Tips on selecting 2 post lift placement?

[Gettysburg150]

Hello all,

In the process of getting my garage built. We are adding a 26 deep by 32 wide addition onto our existing 2 car garage.

The largest vehicle I have is a 2004 F250 crew cab long bed. I'm planning on putting the lift in the center bay. Its going to be tight. If my numbers are right the truck is just under 22' long.

My builder says he can pour the piers where needed if I can get him the dimensions.

Any tips or tricks for getting the measurements right? Certainly don't want to get them wrong.

 

[Ironcrow]

Pick the lift first and get its dimensions? Are you going to just pour thicker where the columns land and then drill and anchor per lift manufacturer instructions? If so, just do a thicker pad 4 feet by 10 feet between the columns. This can be a pretty general shape. Or are you going to do some specific to lift mounting, embed anchors when you pour or similar?

 

[Gettysburg150]

It's most likely going to be a Forward Lift since I have a buddy that sells/services them.

Pouring thicker where the columns are, yes

Will install the hardware after the floor is poured, this is how he said he can do it and it wont be an issue. Minimum thickness was 4" but I'll be doing at least 6" for the "piers".


My concern is more depth in the garage when installed than anything else. With the garage about 26' and the truck about 22' it won't leave a whole lot of room.

Was thinking I wanted asymmetric but I'm not too sure now, symmetric might work as well. I just want to be able to lift the truck safely in the area that I'm going to have available

 

[dave*99]

There was a recent discussion on this forum about the symmetric vs asymmetric choice for a truck of that size. Symmetric got most of the votes.

 

[Gettysburg150]

Symmetric would seem to make sense. I think I'd rather have it that way the more I think about it, easier to lift the truck and a little more annoying for the cars rather than vice versa

 

[dave*99]

This thread has some thoughts on long wheelbase trucks and 2 post lifts.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321772

 

[Gettysburg150]

Ok so now just to figure out how far away from the back wall I need to pour the piers so I can place the columns. Suggestions?

 

[dave*99]

Ok so now just to figure out how far away from the back wall I need to pour the piers so I can place the columns. Suggestions?

My Rotary SPOA10 owners manual showed a floor plan for the lift bay. Perhaps you lift manufacturer has a similar plan for your selected model.

 

[zkdiesel]

Ok so now just to figure out how far away from the back wall I need to pour the piers so I can place the columns. Suggestions?

Measure from rear bumper to trailing edge of your front drivers door
Those trucks on sym lifts get positioned to where the front door just clears Collin
This would then put center of your lift Collumn back from there. Then *** 1' to rear for walk around clearance then all the other room up front

 

[Cardboard Man]

When I built mine, I picked the general area where I wanted the lift to be, and poured a 12ft wide x 5 ft long x 12in deep pad, then a normal floor around it. When I installed the lift, this gave me some wiggle room without having to worry about being lined up exactly. Maybe it was overkill, but what's wrong with overkill?

 

[barks]

Ask your installer/servicer buddy.

 

[Gettysburg150]

My Rotary SPOA10 owners manual showed a floor plan for the lift bay. Perhaps you lift manufacturer has a similar plan for your selected model.

Good point, I'll have to talk to them and see if there's anything in the manual about that. Since I don't own one yet I can't check

Measure from rear bumper to trailing edge of your front drivers door
Those trucks on sym lifts get positioned to where the front door just clears Collin
This would then put center of your lift Collumn back from there. Then *** 1' to rear for walk around clearance then all the other room up front

That sounds like it should be about right and what I was looking for, thanks

When I built mine, I picked the general area where I wanted the lift to be, and poured a 12ft wide x 5 ft long x 12in deep pad, then a normal floor around it. When I installed the lift, this gave me some wiggle room without having to worry about being lined up exactly. Maybe it was overkill, but what's wrong with overkill?

Not a bad plan but I'm trying to be as cost effective with this as possible. Should be less concrete if I just do 2 36" piers 6" deep center where the pillars need to be

Ask your installer/servicer buddy.

I will, when he's not too busy doing other jobs

 

[skipnay]

I have been trying to figure this out myself. I think I would do one big pad that way you could move it if need be. I have a 2008 F250 but I will probably lifting it the least I hope. Probably more on cars but want to have it so I can lift it if need be.

