4-post lift on floor with pitch??

[tommya]

Hello!

I purchased and put together my Direct-Lift Pro-Park 8000. I'm really impressed with it. My garage floor has a pitch of 2" in the 14 feet span between the front posts of the lift and the rear posts by the garage doors (the total bay depth is 27 feet). The mfgr says the posts need to be exactly vertical. Before I get four aluminum plates and machine a pitch into them has anyone come across this problem and did you do anything about it? Maybe it really doesn't matter? The pitch can't be seen with the naked eye but a level on the posts reveals the angle.

 

[Danglerb]

Ask the manufacturer and the place that sold it.

My guess is that you may want not only straight, but level. The level part might be something possible to adjust for in the setup of the lift though.

 

[Junkman]

2" in 14 feet is quite a lot of slope. I would use maple plywood squares to level the posts if you are looking for something quick and easy. You just want to have something that is solid under the column and that won't compress or move. I think that aluminum plates might be a problem with the smooth surface. If you are looking for a long term remedy, then use a steel plate that is tack welded to the base of each column.

 

[ColdDuckTime]

the old war between people who want to get water out of their garage vs. people who work on cars. What's code on that?

Reminds me of a time I had a Boss 302 go on a drive by itself (hood up, engine running) down the street (way down the street) due to the pitch of the garage floor. Lotsa neighbors boiling out, lotsa dogs barking. One of my finest hours.

 

[tommya]

Thanks for the quick replies.

The floor is about a year old and I was told that it had to have the pitch by code because of fumes, not water. "They" don't want automotive fumes seeping into the house, makes sense I guess.

I guess I just wanted an excuse to not do it but I really should make them level. I'm going to mill an angle into 1" thick 10" X 12" finished oak pieces (I have access to a Bridgeport) and bolt them to the bottom steel plates on the bottom of the posts. I need a .180" step in 12" to make them level.

 

[ColdDuckTime]

The floor is about a year old and I was told that it had to have the pitch by code because of fumes, not water. "They" don't want automotive fumes seeping into the house, makes sense I guess.

.

Interesting. I always thought that was why garages were a couple of inches lower (gotta love all those remodels with living rooms that are 2-3 inches lower than the rest of the house)...I suppose it's both slope and elevation that they care about.

 

[Junkman]

Thanks for the quick replies.

The floor is about a year old and I was told that it had to have the pitch by code because of fumes, not water. "They" don't want automotive fumes seeping into the house, makes sense I guess.

I guess I just wanted an excuse to not do it but I really should make them level. I'm going to mill an angle into 1" thick 10" X 12" finished oak pieces (I have access to a Bridgeport) and bolt them to the bottom steel plates on the bottom of the posts. I need a .180" step in 12" to make them level.

you should only need two..........one for each leg at the low side. I have heard the sloped floor code thing before, but I have never seen it in a code book. It must be somewhere in the states, but not anywhere I have ever lived.

 

[icnsltmfg]

With the ProPark 8 just like the 9, you can adjust both the cables and lock ladders. I raised the lock ladders up fairly high to get more room under the lift, but for you, you can adjust the cables on the two front posts so it will raise level, and when sitting on a the lock ladders you will prob have to raise the two front ones also a bit so it sits level. My slope is minimal, so I cannot say for 100% that will solve the issue, but I have adjusted mine for level and height.