Two JD cans to disassemble the packaging and four or five (or was it six
) to assemble it.
I really should have taken pictures but someone else has done the hard work for me, see here;
http://www.mako.com.au/buick/hoist/
The Hoist in these pictures is very close to mine, except that my motor/hydraulic unit looks a little different. In fact, one of the pictures where they are standing under the car is about as high as mine goes currently due to my roof restriction. I can't wait to be able to get it to full height!!!
I actually assembled mine without reading the instructions, (they were at the bottom of the motor/hydraulic box) which meant I had to do a couple of things twice. I will add though, that it is quite straight forward to put together.
EDIT: I should have added that it actually took around 4 to 5 hours total for two people.