Is this the perfect home DIY car hoist? | Auto Expert John Cadogan 

Thanks to Rohan at Hero Hoists for inviting me to his event and making this video possible. Hero Hoists portable single-post lift: bit.ly/3F8Lakr Hero Hoists single-post lift specs (PDF): bit.ly/3VSCVzv

John, I’m loving the variety of content you’re putting out lately. I think I’ve watched every single episode you’ve put out in the past 5 or so years and the past few months have been absolutely stellar. Thank you.

Apart from the expertise and sound advice and sometimes absolutely fearless critiques of some car manufacturers, I've also enjoyed the humour. This time I have to say you've surpassed yourself, a thoroughly enjoyable video. Good luck with the handbags.

The problem with 2 post hoists these days is the parts supply problem. Chances are some parts will be required mid-job and the part may take ages to come. This leaves you with the only option to reassemble the car to the point where it can be moved just so it can work on something else. With this, you could lower the job onto stands and pull the lift out and continue to work.

I am that 'special someone' and I want one of these hoists for my farm workshop! Loving your content. Thanks for that.

It was great to meet you tube royalty at my workshop on Saturday mate big shout out to Rohan from hero hoists what an awesome product have many of their products in my shop am so impressed with the gear cheers mark

Thank you John, I did not know I needed one of these until I seen this video. No more laying on the floor to do oil changes anymore. 😎

I feel like you were literally talking directly to me for those last 40 seconds. I wasn't thinking about a portable single post hoist when I started watching. Now I am.

Great episode John. Having spend many years on my back under a car in the driveway, I finally invested in a hoist! I have found nirvana. It's the best thing I have bought and I encourage every car nut to stump up the cash, if they can afford it, and get one! Makes car restoration and even greater pleasure.

Thank you. I'm building a new home and have a budget for a shed with a hoist. Will be checking this out.

I can see this being very handy. I have a 2 car garage and only 1 car fits in, so I could easily store the hoist on 1 side when not in use. Ceiling height would obviously be an issue, but there’s another thing I noticed - the cross bar that connects the 2 sets of arms would likely get in the way if you were planning a gearbox removal, at least in a RWD vehicle. Great for oil changes or brake jobs, or even engine removal on a later model vehicle, where the engine has to come out from underneath. In fact it would be perfect for that, cause you could wheel the car away from the engine

I have one of these lifts, had it for two years. It's very useful but has its' limitations. It can be a faff to get a car where it is safe to lift. I ALWAYS give said car/van, whatever, a bloody good "ragging" at the rear end when it is about eighteen inches or so off the ground; better to fall from the lift at that height than 6 feet in the sky. I have a tiny business in North Wales, and this lift has been invaluable. Love the channel John 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

This is going on my lotto list , right up there with my lotto high roof 4 bay shed , and my lotto aircooled 911.

I have the Spider Lift 2500 from Hero Hoists, for basic service and detailing. It's been top notch, and easy to store.

Your content never disappoints . I'll have to have a look at car hoists as I have never seen or used one . I have used dozens of car lifts here in Pennsylvania and NY . Stay cool down there .

The handbag comparison made me laugh ,John. So true !!! Love your humour. Its a good read for sure. This unit will be on my xmas list ( just below the three handbags for my other half). thankyou. Martin

The local truck and bus workshop has 6 lifts with shorter forks, very similar, he uses them to lift prime movers and 3 axle buses, with a remote all 6 lifts work in unison, great bit of kit

Good evening mr cadogan, john,- I have 1 of Hero Hoists, a four post,, thanks Rohan, i bought their 9XL, this beaut lift is my ute storage, & has a lot of safety features and is well designed and made, (yeah chinese made but an upmarket job), it is movable with it's supplied casters and also comes with a lifetime (domestic) warranty, yep, my 4 stick hoist it's a ripper, thanks for the single poster coverage, ta too for your youness, cheers, Peter

As always good content John, love your work. My fat cave was designed during some major house renos its about a 2.5 car width garage with 3m headroom and incorporates a single post parking lift in the left bay and in ground scissor lift in the second bay this means I can park the wifes car under my MGBV8 and park our other classic Mk1 Sprite in there as well plus a motorcycle, with the scissor lift down I still have plenty of floor space. Both lifts give me a working height of about 1.8m to underside, I cant believe how much I use them both and could not manage without them now. the parking lift was about $7k installed but was way way cheaper than trying to extend the garage by another 3m. Best investment I ever made.

