4 Post Lift Suggestions

[Billccm]

Well all total it was about 6 hours start to finish for 4 guys to unpack and assemble. Need to relocate a ceiling light to go higher. Cables need a slight adjustment to level. Two of the guys that "brand x" lifts kept commenting on the excellent quality of the wildfire. I'm happy with the puchase.

 

[mrhemi]

Well done, you will enjoy it. The Wildfire appears to be the same as the Advantage 9000# lift I have. They probably come out of the same factory. I am very happy with mine. As to adjusting the cables, what I found sped up the process and cut down on re-adjustments, was to park my heaviest vehicle (Ram 2500 Diesel) on it for a couple of days to stretch the cables. Just raised a foot of off the floor. Then I put the car that would normally sit on there up and adjusted accordingly. I have not had to revisit the adjustment in 5 years.

 

[ckessel]

Kiss the creeper diving goodbye!

 

[6PKRTSE]

As I posted in another post. Mine is an Advantage brand. It's tight but it all fits with 10' ceiling.

 

[jaws]

https://www.derekweaver.com/4-post-lifts/

This is the one I have, I really like it, jack trays work slick.

 

[jusglazin]

Gentlemen, I took a look at this Wildfire lift just out of curiosity since I've already purchased my own personal choice of 4 post lifts. I don't think there is a "perfect" choice of lift out there to fit everyone's needs but I have a couple of quick comments about the Wildfire lift and then I'll leave you to your own preferences.

1st, the locking system on the wildfire is NOT adjustable. It is fixed due to the rectangles cut directly into the 4 corner posts. Why is this a problem? Because hardly EVER is a concrete floor completely level, especially if it has some slope built in to assist with water drainage (like mine). So, when you level the runways, (and you absolutely WANT the runways level with a car on them) the lock system will not engage all four corners uniformly if the concrete floor is not 100% level as well. This is a safety concern, no way I would want to work under a lift without all 4 corners locked securely.

2nd, I don't care what anyone tells you, those casters are NOT meant to move the lift WITH A CAR on it. Only move the lift when it is empty. Those casters are much lighter duty than the ones I have for my lift and the lift company specifically states NOT to move the lift with a car on it. Again, a big safety concern with this.

I did not go into a detailed examination of the specs on the lift but just those two things I got from watching the video scared me away. But to each his own, I just wanted to comment on this and hopefully prevent someone from getting hurt and/or being disappointed with their lift.

Good luck to everyone!

I have this lift and I love everything about except what you just pointed out. The cable adjustments do nothing to help with an unlevel floor. Mine is now 3 years old and I experience ocassional locking issues on one corner. I have to raise it up a notch and hold the release sometimes to get it to lock properly.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

I have this lift and I love everything about except what you just pointed out. The cable adjustments do nothing to help with an unlevel floor. Mine is now 3 years old and I experience ocassional locking issues on one corner. I have to raise it up a notch and hold the release sometimes to get it to lock properly.

I really appreciate your "real world" feedback with your experience with this lift. Your feedback is much more valuable than the usual feedback from someone who "just bought" their lift and doesn't have long term practical experience with it yet. All lifts are "great" at first, then the realities start to set in over time and use.

If nothing else, you have confirmed my thoughts on the wildfire lift design. And more importantly, perhaps you will have helped someone else out with the selection of a lift that will be "right" for them.

Thank you!

 

[JimKueneman]

My wildfire lift is in transit. Really excited. Researched them all, and wildfire was the only company to return my call. Co owner Brad chatted with me for almost an hour.
I hope I'm not disappointed.
https://www.wildfirelifts.com/

You have not texted me a photo yet? Does not surprise me as ACM said I bought the last 9000 lb Forward lift west of the Mississippi, likely tired of telling people they don't know when they can get one in. They are struggling getting product these days.

 

[Billccm]

You have not texted me a photo yet? Does not surprise me as ACM said I bought the last 9000 lb Forward lift west of the Mississippi, likely tired of telling people they don't know when they can get one in. They are struggling getting product these days.

I left two messages with ACM and never received a return call. Even mentioned your name as a recommendation.

 

[JimKueneman]

I left two messages with ACM and never received a return call. Even mentioned your name as a recommendation.

Bet he knew he could not get one, or it was the name dropping that backfired.

 

[Billccm]

Bet he knew he could not get one, or it was the name dropping that backfired.

I really wanted turn key installed, but with 4 guys, a borrowed trailer, a borrowed engine hoist, and a bunch of bubba burgers it was a fun job. Having two of the four guys experienced with building their own lifts helped immensely. I've volunteered to help build another one.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

I have this lift and I love everything about except what you just pointed out. The cable adjustments do nothing to help with an unlevel floor. Mine is now 3 years old and I experience ocassional locking issues on one corner. I have to raise it up a notch and hold the release sometimes to get it to lock properly.

I would guess that the only way to compensate for an uneven floor with the Wildfire lift would be to insert "steel shims" under the lowest posts to get them all at the same height, then the lock mechanism should work properly. Have you tried shims?

 

[LT'sCharger]

I have a Backyard Buddy as do several of my friends. They are very nice. Very good quality. They are made right here in Ohio by American workers. They ARE a little bit more money, but no where near "twice the price".

 

[Billccm]

I have a Backyard Buddy as do several of my friends. They are very nice. Very good quality. They are made right here in Ohio by American workers. They ARE a little bit more money, but no where near "twice the price".

They were near the top of the list, but could never get a return call. When the president of the company returns your call in just a few minutes I was pretty much sold.
So far I'm still happy. Did my first oil change using the lift on my trusty grand marquis last weekend. Couldn't believe I could do an oil change in about 15 minutes.

 

[Jonnybow]

I had ordered an Atlas 8000 back in mid May, they kept pushing back on the delivery date. I called a few days back and they pushed it back another month so I cancelled the order. Now I have a BendPack HD9ST coming. If anyone is in the Mid Atlantic region and wants to help install it, free beer and food is the offer!