Lift placement

[RdHuggr68]

I am just getting started on my shop and was wondering where to set a lift in it. It is 42x42 12'ceilings 2 overhead doors. Doors are 12x10 and 16x10, in the 12x10 I will keep my trailer which is 30' long and the rest will be open. I just want to rough in power for it for now so I was going to hardwire a so cord out of the ceiling and drop it down to it. Have no idea what lift I am going to purchase or when I am going to purchase it. Is the power hookup usually at the bottom or the top of the lifts? 120 or 240 volt? I want it out of the way so I don't have to work around it all the time. Thanks:whenitsdone:
Kevin

[Sieg]

First you need to decide two or four post lift. Ceiling height restrictions?

Then draw yourself a floor plan with door openings and critical clearance measurements and start filling in the spaces with workbenches storage shelves and spaces, compressor, tool boxes, and power tools.

Then factor the minimum work/access space needed around the vehicle.

That's a decent start.

[Bryan O]

I'd suggest an American made two post asymetrical. Here's a pic of the Mohawk A-7 I just had installed in my garage. You can clearly see the electrical hookup. Its 220.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c299/boates/IMG_0637.jpg

[Flash68]

iX3kxAA2L4Q :D

[Bryan O]

:lol: I resemble that vid.

[Flash68]

:lol: I resemble that vid.

Make that 2 of us. :lol:

[Shmoov69]

One of my favorite lines! LoL! :lol:

[TheJDMan]

With that size shop I would highly recommend a 4 post lift with optional caster wheels so you can move it around the shop as needed and even out doors if needed. A typical 4 post lift runs on 110 so you could run an extension cord as needed. A 4 post does not need to be permanently anchored and will work on any floor that will support the vehicle weight. My 4 post is not anchored and it survived a 6.8 earthquake here in VA a few years back with no ill effects to the lift or to Dust Off which was 6ft in the air at the time the quake struck. There are pros and cons to both styles of lift so take some time to decide which will work for your situation.

See my lift light post here for lighting ideas.

http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=48550

[GregWeld]

Drop 220/240V from the ceiling on the passenger side - usually the controls are on the passenger side. So that's the shortest route - but you can always come across the top with power if the wall is on the driver side.

You have enough ceiling height for a nice two post asymmetrical lift. Don't cheap out here like I did the first time around. A lift is like the greatest tool EVER in your shop. You'll be shocked how much it's used.

[WSSix]

Make sure your floor design will meet the two post lift requirements if you go that route.

Having worked on both, I would only recommend a four post for storage or light duty work. If you're serious about building a car in the shop and using the lift to help, go two post.

[raustinss]

Definitely decide what you want first the power can go anywhere its only wires my 0.02$ drop it down from the ceiling that way it's not a hazard, water from washing cars,tripping, dirt catcher etc clean look dropping down from the ceiling. Depending on electrical code in your area it might be cheaper too. Conduit vs not needing conduit

[tom_k]

When you say "getting started" is this a space that you are planning to build or is it an existing structure?

Allow me to share my experience with not planning ahead for a hoist:

When I had my shop (pole building) built in 2003 I had it "built for a hoist". The only thing I knew I wanted was 12' sidewalls since my dad had 10' sidewalls and they were obviously too low for a hoist. I went with the concrete guys recommendation of 4"+ of fiber reinforced concrete for the floor and all of the local "experts" assured me that I was good to go. I had no idea of what hoist I wanted and hadn't done my homework. Shortly after the shop was built I realized that 3 young children didn't leave much time and money for my car hobby so it turned into a regular garage/junk catcher

Fast forward to 2013: The kids are mid-teens or older and I'm getting back to working on cars. With some luck and prodding from my new boss I score a good deal on a used Rotary SP0A9 (2 post, asymmetric, 9,000lb). Now I start doing my homework... the SP0A9 crossbar is almost as tall as the space I have available (12' was just enough), and depending on who you talk to at Rotary or one of their installers my 4"+ of fiber reinforced floor may not be enough (I ended up with almost 6" where we drilled). My lot, building size and house location dictated that one bay would have a dog leg driveway approach so I planned to put the lift in the bay with the straight approach... think again. The way the building and doors were laid out if I put the lift in the "straight approach" bay the driver side post would have been about a foot from the wall, tough to get around and limited access to the drivers side of the vehicle. Tire changes would be tough and pulling an axle shaft impossible, so the lift is in the "dog leg approach" bay. Not impossible to get into to but not as easy as it could have been with a little up front planning.

