2-post lift in small garage

[steve88]

This is my first post in this wonderful forum of garage super heros.

I'm currently in the planning phase for our first home for which construction will start next year. My only real concern is the garage. Unfortunately its a small lot so any extra space that is given to me in the garage will be lost somewhere else in the house. I'm up against my wife and my dad (who's the builder) who will always take my wife's side :-(

The most space I can possibly get for the garage will be 21x21 ft and a ceiling height maybe of 9 to 10 ft.

The garage will be for 2 small sedans parked regularly. I also have 2 motorcycles but I will be able to keep them next door at my brother's garage (it will be a 2-family house, and he only has one car and will also have a 2 car garage.)

I am trying to figure out if I can have a 2 post lift on my side of the garage.

The lift that looked like it would make the most sense to me was the BendPak XPR9 (narrow option).

My biggest question:
With the XPR9 (narrow), how big of a PITA would it be if I plan to park my car in the garage (in between the posts) everyday? Does anyone have this lift that actually parks there everyday? I'm worried I will barely be able to fit out of my door when exiting the car each day.

I was also thinking that maybe the MaxJax would be a decent option for me? I read a ton of threads so far but wanted to see if I could find anyone with the XPR9 (narrow) who parks there everyday.

Thanks for your help.

 

[WhiffySpark]

You could probably position it so that you can open the door without pulling all the way into the posts.

 

[steve88]

I just found this picture of a 2 post in a 20 foot long garage - so actually it looks like I could probably drive PAST the posts when parking regularly to open the door fully:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=27305&d=1236115113

Still definitely interested in hearing from people with the XPR9 and if you think its worth going with that over the Maxjax

 

[T_R]

I have a similar lift, a 9k baseplate in a 24x24. Parking between the posts is not a real problem. If I park my truck on that side, I back it in so I can open the doors all the way. If it's a small car I just pull it in far enough to close the garage door and the doors are ahead of the posts still and can open.

A good tip is if you are just parking and not using the lift often, put the arms in and put the lift all the way up, you don't have to worry about hitting the arm with a tire or tripping on them when you get out.

 

[firebirdparts]

My original house garage is 21 by 22 feet, so I have some perspective. It is difficult to walk around cars to get back to the man door to the house. The lift needs to be on the right side of the garage so that a driver getting out the driver's door will be in the middle of the garage (not next to the wall).

I think you should put the lift where you can open your door with the lift still in front of the door. Cars are not 21 feet long, so you have some leeway where you put this lift and how far you have to pull into the garage to use it.

 

[steve88]

Makes sense. All very good advice. Thanks

 

[klundy]

In your case I would say the max Jax is the way to go. You aren’t going to have any advantage with the xpr9 except may a little more lift, but the maxjax lifts almost 4 feet (45”). You can also roll it out of the way and not have to worry about exactly where you park, who’s in the car, etc.

Another thing that gives the maxjax an extra advantage. It is a direct drive, there are no cables to route or maintain! Also, you mentioned you have motorcycles. The maxjax has quick release hydraulics, you could leave the side against the wall in place at all times and use it to lift your bikes. Then roll the other side over, bolt it down, hook up the hydraulics and you have a two post car lift.

Just my two cents!
Korey.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Falcon67]

Here is a Weaver 2 post - 112" between the posts inside.

 

[steve88]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I might end up going with the Maxjax actually... The Bendpak floor plate might get annoying and the maxjax would take up less room in general. Even if I keep the posts installed, I could easily disconnect the arms when not in use.

 

[T_R]

I went through this. I think the stability and flexibility of a full size lift is worth it over the maxjax. The price difference is negligible. You'll be able to lift larger and heavier vehicles if you ever have the need and even small cars won't shake around as much on a real lift. The floorplate hasn't really been an issue at all for me. Cars go right over it. If sweeping up I just go around the post then out the door. The only time the floor plate would really be in the way is if you are pulling the transmission on a rwd car with a trans jack.

Also with your ceiling height you probably will max out the height of the maxjax and not even be close to the ceiling. Why sacrifice headroom under the car?

