Where to place lift?

workhurts · Feb 25, 2014

So, 3 car garage. 2 bay plus 1 bay. Lift going into single bay. Total garage dimensions are 31' wide by 21' deep. I'm going to draw it out but do you just put the lift right smack in the middle of the single bay?

As in the posts are equidistant from the garage door and the back wall. Then centered on garage door itself?

Has anyone brought the lift out as close to the garage door as possible in order to give yourself more room on the backwall? I can imagine shifting it around if you have clearance issues but don't think I will.

Visually it will look more correct centered but I'm having a hard time imagining it.

Last but not least, I'm leaning towards and Atlas 8000 ext lift to get some height to it. I want to park under it often and getting out of the car I don't want to be banging my head into it all the time. It has one of the smaller footprints of the lifts I've looked at that is also high. Any opinions? Greg Smith has em for like $2.2k and another $800 or so to deliver and install. I'd get a BendPak but having trouble getting one to 'fit'.

Note, I also have a motorcycle and that's why I'm considering bringing the lift closer to the garage door so I have space between it and the backwall to put the bike.

justin1795 · Feb 26, 2014

I too am curious as to setbacks. I know I used to have a hoist at work next to a wall. it had about 1 foot between the hoist and the wall. it was a pain because u could hardly walk threw it let along carry stuff.

mrobins297aaa · Feb 26, 2014

at 21' deep your pretty much stuck with the lift in the center, at that distance unless you have a 12' ceiling and a high lift door your not going to be able to open your garage door while you have anything on the lift.

wssix99 · Feb 26, 2014

workhurts said:
So, 3 car garage. 2 bay plus 1 bay. Lift going into single bay. Total garage dimensions are 31' wide by 21' deep.

With this size, you could have problems with a 2 post lift. 21' deep is barely enough to get a truck in the space. If you do park a truck in there, you won't have enough room to walk around it with the door shut. Can you increase the size?

The thing with a 2 post lift is that you have to center the weight on the lift. Depending on the vehicle, its length won't be centered on the lift. If you centered the weight of a pick up truck on a 2 post lift in the center of the garage, your bed would stick out the garage door and you wouldn't be able to raise the thing.

If you take a look at the weight distribution of your vehicles and then calculate the center of mass between your front and rear axles, you can get a feel for how this works. I have a 25' garage and found that a normal 2 post lift would not work for my car and my pickup, but that I could get an asymmetrical 2 post lift to work out with some very precise placement.

If you are stuck with the 21' depth, I'd highly recommend opening up to a 4 post lift. That will give you a lot more versatility. With the four post lift, you also need to move it a little forward so the rear ramps dangling off the end don't hit your garage door. (You could also do something like a MaxJax and mount it to the floor in different places depending on what you are lifting. This option might also give you more room so you can put it aside and don't have problems opening your car doors, etc. when the lift is not in use.)

Side-to-side placement is a little easier. I have my working lift on an end bay of my 3 door garage, but I have a 38' width. For a 31' width, you'd probably want the lift in the middle to give you enough room to open the doors fully, pull axles, etc. I'd think your end bays will be to close to the wall to do some of that type of work.

workhurts · Feb 26, 2014

Guess I definitely wasn't clear. It's a 4 post. Don't have any trucks. 13' ceilings and a high lift door. Also, primarily for storage and some maintenance. I'd end up getting a MaxJax later down the road to put in the middle.

A 4 post in the middle bay would look a little wierd and detract from the aesthetic of the place (which is high on the priority list). I could be wrong on that. I debated it. It sure would make getting out of the car easier if it were in the middle.

nolimits76 · Feb 26, 2014

Hey guys....OP posted a 4 post lift....Atlas 8000 EXT. In his original post, he wanted to park underneath it.

I agree about 21' being too shallow of a garage. I don't know your current car/truck situation now, but when buying and planning a lift I would want to build around the biggest/worst case scenario.

For most people, that would likely include a crew cab truck. Below is just an example, but you can see how the overall length of the vehicle is really leaving you NO working room for the vehicle.

And you better be damn sure the 21' dimension is INSIDE TO INSIDE dimensions; otherwise, it won't fit. Outside to outside dimensions would need to be closer to 22' to allow for wall thicknesses and exterior facade (if using brick it would need to be more than 22' -- probably in the 22.5' range as studs + air space + brick is closer to 8-9" total wall thickness per side).

