Recommended Lift -

Stan

Stan

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I am in the process of working with a builder on the specs for a new house.
The plan has a garage that does not have a room above it so I have the possibility of a high ceiling.

My plan is to include a lift so that I can park my daily driver under the coupe in the winter and have access to it should I want to drive on a nice winter day and not have to store it off site.

Two post? Four post? Floor requirements? Recommendations?
 
Using the lift primarily as stackable parking means the garage ceiling needs to be taller than the sum total of the height of both vehicles being stacked plus the ramp height. Using the lift for repairs with you standing up under the car means that the working height should be at least 6' plus the height of the car(s) being repaired. That being said, a well reinforced (rebar) concrete floor that meets local building code and the lift manufacturer's minimum requirements. A structural engineer should be able to provide a more exact answer.

As far as style of lift, if long term parking is your intended use, probably the 4 post would provide more stability. The residential lift market is price driven, sometimes to the detriment of strength or stability. For good value, do your research into the design and construction methods. Don't scrimp here as a collapsed lift can be a very expensive lesson (Flimsy designs or inferior materials have been known to take out two cars when they fail.) Check out garagejournal.com for discussions on the various products available for residential use.
 
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Stan,

if you are going to park under the lift, it is often easier to get in and out of the bottom car with a 4 post lift. of course, a small car like your volvo shouldn't be a big problem.

working on a 2 post / 4 post is a preference thing. i think its easier to work on wheels / axles, etc on a 2 post. but for parking - i think the 4 post is safer - especially with 40+ year old metal.
 
Give me a call Stan. I've just been through the process and would be glad to discuss and show you what I did.
Chris
 
lifts

rsporsche said:
Stan,

if you are going to park under the lift, it is often easier to get in and out of the bottom car with a 4 post lift. of course, a small car like your volvo shouldn't be a big problem.

working on a 2 post / 4 post is a preference thing. i think its easier to work on wheels / axles, etc on a 2 post. but for parking - i think the 4 post is safer - especially with 40+ year old metal.
Click to expand...

2 poster is better for repairs, but I would NOT use for storage because it unloads the suspension.

4 poster is better for parking and general purpose use. A $500 bridge jack helps make it more useful for repairs but the ramps will still often get in your way of working on things like brakes/suspension. Since I also have UK cars, the 4 poster is good because the center filler panels keep the oil drips off the car below. With a 2 poster, I'd have to use an engine/trans diaper.

Height: Your height + 3" for safety (winter boots, etc.) + 6" ramp thickness + height of the stored car + 4" for safety. Don't put the garage ceiling light directly above the center of the lift (do 2 fore and aft). Put an outlet in the ceiling so you have a place to plug in a battery maintainer.

Floor: If you use a normal sloped floor, you should shim the lift to keep the posts level. Not critical, just a minor niggle. If I did it again, I'd do a true leveled floor with 1" extra thickness and wire mesh reinforcement on the slab where the lift goes.
 
I was all ready to sign the order for a BendPak 4 poster, but I don't have the height. I have Toyed with the idea of both lowering the floor or raising an area for my roof to poke through the ceiling…. Too chicken to start either process.
 
The house is not yet built.

The garage will be 20' x 24' and the ceiling should allow for 12' ceiling.
I can have a reinforced floor installed if required. Also I can be flat or pitched.
I would prefer flat.

Will a 22' width accomodate a 4 post lift with room to park another car next to it?
 
Stan said:
The house is not yet built.

The garage will be 20' x 24' and the ceiling should allow for 12' ceiling.
I can have a reinforced floor installed if required. Also I can be flat or pitched.
I would prefer flat.

Will a 22' width accomodate a 4 post lift with room to park another car next to it?
Click to expand...

Bend Pak makes a double wide lift, then you could fit that Miata you have always dreamed about!!

http://www.babco.ca/Hobby-Parking-Storage-Lifts/BendPak-HD9SW
 
Stan,

22' inside width should be fine. I assume you will have two 9 ft wide doors? Check the lift specs. I don't think the 4-posters are stick out too far from the sides of the car. You probably won't need the extra wide ones.

