Better Late Than Never……. Kubota Lift

[bird dogger]

I should have done this at least 10 years ago but hopefully it will help prolong my stay that much more by saving my back. Working off of a creeper is getting much harder every year that goes by.

This is a 9000 lb. 4 post Advantage lift. The extended model. After looking at most all the lifts on the market, I chose this one. It is one stout, heavy built beast for its size rating and for my use. With the extended version it also leaves room to back the tractor on with a 3 pt attachment in place. This will make working on/cleaning mower decks, tillers, etc. so much easier….and safer.

Raised up to the top safety lock there is 7 ft. of clearance under the tracks! Can park a vehicle on top and below. This building has 14 ft sidewalls. That’s a 6 ft. stepladder in the pics. With the caster wheels in place and the lift lowered, the posts lift up for about 2”+ clearance to allow the lift to be wheeled around out of the way or back in place. 38 inches between the tracks, so you can see I built a drop in insert (green framework) to compensate for the tractor’s wheel base…..especially the front tire’s stance. It also allows a riding lawn mower, my 4 wheelers and military “Mule” to be loaded on the lift. It came with a rolling jack tray between the tracks and I also opted for the adjustable rolling jack with a manual hydraulic pump that sits between the tracks. This will be a game changer for my aging one old man maintenance department.

Removing the skid plate for filter access on the Tacoma will now be a breeze, too. Since the wife was in town shopping with her Rav4 when it was ready for the first lift, it was a little nerve wracking deciding which of MY vehicles was going to be the guinea pig. LOL! Now it remains to figure out a mirror setup to aid in driving on and off when it’s just me doing “the lifting”. Here’s some required pics:


Why the green paint job on the insert framework? It was the only can of “color” on my shelf of supplies that would still spray decently! LOL. And it just happened to be Safety Green. Rarely does it all just come together, this time it did. LOL!!

If anyone is considering a lift for their shop, I can vouch for the safety, build quality and stability of this model.
All questions and comments are welcomed!

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

I’ll ask the obvious, what’d it cost?
I researched lifts for work when I became the mechanic. Ended up going with golf brand https://www.golf-lift.com/gl-9-golf-lift-turf-equipment-lift/ for our multiple pieces of equipment.

Also makes a good height adjustable table!

Tray and rear forks can be removed to install another regular set of frame pads for vehicles.

 

[bird dogger]

I’ll ask the obvious, what’d it cost?
I researched lifts for work when I became the mechanic. Ended up going with golf brand https://www.golf-lift.com/gl-9-golf-lift-turf-equipment-lift/ for our multiple pieces of equipment.
View attachment 58836 View attachment 58837 View attachment 58841 View attachment 58838 View attachment 58839 Also makes a good height adjustable table!
View attachment 58840
Tray and rear forks can be removed to install another regular set of frame pads for vehicles.

Hi Matt,
The lift (on sale at the time) ran about $4400. The rolling hydraulic jack accessory was just under $1K and was more of a luxury that I opted for. Out the door with everything loaded onto my trailer was right around $5400 . I think it will prove to be the right choice for my use. I also looked at the 2 post lifts. It was a tough decision to choose between the 2 post or 4 post but what tipped the balance in my decision was the concrete work/expense necessary for a 2 poster as I would've had to reinforce the concrete at each post, it would have to be a permanent location vs. the 4 post lift would be ready to go with no extra site work and could be moved when needed. Plus the fact of being able to leave something parked up above with full parking or drive through access below on the 4 post lift was a great benefit in my situation. There's certainly definite advantages in each style. This brand and style worked best for me.

The Advantage Lift website is Advantagelifts.com for all their lifts and specs.

Regards,
David

 

[B737]

that is awesome Bird!! Who is the manufacture? I'm glad you didn't turn your floor army green this time with the help of your cat

I have an automotive mid-rise scissor from BendPak, I went through the same mental exercise about two post vs the floor thickness. Even though the blueprints for the house say its 4" and 3500 psi, I wasn't here to see it poured so i wasn't willing to bet my life on it. You are going to love that lift, it will be one of the best 'tool' purchases you've made, will make all kinds of service very civilized. I've found when you are physically comfortable working on something, the tasks turn out even better.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

Hi Matt,
The lift (on sale at the time) ran about $4400. The rolling hydraulic jack accessory was just under $1K and was more of a luxury that I opted for. Out the door with everything loaded onto my trailer was right around $5400 . I think it will prove to be the right choice for my use. I also looked at the 2 post lifts. It was a tough decision to choose between the 2 post or 4 post but what tipped the balance in my decision was the concrete work/expense necessary for a 2 poster as I would've had to reinforce the concrete at each post, it would have to be a permanent location vs. the 4 post lift would be ready to go with no extra site work and could be moved when needed. Plus the fact of being able to leave something parked up above with full parking or drive through access below on the 4 post lift was a great benefit in my situation. There's certainly definite advantages in each style. This brand and style worked best for me.

