What is the minimum ceiling height above a lift?

[swharris]

Trying to get some dimensions for the bay with the lift. I don't want to be cramped while working around a car on the lift. What height ceiling should be minimum, and also how much space on the sides and in front should I allow? I will allow for cabinets in front of the bay, so just the working room around the car is what I'm looking for. I'm thinking about 5 feet on each side/front/back?? Hoping to get 3 bays and a shop out of this design. I am limited to about 50' total width.

Thanks for all the help! Love this place, why did it take me so long to find it??

 

[Stuart in MN]

What vehicle are you putting on the lift? How tall are you? There's a big difference between a 5 foot person working under a GT40 and a 7 foot tall person working under a jacked up 4x4.

 

[hayfarmer]

For your size garage I would go a "minimum" of 27 feet deep. This will leave about 4 feet of room infront of a larger vehicle. I would have 14ft ceiling height so you can add extra height on your lift if you need it. For width it seems that you won't have a problem with 50ft overall.

Check out Rotary.com for additional info on sizes and dont forget to install 220 electric above the desired lift location. Also pour the correct PSI concrete and depth.

 

[mpraddict]

I would plan 12' minumum with for each bay. Height depends on whether you want to be able to stand under the car or not.
No need for 220 at the lift, plenty are available in 120v.

 

[swharris]

What vehicle are you putting on the lift? How tall are you? There's a big difference between a 5 foot person working under a GT40 and a 7 foot tall person working under a jacked up 4x4.

Good points. I'm 6'5 and about the tallest vehicle I'll put up will be a Astro van or full size (stock height) truck. Mostly I'll be working on a '01 Audi S4 Avant. Every lift I've ever been under were too low for me, but that's what you get for being 6'5 I guess. Anything in the air is better than working on the ground though.

 

[Matti]

I certainly wouldn't go less than 12 feet and you could need more. It can be calculated using the max lift ramp height of your selected lift plus the vehicle height plus clearance. If you need to get a tall vehicle under the lift you might need a lift with extra height. Its worth putting some thought into.

 

[Nutty 5.0]

Agree on taller than 12'. Most lifts say 12' so I would suggest going to 12 or 14' as stated. My garage is on the smaller size being 24' wide and 32' deep by 12' high. I don't have much room on the driver side as I have the lift on one side, but I can pull an axle out of my f150 if I need to so its been workable. I have my lift arm right at the wall on the driver side fwiw. Not ideal but works with what I have.

 

[purpony]

My garage is 26x26 with a 4 post lift and had a 10'2" ceiling. I raised the lift bay ceiling to 13'6" and have plenty of room now. I also put 1.5" spacers under the feet of my lift to increase the height to allow for my lifted f-150 to park under it. Ontop sits my lowered mustang. With the mustang at max height I have roughly 2 ft of extra space above the car. I have plenty of room up front even with a workbench. My only problem is the wall side of the lift which is tight, would be nice to have at least 4'-5'.

 

[SteveU]

Go with a 12' minimum height, 14' would be better yet. Back in 2000 when my barn collapsed I was into woodworking & considered rebuilding it to 10' but made it 14' like it was originally & am glad I did. If you are buying a 2 post lift I would research the models of lift you are considering to see how tall they are. It would not be a good thing to have a 12' ceiling & have the lift you want to put in be 12' 6".

 

[autobody]

Good info here, does anyone know if there are any 4 post lifts that would work on a 9'6" ceiling? Not to work under, but to store 2 cars, a 68 mustang fastback and a 65 mustang fastback. Thanks for any help. Oh, and there is no garage door opener.

 

[ovilla]

Good info here, does anyone know if there are any 4 post lifts that would work on a 9'6" ceiling? Not to work under, but to store 2 cars, a 68 mustang fastback and a 65 mustang fastback. Thanks for any help. Oh, and there is no garage door opener.

Maybe if one or both are lowered. Measure both and add about 8-10 inches to account for ramp height and a few inches that will be needed to disengage the locks. I have 10' ceilings and can barely fit an 09' Maxima and a 75' 914. If you can open up the ceiling for another foot or so of height, then you would definitely have enough clearance.

 

[ovilla]

Trying to get some dimensions for the bay with the lift. I don't want to be cramped while working around a car on the lift. What height ceiling should be minimum, and also how much space on the sides and in front should I allow? I will allow for cabinets in front of the bay, so just the working room around the car is what I'm looking for. I'm thinking about 5 feet on each side/front/back?? Hoping to get 3 bays and a shop out of this design. I am limited to about 50' total width.

Thanks for all the help! Love this place, why did it take me so long to find it??

I'd go with 12' walls and scissor trusses over the one bay or the whole thing. 14' walls might be nice but that's a lot of additional room to cool/heat/light.

 

[brownbagg]

I put my small toyota pickup on my lift, I am 5'6. measuring the roof in the air, I need 12' 5 " now think about lights, ceiling fans etc.

 

[G M]

I am trying to figure out the same things too.

One thing I noticed was the specific lock point at different increments, you may want look at those for the specific lift you are wanting. Some companies also have ceiling height calculators.

The only 4 post lift I worked on had to be raised a bit first before it was lowered to get the locks to release. Is this the way most lifts are these days?

 

[mikeyr]

Good info here, does anyone know if there are any 4 post lifts that would work on a 9'6" ceiling? Not to work under, but to store 2 cars, a 68 mustang fastback and a 65 mustang fastback. Thanks for any help. Oh, and there is no garage door opener.

I think any 4post will do that, I had 8ft. ceilings in my old house and no problems with my 4post lift but of course my cars have fold-down windshields.

 

[HIRISC]

Good points. I'm 6'5 and about the tallest vehicle I'll put up will be a Astro van or full size (stock height) truck. Mostly I'll be working on a '01 Audi S4 Avant. Every lift I've ever been under were too low for me, but that's what you get for being 6'5 I guess. Anything in the air is better than working on the ground though.

Look at BendPaks XW series.. Raises 82".

The only 4 post lift I worked on had to be raised a bit first before it was lowered to get the locks to release. Is this the way most lifts are these days?

Yes, that's how the ladder system (still) works. Ovilla's right.. add 8"+ to any car height calculation for the runway thickness and the movement to disengage the locks.

 

[rburke65]

I think 10' is the bare minimum, 12' is good, but the 14' ceiling....you got all the bases covered.

 

[revlover]

Here's a link to the HD-9XW: http://www.bendpak.com/bendpak-products/four-post-lifts/HD-9XW.aspx

Maybe the shorter model would work... http://www.bendpak.com/bendpak-products/four-post-lifts/HD-9.aspx

 

[kvom]

I haven't felt the need for extra room at the rear of the vehicle, so if something "has to give" then that's the place. Side room will depend on the garage door placement. With three bays you can place the lift in the center and drice straight in. I have two bays, and with a lift column 3' from the wall I need to drive in at a slight angle. Any further and it would be awkward.