Two-post lift or Four-post lift for S4 Elan?

[Certified Lotus]

Hi
Really useful pads to spread the load. I have 6 inches of concrete but would need to test strength it.
Can I ask - do you store your Elan raised on the lift for long periods or is the lift purely for maintenance?
Many thanks
Tony

The only time I use my 2 post lift for storage is when I do frame off restorations. Then the lift gets used to store the body up in the air. I would not store the complete car like that.

[TonyWalker]

This is great discussion everyone. It's great to gather people's actual experiences. The more I hear and read about "not for long-term Elan storage" the more I am moving to a 4-post but with the caveat of reduced accessibility for maintenance. Of course, there is always the possibility of 'wheel brackets' to make a 2-post more a possibility, although they would need to be fabricated.
Tony

[rgh0]

My Elan spends much of its time on my two post MaxJax between races as I work on it and check it over. That also enables space to store its trailer under it rather than leave it outside. Storing another car under it would be like the Plus 2 requires taking off the Elans front wheels for the rood to fit under, my Esprit would fit OK I think but never tried it. Don't know how a modern Elise would fit but may be low enough

I support the car on the corners of the body behind the front wheel arches and in front of the rear with the standard MaxJax rubber pads which are about 125 mm square and never had any body cracking problems.

One of the MaxJax posts is close against the garage wall in a 6m wide double garage the other in the middle so plenty of room for another car along side and a walkway between The wall side post lines up with face of the racking I have on that wall for blocks and heads and gearbox storage but there is plenty of room to work on that wall / racking side of the car given the Elan is narrow. Its gets a bit more squeezy if working on my Plus 2 or Esprit or a modern hatch on that side but still doable.

The suspension hangs without issue but I have CV's and poly bushes. If letting a standard suspension hang for an extended period generates problems or not, I am not sure as I have had CV's on both my cars for a long time but I suspect any damage would come quickly rather than over an extended period once on the hoist and probably had already been initiated on the road in normal driving.

At least storing it regularly on a 2 post hoist lets you see the cracking that develops in all the rubber bushes and donuts overtime easier

I have a 5 to 6 inch reinforced concrete floor slab that the MaxJax is anchored to and never any movement of the posts with what I have put on it so far the heaviest being a 1.5 tonne Golf R32. How close I could put the wall side post to the wall was governed by the distance I needed to have the anchor bolts from the edge of the slab and this would be the major issue in fitting a two post hoist into a single car garage I think depending on the foundation design detail and whether the slab ran under the garage wall or not. My Garage brick walls had been built on a foundation and then the garage slab poured between the walls.

Theoretically it could lift my 2 1/2 tonne Touareg but I have not tried that yet as so far its been its easier to just raise up its air suspension to maximum height and slide under it to do work like an oil change or use a jack on each wheel at a time if I want to do the brakes.

cheers
Rohan

[jono]

I used to store my Plus 2 on the 2 post with an Alfa underneath every winter and it never gave any problems

[Certified Lotus]

I have had my Son’s BMW 740i on my lift with no issues. The lift is rated for 9000 lbs.

[661]

This is the scissor jack I use:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401007013157


It is nowhere near industrial enough for regular up and downs. but functions adequately.
I have a beam jack over the pit

[gav]

I have an old Tecalemet 4 post ramp and store one car over the other.

It is no good for body lifting but is great for other jobs like engine removal, brake bleeding etc so if you want to do more than store cars with it, you will need to think about what you plan to do with it.

I don’t like my Elan hanging off the shell and whilst I know it is done, it isn’t for me - but I do realise that a 2 post provides easier access to the underside. There is a benefit that 4 posts don’t get in the way of opening doors etc.

In addition I have an A frame gantry and a jacking beam which work well with the ramps. My only issue is the garage ceiling height which limits the total height.

Being electro hydraulic I use the double pin that locks the ram and prevents the ramp from relying on the hydraulics.

[mbell]

Have you consider a one post lift? Maybe a better solution for narrow garage with questionable floor.

[TonyWalker]

Thanks for all the extra responses!
Some positive responses for lifting an Elan and storing on. 2-post too.
I have considered a single post lift too. These loo like a distinct possibility and definitely would be fine in terms of space. I just haven't yet found on that you can drive underneath when the arm is in the air. I am sure it can be done though....
All best
Tony

[HCA]

I do not think it can be done - or not easily anyway.

Single post lifts have a heavy foot frame underneath that have rollers to allow the post lift to slide underneath the car to be lifted. Unlikely you can drive a car over the frame easily to park.

[mbell]

Yeah you'd probably need to make some kind of platform/ramps to drive on at the height (or just above) of the lower arms. Which might not leave much room between upper arms and platform for a car. Would also need to remove the platform to remove the upper car.

I assume with these kind of lift that the can only be moved when in the fully down position with no car on it.So shouldn't be too much of issue driving car under it with suitable platform.

[Seamus]

I have been using a 2 post lift to store cars for the last few years without issue including my Elan. I rotate the cars that I store this way but have happily had my MGC left in the air for the whole of winter.

[Davidb]

Since I last posted on here we have moved to a new house/garage and I finally have a hoist! (At the age of 72...)
It is a Dannmar D7 four post which seems to be quite well accepted by users but I am not convinced it is preferable to a two post. I have quite a bit of experience working with two post hoists and from an efficiency point of view the two post is preferable. With the adapters pictured earlier I can see no reason not to use a two poster for storage also.
If I need to remove the wheels from the suspended car then it is a lot more work with the four post and access is restricted because of the ramps being in the way. Strength/quality of floor is an issue obviously.

One issue I had with the hoist came to light as the previous owner showed me how it worked-it was difficult to get the beds evened up for locking purposes. "The cables need adjusting" he assured me. I was not convinced and a few minutes with a light showed the real reason:

This is a pivot pin for the pulleys that raise the hoist-one of the cables had slipped off-a long time ago-and almost cut through the pin! The previous owner was a 747 captain...

[nmauduit]

This is a pivot pin for the pulleys that raise the hoist-one of the cables had slipped off-a long time ago-and almost cut through the pin! The previous owner was a 747 captain...

I'm surprised that the cable has not suffered from half sawing that poor pin over time ... unless it has been changed.

Flying Boeing, napping under a half sawn hoist, driving an elan ... I suspect a rather serious death drive syndrom here...

[Davidb]

Surprisingly the cable is in fine shape!