 

[steve88]

I went through this. I think the stability and flexibility of a full size lift is worth it over the maxjax. The price difference is negligible. You'll be able to lift larger and heavier vehicles if you ever have the need and even small cars won't shake around as much on a real lift. The floorplate hasn't really been an issue at all for me. Cars go right over it. If sweeping up I just go around the post then out the door. The only time the floor plate would really be in the way is if you are pulling the transmission on a rwd car with a trans jack.

Also with your ceiling height you probably will max out the height of the maxjax and not even be close to the ceiling. Why sacrifice headroom under the car?

Very good point. I have a lot of time to decide, so I'm sure I'm going to be thinking about this for a while...

 

[steve88]

I went through this. I think the stability and flexibility of a full size lift is worth it over the maxjax. The price difference is negligible. You'll be able to lift larger and heavier vehicles if you ever have the need and even small cars won't shake around as much on a real lift. The floorplate hasn't really been an issue at all for me. Cars go right over it. If sweeping up I just go around the post then out the door. The only time the floor plate would really be in the way is if you are pulling the transmission on a rwd car with a trans jack.

Also with your ceiling height you probably will max out the height of the maxjax and not even be close to the ceiling. Why sacrifice headroom under the car?

Do you have any photos of your lift with a car parked between the posts?

 

[garagelogician]

What kind of work do you want to do on the lift?

Have you thought of doing a 4 post lift and parking underneath it? Posts will be less in the way for daily entry/exit. With platforms that go between the runways, you could also put your motorcycles up there or use it for other storage depending on height.

 

[T_R]

Do you have any photos of your lift with a car parked between the posts?

I don't. I think I have one somewhere with a car up on the lift taken from outside, I'll look.

 

[steve88]

What kind of work do you want to do on the lift?

Have you thought of doing a 4 post lift and parking underneath it? Posts will be less in the way for daily entry/exit. With platforms that go between the runways, you could also put your motorcycles up there or use it for other storage depending on height.

I've actually decided against a 4 post. I definitely want the wheels to come off the ground. Guaranteed work will include switching summer/winter wheels on 2 cars, and then I plan to do the majority of the maintenance on my car on the lift as well.

 

[garagelogician]

I've actually decided against a 4 post. I definitely want the wheels to come off the ground. Guaranteed work will include switching summer/winter wheels on 2 cars, and then I plan to do the majority of the maintenance on my car on the lift as well.

Bridge jacks are an option too, though not necessarily cheap depending on which brand of lift you get. Ultimately I plan to have 2 bridge jacks on the 4 post lift I have planned. Will make for quick and easy tire changes/rotation.

 

[Jack Olsen]

21' is not very wide. In my opinion, the amount of frustration from constantly bumping into a 2-post is going to more than offset its benefit, so long as you're keeping two full-size cars in the garage. Falcon67 has 112" between the posts. If you add 30" of space for the posts themselves (15"x2), that leaves a hair over 9' for the second car to park and open its doors (hopefully not into one of the pillars).

Especially since you're going to be pouring the pad, I'd suggest you think about a recessed scissors lift. You could have a cover over it when you're not using it -- just a flat floor. There's no set-up time wasted. You just pull off the cover and drive the car over it.

That one's a Mohawk. I have something similar, although mine isn't a conventional auto lift.

Here's a short video that shows mine in action.

 

[lucky3]

In your case I would say the max Jax is the way to go. You aren’t going to have any advantage with the xpr9 except may a little more lift, but the maxjax lifts almost 4 feet (45”). You can also roll it out of the way and not have to worry about exactly where you park, who’s in the car, etc.

Another thing that gives the maxjax an extra advantage. It is a direct drive, there are no cables to route or maintain! Also, you mentioned you have motorcycles. The maxjax has quick release hydraulics, you could leave the side against the wall in place at all times and use it to lift your bikes. Then roll the other side over, bolt it down, hook up the hydraulics and you have a two post car lift.

Just my two cents!
Korey.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I won't. Sold my max jax and bought a atlas bp8000 baseplate lift. Best decision I did. So much easier lifting vehicals, especially trucks. It has more locking points then two on max jax, better made and cheaper. I've pulled trans and all kinds of other work and the baseplate wasn't a big deal. I park my avalanche between the lift post everyday, no problem.