The Advantage Lift website is Advantagelifts.com for all their lifts and specs.

Regards,
David

Wasn’t knocking it by any means! I dig it, and will definitely look into them once I get a shop built. The golf was about $8500 installed. The two post was a much better fit for our machines, as we have a three wheel mower as well as 8 bunker rakes for dragging ballfields, along with multiple zero turns, out front mowers and that big green monster.

 

[Henro]

I should have done this at least 10 years ago but hopefully it will help prolong my stay that much more by saving my back. Working off of a creeper is getting much harder every year that goes by.

This is a 9000 lb. 4 post Advantage lift. The extended model. After looking at most all the lifts on the market, I chose this one. It is one stout, heavy built beast for its size rating and for my use. With the extended version it also leaves room to back the tractor on with a 3 pt attachment in place. This will make working on/cleaning mower decks, tillers, etc. so much easier….and safer.

Raised up to the top safety lock there is 7 ft. of clearance under the tracks! Can park a vehicle on top and below. This building has 14 ft sidewalls. That’s a 6 ft. stepladder in the pics. With the caster wheels in place and the lift lowered, the posts lift up for about 2”+ clearance to allow the lift to be wheeled around out of the way or back in place. 38 inches between the tracks, so you can see I built a drop in insert (green framework) to compensate for the tractor’s wheel base…..especially the front tire’s stance. It also allows a riding lawn mower, my 4 wheelers and military “Mule” to be loaded on the lift. It came with a rolling jack tray between the tracks and I also opted for the adjustable rolling jack with a manual hydraulic pump that sits between the tracks. This will be a game changer for my aging one old man maintenance department.

Removing the skid plate for filter access on the Tacoma will now be a breeze, too. Since the wife was in town shopping with her Rav4 when it was ready for the first lift, it was a little nerve wracking deciding which of MY vehicles was going to be the guinea pig. LOL! Now it remains to figure out a mirror setup to aid in driving on and off when it’s just me doing “the lifting”. Here’s some required pics:
View attachment 58831 View attachment 58832 View attachment 58833 View attachment 58834 View attachment 58835

Why the green paint job on the insert framework? It was the only can of “color” on my shelf of supplies that would still spray decently! LOL. And it just happened to be Safety Green. Rarely does it all just come together, this time it did. LOL!!

If anyone is considering a lift for their shop, I can vouch for the safety, build quality and stability of this model.
All questions and comments are welcomed!

That's super!

I envy you guys with cement floors and high ceilings!

 

[Magicman]

Thank You bird dogger for sharing this awesome product. I had no idea that such a portable unit was available.

 

[bird dogger]

that is awesome Bird!! Who is the manufacture? I'm glad you didn't turn your floor army green this time with the help of your cat

I have an automotive mid-rise scissor from BendPak, I went through the same mental exercise about two post vs the floor thickness. Even though the blueprints for the house say its 4" and 3500 psi, I wasn't here to see it poured so i wasn't willing to bet my life on it. You are going to love that lift, it will be one of the best 'tool' purchases you've made, will make all kinds of service very civilized. I've found when you are physically comfortable working on something, the tasks turn out even better.

Manufacturer: Advantage Lifts - High Quality 2 Post and 4 Post Car Lifts
I agree on the mental exercises. I tried to make a 2 post lift work for me. I knew I'd have to redo a section of concrete even though I could've got by for my use. But the 2 post lift likely would've stayed with the property and I couldn't have left it like that with a safety liability. What paint on the floor??? Oh yeah, Dang, I posted that story....didn't I. LOL!

Wasn’t knocking it by any means! I dig it, and will definitely look into them once I get a shop built. The golf was about $8500 installed. The two post was a much better fit for our machines, as we have a three wheel mower as well as 8 bunker rakes for dragging ballfields, along with multiple zero turns, out front mowers and that big green monster.

