What is the minimum ceiling height requirement for a lift?

[RichTJ99]

Hi,

I am in the middle of adding a garage & was thinking about adding a lift in the future, or now. What is the minimum height needed for a 2 post lift? My plan for the lift would be primarily for extra parking (1 vehicle parked on the lift, the other parked under).

Can it work with 8 or 9 foot ceilings?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[pattenp]

2 post lifts are not the best for storing/parking a car on. Most 2 post clear floor models require at least 12ft ceilings. There are 2 post floor plate style and 4 post lifts that can work with 8- 9 ft ceilings, but the low ceiling height extremely limit the lifting height. I don't think a 8 -9 ft ceiling is going to work for trying to park one vehicle over another.

 

[Falcon67]

Gotta be a mighty short car to make that work in 8'. Like a go cart.

 

[toyoguy81]

12 foot minimum for sure, and like others above said...8-9 is too low, at least for a 2 post..most 2 post lifts can be installed 11'6" to 12' high..same goes for overall width

 

[Majordisorder]

12'-2" gives you lots of options.

 

[Scud67]

For storage, you need height.... if working on vehicles, you can go as low as 10' with a base plate model - most of them have a post height of 9'6". I have an 11'6" ceiling where my lift is and I can walk under a car no problem (but I am only 5'9" tall)....

 

[gregp]

My ceiling height is limited to 10'. I can just fit my two 69 GTOs on the four post lift. A lot depends on what car you put on top. With a Datsun 240z I have lots of room. With the GTO's, I can't stand straight up while working on a car but enough that it's ok. If you can make it higher do it.

 

[C2 Turbo]

Measure and add the heights of your 2 cars and that would give you some idea. For a reference, wife's BMW 530i is close to 5 feet high and to be able to park another car underneath, the clearance needs to be at least 5' 5". What that means is, if you want to park another car underneath, the ceiling has to be close to 11 feet at least if not more.

 

[Flexia]

For a clear floor 2 post 12'1" is about perfect for any lift manufacture

 

[wnstwolf]

While the manufacturer will give you the min height and you state you’re looking for storage don’t forget about working on cars with this great addition to your garage. My bend pak 10 2-posts are 14’-6” tall. I had to pop them up into the attic storage above. I have about 13’ clear to the bottom of the floor joists above. One thing that I found was that with a full size pick-up on the lift, or other tall vehicle, I have to watch out how far I raise the car so it does not do bad things (car and barn). I find with pick-up I get an awkward working height under the car and would have loved another 6” in clearance!!
I know a guy with a lift has no room to complain about working height but if you are able to get one of these great tools you want to do it right!

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

If I may, I'd like to piggyback on this thread. While you guys are responding to the OP's question about using a lift to store a vehicle over another, would you consider answering the same question, if I am only planning to work on a vehicle, not use the lift to "double stack" vehicles.

Thanks,






.

 

[gregp]

When adding up the heights of vehicles don't forget to take into account the height/thickness of the lift platform the car rests on. Mine is about 7". Also take into account anything on the ceiling. I had to tuck my garage door opener between the rafters. While my ceiling is 10' and works ok for me I would have chosen a 12’ + height if I had the option.

 

[RichTJ99]

Thanks!

 

[pattenp]

It depends on the lift you use and how high you want the vehicle lifted. You can get by with as little as 8' using a scissor lift or the Maxjax lift. If you want full lifting height of a typical lift then I say no less than 12'.

If I may, I'd like to piggyback on this thread. While you guys are responding to the OP's question about using a lift to store a vehicle over another, would you consider answering the same question, if I am only planning to work on a vehicle, not use the lift to "double stack" vehicles.

Thanks,






.

 

[Bosque]

If you want a Low Profile floor plate model 2 post lift. The lowest you can have your ceilings is 9 foot 6 inches as they all start at 9 ft 3 inches.
This is for permanent 2 post lifts. Max Jax are less but there is no way to store anything on them.

With that being said. I would like to hear of people actually storing cars on 2 posts for months at a time as they aren't advertised as such but I can't see why they couldn't.

 

[rburke65]

In my opinion, better would be 12' plus, as stated. But, don't forget to add ceiling lights, maybe a fan etc. If your going with a 12' "two by", do yourself a favor and just by the 14' 2x6" stud and you won't regret it later.

 

[xtremek]

Just so I don't start another thread, I have a similar question. My ceiling is 11'. Is it worth it to put a lift in so I can work on my vehicles? Current rides include a '73 Chevy K-10 pickup, an '07 Exploder, an '03 f150 S'crew, a '91 Saturn SL1, a '12 Escape, and '12 Sonic. What do you think, is it worth it to get a lift for my situation. If it's feasible, I'd like to get a two post where the arms swing in. It's what I used to work with when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I turned a wrench. (I reread my list of cars and it seems like a ton of them, to bad all of them need major work).

