DIY car repair lift

Cars tend to break down, require periodic maintenance, like any technique. Access to the lower part in garage conditions is often impossible due to the lack of a lifting device. Having all the necessary tools, an equipped and ready-to-use lift, it is possible to replace the consumables of the chassis, transmission, and engine. Despite the fact that the device is in demand when repairing a car with your own hands, it is very expensive to purchase it for use in your own needs. Maintenance can be carried out no more than twice a year, so it is better to make units and assemblies with your own hands.

Car lift for garage

The lifts are of various design variations, differing in the way the vehicle is lifted and the type of drive. For the repair of vehicles, three types of drives are mainly used:

The way the car is lifted plays an important role in the design; the garage lift can be fork, scissor, or platform version. The most popular are fork-type screw assemblies based on a long threaded tool steel shaft. The parts of the unit are able to withstand the load of an average car, it is almost impossible to make a mechanism with your own hands, due to the complex design of the forks.

Types of lifts for car repair

The easiest way to make a platform lift with your own hands is to use a screw mechanism.

Parallel-laid beams attached to the mechanism are capable of lifting a car weighing up to 3 tons.

Video (click to play).

For the manufacture of a unit for lifting vehicles with your own hands, it is important to familiarize yourself with the structures on the market. The cost of finished equipment can be equated to the price of a car. In car repair shops, you can find the most common option - a screw two-post jack, the design can be made with a hydraulic or electric drive. The structure can be performed using additional beams, depending on the expected loads.
The scissor lift has a platform driven by a scissor-like mechanism. A self-made lift of this type is driven to work by mechanical force, it is lifted by a hydraulic drive connected to an electric motor. Before making this kind of structures, it is important not to forget about safety precautions. During work, parts can spontaneously drop, which will lead to irreversible consequences. A homemade car lift must be made with a reserve of aggregate power; when using it, it is important to know the mass of the element being lifted.

In emergency situations with a garage lift, locking mechanisms allow you to hold the car. To avoid critical points, it is necessary to check the condition of the electric motor and hoses. The main problem of making a screw elevator with your own hands is the complexity of assembly and manufacturing of the mechanism. Hydraulic parts are expensive, and purchasing a new design is impractical.