Lift in short garage?

[whitetrash1]

Has anyone put one in a low ceiling garage? Mine has a height of 8'1".

Obviously I'm not going to be able to walk under a car but to be able to bring it up to high enough to make suspension at chest height would be great. My race car build is 36-40" tall so that would give me about 48" of possible lift with the current opener/door configuration.

 

[Daedalus]

I punched 2 holes in the ceiling (long holes), another 2 through the roof, and put a 12' lift up. The cross bar was just over the roof ridge. Then boxed in the protruding posts. I probably should have done more to protect the cross bar, but it worked. I had it like that for 10 years, before taking it all down last year when I reshingled the roof. I now have a bigger garage with a 14' ceiling.

 

[jtmcclain]

I put one up that was 4" taller that the bottom rafter. I cut 4" off the uprights and took out 8 links on each chain. Worked fine.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Sounds like you need a mid rise lift. Here's one example: http://www.bendpak.com/a-study-in-lift-design/Mid-Rise-Lift-Comparison/ There are an umber of other brands and styles, you can probably find other discussions if you do a search here.

 

[steve63]

I have a pro park 7 with a 9 ft ceiling. I use it to put my factory five MKII roadster in the air. In order to go all the way up I must let the windshield go between the rafters, any other cars don't go up very much at all maybe 3 ft so think about it

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Max Jack.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I can recommend the Atlas Kwik Bay 7K. It lifts about 40 inches max. It has a huge stable base, requires no bolt down. It was about $2800 delivered to my door. I like it a LOT.

 

[T_R]

Max jack is the best option if a taller ceiling isn't possible. All those scissor lifts seem pointless, you could do more with jackstands. You can't get a transmission out with them.

 

[Mr onetwo]

plus 1 on the MaxJax......do some searching on it here.

 

[pmiranda]

Be sure to check the safety lock positions. A dedicated mid-rise lift will have more of them down low compared to a regular lift... even if the lift columns can be made to fit between joists or whatever.

 

[Denwood]

Google the terms: low ceiling lift garagejournal

Many threads. I have a Maxjax and like it. 48" lift. My roof was restructure so I could lift my Westfalia van full height...but the car below would not hit an 8' ceiling.

 

[Falcon67]

I'm looking at a Derek two post with 9' posts in an 8' shop. Have no problem punching holes in the ceiling. It's a better buy in the long run than a MaxJax IMHO. I can also "tray" the ceiling over the lift to get another couple of feet.

 

[whitetrash1]

Google the terms: low ceiling lift garagejournal

Many threads. I have a Maxjax and like it. 48" lift. My roof was restructure so I could lift my Westfalia van full height...but the car below would not hit an 8' ceiling.

I actually read threw your thread shortly after posting this. Thanks for the info

I'm looking at a Derek two post with 9' posts in an 8' shop. Have no problem punching holes in the ceiling. It's a better buy in the long run than a MaxJax IMHO. I can also "tray" the ceiling over the lift to get another couple of feet.

I don't have the space to tray or have the posts go threw the ceiling. The room above the garage has very minimal spacing between ceiling and floor. The center joist actually sticks down from the ceiling in the garage about 4".

 

[Mikerodrig27]

I'd grab a standard two post and install it through the cieling. that way if you ever get a larger shop, you'll have the right lift.

 

[whitetrash1]

I'd grab a standard two post and install it through the cieling. that way if you ever get a larger shop, you'll have the right lift.

I don't have the space with the 2nd story

 

[Mikerodrig27]

Oh, alright then. I gues the shorter lift is your only option. Denwoods lift looks very nice. Good luck with your search.

 

[Falcon67]

With no attic space over, you are stuck with a MaxJax type lift or a short post 4 post unit.

 

[jonjon1]

This question gets asked a lot on here, I think max jacks are a good alternative to use a creeper, BUT I think in some cases a creeper and ramps or jack stands may be easier, I can't imagine doing much more than brakes and outer axle work at that height. do you work sitting down?

ANYWAY, what does your roof look like, a was recently at a gentlemans house buying some mopar parts and he had a lift in a normal 2 car garage, the roof was pitched from the center out inline with the single large door, he said it was a sheetrocked ceiling he tore down, and exposed the joists, there was a storage space up there that could could about walk around in, he cut the joists one at a time, revamped them (using a lot of the old pieces), crossmember'ed the tops, tied the roof joists together where ever he could, framed it all in and put the lift right under that peak...

he said he can still park 2 cars, he just has to lift one first, lol.. He said it was never a parking garage, always used it for working, so he has boxes, compressors, etc in there and the lift, its a nice space...

