Tag Archives: scissor lift

Vehicle Lifts for Post Frame Buildings

A trending garage accessory is an addition of a garage vehicle lift. Vehicle lifts provide many benefits for your post frame garage or shop than just being able to work on your vehicle.

A vehicle lift for your garage is exactly what it sounds like, it will elevate your vehicle so you can either work on it or benefit from extra space it’ll provide.

Garage Interior

There are a few standard types of garage vehicle lifts you’ll find in most people’s garages. Here are popular vehicle lift types:

Scissor lifts are most standard vehicle car lifts and are more for solely to work on vehicles.

They lie flat when not in use and you park over them before you elevate your vehicle. They are very easy to use and don’t take up a lot of space.

They do prohibit ability to work underneath your vehicle and are mainly ideal for wheel and brake work as well as some under-engine jobs. Scissor vehicle lifts are also the least expensive option.

Two-post vehicle lifts are commonly found in professional auto shops, however they’re starting to pop up in people’s personal garages.

They feature two heavy duty posts on each side with braces connecting them where your vehicle sits. When raised, you’ll have complete access underneath your vehicle to perform any repair.

They also take up relatively little space so you can still utilize the rest of your garage. Two-post lifts are more permanent options as they need to be bolted to the floor and require periodic maintenance to make sure everything stays tight and level.

Four-post lifts are becoming increasingly popular in residential garages for their ease of use and benefits.

They feature four solid posts and a set of tracks you drive onto so you can lift your vehicle up. Many homeowners are adding them due to ease of use.

They can support the heaviest of vehicles and are ideal for smaller garages where you want to create more space. Their only drawback – you can’t do any repairs to wheels or brakes as they’re sitting on lift tracks.

With an addition of a four-post lift, you have an ability to park another vehicle underneath the lifted vehicle. This is especially great for people who have smaller one vehicle garages.

No need to pick and choose who gets garage privileges anymore. Keep in mind you’ll need to move the bottom vehicle before you use one on top, so plan parking according to who needs to leave home first.

Now I have always told clients they need to design their new post frame garages with 12 foot clear ceilings, in order to accommodate a vehicle lift. My own garage happens to have only a 10’6” ceiling so I had always thought myself to be out of luck for a lift.

Car Shop Interior

Reader MIKE in FRANKLIN recently wrote: What is the minimum sidewall height for a simple car lift – 12 feet?”

While BILL in RAYLAND writes: Could you tell me the steps I would need to take to raise a 40Wx60L and ten foot high garage ceiling to a cathedral type ceiling from normal trusses to the cathedral type, in order to fit  a 2 post car lift?”

Well Bill, I am going to save you money and make you a happy camper! My lovely bride Judy and I just returned from NSRA’s (National Street Rod Association) Mid-America Nationals in Springfield, Missouri. A show exhibitor was Champion Auto Lift (www.ChampionAutoLift.com) and their lifts are specifically designed for those with lower ceiling heights such as yours and mine! They assure me 10 foot height ceilings are plenty sufficient for their lifts!

A Skid Lift for Post Frame Building at Heights

The Use of a Skid Lift for Post Frame Building Safely at Heights

Long time readers will recall my penchant for safety on roofs, given my own Father’s untimely demise from a rooftop fall back in 1988. Today’s guest solution is thanks to Paul Wick. Paul is Sales Manager at Skid-Lift, LLC located in Fargo, ND. He has a BSME in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University. He is also a founding partner of Skid-Lift, LLC.

Post frame (Pole) builders and post frame Do-It-Yourselfers often are faced with an issue of how to work at heights on a building and be productive while staying safe. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, ladder falls rank as 2nd leading cause of U.S. death, behind transportation incidents.  One option for staying safe and improving production is with the use of a Skid-Lift which works well with skid steers or tractors. One post frame builder in Western Nebraska said this after using a Skid-Lift for 6 months, “The Skid-Lift was a life saver!  Wish we had one years ago. The time we saved using the Skid-Lift was amazing”.

Skid-Lift is designed to pair with a skid steer or tractor and use their positioning and hydraulic capabilities to position and power lift. This not only simplifies lifting but also greatly reduces Skid-Lift maintenance. It also gives Skid-Lift versatility to go anywhere a skid steer or tractor goes. Being attached to this power unit not only gives this scissor lift a large footprint, but it also adds 5000 to 8000 pounds or more depending on power unit size. This makes user much safer being attached to this large anchor weight.

Many builders see a large increase in productivity as stated by one builder in Minnesota, “We have used it a lot putting up the wall sheeting, fascia, eaves, etc. I don’t know how we did it before the Skid-Lift, a lot of wasted time with scaffolding and up and down ladders I guess… We already have at least a half dozen jobs lined up that we will definitely be using it on, it has become essential on a few jobs now”. Skid-Lift is also much easier to maneuver and transport as it goes easily onto a trailer attached to a skid steer or tractor.

Skid-Lift is offered in three different models with varying heights and Standard or Heavy-Duty configurations. These lifts are USA built in North Dakota and can be shipped direct to customers in areas where a dealer is not close to them. Skid-Lift can help keep people safe and productive while working at heights! Check out Skid-Lift at http://skid-lift.com/ or contact Skid-Lift at info@skid-lift.com.

Pole Barn Guru thoughts – if your local equipment rental does not have a Skid-Lift, you might recommend it to them. Another option for D-I-Yers is to purchase equipment pre-build, then sell it when project is completed. My brother-in-law did this when he erected his post frame building and actually made money when he sold it!