Two post lift help

[Jimeconda]

Its finally come I got a atlas 12k certified 2 post lift. No more crawling around on the floor for this guy. Anyway Im looking for a side pic of a 4th gen quad cab dually 4x4 on lift I no where my center of gravity is but cant find explanation of where the two post should be in relation or do you just split the difference on the arms also there is very little info out there for referencing the lifting point on these trucks. Thanks in advance pardon my confusion.

 

[jhenderson]

Pretty much as you're picture shows. I extend the rear arms as far as possible to get to the frame just before it begins to sweep up. Watch the fuel tank. It's easy to catch a corner of the lift shoe. On the other side check that you don't pinch the harness that hangs at frame level. That allows me to use the front arms in a shorter extension to get to the reinforcement on the radius arm. The front being heavier, I prefer not to stretch the front reach.

 

[BigPapa]

A lot of people don't realize it's a lot easier to pull the truck in far enough to open the door past the post, leave it in neutral, and roll it into place. Use a piece of 2X4 to scotch the wheel if needed.

 

[Wayne M.]

A lot of people don't realize it's a lot easier to pull the truck in far enough to open the door past the post, leave it in neutral, and roll it into place. Use a piece of 2X4 to scotch the wheel if needed.

That's exactly what I do.

Setting up a truck like this is one of the most difficult vehicles to grab on a lift of this type.
For the front, Usually it's the frame right behind the control arm and the rear can be the spring hangar or on the frame just ahead of the hangar with spacers.

 

[Jimeconda]

Thanks for the responses. Once I get it all wired up I'll be testing it out. Alot of weight up above you and I would hate to drop my truck only has 16k on a 2012

 

[Wayne M.]

So Jimeconda, is that your setup in the lead picture? Atlas? Looks to be a hydraulic setup. Any cables or chains? Can you explain the mechanism and how the safeties work? Did you consider any other brands?

 

[Jimeconda]

Yes this is my setup. It is an atlas 12k ALI certified lift. The lifting mechanism is a electric motor driving a hydraulic pump to a cylinder in each post. It has 2 equalizing cables that you can adjust to make sure both arms raise evenly and the safety system is a single point release. About every 4 inches you hear the safety latches kicking in as it goes up once you have gotten to the height you like simply lower it to till it rest on the mechanical safeties and off of the hydraulics. I did consider other brands such as Bendpak, Mohawk and challenger just to name a few. The drive through width of the lift was one of my deciding factors as I have a dually and wanted to be able to pull in or drive all the way through. The price was the other deciding factor $3200 if you picked it up. A buddy of mine runs a junkyard and they have the 10k certified atlas and he is using them daily with no issues.

 

[Wayne M.]

Very nice and good luck. I'm about 1-1/2 year away from doing this. So excited. If you're unsure of your setup, once the wheels are about 6" off ground, grab the rear bumper and rock the boat. Hard. I'm not kidding, I feel that saved my bacon once. And after some thought, THE hardest vehicle to set up is a full size van with low running boards.
Now you need to raid the Norhern tool catalog for oil drains, screw jacks and all those trimmings!
Have fun!

 

[BSeyler]

You will really enjoy having that lift in your shop! When we built our new shop last year, we installed one and it's one of the best things I ever did - I just wish I could have had one 30 years ago. I made a cradle to hold the back tires on the zero turn mower and now I can lift it to change blades. It makes changing oil on our Gator easy and when I installed my unit heater, I used the lift to put it up on my scaffold. My creeper now is seldom used.

 

[sag2]

This is from the FSM. Also many technicians use a HD high stand on the rear hitch to add a little support especially if removing a transmission or axle that will change the COG.View attachment Lifting points Ram 3500.pdf