- Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:58 pm
#323595
It's a Vestil hydraulic lift table. They're made in Indiana for use in warehouse/industrial settings. The company doesn't make automotive lifts, but it's built for a heavier duty cycle than an automotive lift, and has some OSHA-mandated safety features that automotive lifts lack. That said, I don't think it would make sense for most guys other than me, since the solid 48"x48" top means you have to use blocks if you want to access stuff right in the middle of the car. In my case, that wasn't an issue, since an early 911 (like the early VW bugs) just has a steel belly pan where it contacts the lift. I can access all four wheels, the engine, transaxle, half shafts and exhause without obstruction on this lift. But if I put any of my other cars on it, it's not sp ideal.
The other reason not to use it is that it's more expensive than a consumer-level automotive lift. But I saw this one on Ebay, and it got my brain going on how it might work perfectly for my old 911, and also be something I could bury in the floor of my garage so that I wasn't tripping over it when it wasn't in use. I spoke to a few different engineers (including my father) about whether it would work, and also did some tests on my car to find the actual balancing point -- and how that point would move when I pulled the engine or took apart the front end.
All my research pointed to the idea being viable.
So I bid on it and got it for $455. Even with the cost of tool rental, concrete and replacement tiles, I was only out a total of $670 by the time I was finished. I rented a truck from Home Depot to take the thing home.
Initially, I think I was motivated more than anything by the challenge of seeing if I could make it work. Aside from the question of whether it was an appropriate tool for this application, I had also never cut concrete, or set forms and mixed and poured the stuff.
A week of wondering what the heck I'd done, and then:
I got a lot of advice from professionals, and managed to not embarrass myself. And now that it's in place, I'm really amazed by how often it comes in handy. I've had the engine out of the car twice -- but it's also handy every time I need to just do a basic brake/suspension/nut check before a track day.
And it allowed me to make this
awesomely cheesy video.
