Car Hoist......Should I?...Can I?

[77Mini]

I have been thinking about putting a 2 post hoist in my garage. My garage is 25'x28' and 10'5" ceiling height. I would want the style that has no obstructions on the floor and the lines go overhead (might have to be up in the attic). I will have some serious reconfiguring to get the garage door up to the ceiling. Today i drilled a small hole in the garage floor to see the thickness. I'd say its about 3" thick. My old neighbour had installed a lift with 3" of concrete with no issues but I know the minumum is 4" usually. There are a few cracks in my floor also. What would I have to do to install a lift safely in my garage. Is it worth all the hastle?

 

[nolanc2]

Max Jax has what you're looking for.

 

[77Mini]

Looks like a neat product but I think I would be more looking for a commercial style 2 post lift like in an auto shop.

 

[nolanc2]

In that case (and I'm no expert) but I think I would rent a concrete saw, cut out two big squares, dig out the dirt underneath, and pour a deep footer to bolt it to.

 

[Forever Fixin]

Not sure that you have enough ceiling height for the overhead style you are looking at. The columns on my lift are 12"1". I think you might get by with a baseplate lift but you say you don't want that style.

 

[OldNeons]

You can get a two post lift in there, I know Direct Lift makes a short column (9'3"), BUT think about how high that will really take your car (unless you drive a roadster with a flip down windshield). I agree on cutting out the floor for proper footings if you do proceed.....

 

[77Mini]

I realize that most lifts the style I want are taller than my ceiling. In that case I had planned to cut two holes in the ceiling and run the top of the posts up into the attic space (unheated storage). Then install the upper track upstairs from the top. I figured that would work well and would give me the full 10.5 feet for lifting.

 

[77Mini]

Does anyone know what size and depth I would have to do if pouring new footings?

 

[finn]

You aren't going to have enough height to stand under a car with a 10.5' ceiling unless both you and the car are short.

You will probably have to cut out 6' of ceiling to snake the lift posts up between the truss bottom cords.

The max Jack style of lift or one with a floor plate seems like a better solution.

 

[mx185sw]

that would really depend on the lift you choose to install. Some (most) recommend having 6 in pour.. and 3K to 4K PSI.. Also you don't want to have a seam within a certain amount of distance from the edge of the mount plate. All your lift manufacturers have the specs for their lifts mapped out on their websites.

I have 11 Foot Ceiling.. and installed a 2 post Mohawk System 1 (10K lbs).. I modified the rafters in my garage to give me a full 12ft 7" lift height...this allows me to get my F250 raised to full height in the garage. My slab is 6in with 3500PSI.. and it handles my lift just fine.

 

[mx185sw]

Should note.. that with out the mods to the rafters.. I was able to get a car at full rise with the 11ft ceiling.. Only my truck needed the additional space about 11ft.

 

[77Mini]

Should note.. that with out the mods to the rafters.. I was able to get a car at full rise with the 11ft ceiling.. Only my truck needed the additional space about 11ft.

I figured it would be about the same for me. Wouldn't be able to stand under my truck. The wifes Juke should have lots of room. the Mini I am building should have lots of room. thats fine for my purposes.

 

[falconero]

I have a 9ft ceiling and have been debating on the same thing. Yesterday i was searching around and mohawk has a 9klb lift(?) with column height of 8ft. Also i think bendpak has one with 9'3" height


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[sqft]

You need to cut and repour the support area for the lift. I went with a Mohawk A-7, 2 post and love it. It has an 8' post height, overhead crossover, but raises up the standard amount. Their spec for a repour calls for about a 3-4 foot by 10-12 foot (depending on the width you set the lift at) pad, rebar reenforced and 18" thick. Probably overkill, but I do not worry about the thing collapsing on me. I wouldnt feel safe with 3" on a two post. There is a lot of bending force.
As for your cieling height, mine are 10'11". I work mostly on sportscars, which I can raise to full height. If I have a van or truck on the lift, it can be a pain with the wierd height, but its still better than being on the ground. Take the vehicle in question, and measure from the roof to the bottom pan or rail and subtract that from your ceiling height. Thats where the max height will be when your working under it. If you can not stand normally under that height you will be uncomfortable under the lift.