John, that would take all the sport out of bench pressing the toploader back into the GT. There is literally nothing better than having a toploader driving itself into your sternum while your fingers are getting jammed in the linkages and the clutch fluid is dripping in your eyes while you line up the clutch splines.

I have a different kind of car lift and it is surprising how many times I use it with 3 (old) cars. It makes jobs you wouldn't normally do so much easier that you do more work on your own vehicles. Mine was bought used and it has probably paid for itself. I was going to install a 2 post lift, if I ever build my dream shed, but this looks like a more useful alternative.

Might want to check the concrete floor condition as might not hold the stresses of a hoist!

Nice product, wish it was around when I built my shed and put in a two post hoist. Problem with a fixed hoist is you have to move the vehicle around to get it positioned correctly, what a pain, even with limit markings on the concrete. Maybe I can sell the two post...Hmmm!

Sorry for the late comment. Great gadget. When designing my current house I really wanted a hoist in the garage, but the ceiling height was only 2.4m, so that was that. On a similar note, however, I did make a lift for one of my motorbike. Pics to your email soon.

JC, mate, I've just noticed something about your video. To your right there is a machined block of steel with an array of drilled holes that we the viewer can see through (the array is 3x15). Well I notice that the holes in that array are not round, they appear to be elliptical in shape. Possibly this is caused by distortion of the aspect ratio of the video. This distortion would also have the effect of changing the aspect ratio of your image as well. Making you appear (my apologise if this triggers your sense of offence) shorter and wider. Not sure this is the image you are trying to project, but good on you if your not concerned by this unfortunate consequence of technology. Cheers.

Been around for quite some time now mate. I have been getting my truck "rego washed" every 6 months. My 9t isuzu tipper boggie gets raised by 2 of these jack hoists high enough for an average sized man to walk under it and spary everything I can't get to on the ground. These are of course designed for the applications they are intended for. I wouldn't be using the one John did to jack my truck up... this goes without saying but I feel probably should be. For those in the market I definitely recommend these... especially for the portability.

This hoist would be perfect for my needs. I have just done a trans fluid change on my Kia Sportage and I was over it getting the bottom tray off. Humping under a car is hard work I am not used to. Very satisfied with smoother changes but took a couple of days to recover. Also my Cruze is just barely high enough to get the pan under for oil changes. And me. Only twice a year but it would be the ducks nuts doing pad changes and wheel rotations. Down teepee!

Truly awesome project!

A home hoist - i need one 😍 My mate has one and it makes working on cars a dream - there is only so much you can do crewling under cars - though if i do go from a 380mm (1.8T) to 510mm (5T) jack stands that would be a noticable difference - and if I use words like SAFTEY my misses should be on board - maybe - how many handbags would that be 🤔

Hi there John Cadogan, Been watching your channel on the U TUBE for many years now and enjoy every episode and find them very educational + I enjoy the humour you throw in...👍 This hoist looks the goods and if you approve of it then must be. Unfortunately I moved some 1550+km from our previous home NSW to our new residence in QLD and part of the deal with the purchase of the the house was the owners left behind the 2 post hoist in the garage. Mechanic by trade so I knew this hoist was not a $2.50 deal of some Ubay or Wattle tree seller, It is a workshop or Dealership quality hoist. Well obviously the better half don't see the good side of the purchase, but hay I'm having fun... 🛻🛠🙇‍♀️🙋‍♂️🧑‍🔧🤣👍👍👍

Designer Bag Index… nice 👍🏼

You are a genius! "... The handbag thing..." made my day. Thank You!

I’ve got a Hero 4 post, it’s good. Rohan is very helpful.

