I know this isn't of any real use to owners here but I'm just so OTT about it......

I didn't see an off topic forum so I thought I'd post this here. My garage is a residential type but has a fairly high ceiling (10' 3") and I've always wondered about putting a storage type lift in it so I could get my extra vehicle inside out of our notoriously harsh sun.

I had never pursued this due to so many issues that always have priority over a garage 'embellishment'. About two weeks ago I got a call from a friend who's sister company had failed and was going out of business. They deal in garage outfitting and they had a demo lift unit that they wanted to sell but had to do so 'under the radar' since they couldn't announce anything publicly for fear of some difficulties with their building lease. I took a look and the $10k unit (yes a bit extravagant) had been assembled 3-4 times at shows and had been on display in the back of their shop. Long story short I got it for $4.5k and had them throw in the floor tiles that you can see in the pics. Most here won't understand the need for storage, or how I could justify a lift that is not for maintenance (the floor is solid). But the sun here is quite detrimental to vehicles (it was 112 degrees today) and this way I can get 4 cars in my 3 car garage and have better security knowing when I'm away my cars are all inside.

BTW, for those who notice, the lift isn't all the way up in these pics as we just basically got it installed, it still needs to move back a bit (doing it in two days time) in order to clear the 'open' doors to allow a car under it.

Errr have you seen the size of a standard garage in the uk? Most of us cant get 1 car in!
Looks very nice, surely a few minutes with a grinder and you would have a hole in the middle of the floor you could work through?
Mike

Cutting has been suggested, and isn't out of the question.

The only reason I mentioned storage not being the option was because I figured about 99% of the forum members here would want one for maintenance rather than storage. I lived in the UK for 5 years, I do understand the small garage issue. :-)

I have seen these used in anger in a company office underground car park.
The office did not have enough floor space to house all the workers cars so they put in around 8 of these.

PS I realy got interested until I realised that it was an Alpine and not a Tiger in the garage still looks nice though.
Marc.

It's a morale imperative that I defend my buddy (Alpine) of 34 years. Every single Tiger is a cutting torched, modified Alpine. Simple fact. The Alpine is the actual British car, the Tiger is an Alpine taken off the assembly line and hacked with a cutting torch. All it takes is a look at the welds in the shock tower areas and the firewall (amoungst others) to suddenly see the reality of it. Faster, yeah it is in a straight line, hot rods usually are but mine has done well enough for itself.

At a Tigers United autocross some years ago my Alpine was 12th out of 74 Tigers and (a few) Alpines.

The lift was completed (moved) a week after the pics above were taken. It officially works as witnessed by my Focus parked fully under it. This thing is great.

That looks like a fantastic bit of kit!

Strangely enough, I've just bought an old 4 post vehicle lift on ebay - and it did strike me that it would be good for storing one truck on top and one underneath on occasion. Much harder to steal a truck that is 6' in the air!

I have just had a nice flat concrete slab layed behind my workshop on to which it will sit and I'm going to build a tubular framed polycarbonate roof which will be welded to the ramp such that the roof (5m x 5m) will lift with the ramp. This avoids the planning constraint of no buildings above 4m height - as if/when they come to look, it will only be 2.5m high

Si

What a great bit of kit This type of thing is very popular in Japan where vehicle storage space is at a premium.

Mo

Wow, that makes mine sound boring. Brilliant idea you've worked out there. My hats off to you!

Not just Japan Mo, This was taken when i was in new york 04/2002 when it tickled me so much as i had not seen anything like it before that i had to taken a picture

God knows what the price would be now as back then it was $30 per hr

Dougie

Harding Steel appears to be quite prolific:

http://hardingsteel.com/trilifts.shtml

And then there's this one:

http://hardingsteel.com/carparx.shtml

And by the standards of the others mine is mickey mouse:

http://hardingsteel.com/carlifts.shtml

Mine is not quite as shiny!
Click to view attachment
Or assembled for that matter!

I'm surprised how big it is! It will fill most of the 5x5m concrete slab - but it's wide enough for commercials and long enough for a 130!

Si

That looks like a good bit of kit, perhaps I could put one on my driveway.

I saw one simular to the hardingsteel type. This one sunk in to the ground and you put grass or paving to match your drive. Good way to hide your car...

Very cool!

And Simon, as ever, frickin' genius

Si,
I installed a 4 poster ramp for my abuse of the 110 onto a friends farm a few months back. At full height we can't park a standard SJ under it !

However the good news is it uses compressed air to release the lowering locks so no compressor means you can't lower a car down ! Compressor is mobile and locked away elsewhere !

Neil

I have thought, several times, about getting a four post lift and installing it below ground level in my drive as an extension to my basement. At its highest it would be level with the drive and also have a lid on it so that when it is down at basement level the lid covers the hole. I got as far as test boring to see what the ground was like and ended up under pinning the house instead.
Maybe another few years I get around to it again.

What a nice chap!

John, if you ever need to use a ramp.....!

Si