Consider whether you have the lift on the right side or left side of the garage depending on how you will be walking from the driver's door of the car on the non-lift side to the house door. (i.e., you don't want your wife banging her head on the lift every time she gets out of her car, or squeezing around the posts to get to the door).

Do a sketched drawing of the garage, door locations and lift post locations. Email me if you have questions.

Also, the garage doors tracks on that side will obviously need to be run higher. The power and light recommendations above are also good ideas.

Heated slab? ;)
 
I have a 22 by 28 foot garage with 11 1/2 ft ceilings. I store the coupe and m3 interchangeably without issue. I went with the 4 post bendpak in the narrow version. The other consideration is the width of the garage door or doors relative to the ramp of the lift. I have a 90 degree turn into the garage which is the only thing that takes a little time. A few mirrors from uline mounted to magnets and stuck on the lift make it very easy.
 
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403565240.558772.jpg
 
I've been pretty happy with my 4 post lift. Bought it when I bought Athena. I have 11' 6" ceiling height. Enough height to stack Vern and Athena with 6" to spare. Also purchased the mid-rise pneumatic jack. Can even lift a 5600 lbs. '33 Packard Twelve.
 

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With respect to the garage door opener - consider the side drive type instead of overhead for single doors.

18' double door may also eliminate some problems with the opener as it would be between the bays and it's hard to miss with a 18' opening - no more clipped mirrors.
 
I think the type of work you want to do will dictate the type of lift you buy. If you're going to be doing a lot of driveline work or dropping subframes, you should go with a two-post. That kind of stuff can be done on a 4-post, but it's not simple work and involves accessories like the bridge jack and some stands. I wouldn't necessarily suggest a 4-post lift is safer either. You can screw up just as badly on a 4-post as two post. In fact, a few weeks back, I saw a truck roll off a 4-poster after the guy under it pulled the driveshaft out of the transmission. No chocks and the truck rolled off the back of the lift, crushing the driveshaft.

Some two-post lifts have accessories which can make them dual-purpose. I know that Mohawk has wheel adaptors that attach to the lift arms that can support a car with the suspension loaded for storage situations. I have no idea what they cost and cannot imagine they're inexpensive, but they're available.

So, like I said, I'd consider what the primary use of the lift is and then work from there. I can say with certainty that an E9 is not something I'd want to leave on a two-post lift for extended periods of time and it can certainly be a bit nerve-wracking to even load the lift.
 
Storage or service.... I have both to accommodate and have pretty much decided there needs to be two lifts in my situation. Probably 4 post, but a single post is still under consideration. Superlift or similar which will be to store cars in the garage. drive in / wheels loaded with protective under tray. Not much good for service but gets the cars under cover.

The second will be a service lift in the work bay. Two post but want to have maximum flexibility and overhead is a consideration...so MaxJax is on the list.

Just haven't been able to identify a single lift solution. Heck... it is only $$$.
 
I’d go the few extra bucks and buy one that goes high enough to walk underneath, then you can work on the lower car or whatever without banging your head. I’ve been in several shops where they only go up 5½ feet and the owner always regrets it :-x. ~ John Buchtenkirch
 
Hi Stan,
Here is the info:
BendPak HD-9ST - aka, the narrow version
103" wide. The posts themselves are ~100" but the 103" includes the lift mech (about 1") and the lock release (which can be moved).
90" tall. the posts are ~88.5" but there are bolts that variably stick out over the top, depending on the lock adjustments
With the runway resting on the top lock: headroom = 65.5" and the coupe roof (~52" car height) is at 122". Keep in mind that lowering it off the lock position requires moving it up a couple of inches, releasing the locks, and then lowering back down. If you're designing 12' ceilings, you'll be ok.

* Remember to account for the space that the overhead doors will take when in the open position. I was installing in an existing structure and had to go with carriage doors.

* The BendPak requires an air compressor to release the locking mechanism (ie: to lower the car).

* DOn't forget to account for the length of the ramps (that get you from the ground up onto the runway) when deciding on the fore-aft position in the space.
 
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