 

[CraigStu]

I just looked at the Bendpak web site for your lift. As best as I can tell it is NOT asymmetric. That word doesn't appear anywhere and the pictures seem to show the post being in the center of the car door. If you get an asymmetric lift it will be much easier to get in and out of a car. With an asymmetric lift the posts are at about the A pillar or front door hinge area when the lift is in use. You could locate your lift so that your normal parking spot has the post a little ahead of the front door so it would be even easier to get in and out of.

 

[steve88]

I just looked at the Bendpak web site for your lift. As best as I can tell it is NOT asymmetric. That word doesn't appear anywhere and the pictures seem to show the post being in the center of the car door. If you get an asymmetric lift it will be much easier to get in and out of a car. With an asymmetric lift the posts are at about the A pillar or front door hinge area when the lift is in use. You could locate your lift so that your normal parking spot has the post a little ahead of the front door so it would be even easier to get in and out of.

Yeah, the Bendpak is not asymmetric unfortunately. I did see a Mohawk lift that is asymmetric with a narrow configuration. From my limited research, it seems like Mohawk lifts are pretty good. However, I did hear about some cases where lifts were not ascending / descending equally on each side. Not sure if Mohawk quality is actually significantly worse than Bendpak.

Here's the link to the Mohawk lift:
http://www.mohawklifts.com/wp/automotive-lifts/2-post-lifts/a7/

Here are the main advantages I see with the Mohawk:
-Narrow
-Asymmetric
-Clear Floor (Adjustrable hydraulic line on top)

 

[steve88]

OH man, looks like I found a big disadvantage to the Mohawk A7. Price is $6-7k!!??

It seems like Mohawk is American made while Bendpak is made in China but seems to still be very high quality.

 

[Falcon67]

Agree with Jack - 21' is going to be a squeeze. I set my first post 2' off the wall. Referencing the picture I posted, space, lift, space and race car that's 21' and crawling out the passenger door. That section of my shop is 24' deep x 28' wide.

Do what I did - take a look at some "contenders" then get a piece of OSB or ply and cut it to the base plate dimension. Use the board to locate post locations and use blue painters tape to mark it all out. Then see where things go. You can also form up some 12x12 posts with cardboard to get a good feel. I used to park a race car and an F350 DRW in that space and after marking off the floor and some practice with the wife spotting, it was clear the 350 would have to sit out in the rain, sorry old buddy.

 

[steve88]

Agree with Jack - 21' is going to be a squeeze. I set my first post 2' off the wall. Referencing the picture I posted, space, lift, space and race car that's 21' and crawling out the passenger door. That section of my shop is 24' deep x 28' wide.

Do what I did - take a look at some "contenders" then get a piece of OSB or ply and cut it to the base plate dimension. Use the board to locate post locations and use blue painters tape to mark it all out. Then see where things go. You can also form up some 12x12 posts with cardboard to get a good feel. I used to park a race car and an F350 DRW in that space and after marking off the floor and some practice with the wife spotting, it was clear the 350 would have to sit out in the rain, sorry old buddy.

Is it a bad idea to put one post right against the wall? I feel like that would still provide enough room to take the wheels off, etc...

 

[Tabres]

Is it a bad idea to put one post right against the wall? I feel like that would still provide enough room to take the wheels off, etc...

I would encourage you to consult the installation manual for any particular lift before doing this. Most lift manufacturers have minimums they specify for how closely you can mount the post to a finished wall/exterior wall. For example, with my Bendpak 2-post I set the outside edge of the pad on my post 6" off of the foundation wall. For what I do, it leaves plenty of room to work. I primarily wrench on a straight-axle Mustang and I can pull axles from my car no problem with the lift installed as such.

 

[CraigStu]

I can't really help w/ brand names. The three shops I worked in for 20+ years all had Rotary assymetrics. My big push for you is the assymetric. Getting in and out of a symmetric lift is bad enough when you are working on a car. But doing it every day, w/ a cup of coffee, maybe a lunch, and your heavy winter coat, would be torture.

 

[cthulu]

I have a 24x30 and the revolution RTP9 in the middle bay with the posts offset just a bit away from the second bay where I park another car. I can park a second full size car in the bay next to it but things are tight, it's going to be tough moving around with a second car in that space.

I would look into saving and building a dedicated shop if you can.

