2 post lift through ceiling

[RealmSteel]

I am in the process of planning to buy and install a 2 post lift in my garage.
The garage has a 9'-6" ceiling, but has very tall trusses for the roof so there is plenty of room to modify them to gain more ceiling height.

My budget doesn't allow for the truss modification this year, so it will have to wait until next spring.
When I was first researching the lift install here, I thought I seen where someone mentioned passing the posts up past the ceiling, but I cannot find that thread. I've tried a few different search strings, but still haven't found the thread.

Does anyone have a link to a thread about passing the posts up into the truss space when installing a 2 post lift?

 

[wnstwolf]

I had to do this. 9-6 is very low. I only poked up into the attic by about 12". I have just about 13' clear and the roof of lifted vehicle is very close to bottom of joists above. This gives me 6' under vehicle to work. At your height you will have a very low work area under car. Quick math I would say you around 4'.

 

[RealmSteel]

I had to do this. 9-6 is very low. I only poked up into the attic by about 12". I have just about 13' clear and the roof of lifted vehicle is very close to bottom of joists above. This gives me 6' under vehicle to work. At your height you will have a very low work area under car. Quick math I would say you around 4'.

Yes it is going to be pretty restrictive until I raise the ceiling. There is a lot of space above for me to make a pretty tall tray next year. I have a couple projects I need to do now that doesn't require much more than about 3' or so.

Before I embark on installing the lift, I thought I'd see what others have done instead of reinventing the wheel.
My garage is fully finished.

 

[finn]

I think I'd seriously consider using the available funds to modify the trusses and delay buying the lift until additional funds are available.

That or more likely delay the whole project, and find a short term investment that will allow the funds to grow while additional money is raised.

You are going to do alot of screwing around and have a lift not much more useable than a couple of floor jacks until the ceiling is raised.

 

[Rookie2]

Install it outside.

 

[bczygan]

Take a big hammer and smash a hole in the drywall big enough to install the lift. It don't hafta be pretty. Just watch out for electrical.

Install lift and use.

Or.........neatly cut holes with a saws-all.

I would even consider cutting away all the drywall where the well is going to go and also modifying a couple of the trusses, just enough to get the roof of the car up a couple more feet. Even a temporary modification like adding a cross-member and cladding one side of the truss with glued and screwed plywood, would allow you to cut out the bottom chord of a few of them.

 

[RealmSteel]

I was hoping for a link to a previous thread on this.

I did see where someone tied their lift posts to the structure.
That is a no-no. your trusses are designed to have some deflection under load.
Make them too rigid and instead of deflecting, you could get a failure.

My current phase 1 plan is to cut a hole for each post to pass through. Maybe allow around 3" all around and install some sort of flexible material like vinyl to seal them. The actual garage space is not conditioned, but no sense in having all that heat from the attic coming down.

Definitely do not want to cut on the trusses until I get them engineered for modification.
The bottom chords of trusses are in tension. Depending on where you would cut and how the web members are configured, you could have a collapse.
Cladding the trusses may be an option when the time comes for modifying them.

 

[gungatim]

LGR!

 

[404]

My posts pass through the roof of my garage. They each go into a capped off pipe like a sewer vent that is on the roof. I use the vent pipe boot flashing as well.

 

[LuvAZ]

Do you mean something like this?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...ool-yet-for-the-roadster!&highlight=post+lift

HTH,
Will

 

[RealmSteel]

search my username for posts, I posted in a thread about how I modified my trusses. you will see my hoist. when I got it, the guy had 2 of them. the guy that bought the other did what you wanted. I don't recall if he extended the side posts or not, but he mounted the cross piece over the bottom rafter chord, and the upright posts between them. he could raise as high as he wanted without a vehicle, but only as high as the vehicle roof when loaded. I don't have pics unfortunately...

This one?
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=223414

Sounds like poking the posts up into the ceiling is less of a hassle than I expected.
I have lay it all out on the floor and make sure I won't run into any major issues when I go to modify the trusses.
Once that is done, I'll be ordering the lift.

 

[RealmSteel]

Do you mean something like this?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...ool-yet-for-the-roadster!&highlight=post+lift

HTH,
Will

Pretty much, though I plan to cut the holes a bit neater and the tray will be the full width of the outside of the posts.
I also plan to make the tray as long as possible.

I will figure a way to extend the safety switch so the bar hangs below the ceiling until the trusses get modified.