would rather ask you guys.

I am looking into this style of life as they seem to be cost effective and have used them before.
http://s1.hubimg.com/u/1182756_f520.jpg

Any experience as to the typical upkeep and maintnence schedule on one of these things. Im sure it varies by model but just any general thoughts?

You can buy a used rotary lift, for under $1000 if you look around (craigslist is the best source for this). I'm not sure where you're located, but you can buy brand new ones for around $1500-$1800 or so (chinese ones, still good quality, especially fine for light-duty home use)

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Originally Posted by Emilie@GZP

You can buy a used rotary lift, for under $1000 if you look around (craigslist is the best source for this). I'm not sure where you're located, but you can buy brand new ones for around $1500-$1800 or so (chinese ones, still good quality, especially fine for light-duty home use)

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I was looking at this one
TP9KAF Car Lift | North American Auto Equipment
Im all about saving a buck and know sometimes the cheap chinese tools can be just as good but since I have no knowledge particular tool and a bad one can kill you I wanted to be real sure.

you're probably going to want one with a wider "drive-thu" distance. You don't want to shoe-horn the car in, then not be able to open the door enough to get out :p

We have a chinese lift in the shop, and it's worked flawlessly for the last few years.

I'm going to try and get one around tax time.

Sorry to hyjack but I have a question too... What kind of base is needed? Like, how deep does the concrete have to be and such?

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Originally Posted by FluffyCow

Sorry to hyjack but I have a question too... What kind of base is needed? Like, how deep does the concrete have to be and such?

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No need to apologize. The subject isnt super common and its a valid concern. From what I have seen by looking around they mostly talk about strength and PSI rating and not thickness though I am sure they relate.

I have read in numerous places that the concrete has to be at least 4" thick for a two post, and normal "household" concrete isn't strong enough.

it's best to read up on the subject before you randomly grab a bag of quikcrete off the shelf at your neighborhood home depot. concrete is as varied as steel alloys.

My parents have a benpac lift in their garage. I believe it was around $2000 and it works great with no issues.

As far as concrete their garage is probably 4-6 inches deep (Whatever the standard thickness is for a floor) and is the regular mix yourself type stuff. I think the majority of the weight is pushing down so it's not like you're adding stressing by pushing out on the post anchors.