 

[Gettysburg150]

Same here, the truck will hopefully be the least "in the air" vehicle. It's more for the older vehicles but I'd like to be able to use it for everything.

My space is just big enough that the truck should fit in length wise, width will be fine, and height will be plenty (14').

Could pour the whole slab thicker but its not really necessary if you can figure out where the columns will be, which is what I'm going to do.

Probably another $1000 to pour the whole slab the extra thickness, I'm using that money to pour a slab in front 36'w x 8'd

 

[IPACA9]

Man I'm with you on trying to decide. I was just measuring my 30x40 today and trying to figure out exactly where I want my lift. I'm building a large mezzanine in mine right now around the outer perimeter and was trying to figure how just much room I would have to play with in front of my truck for when it's lifted and not hit the mezzanine. I was out there measuring my Excursion from hitch receiver to front tow hooks which is 19½ feet...lol. My whole garage floor is six inches thick but they poured it thicker on both side middles for lifts. (According the the previous home owner who had it built last February) I'd like to mount the lift back two feet and that would let me have another foot in front of the truck when lifted. I must have measured ten times today trying to figure whats the longest truck I might have in there...lol. I figure if its a crew cab long bed I'll just leave the 12 foot doors open...lol. It was kind of stressful deciding.

 

[Gettysburg150]

IPACA9 how big is your building? It looks like its pretty deep. I'm not sure how far in I'm going yet. I'll have about 26' deep so if I split it that'll give me a 13/13 front to back.

Now that I think about it maybe I should do that since I want to go with a symmetrical lift. The weight is split about 50/50 and all my other vehicles are about half the size the truck is

 

[IPACA9]

29.5 feet deep from the inside of the door to framing. I was back out there this morning measuring. Really beating myself up but for me it comes down to how far out can I have my mezzanine sticking out before the nose of a vehicle will hit it when lifted.


That's the old pic. I'm working around my mess as I build.

 

[sco44]

Yes, that thread posted earlier was the one I started. When I picked up the spo10(symmetrical) the other day I asked one of the tech/installers about the lift placement.

He said the rotary specs call for 13' min from door to center line of post. I said I wanted to be able to lift the longest crewcab with garage door closed, he recomended 15' instead. To have room to walk around back.

My shop depth is 29.5 inside measurement. I am going with his recomendation. I don't plan to have tool box in front of lift.

 

[jloehlein]

Not a bad plan but I'm trying to be as cost effective with this as possible. Should be less concrete if I just do 2 36" piers 6" deep center where the pillars need to be

I'd reconsider Cardboard Man's suggestion of just pouring the piers larger than needed. Maybe not 12" deep, but as an example - if you pour a 12'x5' section at 6", that's only 2" deeper than the rest of your slab. That works out to ~1/3 yard of concrete, or like $40 around here.

Realistically, if you were smart with your math, you could optimize the shape and depth of the pad and apron so that you use an exact number of loads of concrete and the driver doesn't end up leaving with a partial load and dumping it somewhere. Then it'd be free.

 

[ct03911]

I just went through this.
I have a 2500 Chevy Duramax which if memory serves me is 20.5 feet long.
My garage is a 26x28 but that means the real depth with 10" poured walls is like 27', or 26.5'.
It requires careful placement of the lift.
I installed the Forward I10, symmetric.
After a lot of calculations and scaling the truck I found it is very nose heavy. 4500lbs on the front axle and like 3300 on the rear.
I did the math from another lift website (Rotary?) and found the center of lift to be almost exactly where the front door handle is.
Based upon that calculation, I backed the numbers out from a nominal 24" workbench and another 2-3' clear space between that and the front bumper.
I'm left with 18" to the garage door.
If I was you I'd focus on the position vs the slab issues.
I poured a 6" 4000psi fiber reinforced slab with wire and some rebar.
I felt with that slab I could bolt the lift where I wanted.
I took my measurements and set the lift to allow the bench/free space in front and some clearance behind.
IMO a symmetrical Forward i10 is a stout piece and will fit your application.
Go with the driver door handle to locate the lift columns. It works.