4-Post Lifts

Choosing a four-post lift

Four-post lifts are drive-on, fast to load and extremely stable. Where a two-post lift is the general repair workhorse, a four-post is the platform for alignment, commercial work and anything with a long wheelbase.

What they are good at

• Speed. Drive on and raise. No arm positioning, no hunting for jacking points.
• Stability. Load spreads across four columns, which also makes them less demanding on your floor than a two-post.
• Alignment. With turnplates and slip plates, this is the standard platform for four-wheel alignment — see whether alignment is worth adding.
• Long vehicles. Vans and light commercials load far more easily than on a two-post. Our guide to lifting vans covers what else changes.
• Storage. A second vehicle can sit underneath where space is tight.

The one limitation to plan for

The wheels stay loaded on the runways. Brakes, hubs, bearings, suspension and tyres all need the wheels off, and on a four-post that means a jacking beam — a hydraulic or air-hydraulic ram spanning the runways that lifts one axle clear.

Garages that buy a four-post for alignment and discover this afterwards usually end up buying a beam within months. It is cheaper specified up front. Our guide to jacking beams covers capacity, runway compatibility and safe use.

What to check

Runway length against the longest vehicles you handle, and drive-on and drive-off room at both ends. Clear height, remembering the vehicle sits higher on runways than on two-post arms. Capacity with margin for heavier and electric vehicles — see choosing lifting capacity. And whether the model needs a compressed air supply for its safety locks, which many do; our guide to workshop power and air covers sizing.

All lifting equipment needs a thorough examination before first use and every six months after — see our LOLER guide. Book a free site survey if you want the bay checked before ordering.