Building a 4 Post Lift

Measure Up
Plan the Process
Don't Rush the Job
Measuring up is essential. One of the best ways, to be sure, is to physically mark out the planned position of the lift (in tape?) on the garage floor. Mark post position and ramps then drive in the car and check that when the lift is delivered......
(i) Will all fit?

Physically measure the drop at post position

Ensure that any new concrete has been properly cured and any works carried out have been designed to accommodate your new lift
without the necessity for last minute alterations!
(ii) When raised will car roof slot between any exposed rafters/RSJ's ?


Modifications, such as to this beam, can solve a problem.....
may be the only solution, but are best avoided if possible!
(iii) Check position of lift up-ramps and any up-and-over doors....
Please note that the overall lift length shown on the dimensions does NOT include the up-ramps as these can be removed, if desired. Check your cars will be able to drive on / off without hinderence and that your garage doors will close, or, in the case of the install shown below,
the door will open .... nicely planned sir!

(iv) Remember ..... the up-ramps can be detached if required


Our up-ramps used to be only 760mm long but they are all now supplied at 1000mm, they provide an effective backstop when the lift is raised

(iv) 240V 16A Electrics required ...


The motor / control unit can either be mounted on the side of the lift, extending the width by 265mm, or in line with the ramps on the inside of the post (which means it sticks out only 180mm), if width is extremely tight there is nothing to prevent locating the whole assembly on the wall so long as the hydraulic hose will reach .... You will require a FEMALE 16A Ceeform Connector if you are not hard wiring the supply. A motor (C or D) rated breaker on the supply is required and the motor control unit can be located either on the front right, or rear left, post ... please advise us prior to delivery the trailer so we can load accordingly...
(v) Getting your lift to site.....

A Strongman 4 Post Lift, packed, there is also a
pallet of posts to go with this stillage....
Customers are welcome to collect their lift from us... please employ a suitable, flat-bed, trailer or vehicle and have a plan regarding unloading when it reaches the destination! All posts, cross beams etc can be man handled by two people but the main ramps will certainly need lifting equipment or dollies readily available.



The customer with the horse trailer was a farmer and had a tractor with strops available to unload, but this arrangement is certainly not ideal.... make sure you have plenty of good quality ratchet straps when securing over a tonne of lift to your trailer for the drive home...... We will happily strip the stillages down for you, into component parts, and help you load with the aid of our forklifts, using strops to lower onto flat bed trailers and providing pallets, as required, if you are loading and need to avoid, for example, wheel arches etc.when unloading or strapping down...
Ensure you have a couple of trolley jacks and plenty of blocks available to build the lift if you're planning a DIY install. There are clear instructions available, and a video you can access, to help you in your task.
We can arrange van and trailer deliver for you, this is charged, per job, on a milage basis. This method of delivery is employed because we are aware that, at home, you don't often have a forklift truck to hand, also, it is not often that you can accept easy delivery from the back of a 40 tonne truck. Our delivery service includes unloading all of the components into your garage or workshop, if you supply blocks we will leave everything in just the right position for you to easily construct the ramp.
If you choose to employ our engineers, the lift will be delivered, installed and commissioned .... this service is charged at a flat rate of £450, in addition to the delivery charge, provided you are located near enough to us in Leamington Spa for the engineers to drive to you and back, and complete the job, in one day .... additional charges will apply if you are at a distance from us; we can also quote to arrange contract installation by qualified local third party engineers. We'll guide you through raising and lowering the lift plus give you tips on using and maintaining your new equipment.
Should you be collecting from us to build the big Meccano Kit yourselves, consider popping in to the office, before or after your visit to the warehouse, and we'll give you a couple of tips by showing you the demo lifts in our showroom....

About 70% of our customers choose to have their lift delivered and installed by ourselves. A pre-installation check list must be completed and signed, this confirms that the site is suitable and that we can gain access. Our van and trailer commbination is 13m long, overall...

(vi) Installation












This lift shown in the photo above was installed into a new build garage, the customer had under floor heating installed. You will note the wooden template to mark the measured position of the post feet with clear concrete below for lift anchor points.
To install a 4 Post and bolt it securely requires a level and cured 6" concrete base. On installation it is possible to employ some shims to compensate for small differences in level, however, you will see from the picture below that some "compensation" is not really acceptable! Employing a couple of washers or angled shims may be appropriate but this customer would be asking for trouble......
The next image shows the preferred method to compensate for an uneven base, this customer has used pads to level the lift on the sloping floor of an industrial unit. When you know that the concrete is demonstrably not level, of poor quality or insufficient depth, digging out and laying pads to accurately level the lift is the cheapest option and will ensure secure locking with the ratchets on each post engaging simultaneously.