"Value would be zero and one of us would be crushed"! Gotta love the turns of phrases employed on this channel :)

Damn I wished I had one of these hoists when I was rebuilding my 68 Mini !

I'm pleased that this comes with stabilizers. As someone who has pulled a vehicle off a 2 post lift with a torque wrench while installing a hitch, it's necessary. I got out of the way and the guy holding the wrench just stood there and let the vehicle fall beside him. Rather than go through insurance, I end up buying, fixing, and keeping it as the shop truck. Left the big dent on the side of it where it rolled into the post as a reminder to new guys. Be more careful. And bloody well pay attention and get the hell out of the way if something starts to go wrong!!!

What an uplifting video

My boss got one 3 years ago. works brilliantly.

Now you tell me! I just cut a hole in my garage slab and dug out a pit because I was sick of jacking the vehicle up. Truth be told my shed roof is too low for a hoist and I did my trade working out of pits. I am thinking of altering a tailgate hoist to make a lift instead of the usual ladder for getting in and out. A concession to age.

I have to agree with the other comments as below, I like this type pf content from you John. We do need good, no bullshit, factual reviews of equipment like this. There's nothing better than knowing all about the product before we lay out the money. Thanks for this. P.S. I don't care if you are paid to present items like this, because I think most folks who would ask for your opinion would know that you will expose bullshit rather promptly.

Gidday John,. I use a set up called a MaxJax for QLD, which is a portable twin post hoist for the home garage. It is bolted to the concrete floor when in use and wheeled away when not. It has multiple safe lock heights, a separate hydraulic pump trolley and all stores away when not in use. I have a domestic garage which is a little higher than a standard roof line. I can't stand under my various cars, but sit on a mechanic stool and work under them. The bonus is that I can set up one to the pump and use it as a single post fork for my motorcycles. 15 min set up or pack up too. Just FYI should you wish to look into it whilst on this topic. All the best.

Wow! I want one.

I've seen my 1.2 ton car on a lift exactly like that, It seemed very clever but I can't say I really liked it when up in the air. Some extra support under the front and rear would considerably ease my mind if I was to work with one of them myself. Probably useful to have tall stands like that anyway.

hi Consider your options ,there are many . Then consider inside or outside . [upside down rams are protected from weather . Height /width ,, ,, angled posts or straight ,,, some std. support arms are very heavy to move so pick low weight /profile option . Some hoists can only be changed at time of ordering , some can be reconfigured after purchase . . If it lives outside splash covers [partly waterproofing ] will be needed . Have hoist under a single side carport is a great idea .

Nice hoist...how do I remove the gearbox out of the vehicle with a pallet jack hoist? Technically a 2 post clear floor hoist is better for actually working on a vehicle and rated at 4.5 ton. The pallet jack hoist might be OK for tyre service business who want to work outdoors or just want an additional hoist in the workshop.

I think this absolutely a fantastic idea I was very lucky a few years ago to actually be able to buy a two post hoist and it was only $2700 I have wonted one for years and a space became available in the big shed so boom I got one But immediately it became apparent that the shed was now ruined and I put it as close to the wall as possible We use it at least half a dozen times a year and I wish I could stick a photo in here to show the platform I made for it so I can drive my ride on mower on to service it It is especially good for blade sharpening I do have an old falcon on it at the moment to do work on the underside I see it as a cheap useful tool and when I do move I know I will miss it greatly But that one you have showed here is really all I needed and not ruined the shed And it didn’t cost me one Gucci bag 😂😂 Though I do have a bmw sedan in the garage now 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Thanks for the advice, yeah the hoist looks alright also.

Great video. Better start buying handbags for Christmas.

Great product for those that have enough space. Few years ago, I went to Germany for work and a friend of mine needed to do some work in his car, no tools or hoists, he rented a hoist with tools in a massive workshop for 16Euro an hour. I haven't seen anything similar in Brisbane, maybe NSW has something similar?

