anchor help.

[maniac0908]

Hey im new here. I just had a lift installed in my garage. Had a guy who is certified by bendpak to install it. I had about 4 and a half inches of concrete which is ok. He made me buy bolts that he had because he said the ones that came with lift were to long. I said ok fine your the pro. Now im not a lift installer, but iv been working on cars for a while, and im also a jet engine mechanic for the air force. And im pretty sure that there should always be more than a couple of threads showing above the nut. Now thats thw case for 4 of the 10 total bolts. The other 6 have a good amount of thread showing which makes me think that 1 i didnt need his bolts and 2 did the shorter bolts he give me pull up a bunch and are now barely at the bottom of the slab? Can i lossen those nuts and hammer the bolts back down without damaging the wedge anchor? What should i do about ones only showing a couple threads?
Sorry if this is on the wrong section. Or even the from forums. Thanks for your help.

 

[Rookie2]

Are you talking threads above the nut ?

 

[maniac0908]

Yes. Sorry, i updated op. I tried posting a picture but it didnt work. Im on a android phone

 

[Rookie2]

Threads above the nut are meaningless ! As long as the anchor didn't pull thru and the nut is tight ,your good. I've worked with anchors under 1/2" and they are a ***** to redo and I only screwed with them if they didn't draw up tight.

 

[maniac0908]

Ok. Would anything get messed up if i loosen the nuts on the ones sticking up more and hammered them down a little more? He used an impact gun to tighten them which in the manual says not to, so im afraid that these one are to high in the slab. Sorry, just a perfectionist and he did things diffrently than what was said in the instructions and some online videos. I dont want it to pull out while im under a car!

 

[Rookie2]

Chances are that you will not be able to reset them depending on the style. They tend to distort the wedge ring when they are overtightened. I If they are all on one side I would let someone more experienced chime in on here . I think your safe unless your lifting F550 fords everyday.

You can loosen them to check them out, and retighten again .

 

[Hawk]

I would not hammer them down. If he used an epoxy or an expansion anchor I would be afraid that I would break them loose and endanger its anchor.

 

[ford33]

Pictures would be very helpful.

 

[maniac0908]

He did not use epoxy. And they are called wedge anchors i think. Ill post pics tomorrow from laptop. Ill wait to mess with them. Maybe even put a light suv on it at lowest lift point and leave it there for a couple hours and check for stress.

 

[Rookie2]

I would try to measure and see where the wedge point is. If there is dust or concrete in the bottom of the anchor hole (and you hammer on the stud)then you could blow the bottom out of the concrete hole and really screw your self or end up redrilling the lift. Lets see some pictures ! I think your making too much out of this.

 

[why worry]

Assuming the anchors are properly tightened you could always cut the excess off the top to make them all about the same. Having had to try to reset wedge anchors/parabolts. you can some times make a lot more work for your self then if you leave them alone as the next step would be to remove them and install epoxy anchors if possible.

 

[koditten]

Did you use a torque wrench after the impact? My lift instructions said no impact tools to install wedge anchors.

 

[maniac0908]

Did you use a torque wrench after the impact? My lift instructions said no impact tools to install wedge anchors.

My instructions said the same. Thats why i was worried when he was using the impact on them.

 

[maniac0908]

Assuming the anchors are properly tightened you could always cut the excess off the top to make them all about the same. Having had to try to reset wedge anchors/parabolts. you can some times make a lot more work for your self then if you leave them alone as the next step would be to remove them and install epoxy anchors if possible.

How do you even remove wedge bolts? Cut surrounding concrete?

 

[LXCam]

How do you even remove wedge bolts? Cut surrounding concrete?

You don't.


If you know how long they were and provide a measurement of how much extension you have above the nut, that would help. Also the reason they don't want you using a impact is so you don't pull the anchor out of the concrete. As long as the wedge is down into the slab and not pulled so much it actually is caught on the plate, I wouldn't worry about it, but you do want at least 3-3.5" of embedment to where the wedge is. Pictures and a part number would really help.

 

[wildstyle]

How do you even remove wedge bolts? Cut surrounding concrete?

You are supposed to drill right through your slab when you install them. Then you can loosen them off and pound them right through the concrete and set another on if needed.

 

[wssix99]

Would anything get messed up if i loosen the nuts on the ones sticking up more and hammered them down a little more?

Probably not, but the wedge is where the wedge is. It doesn't always "bite" in to the concrete in the same place, so this type of anchor will never be uniform. If you are concerned about looks, you can cut the longer ones.

I would loosen the nuts and re-tighten to the manufacturer spec. If they are torqued too far, they could fail under the extra load when there is a care on the lift. Lessening the nuts and properly tightening them should be fine.

 

[rburke65]

Threads above the nut are not an issue, if they are loose take a torque wrench and tighten to spec.

 

[maniac0908]

Ok my pics arnt working so ill explain my best. According to my receipt the Anchors the guy sold me are 5" long. (The ones that came with lift are 6.) On the bolts that concern me, there is about half a inch of threads above nut. From concret up its about 2". Which means they are somewhere around 3" in the ground. The other ones are down probably about 3.5-4 inches, but those only show 2 threads. I know im probably just overreacting, but wouldnt anyone whos going to have a car over there head! (I should have just used the the ones that came with lift. Im sure he new it and just wanted extra cash.)

 

[wssix99]

Which means they are somewhere around 3" in the ground.

Ahhh. I'd suggest calling the lift manufacturer to confirm you are OK on that. I'd expect that you should be.

 

[RivennHewn]

Step one, determine if you have adequate embed depth.

Step two, use a torque wrench and check the torque.

Torque specs are available from the manufacturer.

It they pulled up too much, I'd contact the lift manufacturer or an engineer.

Do you know the intended embed depth?

 

[maniac0908]

Called manufacture. They said it should be fine. This summer i will be tearing down a room thats in front of bay. Ill then move lift forward some. This time ill use bolts that it came with and epoxy. Thanks everyone for your help. Really appreciate it.