Updated February 03, 2022

Best-Rated Four-Post Auto Lifts

Four-post lifts support large, heavy vehicles. With four posts to bear vehicular weight, such assemblies require more workspace than two-post lifts. Four-post auto lifts generally work best in professional-sized garages, where mechanics can move around each vehicle while performing maintenance tasks.

A four-post vehicle lift raises a vehicle so a mechanic can perform maintenance work. It offers access to a vehicle's underside components. Due to their weight, these assemblies require a thick concrete floor. An owner of a more conventional work area might need to repave the floor before setting up a four-post lift.

Why Do I Need a Four-Post Auto Lift?

Though some people may have enough garage space to fit all their vehicles, not everyone has that luxury. If you own more cars than you have garage space for, or need more room in your garage to fit in workspaces or storage areas, a four-post auto lift might be an excellent addition. Buying a four-post auto lift for your garage can open up various possibilities for your space.

• Car maintenance: If you have a car, you probably have to spend at least some time each week on maintenance. From checking the tire pressure and monitoring fluid levels to more extensive repairs, having space in your garage to perform this upkeep is essential to keep your car running well. Some people take extra special care of their cars, cleaning and waxing the exterior to ensure it always looks its best. A four-post lift in the garage can make more room for these activities, especially if there's more than one car in the space.
• Storage space: The garage is the perfect area to store the equipment you regularly use, such as lawnmowers, tools and bikes. If you don't have room for these items in your garage, you could risk dragging dirt and debris in your house, making cleaning a hassle. A four-post lift can ensure everything has a space for storage — even your car — so you can use your garage to its fullest potential.
• Workspace: Many people use their garages to do their hobbies or even run their business. Carpenters, welders and other trades require plenty of space and can be messy, which means the garage is the perfect place for these activities. However, having to work around a car can be tricky. That's why a four-post lift is a recommended addition for those who use their garage as a workspace. It ensures no damage comes to the vehicle, and you have sufficient space to do everything you need.

Types of Four-Post Auto Lifts

Four-post auto lifts can handle various heavyweight capacities, from large vans and station wagons to SUVs and rolling stock. In comparison, two-post lifts are primarily for smaller cars and pickup trucks.

Four-post lifts have on-ramps between the rear posts that allow you to drive a truck or van straight onto the assembly, then elevate the vehicle. The vehicle's tires sit on the horizontal beams that connect the front and back posts. For many users, the fact that the equipment supports all four tires while the vehicle is elevated provides essential peace of mind and makes the four-post a preferable type of auto lift.

Users can also change their tires on a four-post lift with a rolling bridge jack, which slots between the beams to raise the vehicle slightly higher. This equipment can expand the lift's usability and function, simplifying routine maintenance.

There are two varieties of the four-post automotive lift — open-front and closed-front.

• Open-front lift: An open-front lift features a cutaway at the center of the cross-beam between the two front posts. This placement allows for greater access to a raised vehicle's suspension system.
• Closed-front lift: A closed-front auto lift features four closed beams between each of the posts with no cutaway. Though a closed-front lift features no special clearance for the suspension system, you can still perform all types of work on a vehicle's underside, even if specific tasks might require you to duck at times.

Top-Rated Four-Post Lifts

Auto lifts can handle various vehicular widths, lengths and weight capacities. Some of the top-rated four-post auto lifts are only suitable for specific uses. The best-rated four-post lift for your needs will all depend on the weight and size of the vehicle you intend to elevate.

Universalift 8000 FP XLT

One of the best-rated four-post auto lifts is the Universalift 8000 FP XLT, designed for home mechanics and smaller auto repair shops. The self-contained, freestanding assembly runs on a 110-volt electro-hydraulic power unit.

The Universalift 8000 FP XLT's freestanding design makes it suitable for home use, where the lift can serve as a vehicle hoist for maintenance and parking purposes. If you have a flat concrete service and a large enough area in which to evenly situate the four posts, the Universalift 8000 FP XLT could be the best four-post lift for your vehicle-elevation needs, no matter what they may be.

The Universalift 8000 FP XLT's specs include the following.

• Capacity: 8,000 pounds
• Overall height of column: 94"
• Overall length: 190"
• Length of ramps: 36"
• Overall width: 112"
• Lifting height: 82"
• Height under runway: 79"
• Lifting speed: 40 seconds

The Universalift 8000 FP XLT is one of the top-rated four-post auto lifts on today's market.

X1 Easy Park — Modular Auto Lift

With its portable, freestanding design, the X1 Easy Park is one of the best-rated four-post car lifts available today. Suitable for home use and commercial work in smaller repair shops, the X1 Easy Park runs on a 110-volt electro-hydraulic power unit.

The X1 Easy Park comes equipped with a wheel kit that allows a single user to move it into place. This maneuverability makes it an excellent solution for home users, or small repair shops that can't have multiple people working to lift each vehicle. This easy-to-assemble unit comes shipped in two 84" x 20" x 30" crates.

The X1 Easy Park's specs include the following.

• Capacity: 8,000 pounds
• Overall height of column: 84"
• Overall length: 175"
• Length of ramps: 36"
• Overall width: 106"
• Lifting height: 72"
• Lifting speed: 40 seconds

The X1 Easy Park is one of the best-rated four-post car lifts for home and light repair use.

Atlas Garage Pro 9000 Portable Heavy Duty

Another top-rated four-post lift is the Atlas Garage Pro 9000, which will elevate your vehicle more than seven feet tall. If you wish to maximize your parking space within the confines of a one-vehicle garage, you can use the Garage Pro 9000 to park one car or pickup truck over another.