Got a 3 t scissor lift in a shallow pit in the front garden/ drive. It’s boarded over till required, tarps under boards and white greased all over so damp won affect it. The pit is 14” deep with a big soak away and heavy concrete pad so the whole thing is well stable. I can get my lwb Landy in the air in 15 minutes, level stable and safe to adjust brake’s change oils etc and I’ve made four cribs to lower it onto so the lift goes back to ground level and the the vehicle is 20” up on its wheels. Piss easy to work on chassis exhaust props differential etc and totally safe. The missus gave me her blessing to get and install and it cost me nearly two grand ( uk) to buy. Two hundred quid for carriage but it’s over half a ton of steel! Made in china but to a British firms spec. All welds good, very thick steel and I’m using two thirds it’s capacity. At sixty it’s a worthwhile investment, I could do all this with blocks and jacks but it would take a lot of effort and time, and now I can go up , then down for one bolt, then up again, at the touch of a button.

Mate, that hoist looks awesome.

These things have their place and uses but they are a poor cousin to a high quality 2 or 4 post. I would recommend that you make a marine ply table top for it when not in use so you don't have 2.6m x 1.4m of dead space in your garage. I have a Ravaglioli clear floor 2 poster. Love it. Upped my game and changed my life.

Good place to store the boat if you have the hight, cheaper than extending.

I'd love one. At 75, I'm over crawling under cars to work on them. Too bad my garage is too low to accept one.

in my experience the handbag requirements never stop its an ongoing arrangement

Hoists are pretty fancy, back in my day we had a hole in the ground and were thankful for it Actually, being thrown down 'teh pit' as a teenage me wasn't much fun and was just a pit of oil slicked misery with a dash of suffering mixed in

Interesting subject - interesting product.

Cars be damned. Last thing I laid under was a glass topped coffee table.

My knees tell me it’s time for a hoist.

Might need to stick some cushions on the ceiling of the garage if height is marginal. Maybe from an old sofa. And a whoopee cushion stuck to the underside of the sofa cushion to alert you when contact is made. As for finding the lift point one could take the car around a sloping bike track and see how much the car wants to lean down at the front or the back (usually the front because engine) to decide how biased the centre of gravity is with respect to the front or back.

Decades ago, I saw in a garage magazine a car rotating jack. The car get fastened by the wheel studs on one side, then the whole car get rotated 90 degrees and you have the whole bottom of the car vertical and in front of you. For that, you will need another parking space next to the car to rotate to. It is like driving a car on a wall. Now I don't know who used to make them or what you call them anymore. maybe you do ??

John, your shirt. It is awesome. You could do shirt merch. "So there's that." "Aluminium shitwa." Etc.

I want one. I have no place to put it, and I have no use for it...but I want it. 😂🤣

As a semi retired ex-mechanic, a hoist at home would be the ultimate convenience. Unfortunately, I'd have to win lotto, and buy a house with a decent garage, or space for a decent garage, first. So, I guess I'll need to stick with the trolley jack and stands, and try not to annoy the shared driveway neighbors for now :)

I'm sure it's perfectly stable, well engineered, and suitably strong. It still scares the crap out of me. The front-to-back stability seems very questionable, especially if you're changing center of mass by removing a transmission, engine, or both. However, I feel I must acknowledge that I'm biased and unable to approach this as rationally as I should, as I had a vehicle tip forward off a lift and almost crush me and three other technicians, destroying a 1930 Ford Model A family heirloom in the process. John, should you feel so inclined, I would love to see a breakdown on the physics and geometry of this lift. Break my bias! :)

I'm not sure how you got to that particular handbag:hoist ratio, John. According to my sums, one of those hoists is only around 1/3rd the price of a Birkin.

Thought about a hoist but space it was mainly for services on own vehicles but what do U think of oil extractor you put down the dipstick and suck the oil out compared to mucking around under cars paying ridiculous prices for oil and filter changers 😊

John looking at that Triton front on while up on that hoist didn't impress me what so ever because it was sitting slightly downward on the offside it maybe great for a lighter car or ute but would be no way I would work under that Triton.

