Ceiling height for 2 post Lift

[sleek98]

Do I really need a 14' tall ceiling for a 2 post lift or will 12' surface?

I am planning on building a new garage on some property that we are buying and I am going back and forth with a builder on specs and costs.

Currently I have an F-150 as the biggest car that would be needed to be lifted.

 

[Falcon67]

Well, I don't know the ground clearance of our F150 right off, but guess at 12~18". So using 12" then if it's 6 1/2' tall and you lift the frame 6', you'll need 11 1/2' more or less across the length of the cab to clear whatever.

 

[ItsNemo]

What lift are you getting? 12' will suffice for many lifts, but a lot of lifts are actually 12' on the nose. I'd suggest doing a 1' stem wall with 12' lumber giving you 13' finished height.

 

[onefastermonte85]

My walls are 11'6" I'm wondering if I could put a two post beam I'm between the trusses for additional height.

 

[dave*99]

Most of the manufacturers have drawings available online. If I remember correctly, my Rotary SPOA10K needed 12'4". Sometimes folks will poke the lift up between 2 trusses or joists. It can be done.

 

[Siteman25]

Quick note, not sure about the lift clearances, but pickups that are not modified, lift kits, larger wheels etc. are usually not any taller than 78 inches, now Ford Raptor and other factory trucks of that type may be a little taller.

 

[onemanarmy]

Regardless of suspension or tire size, the cab doesn't get bigger or smaller. How high you want to lift the truck depends on how tall you are and how high your ceiling is.

 

[sleek98]

Thanks for the help guys. I had looked at a couple lifts and saw that a 12 foot would be cutting it close, like 3-4" either way but wasnt sure if it was ok to have it that close.

I didn't think about placing it between the trusses, I can box up a foot around the top of the lift to give some extra clearance if needed.

We are planning on doing 2x6 walls that are 12ft tall. HOA requires the garage be stick built, so no iron buildings.

 

[8man]

I used a single 2x6 plate on bottom, 12' - 2x6 studs and a double 2x6 plate on top. That give about 12' 4" of clearance, and it was just enough to stand the columns up. The cut off switch on the bar at the top is just under the sheetrock (5/8") on the ceiling.

Watch light placement. I missed one of my lights by less than 6".

 

[Jlbc212]

As others have suggested, it depends on the lift you intend to install and your height. My garage ceiling is 12 ft. high. I have a 10k Atlas lift and being 5'9" tall I can work comfortably under my Ford F350.

 

[Heel2toe]

If you are starting from scratch then I would recommend you have about 13" of ceiling height. Once you factor in strapping and drywall you can loose a couple inches. If you go 12' those couple inches could make or break the entire setup.

My Rotary SPOA7 in its current config is just under 12' and in my case I had to raise the ceiling height to fit it in so I choose to go with 12'6" because I have storage above and didnt want to kill all of that space. This gave me a solid 6" between the top of the lift and my ceiling. When the lift is fully raised the cylinder actually sticks out on top a could inches above the top of the lift which is something else to consider.

Moral of the story is look at the specs of the lift you plan to purchase and make sure you have some margin of error. You don't need 14' but if you have the option I wouldn't do just 12'

 

[nehog]

This is really an easy one. Find the lift you want, and download the manual/specifications. They will tell you exactly how much space is required.

 

[brownbagg]

my toyota needs 12'6 to walk under, Im 5'5

 

[cre73]

Been looking at this also my shops already built. 10ft walls going to put lift in between trusses.

 

[dbabicky]

Mine is in between the trusses. Works great. The cab of my lifted Jeep J-10 goes right up between them.

 

[Ironcrow]

13 feet is best if you can do it. Sure, the lift is around 12 feet, but it's nice to have room for lights on the ceiling and garage door tracks/opener without sweating every last inch, rearranging the lights, being constrained as to the garage door type and opener mounting etc.

 

[HemiRamOn22s]

I went 13' with my ceiling.

 

[Falcon67]

One other way to look at it - without regard to total lift height it beats the hell out of a floor jack and jack stands. My ceiling is 8' and without modifying the ceiling I could raise the 70 Mustang up about 50". So what if I can't get it up to the last lock. That's one hell of a bonus for a 2 post that's maybe $2000 cheaper than a Max Jax. Modifying the ceiling with a tray, based on my roof pitch, I can get that same car nearly 6' up. I'd be perfectly happy to sit on a creeper to pull transmissions and headers. Especially on that car where you have to jack the nose up 2 1/2' and drop the steering to pull the Hookers off the motor. Got to blink twice to crawl under a car that looks like it's on a missile launcher.

 

[sierradmax]

Check your zoning laws as well for max height of an auxiliary structure. This may come into play as well. And, some states/towns with snow during the winter advise a certain amount of foundation exposed on the outside. This can relate to a lower floor elevation than top of foundation. I poured my floor 8" lower than the top of foundation and my town limits to 25' for an auxiliary structure. I had to frame single bottom plate, double top plate & 2x6x10'. I'll be just under 11'-0" after ferring & 1/2" drywall.

I'll have a GMC 2500 in the air with a 10,000lb. baseplate 2-post. I measured to where with the garage, I can get the truck's frame 62" off the ground.

 

[wssix99]

Thanks for the help guys. I had looked at a couple lifts and saw that a 12 foot would be cutting it close, like 3-4" either way but wasnt sure if it was ok to have it that close.

Keep in mind that the floor will be sloped and will take away inches from you. A 12' wall at the doors, could be closer to 11'-6" at the back wall - depending on how steep the slope is and how deep the garage is. (The height at the point the lift is placed would be somewhere in the middle.)

If you are working with a builder - also don't forget the high lift door. (A regular door track cutting through your air space would be bad.)

 

[rburke65]

I have about 13'-4". Go with a 14' sidewall and you can allow for lighting and etc. forewarned is forearmed.

 

[Kevin54]

I have 10' walls with scissor trusses 4/12 outside, 2/12 inside, and a 9000lb lift. I can get my '02 Dodge Ram 4wd up high enough that I can walk under it (I'm 6' tall) and the truck clears the ceiling.

I can get you some pics if you are interested.

 

[sleek98]

I have 10' walls with scissor trusses 4/12 outside, 2/12 inside, and a 9000lb lift. I can get my '02 Dodge Ram 4wd up high enough that I can walk under it (I'm 6' tall) and the truck clears the ceiling.

I can get you some pics if you are interested.

That would be awesome. Thank you.