Abstract: A hoist lifting apparatus for vehicles has a pair of spaced posts and a carriage slidably mounted for vertical movement in each post and secured to load bearing arms for supporting a vehicle. A locking assembly is pivotally mounted on each carriage for locking it in a selected, raised position. The post has a wall facing the carriage with a series of vertically spaced openings, and a locking arm pivotally mounted on the carriage is biased into successive openings as the carriage is raised. Once the desired height is reached, the carriage is lowered slightly in order to lock the arm in a selected opening. A release cam is pivotally mounted on the locking arm and acts to release the locking arm from the selected opening when the carriage is raised slightly from a locked position. A bypass member holds the locking arm in the retracted position as the carriage is lowered after release of the lock.