I will tell you that a hoist will change how you work on cars and is worth the investment. I had my sons car up and down about a dozen times today (we were 'experimenting'). When I was working on my back we may have only made one or two changes before we called it a day. I should have bought it when I built the shop.

[RdHuggr68]

When you say "getting started" is this a space that you are planning to build or is it an existing structure?

Allow me to share my experience with not planning ahead for a hoist:

When I had my shop (pole building) built in 2003 I had it "built for a hoist". The only thing I knew I wanted was 12' sidewalls since my dad had 10' sidewalls and they were obviously too low for a hoist. I went with the concrete guys recommendation of 4"+ of fiber reinforced concrete for the floor and all of the local "experts" assured me that I was good to go. I had no idea of what hoist I wanted and hadn't done my homework. Shortly after the shop was built I realized that 3 young children didn't leave much time and money for my car hobby so it turned into a regular garage/junk catcher

Fast forward to 2013: The kids are mid-teens or older and I'm getting back to working on cars. With some luck and prodding from my new boss I score a good deal on a used Rotary SP0A9 (2 post, asymmetric, 9,000lb). Now I start doing my homework... the SP0A9 crossbar is almost as tall as the space I have available (12' was just enough), and depending on who you talk to at Rotary or one of their installers my 4"+ of fiber reinforced floor may not be enough (I ended up with almost 6" where we drilled). My lot, building size and house location dictated that one bay would have a dog leg driveway approach so I planned to put the lift in the bay with the straight approach... think again. The way the building and doors were laid out if I put the lift in the "straight approach" bay the driver side post would have been about a foot from the wall, tough to get around and limited access to the drivers side of the vehicle. Tire changes would be tough and pulling an axle shaft impossible, so the lift is in the "dog leg approach" bay. Not impossible to get into to but not as easy as it could have been with a little up front planning.

I will tell you that a hoist will change how you work on cars and is worth the investment. I had my sons car up and down about a dozen times today (we were 'experimenting'). When I was working on my back we may have only made one or two changes before we called it a day. I should have bought it when I built the shop.
Glad to hear you are getting back in the game, I decided on a 4- post as I really don't want to permantly secure a lift in the garage. I have pictures of my garage in Man Caves under Almost Done, kind of like my car but never completely done. Just finished electrical and received my final yesterday, almost finished with insulating the walls (what a pain) and the n the ceiling will start going in. It is consuming all my free time, but it is a great investment for me. Happy New Year to ya. :whenitsdone:
Kevin

[tom_k]

Thanks, it's good to be getting back in the game.

A 4 post hoist has a lot of upsides. The option of vertical storage space almost led me in that direction.

I'm glad to hear that you are insulating early. That is something else I should have done up front but didn't fit into the budget during construction. I'll check out your pics, maybe I can get some inspiration to finish mine.

Happy New Year to you, too!

[GregWeld]

I personally HATED the 4 post lift I had.... You need the optional center lift capability to make it useful for anything but exhaust and tranny repairs... and working over the ramps is just flat ass a pain in the ass. They're in the way for just about anything you want to do with wheels / bearings / shocks / A arms / steering linkage. Like I said - I HATED mine. It lasted one job before it was gone.


You can still "park" a car on a frame pick lift. They lock in many heights.

[BMR Sales]

I personally HATED the 4 post lift I had.... You need the optional center lift capability to make it useful for anything but exhaust and tranny repairs... and working over the ramps is just flat ass a pain in the ass. They're in the way for just about anything you want to do with wheels / bearings / shocks / A arms / steering linkage. Like I said - I HATED mine. It lasted one job before it was gone.


You can still "park" a car on a frame pick lift. They lock in many heights.

Yes, they can be a pain - I was bustin knuckles all weekend.

But I still would trade mine!

[GregWeld]

Yes, they can be a pain - I was bustin knuckles all weekend.

But I still would trade mine!



HUH???? LOL

[RdHuggr68]

I personally HATED the 4 post lift I had.... You need the optional center lift capability to make it useful for anything but exhaust and tranny repairs... and working over the ramps is just flat ass a pain in the ass. They're in the way for just about anything you want to do with wheels / bearings / shocks / A arms / steering linkage. Like I said - I HATED mine. It lasted one job before it was gone.