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/exterior/

2014 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4x4 w/ 6.5' bed:
* Wheelbase = 156.5" (or 13.042')
* Vehicle Length = 243.9" (or 20.325')
* Vehicle Width (no mirrors) = 79.2" (6.6')
* Vehicle Width (w/ mirrors) = 97" (or 8.084')
* Cab Height = 76.5" (or 6.375')

FYI, here are some pictures of the 8000 EXT lift I found online. They give good representation with dimensions, etc. Looks like the ramps detach that your drive upon, but you should verify. If they don't detach, you may have an issue with fitment.

http://www.atlasautoequipment.ca/atlas-garage-pro-8000-4-post-lift-8-000lbs-capacity/

XH-PRO8000-2__04235.1386018679.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-3__23084.1386018897.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-4__71231.1386019168.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-5__03227.1386019516.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-6__78167.1386017868.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-7__71854.1386018052.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-8__85216.1386019498.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-9__32861.1386018112.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-10__74677.1386019574.1280.1280.jpg

XH-PRO8000-11__19467.1386017695.1280.1280.jpg

nolimits76 · Feb 26, 2014

I forgot to ask....

How tall are your ceilings? You will need at least 12-14' tall.

And what type of garage door? Most residential doors are 7' or 8' tall and use tracks to suspend the door over the area where you park. Unless you have a roll up door or special guide system you won't be able to have the door up while the lift is up. Which also means you won't be able to park a car on the lift and also underneath it.

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workhurts · Feb 26, 2014

I wouldn't worry about a twin cab tank fitting into the garage

Also, where are you guys installing the motor/pump? Back right or front left?

I actually went back and looked at BendPak and they have one that is tall and fits the footprint I want. HD-7P and HD-7W. About a grand more with accessories but ... install quotes seemed about 300 cheaper from them somehow so I might end up with that instead.

Still trying to decide front to back placement, but I don't think that's going to happen without taking a roll of tape to the garage floor and just marking it all out.

13' ceiling. 21' depth. 8' garage door. 3 bay garage. Single on left, double on right.

nolimits76 · Feb 26, 2014

If the garage is pre-existing, it's a moot point about the size. If you are building and have time to alter the design, I would bump the 1 car area to at least 25' deep.

Regardless if you have the "twin cab tank" you are still going to run into an issue trying to use a 4 post lift and park a car on the lift and below it -- unless you do something different with the garage doors.

Hopefully the pictures below show what I am talking about. As you can see in the second picture, this guy has a traditional door similar to yours but it is designed to slide "up" and follow his modified roof vault line. This might be a good time to consider the Liftmaster 8500 door opener.

nolimits76 · Feb 26, 2014

In regards to the door clearance, check out the photo gallery on this link. You can see very clearly how they extended their door and used the Liftmaster 8500 to make it happen.

http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/tech/hppp_0801_garage_automotive_lift_install/photo_02.html

nolimits76 · Feb 26, 2014

One other thought for you....if you find yourself later wanting to do more wheel and suspension work on your vehicle, you can add a sliding/bridge jack to a 4 post setup.

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/4-post-bridge-jacks/

jdub63 · Feb 26, 2014

If you're looking at 4 post lifts, you don't "have" to bolt them down. My Bendpak has a caster set that I can push the lift from one bay to the other. However, you still have to ensure clearance of the garage door tracks and openers....

workhurts · Feb 26, 2014

I have high track doors. Clearance is not an issue. Now after talking to a couple of installers. Bendpak, with some accessories and installed would be in the $3,900 range whereas Atlas would be in the $2,500 range.

Over 50% premium ... decisions ... decisions.

Atlas 8000 EXT vs BendPak HD-7W. Time to read more lift comparisons.

jdub63 · Feb 26, 2014

I would save the install money and use it for a bridgejack as nolimits suggested. I was able to assemble mine with a little help from the wife and a cherry picker.

nolimits76 · Feb 27, 2014

Although not a super large amount of money, the Bendpak is almost 56% more costly. To me, that is too large of a difference to say it's all greed. I think there are differences in materials and/or construction techniques.