 

[JSK]

Check out BendPak's new Space-Saving two-post models. Clear floor two-post lifts that can fit in garages with ceilings as low as 9 feet, and the narrow configuration means it doesn't gobble up valuable floor space.

http://grandprixlift.com/GrandPrix-Car-Lift-GP-7-Two-Post.pdf

 

[steve88]

Check out BendPak's new Space-Saving two-post models. Clear floor two-post lifts that can fit in garages with ceilings as low as 9 feet, and the narrow configuration means it doesn't gobble up valuable floor space.

http://grandprixlift.com/GrandPrix-Car-Lift-GP-7-Two-Post.pdf

Thanks for sharing, good to know. I have 2 years before I buy one so these will hopefully be out by then.

 

[Falcon67]

Is it a bad idea to put one post right against the wall? I feel like that would still provide enough room to take the wheels off, etc...

I figured with the back of the post 2' from the wall that the typical car (both race cars about the same 6'ish wide) would be at least 4' from the wall, maybe a bit more. This was important in my install because the edge of the overhead door is 3' from the corner. The idea being we could roll a dead race car out of a trailer into the lift space without any tricky maneuvering. So IMHO if your door is like the door on the house garage which is maybe 12~16" off the corner then a post against the wall would likely work out just fine. You would have the width of the base plate - about 16" - plus the distance from the post to the car to work with. I'll do a measure tonight for you if I remember to get out there LOL.

The Grand Prix lifts look like nice options for smaller spaces.

 

[steve88]

I figured with the back of the post 2' from the wall that the typical car (both race cars about the same 6'ish wide) would be at least 4' from the wall, maybe a bit more. This was important in my install because the edge of the overhead door is 3' from the corner. The idea being we could roll a dead race car out of a trailer into the lift space without any tricky maneuvering. So IMHO if your door is like the door on the house garage which is maybe 12~16" off the corner then a post against the wall would likely work out just fine. You would have the width of the base plate - about 16" - plus the distance from the post to the car to work with. I'll do a measure tonight for you if I remember to get out there LOL.

The Grand Prix lifts look like nice options for smaller spaces.

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I think the Grand Prix looks like a pretty nice option for small garages.

 

[gtr1999]

I just got in an A7 brochure and it requires 4000psi concrete 4.5" I believe. I didn't see any pricing so if you are at $6,000-$7,000 that might put it out of my budget.

 

[steve88]

So we just got the first draft site plan from the architect.

Our house will be the one on the right side (with the garage all the way on the right side).

I don't have the exact measurements yet on the garage, but I did some measuring / scaling from the site plan drawing, and it looks like it comes out to roughly:

22' wide
19' long (at the longest part)

I probably don't have any more wiggle room with the garage because the lot coverage is currently at its maximum, meaning, any additional space for the garage means less space for the house. If it was me, I would double the size of the garage and just have 1 bedroom in the house. But with kids most likely coming in the next few years, that won't really fly with the wife...

Based on the initial drawings, what do you guys think for a 2 post lift? I'm leaning towards the bendpak grand prix (highest model that will fit with the ceiling). I know it will be tight but I am willing to sacrifice some space and some comfort to have a 2 post lift. My brother's garage next door will most likely be pretty empty so I can put a lot of storage in there.

One of the members originally recommended putting the lift on the right side of the garage so the driver can open the door into the garage and not into the wall, but it looks like the right side of the garage will be significantly tighter in this case. Also FYI - both cars are small compact sedans.

Since the Bendpak Grandprix is asymmetrical, I am thinking that the best position would be deeper towards the front (wall) of the garage, so both front and back doors can open when parked (I'm thinking ideally the post can be just in front of the front door giving it enough space to open when parked). For that position, it would probably make more sense for the lift to be on the left side, yeah? What do you guys think?

 

[dykstra]

My garage is 22’4”. I can fit two cars wide, but it’s tight. It was problematic at first, but now my wife is used to parking her car in tight spaces. She can open the drivers side front door all the way, but the drivers side rear door is difficult to open. Lol

 

[steve88]

haha, got it! I'll keep that in mind. The Bendpak grand prix is asymmetric so I might be able to position it forward enough that the post would be in front of the front door (allowing both front and rear door to open). I'll figure something out. House won't be ready until 2019 so I have plenty of time to think about it...

 

[brownbagg]

get a four post, put casters on it and pull it out to the driveway when you need full height