It is a tight fit in my garage, but I knew that going in.   Being able to use the full width and height of the hoist would make it even better.   Even with my limitations it is still worth it.

Due to my ceiling height, the E-type and 450SLC always sit on the top.   I can modify the ceiling past the last beam to get about another 5-8cm of clearance which I will do at some point.  That will allow the SEC to go up top as well.  Generally the 560SEC and DS park below.  The DS must be put on its lowest suspension setting to park underneath.   I try not to park the 250SE underneath as I don’t want a chance of an oil drip on the soft top.

What I like about the hoist:

• It is easy to use and doesn’t require air lines to release the locks.
• It seems sturdy and well made.
• I was able to put it together myself, although it was not an easy task.
• I was able to slightly modify it for my setup.

What I am not as keen on:

• The ramps are really heavy.   To the point I have split two set of pants moving them!
• I find the rods for the locking mechanism a bit flimsy and in the way.
• The aluminium inserts were very expensive, so I had a lot of drips until I made my own wood inserts.

The main downside of the hoist is that it can be a bit of a production to get down the top cars.  By the time three other cars are moved and the hoist lowered, a car extracted then the first three cars put back in the garage, it takes 30-40 minutes.     The double hoist means both lower cars must be moved.    I didn’t have the width for two hoists, and it would have cost 50% more.   Plus, the extra posts would have been in the way.

At some point I may look at some lighter ramps to use as an alternative.

The post Side by Side Parker one year ownership report appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The challenge I had with the locking mechanism was that a 1M rod needed to be installed from the rear of the hoist.   I did not have this much clearance.   To solve the issue, I cut the T-piece off the rod with an angle grinder and drilled out the bit of rod left in the hole.    I then purchased an M12x1.75 threaded rod from Bunnings warehouse and was able to get that rod into the hoist from the underside.   I then used nuts and washers to affix the T-piece back on the threaded rod.

This worked fairly well and the locks are now functioning as they should.   This hoist has two sets of locks and they look quite robust.

I also wanted to make a minor adjustment to the placement of the hoist.   This is no problem as it comes with a castor kit.  It was a pretty simple matter to install it and move the hoist about 200mm.   I was able to do this on my own.

The hoist is a tight fit for me, but worth it to get two more cars into my warehouse.   As outlined in the last part, I need to investigate adjusting the drop ceiling to gain an extra 100-120mm.   This will provide more flexibility for the upper cars.    Unfortunately this is probably not going to be enough height to use the 9th lock position.   Using the 9th would have allowed the Traction to be stored underneath.   The final configuration will probably be E-Type and SLC on top and DS/560SEC down below.

In the future, I may investigate an LED kit for the underside of the ramps.   I may also look at getting some wooden inserts to fully protect from drips.   Hero Hoists offer an aluminum insert kit, but its quite pricy.  It also covers the middle of the hoist between the ramps.   This wouldn’t apply in my case as I have shifted the second set of ramps to the right.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 4 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

While the unlock rod is not working I can manually unlock the hoist if I need to.   I was able to position the hoist at the height setting I’ll likely be using it and park the 250SE underneath.

The hoist is a three phase 415v model.  It was no extra charge and since I have three phase power I might as well use it.   The motor should be more efficient and last longer.

Today I did final checks and looked to balance the hoist.   It was odd because one corner was about 10cm off the rest which seemed strange.  On closer inspection I found that the cable had come off its runner.   This probably happened when I first applied power to the motor.

As can be seen in the picture, there are rods to stop this from happening.  Fixing the problem is pretty easy – put the hoist on its locks to take tension off the cable, disconnect it from the post and remove that rod.   It is now easy to re-route the cable and re-install the rod.

Once I had positioned the hoist I was able to measure how much space I would have at various positions.   At the most likely one I will have 1344mm above and 1559 below.  This should allow me to have the E-Type and 450SLC on top and most cars (Traction excepted) below.   I do have the possibility of raising the false ceiling about 120mm to give a bit more room up top which I will investigate in due course.   The 250SE is there now, but as it is the widest car I own, it will not usually park under the hoist.

Concluded in part 4.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 3 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The motor is quite heavy, but straightforward to get mounted.   A hydraulic fitting needs to be screwed into the motor so it can drive the hoists hydraulic cylinder.   The hydraulic fluid chamber also must be filled.   The motor can be mounted either at the front or back of the post.   Even though it may be slightly more awkward to operate, mounting it at the back will save space.

Next was to install the mechanism to release the locks.   This involves a serious of rods that are controlled by a handle near the power unit.   This was proceeding quite well when I noticed a problem.   To fit the rods to connect the rear lock release, a rod must be inserted that is about a meter long.   I don’t have a meter of clearance at the back of the hoist.   Due to the posts in the workshop, I don’t have that much space to move it forward to add in this rod.