You can still "park" a car on a frame pick lift. They lock in many heights.

Thanks Greg, I will keep that in mind. One thing about the 2 post I don't like is you have to put anchors in your concrete. I was hoping to avoid that.

[GregWeld]

Thanks Greg, I will keep that in mind. One thing about the 2 post I don't like is you have to put anchors in your concrete. I was hoping to avoid that.


I can understand that.

[jlwdvm]

I have a 4-post and 2-post...both from direct lift and both installed by me...by myself! I have a modest 3-car garage with 10' ceilings and a depth of 24 foot. I couldn't imagine doing the work I have done so far on my 69 firebird track car without having the 2-post. We had to place 2 4x4x1' footings for the posts since my concrete was only 4" and had seams cut in it where the posts needed to go. I got the 4-post mainly for parking to increase the capacity of my garage. My Boss 302 is stored on it most of the time.

[RdHuggr68]

I have a 4-post and 2-post...both from direct lift and both installed by me...by myself! I have a modest 3-car garage with 10' ceilings and a depth of 24 foot. I couldn't imagine doing the work I have done so far on my 69 firebird track car without having the 2-post. We had to place 2 4x4x1' footings for the posts since my concrete was only 4" and had seams cut in it where the posts needed to go. I got the 4-post mainly for parking to increase the capacity of my garage. My Boss 302 is stored on it most of the time.

Do you have any Pics? :flag2:

[jlwdvm]

There are pics throughout my build thread. #98 will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/102040-1969-Firebird-TA-clone-track-car-build/page5

[RdHuggr68]

There are pics throughout my build thread. #98 will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/102040-1969-Firebird-TA-clone-track-car-build/page5

Thanks for the info, thats a sweet build you have going.
Kevin

[aussiebj]

I can tell u I tossed and turned and looked for a long time before I bought a lift , I don't have the celing height for a full size lift and ended up going with a MaxJax 2 post lift , I love it , I would higly recommend a lift that allows you to open the doors while the car is on it, test your concrete I thought I had enough bought and lift only to find out it wasn't up to par so two 3200 pound footings later now I feel safe...Good luck its a tough decision
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t91/aussiebj/bothholedug_zpsfb22b054.png (http://s158.photobucket.com/user/aussiebj/media/bothholedug_zpsfb22b054.png.html)
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t91/aussiebj/Liftinstalled_zps1272c9e9.png (http://s158.photobucket.com/user/aussiebj/media/Liftinstalled_zps1272c9e9.png.html)
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t91/aussiebj/20141212_115412_zpsb4731e87.jpg (http://s158.photobucket.com/user/aussiebj/media/20141212_115412_zpsb4731e87.jpg.html)

[Bryan O]

FYI, the concrete specs for the Mohawk two post A-7 are 4.5". Initially, the Mohawk rep suggested cutting and pouring 48"x48"x8" sections with additional rebar. Proved not to be necessary as my floors are 7".

[67ragtp]

wow 42x 42 is a lot of room, I also choose the Mohawk A-7, 2 post. Just had it installed. My shop is only 29 feet deep by 24 wide, I was pretty concerned about loosing the bay next to the lift, Nice thing about this assemetrical lift is its set 127 inches post to post, most other brands are in the 140s. When choosing a location safety is number one, 3 to 4feet on sides for bail out room, sounds crazy but you would be surprised at the amount of cars that come off a lift, 99.9 percent of the time due to operator error. Trans jack not pushed all the way out from underneath the car and whoop there it goes. The Mohawk is bar none a freight train, you will not, can not find a safer more stout lift, you will pay for it! USA made! Quick tid bit, ALI certification testing, the lift must lift double its rated capacity, Mohawk is the only one that is not tweaked/destroyed following the test. Five to six feet clearance from the nose of the vehicle to the bench in front is nice as well.

Rich

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u188/ragtp/DSC04245_zpsd8qupfa2.jpg (http://s168.photobucket.com/user/ragtp/media/DSC04245_zpsd8qupfa2.jpg.html)

[RdHuggr68]

That looks like a nice lift, I will have to check it out. The problem I have is concrete is only 4 "
I never thought about it when they poured the floor.:bang:
Kevin