Garage Pro 9000 runs on a 110-volt power unit. Atlas RAJ-6000 rolling bridges can fix the assembly. Further specs include the following.

• Capacity: 9,000 pounds
• Height to top of runway: 85" (7' 1")
• Length with approach ramps: 227.5" (18' 11.5")
• Overall length without approach ramps: 204" (17')
• Length between columns: 184.5" (15' 4.5")
• Overall width (with motor): 131 1/2" (10' 11 1/2")

The Garage Pro 9000 comes with approach ramps, rubber wheel chocks and four drip trays.

Atlas 414 14,000-Pound Capacity, Commercial Grade Four-Post Lift

With its ability to provide years of lifting service for heavier vehicles, the Atlas 414 14,000 is one of the best-rated four-post car lifts. Equipped with features that are usually exclusively available with high-cost, industrial-grade lifts, the Atlas 414 is suitable for commercial repair work on larger trucks, vans and SUVs. This lift is ideal for repair shops or small businesses that rely on trucks or vans and need to store or work on them securely.

The Atlas 414 runs on a 220-volt power unit and elevates vehicles with high-strength cables. Its specs include the following.

• Capacity: 14,000 pounds
• Lifting height: 74" (6' 2")
• Width of columns without motor: 130.5" (10' 10.5")
• Width of columns with motor: 142"
• Height of columns: 86" (7' 2")

The Atlas 414 is one of the best-rated four-post lifts for home use and commercial work on larger passenger vehicles.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Four-Post Lift

In a larger residential garage, any avid do-it-yourselfer can use a four-post lift to perform work under an automobile. If you know how to complete vehicle maintenance and change out parts, a four-post lift might free you from periodic stops to the service station in the future. If you plan to operate an auto-maintenance business from your garage, a four-post lift will be an essential purchase.

If you have a two-car garage, you could park two vehicles above one another and use the additional space for a third car or even a boat. Even if you have only one car, the lift could hoist the vehicle and free up garage space for other items.

Before you purchase a four-post auto lift, you will need to consider factors such as weight capacity, space requirements and how you plan to use the lift, as these factors will determine which of the top-rated four-post car lifts will best suit your needs.

Service Work

Professional auto maintenance and repair specialists rely on the best-rated four-post auto lifts to do their jobs well. If you intend to purchase an auto lift for professional use, it is best to go with a four-post because of its strength and durability. When customers bring their vehicles to you for service work, they will take you more seriously when they see you using a four-post lift.

For professional work on automobiles, a four-post lift is generally better than a two-post lift because the former makes it possible to service a wider range of vehicles. While a two-post lift will limit you to compact cars and smaller trucks, a four-post will allow you to work on long cars such as station wagons and estate cars, as well as regular-sized trucks, vans and SUVs. You can service the full range of passenger vehicles with a four-post auto lift.

With service work, the only advantage two-post lifts have over four-post lifts is that the former has no cross-beams. With a four-post lift, you have to be willing to duck under these beams to perform maintenance on the chassis. Granted, you can opt for an open-front lift for direct access to the suspension system, but you will still need to duck under the beams along the other sides of the lift assembly.

Weight Limit Need

Four-post automotive lifts range in terms of weight capacity. At the lower end are the lifts primarily designed for vehicles that carry a maximum weight of 9,000 pounds. For the home user or anyone who does light repair work within a small working space, auto lifts of this weight capacity are generally the most suitable and affordable option.

At the higher end of the spectrum are the four-post auto lifts that can handle vehicular weights as high as 40,000 pounds. Auto lifts of this capacity can elevate the largest and heaviest passenger vehicles, plus some commercial trucks.

Your auto lift's weight capacity will depend on the type of vehicle or vehicles you intend to elevate. Moreover, your overall purpose for owning an auto lift will play a factor. Do you wish to buy an auto lift to park your car off the ground? If that is the case, you might be better off with a two-post car lift, especially if your car is small and your garage dimensions are narrow.

On the other hand, if you intend to use an auto lift to hoist various passenger vehicles across the weight spectrum, a four-post lift would serve your needs much better. Even if you don't intend to use the lift to perform service work on other vehicles, a four-post auto lift could be the better choice — if your vehicle is large and your designated area for the lift is spacious enough.

Workshop Space

Four-post car lifts are the standard form of vehicle lift at professional service stations. In any garage with a high enough ceiling and sufficient dimensions, you can hoist one truck above another and effectively turn two parking spaces into one. When the time comes to work on the chassis of a vehicle or replace the leaf springs, access to these parts becomes easy with a four-post lift.

Granted, you will need to have ample workspace if you wish to set up a four-post lift. Consider the width and length of the average four-post car lift, which could be anywhere from 105" to 112" wide and 175" to 190" long for lifts in the 8,000- to 12,000-pound capacity range. Would your designated workspace have the room for a contraption of these dimensions?

In addition, you will need extra room within your workspace to move around the lift. Due to these space requirements, people with conventional one-car garage spaces will often opt for the two-post lift.

Shop Online With North American Auto Equipment

You can do so many things with a four-post automotive lift. Whether you are a professional auto service specialist or a DIYer, you should know how to use a four-post lift to elevate a vast range of passenger vehicles. Even if you don't perform vehicle maintenance of any kind, a lift can be useful for space consolidation inside your garage.

To make a sound choice from the range of top-rated four-post auto lifts available on today's market, you need to know your height, width, length and weight capacity requirements. To ensure your auto lift meets these and other specifications, it's always best to purchase from a reputable seller.

At North American Auto Equipment, our team has provided customers with the best-rated four-post auto lifts for more than 30 years. Check out the selection of auto lifts in our catalog today and contact us to explore financing options or place your order.