In no way did I take your post as knocking it! No worries, what so ever!!

That's super!

I envy you guys with cement floors and high ceilings!

Thanks, Henro! I took the builder's advice and had him pour a concrete slab from the get go instead of later. I only regret not telling him to skip cutting the wall studs for a 14 ft wall instead of leaving them as is on top of and under both the floor plate and top plates. The extra 4.5 inches in height would've been handier when the tall door was put in. Only the fact that a low radius track was available for that size saved me. Live and learn! Ha

Thank You bird dogger for sharing this awesome product. I had no idea that such a portable unit was available.

Magicman, you're welcome! I figured somebody might find it interesting. If I had acted earlier before the price of steel and everything else had shot up the savings would've been substantial. But as usual, better now than not at all. The cantilevered casters really work slick!! as does the rest of the lift for that matter.

 

[DustyRusty]

I have a Bend Pak 4 post lift, and it is great. It is the extra high, extra wide 9000 pound lift. Prior to this one, I had another, but it wasn't as long or wide, and I sold that one to a friend for his Corvette. Now, I wish that I hadn't sold it at all, but kept it for the other side of the garage. Would have made a great parking lift to store my wife's PT Cruiser Convertible over the Corvair convertible. Too many cars, and not enough room in the garage

 

[bird dogger]

Too many cars, and not enough room in the garage

Man, isn't that the truth. It is a nice problem to have vs no cars or toys at all, though, so no complaints. But now that the kids are grown and gone it's time to start downsizing. Could easily get rid of a boat, extra tractor, motorcycle, another old car, and probably more. Those Bendpaks are nice lifts, too.

 

[JimmyJazz]

If you enjoy wrenching its money well spent in my opinion. I would love to have a setup like that for occasional auto maintenance. I would have guessed its price would have been a lot more than $5,400. If I had the ceiling height I'd consider one myself. Good deal.

 

[JimmyJazz]

that is awesome Bird!! Who is the manufacture? I'm glad you didn't turn your floor army green this time with the help of your cat

I have an automotive mid-rise scissor from BendPak, I went through the same mental exercise about two post vs the floor thickness. Even though the blueprints for the house say its 4" and 3500 psi, I wasn't here to see it poured so i wasn't willing to bet my life on it. You are going to love that lift, it will be one of the best 'tool' purchases you've made, will make all kinds of service very civilized. I've found when you are physically comfortable working on something, the tasks turn out even better.

I was renovating my last house and needed to determine the concrete floor thickness in the basement. Solution: drilled a hole and stuck a wire into it. That of course won't give you the psi but maybe some peace of mind. We jacked the floors up a bit to take out some floor flex and add structural rigidity . The prior owner had been an " artist" and removed walls without having considered talking to an architect. Worked out great.

 

[lugbolt]

Atlas, 2 post extra height at work--but I ain't working on no tractors no more! Side-by-sides and a few lawn mowers.

Previous job had tractors, mowers, sxs's a car or two. Had Challenger 9000 2 post lifts, had the cables run at the bottom rather than the top so they had a treadplate deal underneath. IT IS ALWAYS IN THE WAY. New job has Atlas 9000 clear floor 2 posts and the clear floor is awesome. You won't realize how much that thing is in the way until you have a lift that has it, then you can't roll your easy chair under it, or a oil drain, or pole jack(s), it's always in the way. But for working on tractors it's kind of a must-have because with the different sizes of rops and cabs, the cables across the top won't work unless they're extended-a lot. In our case (old job) it was out of the question because the ceiling weren't high enough to accomodate the extensions. Really a stupid setup.

Danmar M6 at the house but I ain't workin on no tractors. A mower or two and a few side-by-sides, and my toy cars.

Had a 4 post at my old house and you can do body work and you can store cars. About it unless you want to fight with putting a jack on the runner(s) and that kind of thing. Real pain in the butt for mechanical work but nice for body work. And storing 2 cars. I left that 4 post there as it was mostly useless to me.

 

[bird dogger]

If you enjoy wrenching its money well spent in my opinion. I would love to have a setup like that for occasional auto maintenance. I would have guessed its price would have been a lot more than $5,400. If I had the ceiling height I'd consider one myself. Good deal.

