Tips & Techniques for everyday parking under a 4 post

[sierradmax]

I've convinced my wife that her garage spot is the recipient of a 4 post lift to store a corvette. Aside from the now lack of *** attitude I received, her primary concern was a newspaper article of "Husband"s car crushes wife and his Daughter".

I've narrowed my lift search down to the atlas Garage pro 8000 EXT. It's taller and shorter in length compared to others. However, it's about 5"-7" narrower between columns. With her current vehicle, there's 13" difference between the width of her car and the advertised drive through clearance between columns. 13" may be a mile for me but for her, I'm fairly certain if there's no parking aid, she will tag the mirrors on the columns. With her concern going into this, she will be more concerned initially then perturbed should an incident like this happen.

Is there anything I could install that would help with vehicle "alignment"?

 

[garagelogician]

I've convinced my wife that her garage spot is the recipient of a 4 post lift to store a corvette. Aside from the now lack of *** attitude I received, her primary concern was a newspaper article of "Husband"s car crushes wife and his Daughter".

I've narrowed my lift search down to the atlas Garage pro 8000 EXT. It's taller and shorter in length compared to others. However, it's about 5"-7" narrower between columns. With her current vehicle, there's 13" difference between the width of her car and the advertised drive through clearance between columns. 13" may be a mile for me but for her, I'm fairly certain if there's no parking aid, she will tag the mirrors on the columns. With her concern going into this, she will be more concerned initially then perturbed should an incident like this happen.

Is there anything I could install that would help with vehicle "alignment"?

Driving lessons and practice?

Maybe make some "posts" out of cardboard and stick them down to the floor (or hang something from the ceiling) in the position that the lift posts will be in. Have her park normally for a few weeks with the training posts in place and see if she can get the hang of not hitting them.

 

[carnutdallas]

How about you park your car under Lift and let her have that spot. I am hoping it is a 2 car garage and the spot next to lift is open? I say that in all sincerity. My wife parks her vehicle next to my lift. And parks her second car under lift but only drives it a few times a week. Car above is locked in place.

Just a thought. Sorry if it sounded Internet trolly.


FYI: My set up.



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[sierradmax]

My primary vehicle is 82" tall. Taller than the drive through clearance. Her car is not...

 

[Lelandwelds]

0

I've convinced my wife that her garage spot is the recipient of a 4 post lift to store a corvette. Aside from the now lack of *** attitude I received, her primary concern was a newspaper article of "Husband"s car crushes wife and his Daughter".

I've narrowed my lift search down to the atlas Garage pro 8000 EXT. It's taller and shorter in length compared to others. However, it's about 5"-7" narrower between columns. With her current vehicle, there's 13" difference between the width of her car and the advertised drive through clearance between columns. 13" may be a mile for me but for her, I'm fairly certain if there's no parking aid, she will tag the mirrors on the columns. With her concern going into this, she will be more concerned initially then perturbed should an incident like this happen.

Is there anything I could install that would help with vehicle "alignment"?

Maybe bollards outside the door for the homey, commercial touch? Exterior door hoop with hanging in tennis balls. A laser shining on her dash? Put the laser dot in the box or do not park.

I don't know whether to be in awe or apprehensive of your spousal negotiating skills. On the plus side , I couldn't find many four post failures in a home setting.

My burning question is what is behind the curtain? OOPS! Carnut Dallas is the one with the mysterious curtains. and a nice space, too.

 

[Brian_WK]

I've convinced my wife that her garage spot is the recipient of a 4 post lift to store a corvette. Aside from the now lack of *** attitude I received, her primary concern was a newspaper article of "Husband"s car crushes wife and his Daughter".

So did you start the negotiations at build another garage?

Brian

 

[carnutdallas]

My primary vehicle is 82" tall. Taller than the drive through clearance. Her car is not...

I just caught that in you user ID. Duh, I should have guessed that. My bad. Well answers that question.


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[carnutdallas]

0

Maybe bollards outside the door for the homey, commercial touch? Exterior door hoop with hanging in tennis balls. A laser shining on her dash? Put the laser dot in the box or do not park.

I don't know whether to be in awe or apprehensive of your spousal negotiating skills. On the plus side , I couldn't find many four post failures in a home setting.

My burning question is what is behind the curtain? OOPS! Carnut Dallas is the one with the mysterious curtains. and a nice space, too.

My wife freaks about it some, but 1 failure every 10 years or so is well within acceptable odds. When it is your time, it is your time.