 

[TNToy]

You have quite a few people telling you not to do it, and they'll suggest max jax or a scissor or a shorty lift...

Don't listen to them. I've been in a garage (whose owner has passed on) with a setup like that. I know the top 12-18" of the lift was in the attic, and he mounted the overhead safety bar to the drywall above the lift instead of in the conventional location. It worked quite well. Could get anything other than a large van or truck up high enough to work underneath for a 6' tall man.

I'm not certain of his ceiling height, however. But it was probably around 10 feet.

 

[Iroc-Z]

My buddy put one in his last garage that only had a 10 foot ceiling. He cut a hole in the sheet rock and had the beam in the attic. Is it perfect? No but it mad doing suspension work and brake work easy.
Second question is do you see your self building a bigger garage in the future? Only reason I ask is I originally was going to try this in my two car but knowing I was going to build a shop at some point I figure I would rather wait.

 

[wssix99]

Does anyone know what size and depth I would have to do if pouring new footings?

You need to pick out a lift first. The manufacturer will be able to give you the exact spec you need for a retrofit slab for their particular lift.

If you want to get an idea of what you are in for, Mohawk lifts publish some very detailed instructions for these retrofit slabs, which will give you an idea of what's involved.

Beware of internet posts on this subject, including ones on this site. Some are well done. Some are not and are quite dangerous.

 

[jpinca]

What kind of ceiling framing do you have? Might it be possible to head out a box area above the lift with more ceiling height? Think about an area the size of car's cabin.

 

[77Mini]

So I found a pretty good price on a lift today......AND i BOUGHT IT! Not an expensive lift to start but should be good for my purposes. Its a Ben Pearson Baymaster (1998). Looks in pretty good shape. Got it for $850 and I have to take it down. I was surprised he let it go for that. Gave a deposit and gathering a few buddies for the removal on Saturday morning.

Any tips for taking this bag boy down? Is it hard to do?

 

[77Mini]

I talked to the manufacture and they said cut out 1' wider on each side than the base running between the columns and pour 12" of concrete. So basically 4'x12', 12" thick. Thats a lot of concrete!

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

The same requirements for a two post 'commercial' lift apply to a two post MaxJax. It's just a shorter height column with wider base plates. You still need a solid base to bolt to, and that 3" isn't going to cut it. You might get away with it, but for how long? Do you want to risk it?

Cutting and digging out the floor in that space and repouring it isn't that huge of a job, and you can make an ice metal cage below the floor level that would tie the two mounting areas together to be super strong regardless of concrete thickness.

Overhead height is another concern. Even with a MaxJax, you run into clearance issues. I can't do a full lift on mine with a pickup or some of the smaller cars as I have an 8 foot ceiling. I'd love to go higher, but there's a bedroom above, so that's not an option. If you can box an area above in the roof trusses to clear the lift and vehicle, take that route.

One advantage of a MaxJax is that it is portable. If you put in some mounting points in the driveway outside of the garage, you could roll the columns out and bolt them in place for use on a weekend in about 15 minutes. Depends on what you plan on using the lift for.

 

[koditten]

The only thing I want to add, now that I have a lift and I use it for pleasure and not to make money. I don't stand under my lift. I either sit in an old office chair or on my roll around stool. I can only remember standing under my lift once with my truck on the lift. I now sit. The hell with standing up, I'm on my feet all day. Why would I want to do it when I get home.

Just wanted to let people with less than 12' of height, a hoist is still a viable investment.

 

[wssix99]

Thats a lot of concrete!

Yep. You won't be bag mixing it, for sure...

I talked to the manufacture and they said cut out 1' wider on each side than the base running between the columns and pour 12" of concrete. So basically 4'x12', 12" thick.

That sounds about right, but some key things are missing. You may call back and ask for them to send the full details to you in writing. There should be some provision for rebar to hold the new piece together in the event it cracks (from normal shrinkage) and the new pour will also need to be keyed under the existing slab or pinned to it. (So the lift and the new poured section doesn't tip over and out of the ground if your load is ever up at a height and off balance.)