Atlas Garage PRO8000EXT + RJ35 jacks: height bought without spending floor
There is a rule of thumb in four-post storage lifts that costs people garage space: taller lifts are usually also longer lifts. Manufacturers raise the columns and extend the runways at the same time, and the buyer who only wanted more headroom underneath ends up surrendering another foot and a half of floor for runway they never asked for.
The PRO8000EXT was engineered around exactly that complaint. It delivers 79″ (6′ 7″) of clearance beneath the raised runway — enough to park an SUV or a pickup under a car — while keeping the runways at the shorter length. If you want the headroom of the larger lift in the range but not its extra width and runway length, this is the model that exists for you. It is rated at 8,000 lbs, runs on ordinary 110V power, and this package includes two RJ35 sliding bridge jacks.
Will It Fit?
Storage lifts fail their owners on ceiling height and on the garage door, in that order. Measuring is the buyer’s responsibility — take five minutes with a tape now rather than a photograph of a problem later.
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Ceiling. Columns stand 8′ 2 1/2″. That is the lift alone, before the vehicle on top. Then check your garage door: a sectional door’s track and opener are the most common conflict at this height, and they conflict at the ceiling rather than at the columns.
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Clearance underneath. 79″ (6′ 7″) under the runways. Measure your lower vehicle at its tallest point — roof rails, aerial, roof box — not at the roofline.
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Lifting height. 7′ 1/4″ to the top of the runway.
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Floor length. 17′ 2 3/4″ overall including the approach ramp, of which the ramp is 37″ (3′ 1″). The runways are 13′ 9 3/4″ long and the columns are 13′ 1 1/2″ apart. Maximum wheelbase is 12′ 9 1/2″ — check that against your vehicle before anything else.
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Floor width. 115″ (9′ 7″) overall with the motor, 8′ 8 1/2″ without it. Clearance between the columns is 7′ 10 1/2″ and the drive-through is 6′ 8 1/2″.
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Track width. The runways are 37″ (3′ 1″) apart, or 2′ 7 1/2″ between the rails, with 6′ 2 5/8″ across the outside edges. The driving surface is 18 3/4″ wide, 21 1/4″ including the rails, and 4 1/2″ thick.
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Power. 110V, with a 30 amp breaker required.
The height-versus-length trade, spelled out
Most people buying a storage lift want the same outcome: a car parked on the platform and the daily driver parked underneath. What decides whether that works is the clearance figure, and what decides whether you can still walk round your own garage is the overall footprint. Those two pull against each other on almost every lift on the market.
The PRO8000EXT is the compromise resolved in favour of the first without conceding the second. You get the clearance needed for a taller vehicle below, on a footprint that suits a normal two-car garage rather than a purpose-built shop. The honest limit of that approach is wheelbase: at 12′ 9 1/2″ maximum, this lift is sized for cars, SUVs and standard-cab pickups. If you are putting a long-bed crew cab on it, you want a longer model in the range and you should call us rather than hope.
Free-standing, and what holds the load
The lift is free-standing and portable on the included caster kit, so it does not have to be bolted down and it can be repositioned. Runways are diamond plated. The safety system is a lock ladder with double locks and a single-point release, meaning all four corners come off the locks together — a lift that releases unevenly is the failure mode the single-point design removes.
The routine that goes with any lock ladder: raise past your target height, then set the lift down onto the locks and let steel hold the load before you or anything else goes underneath. The hydraulic system is for lifting. The locks are for holding.
Two RJ35 jacks: wheels-free without plumbing anything in
On its own, a four-post lift holds the vehicle by its tires. Fine for parking, useless for brakes. Each RJ35 sliding bridge jack in this package rolls along the runways and takes the vehicle by the frame, so wheels come off with the lift still doing the heavy work.
What makes them practical in a home garage is what they do not need. They are manual, hand-pump operated, rated at 3,500 lbs each: no air line to plumb, no circuit to run, nothing to fail when the lift has sat unused over a winter. The scissor mechanism lifts the pad squarely rather than swinging it through an arc, and there are multiple safety lock positions rather than a single one, so the jack itself can be set down on a lock at whatever height suits the job. Width adjusts from 2′ 5 1/2″ to 5′ 4 3/4″, arms adjust to reach real lifting points, and each jack weighs 350 lbs — worth knowing before you plan how they get onto the runways.
Perfect For
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Two cars in one bay — the reason most of these are bought, and what the clearance figure is really about.
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Owners of taller daily drivers who want the SUV or truck underneath rather than the other way round.
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Standard-depth garages where a longer lift simply will not leave room to get past it.
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Home mechanics who want to service as well as store, which is what the two jacks are for.
What’s in the Box
- Two RJ35 sliding bridge jacks, each with a 4-piece truck adapter set — adapter heights are two each of 1.5″ and 5″, fitting a 1.5″ peg.
- A polyurethane-wheeled caster kit for moving the assembled lift.
- Steel ramps for driving on, and a steel tray for the jacks.
- Drip trays, wheel stops and a pair of rubber chocks.
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Not supplied: hydraulic fluid, electrical installation, assembly labour.
Lift Dimensions
| Capacity |
8,000 lbs |
| Clearance under runways |
79″ (6′ 7″) |
| Lifting height, top of runway |
7′ 1/4″ |
| Height of columns |
8′ 2 1/2″ |
| Overall length with approach ramp |
17′ 2 3/4″ |
| Runway length |
13′ 9 3/4″ |
| Maximum wheelbase |
12′ 9 1/2″ |
| Overall width with motor |
115″ (9′ 7″) |
| Drive-through |
6′ 8 1/2″ |
| Motor |
110V, 30 amp breaker |
| Shipping weight |
1,850 lbs |
RJ35 Sliding Jacks
| Capacity, each |
3,500 lbs |
| Operation |
Manual hand pump |
| Width range |
2′ 5 1/2″ to 5′ 4 3/4″ |
| Maximum raised height |
11″, or 17 1/4″ with adapters |
| Shipping weight, each |
350 lbs |
Certification, stated honestly
The data we hold for this lift does not carry an independent North American lift safety listing. We say so because the alternative is letting you assume one way or the other about a machine that will hold a car over your head. In a private garage this is rarely a practical issue. It becomes one when an insurer, a landlord, a shared-premises agreement or a local inspection regime specifically requires equipment with a recognised third-party listing. If that describes your situation, get the requirement in writing from whoever is imposing it and speak to us before you order.
Shipping and Delivery
This package ships as freight to the lower 48 states. At 1,850 lbs for the lift alone, plus the jacks, it is a forklift-or-dock delivery — the driver will not bring it into your garage. Warehouse pickup is available and the locations are listed further down this page. Residential delivery can be arranged and carries a fee, quoted live at checkout because carrier rates change.
Before you sign, check what came off the truck. Count the crates against the paperwork, look for punctures, crushed corners and banding that has moved, and write any damage or shortage on the bill of lading with the driver there. A clean signature is the carrier’s evidence the shipment arrived intact, and it is the single thing most likely to sink a claim you deserve to win.
Warranty
The lift carries 2 years structural and 1 year hydraulic, parts only. Each RJ35 jack carries 1 year parts only. Parts only means the covered part is supplied and fitting labour is not.
One rule that applies to everything we sell: do not disassemble a component you intend to claim on. A part that has been taken apart is very hard to assess and it is the most common reason a legitimate claim stalls. Photograph the fault, leave the assembly as it is, and contact us first.
