4-Post Car Lifts

4-Post automotive lifts offer owners a ton of versatility when it comes to heavy lifting. In general, four-post car lifts can hold higher capacities compared to two-post lifts because of the additional support columns. They are also very user-friendly due to the drive-on and park method of mounting that is typical for wheel engaging lifts. Many quick-lube stations and muffler shops prefer a 4-post car lift over any other kind of auto lift.

Four-post car lifts are also particularly popular among hobbyists and home-users because they usually don't require any sort of floor anchor. Smaller capacity four-post lifts can even become portable with the addition of an optional caster package. Thanks to the solid four-column design, four-post auto lifts are also ideal for storing two vehicles when only one space is available.

On the flip side, all the additional building material in the construction means that 4-post auto lifts are usually a bit pricier than their two-post brethren - and if you plan to use your four-post automotive lift for wheel service, you will probably want to invest in rolling or sliding bridge jacks to lift the wheels off of the runway.

For capacity, mobility and storage in your car lifting solution, you can't do better than a four-post car lift.

2-Post Car Lifts

2-Post car lifts are the most common type of frame-engaging auto lifts that you're likely to find in a professional automotive shop. With two incredibly sturdy posts and supportive stabilization arms, two-post car lifts can hold a large variety of vehicles at a height that's comfortable for both the automotive technician and the DIY'er. However, the best reasons to own a two-post car lift are the reduced price compared to a four-post option, the small horizontal footprint for space saving convenience and the complete, unobstructed access to the wheels.

Two-post auto lifts are either considered symmetrical or asymmetrical. Symmetrical automobile lifts are easy to identify because the posts face each other dead-on, and the support arm assemblies each hold approximately 50% of the load. Asymmetrical automotive lifts on the other hand, feature swing arms that are not the same length in the front and back, as well as a rotated post design. The result of these two features is a shifted center of gravity (which is greatly beneficial to longer, unbalanced trucks) and better clearance for vehicle doors, giving the operator direct access to the automobile interior even when the car or truck is raised.

Both asymmetrical and symmetrical two-post garage lifts work fine with lighter vehicles, so the distinctions are mostly moot unless you are going to specialize in heavier, unbalanced vehicles. Two-post car lifts are not very common in residential garages because they are much taller than other automotive lifting options, require more attention to detail to reach designated vehicle lifting points and don't grant the vehicle stacking convenience found on four-post garage lifts. In most cases, a two-post car or truck lift is most beneficial to garages that see cars and trucks going up and down all day long.

Scissor/Pad Car Lifts

Scissor lift is a broad term that encompasses all car lifts that raise their payloads with accordion-like mechanisms beneath the runways. Depending on the configuration of the cylinders and raising rods, a scissor lift can be described as “X” type, parallelogram type or pantograph type.

Scissor auto lifts come in a very wide range of capacities and heights to benefit both professional shops and home hobbyists. Low-rise car lifts raise up to 36-inches above the ground, mid-rise auto lifts raise between 36 inches and 48 inches and full-rise scissor lifts can go anywhere above that.

However, scissor car lifts increase in size immensely in higher weight categories. Parallelogram style scissor lifts in particular are known to be some of the heaviest lifters on the market.

Scissor car lifts can fall into either the wheel engaging or frame engaging categories. Thanks to the low-profile, vehicle mounting is generally a hassle-free operation. Little is required beyond positioning the car or truck over the scissor lift. Some slight tweaking may be necessary for frame-engaging style scissor lifts.

When not in use, scissor style car lifts retract into a low profile. This is ideal if you are a home user and want to be able to park your vehicle over the car lift when its lifting functions are not required. However, scissor style lifts never disappear completely unless installed below the floor and cannot be used to stack two vehicles in one slot. Also, because the raising mechanisms are directly below the runways, it’s impossible to stand directly beneath the vehicle.

Nonetheless, scissor lifts are a popular choice among home users and professional users alike and are worth your consideration.

Portable Car Lifts

If you don’t have much room in your garage or shop, space may be your primary concern when considering an automotive lift. In recent years, portable car lifts have become a viable option for those with limited space who still want to get the most out of their garage or bay.

While lower capacity four-post car lifts on casters can often serve as a portable car lift, more specialized solutions include mobile scissor style lifts on a long handle, portable frame single post lifts and light-duty two-post car lifts like the Dannmar MaxJax.

When it comes to portable car lifts, always be aware that you trade function for form with these smaller portable car lifts. You will be unable to lift larger, heavier vehicles. Always make sure that the car lift you’re considering can handle the appropriate capacity for the vehicles you plan on lifting before looking at overall footprint.

Another space-saving option to think about is an in-ground lifting solution, which is covered in the next section.

Mobile Column Car Lifts

The concept is simple: if you need to lift something very large and very heavy- just add more posts! Mobile heavy duty column lifts give you the flexibility to add or subtract heavy-duty posts as needed for specific lifting projects. Advanced models even come with wireless communication features that allow one operator to simultaneously lift the platforms of up to eight independendt post structures. Mobile column car lifts are currently wheel engaging, but use lifting forks instead of runways to engage the car or truck. Due to size, price and capacity, it's very unlikey that a home user would ever require a set of mobile columns.

Parking Lifts

Both public parking structures and private garages can benefit from parking lifts. Generally, parking lifts feature footprints slightly smaller than four-post car lifts, but the concept remains largely the same. The lifting platform is supported by either a single post or two posts and is designed so that another car or truck can be parked beneath it. Effectively, a single parking slot can do the job of two with a parking lift.

Parking lifts feature a full drive-on deck instead of two runways, so automotive service, maintenance and repair is not a viable option for this type of car lift. Exclusively a wheel engaging lifting method, parking lifts are meant only to be used for parking.

For commercial applications, such as at car dealerships and vehicle lots where space is at a premium, triple stacker lifts provide expandable car storage space.

As you can see, there are a lot of different benefits to consider when buying a car lift. Knowing your space restraints, vehicle dimensions and setting a budget for yourself will go a long way towards helping you decide which auto lift style is right for you.

Next, we’re going to talk about safety. After all, cars and trucks are really heavy--if you’re working beneath a vehicle, you better be able to trust the automotive lift it’s resting on.