Ok so my house is finishing up and I should be in it in a few weeks. So I have a 4 car garage attached to the house 3 wide and the last bay is double deep with a single bay door on each side of the 3rd bay. So a drive through if you will. The ceilings are 16 feet high.
I want to install a car lift to make working on the fiero easier. Anyone have any experience with lifts? I am thinking of a 2 post lift. I see plenty of them advertised but am looking for someone with first hand experience.
Concrete for residential use is often too thin/weak for reliable 2 post lifts. Mean can crack or fail outright w/ no warning deplaning on load.
2 post lifts puts lifting and torque loads on the concrete. Lift try to pull out the mount bolts for any uneven load.
You need Spec's for concrete first then see what lifts work. means the concrete "formula" and how its installed.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
All the lift manufacturers should have a minimum spec for the concrete flooring/rebar/etc. necessary for their lift. Go to the website of several makers and see what they require. Then find what you have in the garage floor. You could always change the area of floor around where the lift is to be installed and tie it in with the rest of the floor.
I has a friend with a 2 post that works great. I know he poured the slab in his first house himself, so that was definitely thick enough. Not sure about his current house. He built the garage, but the slab was there when he bought the house. He hasn't mentioned any problems...I'll check with him if he know the thickness/construction.
As for ease of use of the 2 post...definitely quick and easy to use. Easily adjustable to put the pads where you need them. If your floor meets spec (which it appears to) then I think it's a better option.
I have a BendPak two post, clear floor, asymmetric lift in my shop. The minimum requirement is a 4 inch pad with 3,000 psi concrete. The majority of home pads meet this spec. I built a shop last year and knew I was going to put a lift in, so we made sure we had plenty of thickness where the lift bolts down. My floor to ceiling height is 12' 5", which worked out well. I love my lift as it allows unobstructed access to the bottom of the car. I never considered a four post lift for car work because it would be in the way for suspension work. So far, I've done a Fiero engine replacement, two Porsche engines and transmissions, and a Chrysler 300M transmission. It's great to do a brake job while standing up! No more crawling around on the floor under a car. I consider the best tool investment I've ever made!
------------------ Rod Schneider, Ball Ground, Ga. "You can't have too many toys!" 1988 Fiero GT 1987 Porsche 944S 1987 Corvette 1966 Porsche 911 2001 Chrysler 300M Van's RV-6 airplane
A. Our lifts require a 4" - 6" thick 3,000 psi tensile strength concrete floor for installation. Heavy-Duty lifts may require a thicker floor (we advise 6" concrete for the CL 14,000 FP & FP AR). Our CL 8,000 CSP (Car Stacker Portable) lifts do not require floor anchors, although they can be anchored down if that's what you prefer.
I don't see a need for any lift that is going to be able to lift 14,000 pounds
A. Our lifts require a 4" - 6" thick 3,000 psi tensile strength concrete floor for installation. Heavy-Duty lifts may require a thicker floor (we advise 6" concrete for the CL 14,000 FP & FP AR). Our CL 8,000 CSP (Car Stacker Portable) lifts do not require floor anchors, although they can be anchored down if that's what you prefer.
I don't see a need for any lift that is going to be able to lift 14,000 pounds
Ditto even my old Suburban only weighed in at 6,600 lbs.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
You posted what I believe are the requirements for a four post. It said 'car stacker'. I think those are all four post but I could be wrong on that. A two post, especially an asymmetrical, is subject to off center weight. A four post isn't. I would be worried about the weight trying to tip it.
(A short pause while I look at some two post manuals online.)
I just looked at a couple of two post manuals and neither one required rebar. The one I looked at a couple of months ago DID ask for rebar. So if the manufacturer of the one you buy doesn't ask for it then go ahead.
On a side note, I saw that one said you could drill all the way through the floor so if you needed to replace an anchor you could just drive it out the bottom. On another it said not to drill through as then ground water could seep up and start causing corrosion of the anchoring inserts/bolts. Looks like it comes down to who makes it and what they call for. Good luck with whatever you buy.
Mounting a 2 post lift safely requires a minimum of 4"-6" of reinforced concrete. That's concrete with rebar or wire mesh embedded within. Also concrete gets stronger as it ages so 4" or concrete a few months old will be weaker than if it was several years old. A friend who works for the state road department is an inspector says that my garage floor is OK ( I poured it when I built the house) for a two post lift but a scissors lift is there right now. IMO the four post is the safest option but it appears to be of little use; only good for oil changes grease jobs and changing hoses. I doubt if you can drop a cradle using a 4 post or do serious front or rear suspension work with one. If anyone has done this using a 4 post please chime in.
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With a 6" thick floor you will be fine. When I bought my house I did not know the thickness or grade of the garage slab so I went a little overkill. For each anchor I bored a 3" diameter hole all the way through the concrete then used a shop vac to create a basketball sized void in the stone and soil below. Next I dropped deep anchors and filled the voids, encapsulating the anchors, with ready mix concrete. The slab was poured in 76, I did this 14 years ago and havent had any issues. I just dont trust those little "hammer in "anchors. On the other hand, my brother installed a lift in his garage about 4 years ago. He used the standard type anchors with no problem. He has a newer hydraulic 2 post lift, I have an older screw type. His posts have a much smaller footprint which made me nervous but its been fine.