2 post lift placement in double deep garage

[rmchrgr]

OK gang, I am in the planning stages of building a garage for myself. It's going to be fairly big @ 25' x 43 1/2'.

I am trying to figure out the best spot for a two post lift in a double deep garage. I prefer a 2 post and find it much easier to work with. Currently, if you were standing in the front opening facing in, the lift would be towards the back wall on the left side.

I am looking at a 9-10K lb clear floor unit. I know I need a minimum of 12 1/2' + ceiling height so we have planned for 15' all around where the roof trusses meet the top of the wall.

The main question I have here is how far from the wall should the lift be? If I need to open doors, pull axles out etc., I would think a minimum of 4'-5' would be mandatory. The problem with that is that you are getting into the middle of the work area and will lose space on the sides for storing vehicles and equipment. With the lift in the center, you effectively have a two car garage with a lift in the front area. That may be OK but the hope is to be able to store 4 vehicles at a time without parking one under the lift.

I'm guessing that's why you might want a lift at an angle to maximize space in a given area? An angled lift might be awkward in a double deep garage though since the cars are generally stored front to back.

The current stable of cars includes my long-term Duster project that would need to be on a lift sometimes. My wife and I are also going to restore her father's Sunbeam which will require room to remove stuff from it.

I also have an old Dodge truck that needs to be restored but it's a driver for now. That may get swapped out for some other project vehicle at some point down the road, likely some sort of other Mopar.

There will also be daily driver maintenance which includes a Subaru Outback and in the near future a crew-cab Ram variant when I am ready to trade in my Mazda3.

The dailies will generally stay outside, the garage is for the cool stuff.

Any input on how best to maximize space in this particular scenario would be appreciated. No pics as of yet, sorry.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[Jamie V]

I have a 24'x40' garage similar to your build and the 24' is not really wide enough to work on two vehicles side by side in my opinion.

If I could do it over I'd go 30' wide to be able to be more comfortable working 2 wide.

 

[astroracer]

At least 4' off the wall. Get some dimensions for your lift of choice and lay them out with some 2 x 4's to represent the INSIDE walls of your new shop. Remember, that 25' is to the outside so your inside dimension is going to be closer to 24'.
Set a couple of garbage cans where the lift posts will be and walk and "work" around them. Having room to walk by the lift, with a car on there is going to be the key. With any benches or bulky tools like welders or air compressors you need room to get between the post and the wall.
And, like Jamie said if you can go 30' wide... Do it...
Mark

 

[rmchrgr]

Thanks guys. I wish I could make it wider but 25' is the max. The rear of the structure is right on the property setback line and we can't go over it.

I would have preferred not to make it double deep but space/zoning constraints dictated that.

It's amazing too because the property is an acre but shaped like a pie slice with the house towards the far right. Only so much I can do.

 

[Jamie V]

Might want to just put it in the center of the garage (side to side) and near the back. This way you can have stuff along both walls and still get all around the lift.

I considered a 4 post that I could roll around to where I needed it for each job.

 

[rmchrgr]

I thought about it some more, guess I will likely have to abandon the idea of having it towards one side to fit two vehicles side-by side with the lift. Wife was OK with it, good enough for me.

Not that it's a bad thing anyway. It will give plenty of room on either side to work and for storage.

However, with the lift in the center, you might have to do some maneuvering to get a car on it as one or both of the cars by the door would have to move. Just hope by committing to having it in the center it doesn't become a P.I.T.A. Maybe it can be a little off center just to make access on and off a little easier.

I know one of the cars near the entrance won't be running for a while, guess I will be investing in car skates.

 

[jimchevy]

The other issue you may face is with the control joints in the floor. A two post is pretty wide and there is a certain distance you need to be away from those joints. My garage is 24x32 with two 10x10 overhead doors. My installer said he wouldn't recommend a 2 post lift in my case because of my joints. I went with a 4 post.

 

[Mr_B]

I would be inclined offset it as much as possible to one side as easier for access onto it and bigger space to one side more universally usable than equal split.
just enough room to open doors and work/ pull axles is all that needed, reality is going be 3 car parking or will be cramped and hassle juggling stuff round to get on and off ramp .

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Instead of putting it right in the middle why dont you offset it slightly to one side to maximize room on the other size for storage/projects etc. this way you have room to work around the lift and have a little more room on the other side for other projects


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