Its finally here – the Chinese car lift!
Back before I got the keys to the building I was always planning to have a 4 post lift. Two post lift are far easier to work on cars with better access to wheels and suspension. But with the limited space I have I need to utilize the vertical room. A four post means I can stand on it when it’s raised. I need a ramp at Mezzanine height to walk on to.
To make this idea work I had very specific requirements for my ramp. I need it to be taller than the standard 1.9 metres these lifts usually are. I searched for weeks to find the spec I needed but was having no luck at all. Nothing would go 2.4 metres, the lowest the mezzanine could workably be.
The next idea was to have a 3 car parking stacker lift. If the top ramp would be able to stop at any height I could stop it at 2.4m. Then the bottom ramp could be used to general working. This was a promising plan and unlocked more options and solutions for my tiny little shed.
This was sadly shut down also. There is two types of three car stackers. The first runs on a shared lift, which both ramps lift together in unison. Completely useless for me.
The second is a twin post system, a ramp within a ramp. This could work… until I saw the prices!
I found myself on AliExpress. There is a number of car lift manufacturers offering a full range of different styles and functions. One manufacturer stood out to me, Daxlifter. They offer a twin post, three car stacker that was essentially the price of a single post stacker. This could be the solution!
I contacted Daxlifter direct to find out if the top lift could be stopped at any position. On a 3 car lift the top would push a car through my roof! But if I could get it to stop at 2.4 metres then I’ve found my solution. After the email I instantly get a call back from the incredibly helpful and knowledgeable Jessie from Daxlifter. She goes through the details of the lift and confirms it will do everything I need.
Many quotes and specifications later I’m just about to order when she suggests that if I only need a single ramp to go 2.4 metres, why don’t they custom make one? I could specify my height, length, load, electric supply, even colour! We talk some more about specifications and a few days later the quote arrives. It’s less than the twin car lift. This is the perfect solution I wanted from day one – a four post lift at an oversize height.
I ordered it immediately.
The ramp took around 5 weeks to manufacture and around two weeks to get a slot on a boat. It spends another two weeks bobbing about on the Indian and Atlantic oceans arriving in Felixstowe. There was a week of port delays, then the bank holiday, and it’s finally unpacked. With the help of Bianca at Davis Turner handling the import details I load up the trailer days after and collect from SeaTransport Ltd.
As of right now overtaking my workshop while it’s waiting to be built. It’s a milestone in the workshop build and I’m really excited to get stuck in. The full build will be on the Youtube channel very soon so subscribe now – you won’t want to miss it!
SainzFab Logo – Vinyl Stickers
The original SainzFab logo Stickers – represent.
These stickers are top quality printed vinyl designed for car windows, toolboxes or wherever else you want to stick them.
You’ll get one free with any other order from this store, but if you want more they are here, supplied as a pair.