All my tools, cabinets, bench and a Fridge are hidden behind curtain wall. Just keeps it clean and I can hide stuff from view when projects spew or I get lazy to clean up bench. Plus I have some stuff that I cannot fit into places, so I “pretend” to have a clean garage. [emoji41]


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[sierradmax]

So did you start the negotiations at build another garage?

Brian

Already done. Already full!!

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Can you put tracks on the floor, like a car wash uses?

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Apparently, its called a correlator. Actually more sophisticated than I expected with roller in the floor to help shift the car into alignment with the guides.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

While I was joking above, perhaps you could install some kind of bumpy rumble strip to make it clear if the car is off to either side.

 

[jako]

How about a mirror on the back wall?

 

[jb garage]

I am about to embark on a similar mission but my ceiling is high enough for me to park my truck under the four post so I'm going as high and as wide a 4 post I can find. Even then I will probably park outside most of the time with the toy car able to drive on drive off at will. Lift is for hail season, working on cars occaisionally and when out of town.

Personally daily parking into a 13" clearance would be a dealbreaker for me.

 

[6768rogues]

Park the car for her. My wife's Mustang goes in our 12 foot wide door, and she always leaves it outside for me to back in. If I am not home, she MIGHT drive it in but then I back it out. I would rather park her car than have her wipe out a lift post.

 

[Radix2]

6 1/2in each side to the mirrors is not exactly a lot of space for going in and out all the time.

This is a pull in past the posts, get out/in between the posts, back out between the posts situation?

How many times on a typical day would this happen?

Any bigger lift fit ?

What is the possibility that she gets a little wider car next time....?

 

[Ji m]

You get used to it,
I took the spot under the lift here,
but my girl drives my car once in a while and she hasn't had a problem with it yet.

There is less light under the lift too,
so that might take getting used to as well.

It's like anything else though,
learing to drive down tight streets was tough when you first got your licence,
but then became normal once you learned what all the right distances were for your car.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Absolutely no way my wife could park under a lift. She has hard enough time putting her Explorer through a 9x8 garage door. She has caught the mirror once on the door trim and I don't even want to watch her pull into the garage. Seriously, it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

[59 wagon man]

a yellow tennis ball hanging on a string on each side so she only hits the balls not the post

 

[C2tuck]

How about you park your car under Lift and let her have that spot. I am hoping it is a 2 car garage and the spot next to lift is open? I say that in all sincerity. My wife parks her vehicle next to my lift. And parks her second car under lift but only drives it a few times a week. Car above is locked in place.

Just a thought. Sorry if it sounded Internet trolly.


FYI: My set up.



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What’s under the cover on top??


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[lawfarm]

Guessing a 348??

 

[C2tuck]

Guessing a 348??

Was definitely guessing a Ferrari of some sort...need more pics!


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[Ed Devinney]

How about a mirror on the back wall?

^^^^ This.

I just installed a 2 post lift and was trying to figure out the best way to align a car for lifting. Happened to.have a large convex mirror left over from the "let's not get killed coming out of the blind Lane" project. Works like a charm.

Mine is overkill, something around 12" is probably fine:
https://m.grainger.com/mobile/product/1CYZ3

 

[Blind1]

6 1/2in each side to the mirrors is not exactly a lot of space for going in and out all the time.

This is a pull in past the posts, get out/in between the posts, back out between the posts situation?

How many times on a typical day would this happen?

Any bigger lift fit ?

What is the possibility that she gets a little wider car next time....?

I agree with this. Parking under a lift is not a tenable solution for a DD. Particularly for someone who is nervous about the whole thing to begin with. I suggest you sell your diesel and buy a car that can fit under the lift. After all, you should both be making sacrifices to get the fun play car, right? Seems a little selfish to me.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

The answer:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-fiat-500-2/

 

[MWitte]

I will give another vote for setting up cardboard posts to test drive for a while. That is exactly what I did before buying my 4 post lift. I park my car under the lift, and it took a little time to get used to it.

 

[garagelogician]

How tall is your ceiling? BendPak makes some taller lifts so you could get your truck underneath the lift if you have enough ceiling height.

 

[Lelandwelds]

My wife freaks about it some, but 1 failure every 10 years or so is well within acceptable odds. When it is your time, it is your time.

All my tools, cabinets, bench and a Fridge are hidden behind curtain wall. Just keeps it clean and I can hide stuff from view when projects spew or I get lazy to clean up bench. Plus I have some stuff that I cannot fit into places, so I “pretend” to have a clean garage. [emoji41]


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Lol. Pretend. I love it.

 

[sierradmax]

How tall is your ceiling? BendPak makes some taller lifts so you could get your truck underneath the lift if you have enough ceiling height.

