Best lift points for 2 post shop lift?

[blutow]

I’ve got an asymmetric bendpak 2 post lift in my garage and I’m wondering the best way to lift a hmmwv. The frame rails are so far inbound that the arms don’t really reach. It seems that everything else is mostly aluminum body structure and not a suitable lift point. Any lifting guidelines?

 

[BLK HMMWV]

I’ve got an asymmetric bendpak 2 post lift in my garage and I’m wondering the best way to lift a hmmwv. The frame rails are so far inbound that the arms don’t really reach. It seems that everything else is mostly aluminum body structure and not a suitable lift point. Any lifting guidelines?

My Buddy has a 2 post.
It's been at least 8 years now, can't remember how we lifted it. I do remember lifting body off of frame with it and rolling frame out from under it.
I'm going to see him tomorrow maybe he will remember how we did it

 

[Mogman]

I have a symmetrical 9K Rotary lift and it reaches the frame no problem, I cannot imagine any other acceptable way to lift a Humvee except a drive on
lift

 

[springer1981]

The Frame and ONLY the frame. If it doesn't reach then it isn't right for the job. The body will not handle the weight.

 

[lpcoating]

We only had a couple inches of clearance on the posts. We had to drive over the lift arms and support them with 2x4's. It was tight but it worked. Lifted from frame rails.

 

[blutow]

I was able to put it on my lift today. I think part of my challenge is that I installed my lift in the "wide" configuration. You can also set it up in a narrower config where the posts are about 1ft closer to each other. The wide config gives clearance for wide vehicles to open doors a little, but the front arms are pretty much straight out to reach the frame rails under the hummwv. The rear arms have some angle/reach, but with the arms so close together, I really had to find the balance point on the truck. It's not as stable as lifting a truck with frame rails further out (allowing more angle for the arms), but it works. The ground clearance is so high on the hmmwv that a lift is hardly needed, but it was nice using it today to swap out the quick connect on the fan clutch hose. That would have been a tough one laying on my back.

You can see in the pic below how straight the short arms needed to be to reach the frame(they basically had to be 32" on center from each other). Same wiht the rears. That's not much of a spread between front and rears arms to balance a 15ft truck. I had to adjust tje truck forward and back a few times to get the balance right.

 

[lpcoating]

Hard to tell from the picture but it looks like you used two spaces per lift point. If so, did you need to? If possible, I'd recommend using minimal spacers. If you double stack them, it's less stable. Also, I used the screw jacks front and back - just because...

Guy

 

[lpcoating]

Found a picture. I used one long spacer.

 

[TNDRIVER]

I was able to put it on my lift today. I think part of my challenge is that I installed my lift in the "wide" configuration. You can also set it up in a narrower config where the posts are about 1ft closer to each other. The wide config gives clearance for wide vehicles to open doors a little, but the front arms are pretty much straight out to reach the frame rails under the hummwv. The rear arms have some angle/reach, but with the arms so close together, I really had to find the balance point on the truck. It's not as stable as lifting a truck with frame rails further out (allowing more angle for the arms), but it works. The ground clearance is so high on the hmmwv that a lift is hardly needed, but it was nice using it today to swap out the quick connect on the fan clutch hose. That would have been a tough one laying on my back.

You can see in the pic below how straight the short arms needed to be to reach the frame(they basically had to be 32" on center from each other). Same wiht the rears. That's not much of a spread between front and rears arms to balance a 15ft truck. I had to adjust tje truck forward and back a few times to get the balance right.
View attachment 860295

View attachment 860296

A. A length of 2x4 or 4x4 steel tubing from side to side might allow you to move your balance point to a better position. For what its worth.
B. Care to elaborate on the make and model of your lift..... overhead space...etc. My birthday is coming up and I need a hint for my wife.

 

[blutow]

Hard to tell from the picture but it looks like you used two spaces per lift point. If so, did you need to? If possible, I'd recommend using minimal spacers. If you double stack them, it's less stable. Also, I used the screw jacks front and back - just because...

Guy

I did use both spacers and probably don't need the shorter one. That said, I don't think the taller spacers change the dynamic much. My biggest concern is that the front and rear arms hit the frame fairly close together compared to a conventional "outboard" frame where you can push the arms forward and back much further. With the hmmwv, you can get a bit of a teeter-totter effect with so much mass beyond the arms. I've looked at tall screw jacks and will probably go this route for anything other than basic oil change etc.. Harbor freight has them for under $100 and nicer ones are about $150.

