Two-post lift won't go down with car on it
Even after removing the covers and manually pulling the safety locks, a gravity-drop lift can refuse to lower. This leaves owners panicked and unsure how to safely retrieve their trapped vehicle without causing damage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Manually pulling both locksDid this help you?
- 2Running the motor while holding the lowering valveDid this help you?
- 3Bypassing the locks and cracking the hydraulic fittingDid this help you?
- 4Hiring an experienced flatbed tow truck operator to carefully drag the car onto the bed.Did this help you?
- 5Calling the local fire department's non-emergency line to see if they want to use the situation for vehicle cribbing and extrication training.Did this help you?
- 6Using engine hoists, farm jacks, or portable gantry lifts on the corners to level and slowly lower the vehicle.Did this help you?
- 7Carefully bleeding the hydraulic release valve while continuously adding support blocks under the frame.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am scratching my head on how to resolve this, hopefully with the car in tact/minor damage but you can judge that for yourselves!”source ↗
“I’m frozen in a state of panic and wanting to do the right thing.”source ↗
“i have a rotary spoa9 two post lift that’s not going down, it’s a gravity drop lift.”source ↗
“so how can i get my vehicle off the lift?”source ↗
“i pulled the covers off and manually pulled both locks, they are not catching”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3What to do when your car is wedged against a garage wall
- 14How to get a rusted suspension part unstuck
- 2How to fix a car part dragging behind the gas tank
- 8How to change a brake light when the rear door won't open
- 7Does it matter where you put a car jack on the pinch weld?
- 3Engine stalls or seizes while driving