I'm not overly familiar with Atlas. One thing that jumped out to me was Atlas offers a 5 year structural & 1 year hydraulic warranty. The Bendpak offers 5 year "bumper to bumper" and 2 year hydraulic warranty.

Here is more details on the Bendpak construction:
http://www.bendpak.com/a-study-in-lift-design/Four-Post-Lift-Design/

I'm all about saving money and being economical, but when it comes to a lift that can squash me flat I prefer quality first. At the top of my list is USA made. I would clarify point of manufacture for various parts (steel, electronics, controllers, etc) with each manufacturer.

I've seen some threads about Bendpak's having "made in China" stickers on them, but having USA roots. The Atlas seems like straight up Chinese. I'm just starting my own research and scratching the surface. I suggest you research thoroughly.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16060&showall=1

JD in DFW said:
The Greg Smith Atlas lift is a china import made by Dover. Dover also owns Rotary but the two manufacturing facilities are totally different, Rotary is manufactured in Madison IN and the Atlas/Direct/ whatever name he is putting on this week is made in main land China. the Atlas lift is not third party certified if I'm correct (ALI/ETL) and I would read the warranty very carefully.
As many here have referred to the Rotary Lift. If it was me I would go that direction as well. Rotary has been around since 1928, they offer the best warranty and have local factory trained installers....best of all it's made here and the service and parts are here as well. The questions you should also consider is what is my life, those of my friends and family worth who may be under a car at any given time. To me paying a few more bucks for a quality, and certified lift is a good investment and peace of mind when working under it. Call Rotary and get the nearest Dist. in your area, I would bet he has a couple of used trade ins on the ground that he would make you a great deal on one and probably warranty it for a year or so.

What ever you do, do your homework and get a quality built lift backed by a company that manufactures and stands behind the product here in your back yard rather then a guy private labeling a China import that may or may not work 3 yrs down the road.

Good luck with whatever direction you go.

JD

Oh and a Asym will work great for you. Figure a space that is 12X24 and give your self a few feet on either side to walk around. Also checl your slab thickness, you need a min 4" thickness with a strength of 2000psi in the concrete...again a factory trained installer can check all this out for you and is usally included in the install price.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19992

jcs_in_ky said:
Yesterday I went to the Yellow Freight terminal to pick my new BendPak XPR-10CX lift up. I got back late and didn't get to unload it until this morning. When I pulled the shrink wrap and cardboard off I found a "Made In China" sticker on the bottom of one of the post base plates. When I ordered this lift I was assured that it was made in the U.S., "just like all of the Bendpak products". I think everyone has pretty much known for a while now that at least some of their stuff is imported. It's too bad Bendpak can't be honest about it when asked, especially when they ship it out with a Made in China sticker on it.

Matt M PA · Feb 27, 2014

My garage is built with the "lift bay" on one end. In fact, the other two bays have a floor above...so I couldn't put my 4 post anywhere else. In order for it to be centered in the door opening...it has to be very near one wall.

Sometimes, I wish it was in the middle bay. Being so close to the middle wall, I can't walk between the wall and the posts. You can imagine what a pain this is.

Also...mine...even with a 26' depth....I positioned the lift so that the approach ramps are just inside the door.

wssix99 · Feb 27, 2014

workhurts said:
Still trying to decide front to back placement, but I don't think that's going to happen without taking a roll of tape to the garage floor and just marking it all out.

This is a wise thing to do. You don't want to forget about the approach ramp length and the distance the garage door sticks inside the garage. Even if you put it back as close to the door as you can, you won't have much room to walk around the front. It will still be a tight fit, so you'll also want to look at door swings of the other car's you'll park in the garage and how you'll walk between all of them.

my58 · Feb 27, 2014

nolimits76 said:
Although not a super large amount of money, the Bendpak is almost 56% more costly. To me, that is too large of a difference to say it's all greed. I think there are differences in materials and/or construction techniques.

I know there are tons of opinions and lots of threads on 4 post lifts but I figured I would mention the Dannmar Lift From GES in Moorpark Ca. It was priced fairly, I assembled it pretty much on my own with just an old cherry picker engine hoist (it was super easy) It can be rolled around with the optional wheels.

I use my Dannmar all the time and love it. I am so confident in its safety that I work under it on other projects while storing a car above.

