Ramp/lift

[JPH]

After 40+ years of messing with LR's, I'm looking to get a "outside"  ramp or lift as crawling about under is not as easy as it once was:       What have you got and any advantages or disadvantages ?

4 ton 4 post ramp or 4ton 2 post lift are 2 current lines of thought  but is a 2 post lift any good with a series?

Thanks in advance.       

[JPH]

PS:  I'm not really a newbie, been a member of all the different forums for a very long time.............    Just don't post much and read a lot.

[Wittsend]

You need to post a few more times to move up to the next level from "Newbie".

The title is based on post count, not on your Land Rover knowledge or time spent in the club.

 

[diffwhine]

For simplicity and stability I'd definitely go for a 4 post lift. The cheapest around second hand is an old Bradbury 40 series - ideally with wheel free longitudinal bars. The problem is that most are 3 phase and and single phase ones are rare and hugely thirsty on electricity.

If you go for a good 2 post lift, then you are still scrabbling about underneath to align the arms and it's not easy with all lifts to get the right track for a stable lift on a Series (especially SWB). Difficult to position an 88 on a 2 post lift as the road springs can get in the way.
Also for a 2 post lift, the floor integrity is absolutely critical. You need to have that assessed as the forces on the installation bolts are phenomenal.

For me, for a Series for occasional DIY use, I'd say a good 4 post lift takes a lot of beating. They do take up a lot of space though.

Negatives on a 4 post is that second hand ones can be badly worn and cables are expensive.

[cswagon]

I bought a 4 post lift when I retired and it's been the best tool investment I've ever bought.
I did a lot of research and decided the 4 post would be the safest one for my requirements and
buying new the easiest option.
They delivered it right to my prepared site next to my other garage and it couldn't have been more
straightforward with a lift from 4 of my son in laws for about 2 hours.
I'd already concreted a level floor area with slightly strengthened areas where the posts were going
and run a 13 amp supply from the electric board in the other garage.
The company were very efficient and can supply any spare parts if there was ever a problem.
I then built a garage around it to keep it in the dry.
The roof stops it from being able to go all the way up but to have the wheel centres at chest height
is amazing.
I then made a trolley to sit on for flying around underneath.
All in it was about £2400 including delivery and I'll look up their details at half time.

[diffwhine]

A chap I knew years ago used to have his roof attached to his ramp. When it went up, the roof went up with it! Worked a treat.

[cswagon]

Okay, the company are called garageequipement2012 and are still on Ebay and have a special offer on
as it happens and only £99 dearer than I paid years ago.
It's never been any trouble and it really is a Godsend especially for brakes, steering, suspension,
exhaust and just about anything at that sort of height.
I must admit, I work on the vehicle on the ramp for just about anything and I'll raise the ramp up
to my level to fit a lower door hinge, or something as simple as that.
Basically anything that saves me having to bend or kneel down.
Once you've got one you'll wonder how you ever manage without, honestly.
Anyway, back to the football.

[whitehillbilly64]

I bought a new 4T two post here in Aus. It went in my new shed I built.
No problems for SWB and LWB land rovers.
Money well spent.
A neighbour has his outside and has a roof that goes up and down as diffwhine suggested.

whitehillbilly

[JPH]

Thanks chaps, really good info there. 

I really like the roof that goes up and down with the lift/ramp  idea.   Genius for our wet climate

  It won't be used just for series LR, I will have all the family cars and our VW camper on it too, so lift may be better with modern vehicles?  even though it may be a bit more awkward with my 88", lift arms on the chassis rails ?

Are any of you having to convert 240v   to 3 phase ?     as info on doing this could be useful also depending on what I end up with.

Thanks again.

[Wittsend]

I believe there are convertor/invertor boxes of electronic bits that enable you to run 3 phase devices off the normal mains. At lot of the home lathe people use these when they buy from a closed down factory sale

[cswagon]

Mine came with a 13a plug which I ran a dedicated supply to straight from the mains in the garage.

[Exile]

Scissor-lifts are reasonably inexpensive and can be moved from place to place, if needed.

Best for side jobs, but you can get underneath at a push.
(I do so when spraying Waxoyl on a chassis).

[Craig T]

I have a three phase invertor to run my milling machine, lathe, belt sander etc.
 
I went the more expensive route of getting a digital phase invertor and installing it all in the workshop with built in plugs mounted on the walls behind the machines. It's a 10Hp invertor, needs a 50amp supply from the 240v and it wasn't cheap, a few thousand pounds. Now it's there though, you simply plug any machine in and it runs exactly as it would on factory three phase.
It was worth doing this as the milling machine has 4 motors in it so doing it with individual invertors would have been a pain.

For a lift though, you wouldn't need anything as sophisticated or as powerful as that. I guess they only have one motor so you could get a single digital invertor and wire it direct to the motor. Sometimes you have to mess about with the way the motor is wired, I hear star or delta mentioned a lot, no idea what that means to be honest.

Another thing popular in the past is a rotary phase invertor. It uses a 240V motor to drive a three phase generator. Noisy in use and not very efficient but would certainly do the job if you could find one cheap.

Anyway, it is possible to get three phase at home without the expense of going through UKPN and paying the monthly standing charge.

Craig.

[cswagon]

For anyone who is interested, this is the exact model I bought 4 years ago and as I said
it's been faultless and had a lot of use.


4 Post Car Lift

[Wittsend]

Just need to find a tall garage now ...