Car hoists are used in the automotive maintenance and repair industries to help vertically lift a vehicle so work can be done to the tires or underbody. They are vital in all auto body shops, oil change shops and anywhere car maintenance is performed regularly.  They are not designed for at-home use, since they are not cost effective unless used frequently.
Car hoists are either hydraulically or electrically powered, and in most cases, cars weighing between 3000 and 5000 pounds are able to be lifted by electrically powered car hoists, which are less powerful but also much less expensive. Hydraulic hoists are usually employed for heavy duty industrial lifting applications. There are many different car hoists available today, each with their own specifications including load capacity, lift length and maximum speed. The most important factor to consider is load capacity, or the maximum amount of weight the car hoist can safely lift above the ground without giving out or damaging its system. These types of hoists, as their name implies, are only employed in the automotive industry. Car manufacturing facilities, engineers and designers, oil change stations, auto body garages and mechanics all use car hoists on a regular basis.
There are two main types of electrically powered car hoists-deep-pit, which are older models that require more space for larger, heavier vehicles, or shallow-pit, which take up less space and are much less expensive to purchase but can only be used for lighter, smaller vehicles. Both provide easy access to the car's underbody without the use of a car jack. Sometimes car hoists are used to assist a car jack, which cannot lift a whole car. While 4 car jacks, one on each side, will lift a car and keep it elevated, using a hoist is much safer, easier to set up and easier to balance. When operating an electric car hoist, safe operation should be a main concern, especially since an employee is often working underneath the elevated vehicle. The load must be even in order to properly hoist the car. Car hoists are either of 2 post or 4 post construction. This refers to the number of vertical metal beams that the platforms move up and down on. The more the posts, the better support and the more weight the hoist can handle at once.