Their normal List Price is a little more than what I paid as I happened to catch a special price discount. the headquarters is in Pennsylvania and they display at major events around the country with discounts during those events. From what I understand, during those events, you can also benefit from the same discounts if ordering online by calling them first. They have a number of warehouses around the country and you can avoid the expensive shipping costs by picking up yourself directly from a warehouse.



I drove about 700 miles round trip in one day to pick up mine. $100 in gas versus $600 +/- for shipping and delivery. I also saved by installing it myself which went well using a "cherry picker" engine hoist and a friend to help me tilt the end pieces upright. At first I thought, "OMG, what did I buy?" when I say how massive it was. But even my Tacoma pickup just about filled it up end to end on the tracks. With that insert between the tracks and being able to lift the Kubota with implements attached is like frosting on the cake. I have a friend who has back troubles and can be down for weeks or months at a time as far as working goes. If I can prevent that from happening to me, this seems really cheap. And it did come with the rolling jack tray good for 4500 pounds so you could use your own jacks on it or even on the metal tracks themselves. The additional hydraulic jack I purchased is really a luxury for convenience.

What was also surprising is that they don't collect sales tax depending on what state you live in. So I'll have to make sure I report that next year on my own.

 

[number two]

In 2000,I installed a Rotary 9000# 2 post lift in my 30 x 40 x 14 pole barn that used to house my semi-tractor,then my Mac Tools truck.
$3400 at the time-I thought it was insane!
All these years later,the price/year is minimal,considering how much quality work we've been able to do.
My best friends are in their 50"s and we take care of three families of vehicles.
And they show up and put up our firewood !

Moral of the story-money for a hoist can more than pay for itself.
Thanks for reading.

 

[jkrez]

That is sweet. When I built my garage I installed radiant floor heat. The ceiling is 12 feet. I always though a lift would be awesome to have but worried about bolting it to the floor. The casters are great. I just bought a LX3310 with front 64 inch commercial snow blower and back hoe, and now need to wait before another large spend.
Some day though.

 

[BobInSD]

I'm jealous. I also don't understand what the casters are for? Is that just ease of installation, or do they do something once it's installed?

 

[bird dogger]

I'm jealous. I also don't understand what the casters are for? Is that just ease of installation, or do they do something once it's installed?

Hi Bob, unlike most 2 post lifts that need to be bolted down securely to support the weight being lifted, it isn't necessarily needed on a 4 post lift. A 2 post lift bolted down becomes a permanent fixture in the spot you choose to mount it. The casters on this 4 post lift are a means to easily move the lift around on your floor space according to one's needs. Such as: If you're doing some work on a your vehicle you'd want it in a spot that would give you the best working space around it, next to your tools, maybe in a well lit area just inside your overhead door, etc. If your done working on your vehicle you can easily put the casters back on and relocate it to a spot more out of the way when it might just be used for storing a vehicle up above while leaving open space for another vehicle or whatever underneath. The casters are only used to make the lift moveable to allow maximum use of your floor space, and especially if you have limited floor space.

I have a storage mezzanine along the back wall of this building. I now realize there is a 9000 lb capacity moveable "elevator" that I can roll up to said mezzanine for bringing heavy/bulky items up or down. Will work perfect for a small motorcycle that doesn't need floor space with 14 ft clearance overhead.
David

 

[bird dogger]

If you enjoy wrenching its money well spent in my opinion. I would love to have a setup like that for occasional auto maintenance. I would have guessed its price would have been a lot more than $5,400. If I had the ceiling height I'd consider one myself. Good deal.

Even if you have less overhead ceiling height, there are shorter models in all types and brands of lifts. One of those might fit your needs pretty well. Even getting your vehicle up off the floor enough so you can sit down beside or underneath it is a big plus. And most likely safer than working under it supported on ramps or jack stands. Once you start looking at all the different sizes, types, manufacturers, pros and cons, costs, etc. the right choice for each person's situation starts to stand out from the others. And you're right.....they really aren't that expensive.....less than some tractor attachments, actually!

David

 

[bird dogger]

That is sweet. When I built my garage I installed radiant floor heat. The ceiling is 12 feet. I always though a lift would be awesome to have but worried about bolting it to the floor. The casters are great. I just bought a LX3310 with front 64 inch commercial snow blower and back hoe, and now need to wait before another large spend.
Some day though.

jkrez, a 4 post lift would work great for your floor heat situation. No bolting down necessary. You made the right choice getting that great tractor first!! But try to work the lift into your budget as soon as you can, too! Cheers!
David