turbojimmy
Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2007
- Messages
- 17
Hi all,
I'm new to The Garage Journal Boards and have come seeking advice from those who have 4-post lifts in their garages.
I will readily admit that I have some sort of mental defect where I need to over-analyze things to the point of near-insanity. My latest ****-retentive compulsion is my newly-installed 4-post lift.
My garage floor slopes the maximum permitted 1/8" per foot from front to back. This slope is well within the operational tolerances of the lift (Rotary Revolution) since even though this puts the columns at a slight angle (1-3 degrees) it operates smoothly and hasn't toppled over. Rotary says if you have more than 1/8" per foot you need to shim and anchor it. I'm going to anchor it anyway. The slope doesn't concern me as much as some 'waviness' in the floor that causes the pads on the columns to not be in complete contact with the floor. Not huge variations - 1/16" - 1/8" in most cases but I want to put shims under the gaps and bolt the columns down. I've ordered Rotary's shim kit for this purpose. The manufacturer said bolting it down is not necessary but I'd like to do it anyway. I've already bolted the left columns down without leveling/plumbing them and they're fine.
Now the question is: when anchoring the columns down, do I attempt to plumb/level the columns to compensate for the slope of the floor or do I just leave well enough alone and bolt them down as-is?
My concern with leveling them is that when the runways get to the floor I'm afraid they may bind in the columns (i.e., the front of the runways will hit the ground first, followed by the rear because of the slope of the floor. Right now the runways are leveled per the instructions and everything works fine.
Here's what I'm talking about:
1) Column slopes with the floor, ramp is leveled per the installation instructions. This makes a slightly less than 90-degree angle between the runway and the column. It works fine this way and the slope is within the manufacturer's tolerances.
2) Not all 4 corners of the columns are touching the floor due to imperfections in the poured concrete. Lift is still solid, but when there's no weight on it I can rock it a little. This is why I want to bolt it down
So, do I plumb the columns or leave as-is?
Jim
I'm new to The Garage Journal Boards and have come seeking advice from those who have 4-post lifts in their garages.
I will readily admit that I have some sort of mental defect where I need to over-analyze things to the point of near-insanity. My latest ****-retentive compulsion is my newly-installed 4-post lift.
My garage floor slopes the maximum permitted 1/8" per foot from front to back. This slope is well within the operational tolerances of the lift (Rotary Revolution) since even though this puts the columns at a slight angle (1-3 degrees) it operates smoothly and hasn't toppled over. Rotary says if you have more than 1/8" per foot you need to shim and anchor it. I'm going to anchor it anyway. The slope doesn't concern me as much as some 'waviness' in the floor that causes the pads on the columns to not be in complete contact with the floor. Not huge variations - 1/16" - 1/8" in most cases but I want to put shims under the gaps and bolt the columns down. I've ordered Rotary's shim kit for this purpose. The manufacturer said bolting it down is not necessary but I'd like to do it anyway. I've already bolted the left columns down without leveling/plumbing them and they're fine.
Now the question is: when anchoring the columns down, do I attempt to plumb/level the columns to compensate for the slope of the floor or do I just leave well enough alone and bolt them down as-is?
My concern with leveling them is that when the runways get to the floor I'm afraid they may bind in the columns (i.e., the front of the runways will hit the ground first, followed by the rear because of the slope of the floor. Right now the runways are leveled per the instructions and everything works fine.
Here's what I'm talking about:
1) Column slopes with the floor, ramp is leveled per the installation instructions. This makes a slightly less than 90-degree angle between the runway and the column. It works fine this way and the slope is within the manufacturer's tolerances.
2) Not all 4 corners of the columns are touching the floor due to imperfections in the poured concrete. Lift is still solid, but when there's no weight on it I can rock it a little. This is why I want to bolt it down
So, do I plumb the columns or leave as-is?
Jim
