You better really trust your concrete guy with a single post too. I considered the single post but the weight capacity was not enough for what I wanted. Also a 2 post makes a lot more sense to me from an engineering standpoint.
I saw the single posts about 2 years ago when I first started thinking about a garage, and then I drew a free body diagram in my head, and decided I did not want one of those. Looks too sensitive to installation conditions, or at least that's what the paranoid part of me tends to think.
I have the 30x30 garage that Sawdoff mentioned in an earlier post. I have had a 9000lb assymetric two post on one side for over 16 years. I added a 9000lb 4 post to the other side almost a year ago. My ceiling is 13'4". If you are planning on using your lifts for regular cab longbed or extended cab shortbeds, the 25 foot depth is going to be very tight. If you plan for toolboxes, work tables, etc against the wall in front of the lifts you will want at least 28 foot or more depth. If smaller cars are the only concern, the 25 ft might work.
I went with a longer, wider 4 post than your standard parking/storage lift. I also added two rolling jacks and a caster kit.
I have two rolling tool chests, large bench grinder on a stand and drill press directly in front of the two post bay. I've had a couple extended cab duallys and a reg cab one ton 12ft flat bed on the lift and could walk around the entire truck with the 30 ft depth.
I saw the single posts about 2 years ago when I first started thinking about a garage, and then I drew a free body diagram in my head, and decided I did not want one of those. Looks too sensitive to installation conditions, or at least that's what the paranoid part of me tends to think.
Nothing to worry about, it's just a couple Concrete anchors in tension with a few thousand pounds suspended in the air with about a 5:1 leverage ratio...
I have pulled many motors with a cherry picker in my garage. Depending on the vehicle, it can be tight , but has always worked out. As for dropping a rearend with a jack handle sticking out the back, I usually lower the vehicle so the axle is on some jack stands and then raise the car. No jack handle involved.
My point of my post was that 25 ft depth for anything other than a small car would be too short. Thirty ft works for me. Do I wish it were a bigger building, sure.
Let's all be honest here no matter how big of a shop you have you wish it was bigger cause it gets filled with stuff. Short of having a warehouse for a shop. Everyone is going to run into a project that they wished their shop was bigger..... I've only been in one shop that was at someone's house and walked in and said yep that should handle anything I throw at it.... it was big enough to have two class A RVs parked side by side. With 4 rows of classic cars parked behind them two deep. Probably 30ft of open "driving area" two two post lifts with room for at least two more. Then a large area to hangout in with bathrooms showers and a loft for spare parts I wish I still had pics of it.... it also had a full length shed on each side to park stuff in
I would be happy living in a single wide trailer with an 80'x120' shop. My wife, not so much. This is why my shop is just under 1/4 the square footage of my house.
Yeah, it would be cool to have a big shiny polished pillar of in-floor awesomeness. I like how they just disappear when not in use, but I don't even want to think about in-floor lift maintenance.
I have a buddy who is a retired mechanic and still does side work at home, he had one put in his garage. It's so very cool, when its down you can barely tell its there.
He showed me pictures of the install, holy hell that was a serious job.
I have a buddy who is a retired mechanic and still does side work at home, he had one put in his garage. It's so very cool, when its down you can barely tell its there.
He showed me pictures of the install, holy hell that was a serious job.
if you are planning to use a lift for the main purpose of storing a car, you really want one that supports under the tires/suspension. Depending on the car, having the suspension hanging can cause ill effects to the car long term.
sorry - was referring to the single post lift with the full ramps as shown above. My neighbor is a Corvette collector and has 1 4-post for work and then 2 single posts for storage. I've already discussed with my contractor the "extra" needed to support the single post lift I am looking at.
He has arms that you slide over it when it comes up so you can grab the car from anywhere. Or maybe they fold outward from the top of the center body of the post, can't remember.
But you'd definitely have to plan it a little where you set it.
He also has a 2-post so I doubt that's a concern for him
