Rebar in Concrete for Two Post Lift.

[tradesman]

Like the title states, do I need rebar in concrete for two post lift, and does any one have a lift installed with out the rebar. Thanks in advance.

 

[dirtydrew420]

I poured a 6-7 inch slab of 4000psi 3/4 with wire mesh and it's holding up just fine.

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[corvette43056]

I have 4 inches no rebar not saying it is good practice

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[CRF250Rider]

As someone who learned the hard way that my garage was only a standard 4” pour (3.5 to 3.75” really) with no reinforcement (previous owner had the two post baseplate lift installed by a local company w/ paperwork even), you don’t want to be under a car and crossing your fingers that it won’t come down on you. Luckily for me, I didn’t lift my truck off the ground yet and the concrete cracked right under the post (the post started leaning in a few degrees as a result). Now if it’s a four post lift, I wouldn’t even think twice about it. Just to add, I had a section of concrete cut out and poured it to bendpak’s specifications. They have a whole pdf on minimum slab requirements, rebar placement, etc.

 

[ConCretin]

The strength of the floor i.e. it’s ability to withstand loads without cracking is determined by the thickness of the concrete and the adequacy of the base under it rather than the amount of reinforcing. With that said, rebar will prevent any cracks that occur from opening up and maintain the integrity of the slab.

If you know where the lift will go, you could thicken the floor in that area a few inches or if not, just go with 5” everywhere. I wouldn’t get too carried away with reinforcing. Properly supported wire mesh is fine or you could go with #3 or #4 bars spaced 18 or 24” respectively.

At the end of the day, it’s the lift manufacturers requirements that matter most.

 

[road_king]

Go with what the lift manufacturer recommends

 

[zollster]

Why would you not? Rebar is not that expensive.

 

[zollster]

6" pour

 

[astroracer]

BendPak's floor requirements call for a minimum 4" of 3000psi concrete.
https://www.bendpak.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/car-lifts/ (scroll down a bit to see the 2 post requirements.)
Nothing is said about rebar or other reinforcing methods. You can do what makes you comfortable.
I have had my lift on 4" of 3500psi concrete, no rebar, no "thickened pads, just concrete, for 13 years. An Astro van has been sitting on it for over 7 years now. Nothing has broken or cracked or fallen over.
Mark

 

[ConCretin]

BendPak's floor requirements call for a minimum 4" of 3000psi concrete......

It seems most lift manufacturers have similar requirements. The only caveat I'd offer is that tolerances in base and finish elevations can easily vary 1/4" or more. If both happened to fall the wrong way under your lift, you are looking at setting it on 3 1/2" of concrete.

That's why I'd thicken the concrete a bit under the lift if I knew where it was going and thicken the whole slab to 5" if I didn't. It's not worth the risk to save a few bucks on concrete.

 

[ericm]

There's a few lift makers who want 5.5 or 6".

Also something I am thinking about for my shop build: usually the recommendation is to drill the holes all the way through and if an anchor fails, push it down and put in another one. I mentioned this to the GC I'll be using and he has concerns about puncturing the water barrier. Would it be a good idea to dig say a foot deep area around the lift, place the barrier and then fill the hole part way with compacted gravel so the slab ends up being 6" or so? That'd give a space to drive any failed anchors into.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

I asked for rebar in mine and the concrete guy recommended mesh instead so I went with that. He also added fiberglass to the mix as well.

 

[alabamatoy]

Just make sure you dont put the rebar where you're going to hit it with the drill for the post mounting bolts. Yes, you can drill through the rebar...usually, but it defeats the purpose of the rebar and really shortens the drill bit life.

 

[u2slow]

I insisted on rebar and 6" concrete despite my builder only wanting to do 4" and mesh. I knew the actual thickness would vary. Did not have a lift yet, or know where to place it. I made a map of the rebar before the pour, so as not to hit it when drilling anchor holes.

I've fixed enough eff-ups in concrete in this lifetime to know that I didn't want any more.

 

[skulldrinker]

I would tie into the surrounding slab with rebar. If you are cutting out a square.

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[coljar]

My concrete was poured 8" with rebar around the hoist area and the rest is 5" with rebar. The rebar wasn't mapped out in that area, but fortunately I didn't hit it with the drill when I was installing the hoist.

 

[walrus]

Just make sure you dont put the rebar where you're going to hit it with the drill for the post mounting bolts. Yes, you can drill through the rebar...usually, but it defeats the purpose of the rebar and really shortens the drill bit life.

Rebar cutters kind of looks like a hole saw and chucks into a hammer drill just like a regular bit.

https://www.zoro.com/bosch-rebar-cu...5kY2epRgsDVH7l0RfuGrsIVmqzxXP9xhoCV98QAvD_BwE