Hi everyone, I apologize in advance for bringing this up because I’m sure it’s been beaten to death somewhere else but I’d really appreciate some input on my particular case. Me and a buddy have spent a couple days installing my new bendpak 10apx lift and I’m heavily concerned on the depth of the anchors. Admittedly we worked too fast and read the instructions minimum depth and drilled to that spec instead of going deeper. So I’ve got 6” anchor bolts and we only drilled 4” into the concrete (concrete is roughly 10” thick where the posts are and 4,000psi) and once they were tightened up they all ended up around 3 1/4”-3 1/2” embedment depth which is right at bendpaks minimum requirement. The heaviest thing I have is my pickup that weighs right around 6,000lb which I don’t think will be a concern, but I bought a 10k lift to utilize it if I ever want to throw a 9,500lb diesel on there and feel safe lifting it 6 feet in the air. I do plan on calling bendpak tomorrow and see what they say, but I’m also afraid I’ll get “that guy” that looks at the specs and just says “yeah you’re good to go!” Without having any actual real world knowledge, that’s why I’m here because I’d like to know if anyone else has a similar lift with similar embedment depth and if they’ve had any issues with heavier equipment. I’ll try to upload some pics of what I’ve got going on, and thank you to anyone that tries to help me out on this one. Also, because this has already been mistaken once, the black lines in the pic of multiple anchor bolts is just markings on the concrete, not saw cuts. Nearest saw cut to any anchor is probably 3-4 feet.
Bendpak 2 post 10k lift anchor concern
- Thread starter CPete13
- Start date
zkdiesel
Well-known member
You didn’t drill deep enough
You should always drill entire length through slab so a failed anchor can be pounded down into the stone base
You should always drill entire length through slab so a failed anchor can be pounded down into the stone base
finn
Well-known member
Not true. That was a tribal answer at one time, but the later thinking is that when you through drill the slab, the breakout of the drill creates a reverse cone on the bottom of the slab, locally thinning it.
Having said that, since he has 10” concrete, complete overkill and a waste of money for a home garage, the breakout cone isn’t going to matter in the least.
Only 10” where the posts are. Rest of the garage is 6”
firebirdparts
Well-known member
Yeah that was obvious. I don’t guess there is anything you can do now. Consider the force you put on them just by torquing compared to the force required to hold the lift down,
I know some people have used methods to take the anchors out without damaging the concrete except for some minor break out at the very top. Since I’ve got 10” of concrete there, if I can find a way to remove the anchors I’ve considered doing that and going back in with 8 1/2” anchors as deep as I can since that’ll be well past where the current anchors have expanded. Anyone here ever successfully removed wedge anchors from concrete without destroying it?
pattenp
Well-known member
Oh well... The lift installer drilled through my slab when installing my Challenger lift. I only have about a half inch of thread exposed above the nut. My slab is 4.5 - 5 inches thick.
gizardlizard
Well-known member
if you want the anchors out, you could core drill them and remove them only drilling as deep as necessary. Then you have two options: you could redrill for wedge anchors going deeper or you could drill and install epoxy anchors.
Unfortunately no because the shop has a heated floor and pex was only not laid out under where the posts would go so it’s stuck in its current location
My old boss has had luck kind of literally yanking wedge anchors out. Makes me nervous though because I can’t afford to ruin the hole or concrete so I’m not too sure about trying it. But if it did go easy then I’ve got the concrete thickness to set them like 4” deeper which wouldn't be a problem at all I’d think
That’s a very good point. I’ll be calling bendpak soon to give them my specs because it’s a 10k lift so I want to be able to put 10k pounds 6 feet in the air safely. If they’re adamant that it’s safe I’ll leave it, if they’re on the fence I’ll start looking into other options
Kaizen
Well-known member
yea you're in a pickle. my slab is 6" at my lift and i did not know to drill through so they could be punched through. I had a few slip out of the hole when tightening so i redrilled the empty hole with a 3/4 inch sds and used hilti epoxy and anchors.....basically threaded rod.
Normally i'd recommed you cut those bolts off and move it over and redrill with a good sds to the mas of your anchors since you have so much concrete. i'd leave those in those holes so as to not weaken the concrete by having voids that might put stress on it when you put the other anchors in and torque, Did you torque to the right specs? mine was something crazy like 150 ft pounds. I would not leave it as is. Might meet min specs but its a hell of a thing when they go over with a vehicle on it.
Normally i'd recommed you cut those bolts off and move it over and redrill with a good sds to the mas of your anchors since you have so much concrete. i'd leave those in those holes so as to not weaken the concrete by having voids that might put stress on it when you put the other anchors in and torque, Did you torque to the right specs? mine was something crazy like 150 ft pounds. I would not leave it as is. Might meet min specs but its a hell of a thing when they go over with a vehicle on it.