Good luck with your choice, whatever you get you will love owning your own lift.

nolimits76 · Feb 27, 2014

Danmar makes the MaxJax which I've heard good things about. Looks like Danmar D7-X ($2,550) would be the closest competitor to the Bendpak HD-7W ($3,050).

http://www.gesusa.com/Commander-7000X-Portable-4-Post-Parking-Lift-p/1375644.htm
http://www.gesusa.com/BendPak-HD-7W-4-Post-Lift-p/119896.htm

This site also compares the Bendpak against a Challenger Lift. I know you aren't looking at Challenger Lift's but thought it was a good reference how things might be built different. Below is just one picture example. Click on the link for all of them.

https://www.gesusa.com/Articles.asp?ID=326

BendPak_XPR-10A_Lift_Compare_Challenger_Lift_E10_0118.JPG

NitroShark · Feb 27, 2014

workhurts said:
where are you guys installing the motor/pump? Back right or front left?

Definitely put the power supply on the front left. That way you are not always worrying about the mirror to power supply (hoses) clearance when pulling in and out.

I had to move mine once I started to use it and learned the hard way! It’s better to not have to deal with it.

Shawn

workhurts · Mar 2, 2014

This is what the HD-7W would look like if my 110" max width assumtion is correct. BendPak has 116" in some spots and 110" in others. I think I'll end up moving the lift another 12" towards the garage door to give myself close to 4' on the back wall.

Silver boxes are cars. Black stuff is asphalt. Beige little boxes are garage doors. It's a pretty horrible sketch-up and am not sure what it really does but at least it's a bit of a visual.

It's definitely narrowed down between the BendPak HD-7W and HD-7P. The 7P would end up being 10" narrower which would give me abother 5" to the outside wall. Runways are going to be in the exact same position between models and when lifted out of the way. So only consideration is placement of posts and whether I really need the extra wide or not.

Rookie2 · Mar 2, 2014

just a thought, what about outside next to the far bay ?

workhurts · Mar 2, 2014

Outside as in outside the garage in the elements? That wouldn't work too well as it's meant mostly for storage and my HOA and neighbors would be none too happy.

domer911 · Mar 2, 2014

Make sure your lift is wide enough to at least clear the opening to the garage

workhurts · Mar 18, 2014

BTW. Ordered the Bendpak HD-7W, 220V ... should be installed in a couple of weeks. Just hope my wimpy compressor is enough to disengage the airlocks. Don't feel like adding to the bill.

nolimits76 · Mar 23, 2014

workhurts said:
BTW. Ordered the Bendpak HD-7W, 220V ... should be installed in a couple of weeks. Just hope my wimpy compressor is enough to disengage the airlocks. Don't feel like adding to the bill.

Congrats!!!

Be sure to post pics once installed and also loaded and unloaded.

Also for those that may be using this as reference material later on, what made you decide on Bendpak? You mentioned there was a price premium. Was you able to secure cheaper elsewhere or did you just bite the bullet?

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workhurts · Mar 23, 2014

I just bit the bullet. No getting away from the difference in price but I decided based on a couple of things.

1- Adjustable width.
2- Resale (if ever need to resell).
3- Did not like the mechanical levers on other lifts.
4- Cleaner look with no outside cabling.
5- Brand.
6- For $1k or so ... why risk it if the money is there?
7- Customer service prior to sale. They answered every question imaginable.
8- They make a not so long 189", wide 110" and tall 82" lift that fits in the space I need it to fit in.

That being said. I'm a pit POed with BendPak right now. The rolling casters are on back order for over a month. What kind of company can't figure out how to manage inventory and production on what has to be thier #1 accessory. So, will install the lift (hopefully in the right spot) and wait till the casters come in to move it in case I don't like the spot.

They also tried to tell me the jack plate that I ordered would not fit. They finally figured out they were smoking crack.

Still annoyed at the whole rolling caster kit. I'll post pictures and progress. I got my 220 wired at the breaker and cable pulled. Need to decide how high I want to outlet and finish that job off.

socapots · Mar 23, 2014

Cool.
Some good info too. Thanks
Get some pics up when it's all in.

workhurts · Apr 7, 2014

Lift install scheduled for tomorrow. Kinda excited. Will post pics later in the week provided all goes well.

ebmiller88 · Apr 7, 2014

Please do, I'm curious as you how you get it installed. Like yourself, I have a 3 car garage with a left double and right single bay arrangement, almost exactly the same footprint, and 11" ceilings. I have a Direct Lift 4 post lift on the left side of the double bay as you look at it. With it installed here, I cannot get to the left and left rear walls of the garage for anything. Having it here it takes away any wall storage from being used efficiently. I plan on moving the lift more to the right side of the dual bay, next to the single bay. I cannot put the lift in the single bay as the entrance door to the house is at the extreme right back corner and the lift post would get in the way.