 

[heavyzee]

interested in this as well... planning to raise the ceiling of my 4 car workshop that has 8' ceilings... highest contractor says we can go is 11'.... but mostly i'll be working on my 48" tall corvette

 

[sublimate]

In my opinion, better would be 12' plus, as stated. But, don't forget to add ceiling lights, maybe a fan etc. If your going with a 12' "two by", do yourself a favor and just by the 14' 2x6" stud and you won't regret it later.

I did 16' and don't regret it.

 

[pattenp]

Sure it's worth it. Get a Maxjax or floor plate style 2 post.

 

[Rod N]

I've been researching this as of late as I'm going to put in a 2 post.
12' is minimum for an off the shelf lift. For an extra $700 they will make it shorter for you, but not by much. We were talking 6" shorter.
My ceiling is 11' 7", but luckily I can build a box between the rafters to make it 12' plus a couple of inches for wiggle room.

 

[Onewolf]

What about the BendPak XPR-9 lifts? They only require 9'5" of height and provide up to 72" of lift.

 

[tcianci]

2 post lifts aren't really for storage. When you put a car on a 2 post, the big advantage is that the wheels and suspension hang down so you can work on them. Obviously, this is a disadvantage for storage as you would have to get the top vehicle even higher to put another car under it.

 

[Rod N]

^^^ for sure. 4 post is the best way to go for storage. Plus much narrower so you can park another car beside it.

 

[Scud67]

My ceiling is 11'6" where my lift is. It is a base plate model and the posts are only 9'3" tall. You can get away with using it in a garage with a 10' ceiling. It is NOT custom made or more expensive than the "normal" post lifts. As far as storage goes, I remove the wheels on the car on the lift and can put another car underneath without any issues.

 

[Rod N]

My ceiling is 11'6" where my lift is. It is a base plate model and the posts are only 9'3" tall. You can get away with using it in a garage with a 10' ceiling. It is NOT custom made or more expensive than the "normal" post lifts. As far as storage goes, I remove the wheels on the car on the lift and can put another car underneath without any issues.

How high does your lift go? Can you stand under it?

 

[bullnerd]

There is a website that has a bunch of different models all under 10'......but I forget the name! Its been mentioned on the site before, but not yet in this thread.

 

[Boots&Slicks14]

I'm planning on building a 24'x40' garage and through my research here I've decided I want to go with a four post lift but was wondering if the different brands of four posts lifts have much of a factor when it comes to ceiling height or are they all about the same?

If money and living in the city weren't factors, I would go at least 13' feet high, but was wondering if I could get away with as low as 10' or 11' since I wanted to used the lift to store cars on as well?

 

[AndrewnTX]

Go here and check out "Will it Fit?" You must know your cars height and check and recheck it all. Also note the lifts have locks every "x" inches so account for that as well. Meaning that once parked, the lift will have to come up a bit to get out of the locks. So you want to have free room above to get the car down.
http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/four-post-lifts/hd-9.aspx

Go for as high a ceiling as you can. I have a BendPak HD9 Rev M, see install thread here

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180371&page=3

My garage is 10-0 high ceilings but I am saved by the raised portion which is 15-0. I think (!) I could park 2 smallish autos in 10-0 if I had to.

 

[jaye944]

guys guys guys

its DOOABLE

 

[Rod N]

The reality is that it's all in the math. A car needs so much hight. 2 cars even more.
People say they can find a short 2 post, but you can't stand under it.

 

[Scud67]

Ummm, I stand under mine.... I am 5'9".

RodN - my lift WILL go to full height (but it depends on the vehicle). Most cars do not need to go to full height in order to stand under them and work.

 

[Boots&Slicks14]

Go here and check out "Will it Fit?" You must know your cars height and check and recheck it all. Also note the lifts have locks every "x" inches so account for that as well. Meaning that once parked, the lift will have to come up a bit to get out of the locks. So you want to have free room above to get the car down.
http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/four-post-lifts/hd-9.aspx

Go for as high a ceiling as you can. I have a BendPak HD9 Rev M, see install thread here

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180371&page=3

My garage is 10-0 high ceilings but I am saved by the raised portion which is 15-0. I think (!) I could park 2 smallish autos in 10-0 if I had to.

Thanks, and good taste in vehicles.

 

[mikec35]

I've got 11'2" ceilings and a clear floor lift installed, the top bar goes up through the rafters. Works out fine for cars, may have to duck depending on your height. I know a guy that stores a car on his 2 post, it can be done. Of course if you have leaks the car underneath won't fare too well.