They are currently torqued to 95 ft lbs because Bendpak instructions said 85-95 ft lbs
CraigStu
Well-known member
Are you sure your pex is so tight in that area that you can't move the lift 6 inches?
It’s not only that, it’s a small building only 25x30 and the other bay is occupied and it’s sandwiched between a garage door track and main structural beam for the building so yes it’s definitely stuck where it’s at
Smoker
Well-known member
There is no min/max stated. It says 4"deep, you drilled 4". Sounds like you are overthinking it.
Drilled 4 inches but the anchor isn’t at the very bottom so the effective embedment of my anchors is right at 3.25-3.5 inches, right at the minimum requirement.
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Update: I called Bendpak and talked to 2 different technical support people and they basically both gave me the same answer, if it meets the minimum specs it’s good to go, which is a very general answer and didn’t make me too comfortable. So, I had the idea to call the structural engineer that set up the foundation plan for my building and he said he was not comfortable with their depth only being 3 1/2” so now I have contrasting opinions. Thoughts?
finn
Well-known member
my opinion is that you’re overthinking this and entering the paralysis zone.
Do a free body diagram analysis of the lift. If it’s loaded properly, each arm will have 2500 lbs max load, and the load will be balanced front to rear. That 2500 lb is the permissible load on any one arm, if I remember the information in the installation manual. You aren’t lifting 10000 lb on one arm, fully extended.
Do a free body diagram analysis of the lift. If it’s loaded properly, each arm will have 2500 lbs max load, and the load will be balanced front to rear. That 2500 lb is the permissible load on any one arm, if I remember the information in the installation manual. You aren’t lifting 10000 lb on one arm, fully extended.
rust in the eye
Well-known member
Bendpak no doubt has some engineering behind their recommendation. Eveything here is anecdotal.
After all gravity is mostly what keeps these in place.
Sensibly racking the vehicles you lift will prevent too much cantilever which is what you are worried about.
If uncomfortable with the current mounting just bore a couple more holes through the bottom plate and sink another couple anchors deeper.
After all gravity is mostly what keeps these in place.
Sensibly racking the vehicles you lift will prevent too much cantilever which is what you are worried about.
If uncomfortable with the current mounting just bore a couple more holes through the bottom plate and sink another couple anchors deeper.
gizardlizard
Well-known member
Agree with Finn. At this point, analyzation is pareliza
gizardlizard
Well-known member
Analyzation is paralyzation. In the amount of time you have stressed over this, you could have cored out the old anchors and installed the new ones and felt great about it knowing they are deep enough. Core Em’.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Would you call Bendpak with questions about the foundation work? Relax and use the lift.
gizardlizard
Well-known member
Regardless if anybody is right or not, if you’ll constantly be thinking about it or worrying about it, that won’t ease your mind much until you fix it. Can
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
Buy some thick flat bar of the correct size. Drill proper anchor holes through it. Bevel one edge for weld. Place against base of lift after a weld bevel is ground In base. Anchor in place. Weld the new pieces to the existing base if you can have a slight increase in anchor pattern. Paint to match.
My buddy suggested something very similar, this would give me much more peace of mind
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
You don’t want to be as nervous as a long tail cat in a dark room full of old people in rocking chairs!
finn
Well-known member
It’s not broken, though.
It meets the design recommendations of the people that sell thousands of thes lifts every year.
Not yet. I bought a lift capable of lifting 10k pounds and I’m simply not comfortable at all lifting that much weight with how the anchors are currently set. I used to work in an automotive shop and my old boss, his brother (who is also a professional mechanic) and one of their lift installers all said the same thing. It’ll be fine for light duty but you ever put a diesel on it and that’s when it gets very iffy. These are all people who have extensive experience in this field, especially the installer because he’s seen the failures and what caused them. That’s just way too sketchy in my opinion so I’ll be adding a steel plate over the existing anchor bolts and extending it out a bit and adding at least 2 more anchor bolts per each post. If I’m on the fence as to whether it’ll hold or not right now, that’ll make me feel comfortable about lifting heavier equipment.
The problem with only meeting minimum requirement is everything has to be perfect. You can’t accidentally overload the lift, you have to make sure the load is centered perfect and not too much weight is on 2 of the arms, you have to be cautious with everything and the one time you make a minor mistake it’s a massive failure and expense.m, if it doesn’t kill you in the process. I’m just not ok with always wondering “is it good enough” I want strong so I’m not constantly worrying about it being on the fence of safe or disaster which is why I’ve decided to add some extra reinforcements. I do appreciate everyone’s input though, it has helped me come to a conclusion on this.
There is a safety factor in the "minimum standards". Still not understanding why a guy that pours 10" of concrete does the minimum on the fasteners.