Having had access to a car hoist at a friendly workshop near where I work, $5,500 is cheap I'd suggest. On the production line all the mechanical bits are put in from underneath, so having a hoist is so much easier, $5.5K is a bargain.

My only negative thought is it probably wouldn't be much fun if you were intending to pull a gearbox. It's probably going to find a place as a second hoist for workshops looking to expand capacity for servicing and minor repairs

Dear Santa, can you fit a 750 kg portable hoist in your sleigh when you visit my house in a couple of weeks...

About the only fault i can see with this hoist is anything to do with gearbox/transfer case possibly tailshaft exhaust. Purely because of that arm reaching across the floor to lift the outside of the car. I wonder if they would consider making a 2 part version of this with a link arm across the floor so they couldnt spread apart and remove the single long lift arm in favour of 2 sets.

Way to go Dig

Would love one of these, but my 4wd is GVM'd to 3850kg. Checked that website, the 2.5tonner is the biggest. Did he mention they were looking at doing a 4tonner in the future?

I have waffle pod slab. Had to resort to quickjacks. They're fine I guess but still low.

I love that t shirt.

The work-safe inspector would like to have a word with your dog. He breached the SWIMS by walking under a heavy load.

You complete bastard. I want one. It won’t cost 3 handbags it will be a new home with the right size garage. Actually it will only be a garage with bathroom attached cause I’ll be living on my own…..

I went to Rivo high played footy for Rivo....mum still there lol

If floor not that level be interesting to see it rolling by itself with the car on it.

I don't even have a shed but I want one.

wrap it up i,ll take it

Damit John. You understand relationships with the same level of expertise as mechanical engineering.

My only questions I have are. Can it be stored outside the shed, and an old gq patrol weighs in at 2050kg Adding a bull bar, winch, dual battery system, roof rack and a drawer system how would that cope, I’m thinking it’s probably sitting at around the 2500kg mark and questioning the safety of a big wide beast on it. If it’s all A okay I’ll buy one. I don’t t like testing the rigours on the max level every time. I work with tools and machines everyday and in this scenario I’m looking for a hoist that lifts up to 3 tonne. Do you know if there is any upgrades that could be added for the safety of maximum load every time. It could even be pushing 2.6 tonnes to be honest.

Nice, innovative, buuuut I'd feel a lot safer with a two post with chunky locking pins engaged.

hi john it's certainly a game changer if space is limited, just curious it may sound silly but you didn'nt mentsion if hoist the hoist wheels lock or the weight keeps it place. you may think i'm as dumb as dog shit for asking but i can deal with that. cheers mate two thumbs up!.

Would it work on a warm pavement (bitumen?) driveway or sink in?

"What do you want for Christmas son?"..

I wish I had a hoist. With my previous car, I would have to bend my body in ways a body should never bend to get to the oil filter. And then be left with weeks of wrist pain.

I put a two post in a few years ago, it scares me enough I don’t know if my ticker would cope with this

Wow. Just imagine how many top shelf hoists you could have by not buying said 3 designers handbags. The mind boggles.

I'm going to buy my darling wife a hoist for Xmas. I have no doubt she'll appreciate it...

John just a note of caution when I gave you a tick, the number 666 ticked over is that a warning or what! Maybe include that overseas trip as well! You can never have enough insurance or goodwill!

LMFAO! Love the shirt John!

I have spent months salivating over these on Alibaba. I'm a mechanic and I tried getting some work mates excited about them, but they simply didn't trust the design. Now John has vindicated my beliefs and I'm going to stop listening to those wankers

I need this hoist dammit.

It's an interesting concept for sure, and I am not insulting or denigrating the manufacturer, but I am not 100% sure I would trust a single post cantilevered portable hoist under the operation of any old untrained cashed up Shitsvillian Bogan. Probably goes double for anyone who doesn't recognise this potential issue!

Love the idea of the lift, but I need to get a fat cave first.

What's your opinion of the CX5 in diesel John?

According to the Website, you can't buy any presently. "On order" or "Out of stock." (Seems the same to me.)