That said, I have a huge beam running front to back down the dead center of the garage, about a quarter of the way into the double door if you can picture it. Since it's in that location, I cannot raise my big door at all so that's out of the question. I am in the middle of installing a LM 8500 to get rid of the center mount door opener to give me a bit more clearance but the beam will still come into play regarding lifting a car and getting another under the lift, and how far I can scoot the lift over to the right.

I have relocated the power unit to the optional between-the-post location using the required bracket which keeps the power unit from sticking out, this was a good idea.

Another thing you might consider is taking the ramps off. My DL ramps just drop in and then conveniently store under the lift between the rails so they aren't in the way, I have about 18" of clearance from the front of the lift to the door. I did move the lift closer to the door for more room behind the lift and this helped. Just something you might consider for added clearance.

Ed

Flexia · Apr 7, 2014

workhurts said:
Lift install scheduled for tomorrow. Kinda excited. Will post pics later in the week provided all goes well.

Sounds awesome. Can't wait to see pictures. Let is know how it goes

workhurts · Apr 9, 2014

Here you go. Still a few minor adjustments to make and really figure out whether I like it placed where it is ...

SILVERPLATE · Apr 9, 2014

Are the ramps removable so to have the lift just inside the garage door gaining a little space?

Flexia · Apr 9, 2014

Nice M coupe. I would love to have an S54 ome

NewShockerGuy · Apr 9, 2014

So wait the width is adjustable? How is that done? I haven't seen a 4 post that the width is adjustable?

At what size is it adjustable to for the width? IE: Default setting then adjustable setting?

Lift looks great!

Also can you adjust which post you can put the pump on? Or is it a predetermined post that it has to be on?

-Nigel

jdub63 · Apr 9, 2014

The track width is adjustable, not the width of the rail.

workhurts · Apr 9, 2014

First things first ... the 2" front to back slope on the garage makes the lift a bit annoying if you don't shim the front. That's going to be an issue with all lifts. If you want the runways level, your clicking on the way up isn't going to be synced up. Only way to sync them up is to make the runways the same slope as the garage floor. Haven't figured out what I can live with.

Bendpak powder coating *****. Simple as that. The grit in the paint comes off pretty easily and I can imagine the runways being smooth in a few months.

As for an S54 M Coupe ... you haven't seen what's going up top. If you like M Coupes you're going to hate me.

Seems stable enough without bolting down.

I like the 220 motor for speed but I'm thinking a 110V motor going slower might actually help with small lifting up and down to get the whole thing off the locks. It'd give you more time to disengage the locks before hitting the next lock. Not an issue if your floor is level or you shim your lift.

Adjustable runways. 37" between runways all the way to 43". One runway is stationary at all times.

Motor mounts in one place basically but you can move the whole lift 180 degrees which would place the motor diagonal to original position. So, two places. I can only assume that you could somehow make everything remote if you had enough hose length.

Last but not least, it's big. If you don't think you have enough room you probably won't. Also, I would never try to get a car within a couple of inches of a ceiling as I keep seeing people try to do. The lift has to rise 1-3" depending on how you set it up before you can bring it down. Now imagine if you miss that and make it to the next lock. What do you do then? You're screwed.

workhurts · Apr 9, 2014

Also need to find some stickers to cover the shipping damage. Don't expect a lift to ever arrive without a few bruises.

Crazy68Dart · Apr 9, 2014

Looks very cool. I like the adjustable track width. Which track is fixed? I have an older British vehicle that might come my way some day.

How close are you to your wall? And how much offset is your garage door from the wall? I have another thread going on this topic...

jdub63 · Apr 10, 2014

workhurts said:
Also need to find some stickers to cover the shipping damage. Don't expect a lift to ever arrive without a few bruises.

I called the distributor and they sent a can of matched spray paint.

Where to place lift?

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