Application would have garage ceiling of 12'-6"

The height of my truck is 82".

I know lift manufacturers sell "super tall" 4 post lifts but everyone of their products have columns that exceed my ceiling height. The next step down are their "tall, EXT" line-ups with column heights between 95" & 100" but drive-thru clearance of 78" +/-. I cannot find a four post lift with clearances between say 80" to 140" and column height below 12'.

 

[RPH]

Look into wildfire lifts.

http://www.wildfirelifts.com

 

[Nutty 5.0]

My wife has been parking under our for just over 10 years now. She has a small car (12 Focus) which helps but she's a good driver (She has driven full size trucks and trailers too) which is really the key. Agree with others about practice, small spot mirrors, or cardboard.

I believe I have the same lift width under the DL brand from GS from 2007.

 

[garagelogician]

Application would have garage ceiling of 12'-6"

The height of my truck is 82".

I know lift manufacturers sell "super tall" 4 post lifts but everyone of their products have columns that exceed my ceiling height. The next step down are their "tall, EXT" line-ups with column heights between 95" & 100" but drive-thru clearance of 78" +/-. I cannot find a four post lift with clearances between say 80" to 140" and column height below 12'.

Look into wildfire lifts.

http://www.wildfirelifts.com

^^^This^^^

Their XLT lift has 84" clearance below when on the top lock, width between posts is 103.5". Column height is 101.5". 2-inches clearance is pretty tight, but might be doable.

Includes caster kit, drip trays and jack tray. Ramps are removable.

 

[sierradmax]

Wildfire and advantage lifts responded to my emails. It turns out that it's not 84" but rather 82" clearance to the runways on the top lock.

My initial measurement of the height of my truck (82") was done "by-eye". Using a level across, it actually measures 83".

Wildfire commented that customers have doweled anchor bolts and elevated their lifts for higher clearance.

 

[aka Larry]

Absolutely no way my wife could park under a lift. She has hard enough time putting her Explorer through a 9x8 garage door. She has caught the mirror once on the door trim and I don't even want to watch her pull into the garage. Seriously, it's an accident waiting to happen.

Sounds familiar! Our 20'x10' garage is supposed to a 2-car, but there's no way I'm going to see if my wife can get in and out with hers if my car is already inside. Therefore she gets the entire 20' width, and a tennis ball to keep her in the correct spot for the 19' portion.

Ever pull up to the drive thru ATM and see all those marks on the side of it? That's from women who can tell the mirror is the widest part on the car.

 

[sierradmax]

hopefully none of our wives are reading this topic.

 

[BMW Rider]

I had the same conversation back when I was looking for a lift and being in the same parking configuration situation. I chose to go with the BendPak HD9 since it had a wider spacing on the columns that the first lift I looked at. The columns are the same width as the door and lined up with it. Thus, if she gets her car through the door straight, the rest is easy. So far its worked perfectly for five years. She is pretty proud of her car and is quite careful wherever she parks it which is a plus for parking under the lift.

 

[Ray916MN]

Lift placement can make this pretty easy if your garage dimensions allow. The trick is to place the lift as close to the garage door as possible lining up the outside lift post with the garage door opening. This means the only way to hit this lift post it to hit the garage door opening. This placement removes any need to do anything but drive straight into and out of the garage to park or leave. With a lift placed like this, your SO, only needs to pay attention to the garage door opening as they normally would to enter and exit. Your garage apron needs to be level enough that the lift ramps will still work and your garage door opening needs to be wide enough for you to have enough room for another vehicle to pass by the lift post.

For example if you have a lift drive through width of 100" and a 6" post size with a 16' wide garage door you only end up with 86" to the outside of the lift post. With a full size truck you're going to need to have a 18' wide garage door which will leave you with something like 110". Tight if your Sierra has tow mirrors, but doable (~9" combined clearance).

If your garage door is narrower than 18', parking is going to be a bit tricky because you end up having to angle in to park. Wall mirrors don't help in this situation.... Of course, you can also align the lift the same way and place it farther into the garage and parking will be the same except for the perception of having to watch out for outside post and garage door opening, when they are not placed side by side.

 

[mike93lx]

My wife would tell me to screw myself and she'd take my garage spot. Good luck with this one

 

[Ray916MN]

BTW. The Direct Lift Pro Park 9+ lifts to 84" and as I recollect so does the Bendpak HD9XW. Column height <100"

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

Perhaps this might be ammunition for a divorce attorney, BUT, is there space OUTside the garage for your wife to park in? Perhaps that place will be less claustrophobic.




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