What are you trying to do on the lift, I guess would be my question, if its just tires, oil changes, etc, a mid lift is perfect, ig you want to do exhausts, trannies, rear ends, motor swaps, resotrations, etc.. Figure out how to raise the roof and go full sized...

 

[whitetrash1]

This question gets asked a lot on here, I think max jacks are a good alternative to use a creeper, BUT I think in some cases a creeper and ramps or jack stands may be easier, I can't imagine doing much more than brakes and outer axle work at that height. do you work sitting down?

ANYWAY, what does your roof look like, a was recently at a gentlemans house buying some mopar parts and he had a lift in a normal 2 car garage, the roof was pitched from the center out inline with the single large door, he said it was a sheetrocked ceiling he tore down, and exposed the joists, there was a storage space up there that could could about walk around in, he cut the joists one at a time, revamped them (using a lot of the old pieces), crossmember'ed the tops, tied the roof joists together where ever he could, framed it all in and put the lift right under that peak...

he said he can still park 2 cars, he just has to lift one first, lol.. He said it was never a parking garage, always used it for working, so he has boxes, compressors, etc in there and the lift, its a nice space...

What are you trying to do on the lift, I guess would be my question, if its just tires, oil changes, etc, a mid lift is perfect, ig you want to do exhausts, trannies, rear ends, motor swaps, resotrations, etc.. Figure out how to raise the roof and go full sized...

It's flat with a room above it and a center joist that sticks down. I'll get a pic to show you guys when I get home.

So far I think max jax is my bet. I will need to be able to drop transmissions and rear axles for sure. Possibly pull motors dropping the k member if possible

 

[whitetrash1]

Here's the ceiling. We just bought this house, don't mind the unfinished everything

 

[jonjon1]

yah if heres a room above it and you are going to want to drop k members max jacks it is....

I would rip that door opener down and do a jackshaft opener http://www.ebay.com/itm/8500-LiftMa...307477?hash=item5af15aaa15:g:YUIAAOxygj5SeVRz
that will give you a bit more room, maybe a high lift if you are going to want to lift cars to the ceiling with the door open...

 

[south_paw]

Pretty much the same situation that you have. It's Bendpak for the win. I copied my post from last year about it.. here you go.

Just a follow up post. Absolutely the best thing I have added to my garage. For those of you with 8' ceilings and wish you had a lift, what are you waiting for


Damn thing works great. How's this for variety??

Don't let those pics fool you. There is full access under the car with four height positions to choose from.

The best part is it doesn't take any floor space when not in use and yes some day soon I will be removing those poles

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

It depends on what you work on most of the time - for me it is either rear engine/rear drive or front engine / front drive so my mid rise SCISSOR lift from Craigslist works perfect in my 8ft ceiling and is far better and safer than jack stands.

If you have a decent budget - you can go this route :
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/FM9SL-In-Ground-Lift

there are plenty of lift options - conventional and scissor. I prefer not to have columns as targets for my wife.

 

[whitetrash1]

Southpaw how high would you say that gets an average car off the ground?

 

[whitetrash1]

It depends on what you work on most of the time - for me it is either rear engine/rear drive or front engine / front drive so my mid rise SCISSOR lift from Craigslist works perfect in my 8ft ceiling and is far better and safer than jack stands.

If you have a decent budget - you can go this route :
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/FM9SL-In-Ground-Lift

there are plenty of lift options - conventional and scissor. I prefer not to have columns as targets for my wife.

All my cars are front engine rear drive. One of which won't fit through the garage door though

 

[south_paw]

Southpaw how high would you say that gets an average car off the ground?

29 inches high according to Bendpak when using blocks. Here's a pic with nothing on the lift and a link to bendpak site for more info.

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/specialty-lifts/p-6fb.aspx

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

Southpaw how high would you say that gets an average car off the ground?

Whitetrash:

Scissor lifts are available in a few different lift heights from about 18" to about 70". Some like SouthPaw's offer a clear center to tackle "conventional" drivetrain work etc. (mine does not)

BendPak is probably going to be the least expensive & easiest to find.
Nussbaum makes some fantastic list for every application but they are priced out of this world. I used to rent a 1500 square foot garage in Arlington Tx years ago and had a Nussbaum twinpost above ground lift that was lightyears ahead of all the others. I bought it used. I donated my last above ground lift (a rotary pad lift) to a non profit.

Like you I am a hobbyist using my home garage so a scissor lift was my choice. I didn't use it for U joints on my F150 recently but for most everything else I have (including my wife's mini cooper) it is perfect.

Take your time, talk to folks that have ACTUAL experience and then decide.

Nice old truck by the way! - one of my customers has a red 52 Ford truck.