I may need to find a way of cutting this rod so it can be inserted from underneath.  If I cut it, I will need to find a way of re-joining it, so perhaps having threads added?   The picture below shows the rod on the right with the T-piece at the end.   This T-piece means I cannot install it from the bottom.    This is the only thing I have left to do before the core installation is done.

I may not be able to solve this by Christmas.   At least having the power connected should allow me to raise it to the highest level so I can park cars underneath until I can find an alternate to this rod.

Continued in Part 3.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 2 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The idea was to be able to take a 4th car for storage and still have room for my cars plus a workspace.   Hero Hoists offer two models of the side by side parker.   the regular one and the high lift model.    The high lift model is probably the better value, but its a bit deeper too and I couldn’t fit the extra depth nor need the higher lifting capacity.    Personally, I would have found it better if the smaller model was narrower by 200-500mm.

I found Hero Hoists to be pretty easy to deal with during the buying process.   I was able to come out and look at a similar model on the weekend and they were able to answer all my questions.   The price is reasonable for what you get.    One slight downside was that the shipping took a lot longer than anticipated.   Obviously this is not completely in their control but worth noting.

Hero Hoists are not a manufacturer.   They have an OEM relationship with Advantage Lifts (in the USA) who have the hoists manufactured.    Therefore there is a lot of information about the Advantage lifts that can be found on the internet.   I was quite impressed with the inclusions including caster kit, jack trays, drip trays etc.   The hoists also appeared to be well constructed and sturdy.     These lifts do not require compressed air to free the locks, which I see as a big advantage.

Based on the videos that explain how to assemble the lift, I figured that my Brother and I could do it.   Professional installation is quite expensive and you still need an electrician to connect it.    The delayed shipping meant the hoist only arrived the day before he was moving to Perth so I only had him for a few hours.

The hoist arrived on a tilt tray and realistically you would need access to a portable forklift or an engine stand to remove it.   I was very lucky in that the time the hoist arrived my neighbour at the workshop (who has a forklift) was around.  He was able to help unload the hoist from the truck.

The hoist is seriously heavy – the delivery package weighs more than 1.5 tonnes.   Unfortunately, the forklift is too tall to fit into my workshop.   We were able to use it to get the hoist close to the door.    If you didn’t have the forklift you would need to use an engine stand and remove one piece at a time.

The hoist is extremely well packed.   The pieces are bolted together and there is plenty of cardboard and bubble wrap.   From here, a portable hoist would be highly reconnected.   This lift is heavy duty and very heavy.

The two heaviest pieces are the cross beams.   To get them into the warehouse,  we lifted up one end at a time and inserted some wood blocks under each end.   This gave enough clearance to lift the cross beams up with the forklift and lower them down onto my car dollies.   The car dollies made it easy to wheel them inside.

Next are the ramps.   The power ramp has a hydraulic cylinder inside and is extremely heavy.   We needed to borrow some neighbours to lift it off.   Even with four men it is quite heavy.   We were then able to lower it onto a car that raises hydraulically about a meter.   We used the cart to bring in all four ramps, with the power ramp last so it was still on the cart.

The posts are comparatively light.   They can be moved by one person at a pinch but with two its very easy.    Using the cross beam on the dollies, were were able to position them roughly where they should be.   We were then able to push the cross beams onto their side and insert the posts from the bottom.   As our cart moves up a meter, we used the lowest lock to position the cross beam.  Once the cross beam has both posts inserted, it is a relatively simple operation to stand it up.

To position the power ramp, we used the cart to raise it higher than the cross beams.   We could then position it and gently lower it down onto the cross beams.

At that point my brother needed to leave but the heavy work was mostly done.   I was able to manoeuvre the ramps onto the cart and use the cart to position them where they needed to go.   A floor jack was helpful to bring the last ramp up from floor level to make the lift onto the cart easier.

Minor adjustments are possible once the ramps are in place.   Next step is the control cables.  I found the videos to be far more useful than the manual which is for the generic four poster.   One item that is not covered in the videos is the extending of the hydraulic cylinder.  This is mentioned in the manual.   If this is not extended then there is not enough length to connect the control cables to the top of the posts.

Each post has a top cap that allows the cables to be installed.   The cable routing is quite easy once you have watched that section of the video a couple of times.

 Next step is installing the locking actuators and the motor assembly.    I have an electrician coming later in the week to hook up the power.

Continued in part 2.

The post Hero Hoists Side by Side Parker Installation Part 1 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.