 

[blutow]

A. A length of 2x4 or 4x4 steel tubing from side to side might allow you to move your balance point to a better position. For what its worth.
B. Care to elaborate on the make and model of your lift..... overhead space...etc. My birthday is coming up and I need a hint for my wife.

I thought about that, but certainly sucks some of the simplicity/convenience out of the lift and also puts 2 big bars across the bottom where you would otherwise have access. I'd probably go with 4 tall screw jacks for extra safety before going that route.

I have the Bendpak asymetric 10k lift. I've had it about 7-8 years and it was only $2,800 delivered when I bought it. It looks like they have shot way up in price like everything else. I installed it myself. When we had this house built, I had them add some extra concrete depth and rebar to the mounting area in the foundation, but lots of people just install them in standard slabs I think (I recall it needing a 4" slab maybe?). My ceilings are a little over 12 feet, just enough that I actually sraped my ceiling a little when standing the posts up. The install isn't complicated, just need to muscle to get them up and you need to be precise to get everything plumb and aligned. If you don't have the ceiling height, there are some nice options that are shorter, but it's really nice to be able to stand full height under a car. When my wife was pushing us to move into a new house, her big selling point to me is that I could finally have my garage with a lift. It obviously worked, she knows what pushes my buttons. The lifts aren't crazy expensive for what they offer, but it's hard to make a full sized one work in a typical residential garage.

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[lpcoating]

I did use both spacers and probably don't need the shorter one. That said, I don't think the taller spacers change the dynamic much. My biggest concern is that the front and rear arms hit the frame fairly close together compared to a conventional "outboard" frame where you can push the arms forward and back much further. With the hmmwv, you can get a bit of a teeter-totter effect with so much mass beyond the arms. I've looked at tall screw jacks and will probably go this route for anything other than basic oil change etc.. Harbor freight has them for under $100 and nicer ones are about $150.

You can't see it in the picture because the post is in the way but I also have a screw jack under the rear as well.

 

[springer1981]

I'd probably go with 4 tall screw jacks for extra safety before going that route.

I'm curious why you even need extensions or tall screw jacks? I used the standard screw pads on the lift and extended them maybe 3-4" at most. They hit the frame when the lift is off the ground 12-14" or so. Then we just pulled the arm locking pin up and adjusted to the frame.

 

[Coug]

don't need the tallest extensions, but do need a little in order to not hit the aluminum of the tub as the arms flex under the weight.

Tall screw jacks are to prevent the truck from rocking off the front or back of the lift arms if the center of gravity shifts. With the lift arms so close together you can't always trust that you have it perfectly centered for weight, and as you work on the truck you can change the center of gravity.


This video is a pretty good example of why to use screw jacks under the ends.

And another

and plenty more videos on youboob where a screw jack would have saved a lot of damage as well as many injuries.

 

[springer1981]

and plenty more videos on youboob where a screw jack would have saved a lot of damage as well as many injuries.

Ahhh, those screw jacks ... I thought they were talking about the pads at the end of the lift arms that screw to set the height. Yes screw jacks are highly recommended especially when removing or adding heavy parts of the vehicle.

 

[blutow]

don't need the tallest extensions, but do need a little in order to not hit the aluminum of the tub as the arms flex under the weight.

Tall screw jacks are to prevent the truck from rocking off the front or back of the lift arms if the center of gravity shifts. With the lift arms so close together you can't always trust that you have it perfectly centered for weight, and as you work on the truck you can change the center of gravity.


This video is a pretty good example of why to use screw jacks under the ends.

And another

and plenty more videos on youboob where a screw jack would have saved a lot of damage as well as many injuries.

I liked that 2nd one, going for the full roll. Any vehicle that goes on the lift gets the full push/pull/shake test before I even think about going under it. A couple jack screws go a long way. 4 of them pretty much eliminate any risk of lift failure. I like to think I'd never have the center of gravity off by that much for something to flip forward, but I like that a jack screw can basically stabilize the load, so nothing is bouncing or rocking. Making the load static rather than dynamic dramatically reduces the risk of something failing from too much stress.