Choosing the Right Car Hoist
There's no single best hoist — there's the one that suits your space, your vehicles and the work you actually do. Here's how to narrow it down.
Start with what you're doing
2 post — the workshop standard
Lifts the vehicle by the chassis, leaving the wheels hanging free. Full access to suspension, brakes, exhaust and drivetrain.
Choose this if you're pulling wheels regularly, doing brakes and suspension, or running a workshop where turnaround matters.
Watch out for ceiling height, and a slab that needs to take the anchor loads.
4 post — storage and drive-on work
Drive straight on, lift on the wheels. Easier and quicker for one person, and it doubles as a parking solution — park one car above another.
Choose this if you want storage, do a lot of servicing and exhaust work, or want something you can use without thinking about lift points.
Watch out for the wheels-on limitation — you'll want a rolling bridge jack to lift the wheels free for brake work.
Scissor — tight spaces
Sits low, lifts from underneath, packs away to almost nothing.
Choose this if your ceiling is low, your space is tight, or you want something that disappears when it's not in use.
Watch out for less underside access than a two post.
Truck hoists
For anything heavier than a light commercial. Our four post truck range runs from 6.5 tonne up to 15 tonne, plus wireless mobile column lifts for buses, trucks and heavy fleet.
Then the configuration questions
Base plate or clear floor?
Base plate runs the cables and hydraulic lines through a steel plate across the floor between the columns. Needs less ceiling height — often the answer in a shed. You drive over a low plate.
Clear floor runs everything through an overhead beam, leaving the floor completely open. Better for rolling jacks, drainers and tool chests. Needs more headroom.
In a domestic shed, base plate wins more often than people expect.
Symmetric or asymmetric arms?
Symmetric — all four arms the same length, vehicle sits centred between the columns. Better for long vehicles and utes.
Asymmetric — shorter front arms, longer rear arms, so the car sits roughly a third forward and two thirds back. The driver's door clears the column. If you're getting in and out while it's up, this is much easier to live with.
Then capacity
Match the hoist to your heaviest vehicle, not your usual one. Add a margin.
| Capacity | Suits |
|---|---|
| 3.5–4 t | Cars, small SUVs, most domestic use |
| 4.5 t | 4WDs, utes, vans, light commercial — the most common choice |
| 5 t | Heavier 4WDs, dual cabs with trays, workshop duty |
| 6 t | Light trucks, heavy commercial vans |
| 6.5–15 t | Trucks, buses, heavy fleet |
A loaded dual-cab ute with a tray and canopy is heavier than most people guess. If you're between two sizes, go up.
A shortcut
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| Home shed, standard ceiling, one or two cars | 4.5 t base plate two post, or a four post if you want storage |
| Home shed, low ceiling | 2.4 m low profile two post, or a scissor lift |
| Home shed, thin slab | YL-140B, built for thinner concrete |
| Workshop, general servicing | 4.5 t or 5 t clear floor two post |
| Workshop, wheel alignment | Dedicated alignment hoist — YL-4.0B, YL-4600 or YL-6500 |
| Workshop, storage or drive-on | 4 post |
| Trucks and heavy fleet | YL-6500 through YL-15, or mobile column lifts |
Still stuck?
Ring us. Tell us your ceiling height, what you're lifting and what you'll be doing with it, and we'll tell you which one — including if the answer is "none of ours".
"Great hoist — easy to fit, great after sales support when I needed advice for the fine adjustments. Handles my Landcruiser and even my triple horse float, no problem."
Phil Z, Google review