Smaller two door garage - lift ideas?!

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

Hi everyone, I'm new to GJ but have been following a lot of threads and the information here is mind boggling! :thumbup:

We built a new home about 1.5 years ago and now I'm finally getting around to doing the garage up. Since I love working on the cars I'm trying to figure out what my options are.

The dimensions of the garage are 19.5' wide by 18' deep with a height of 11'.
I spoke to the builder and they mentioned that the concrete slab is 4", but who knows!

So what are my options?

Many thanks!
Mick

volvo · Mar 4, 2014

..
Definitely get the blue one.

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

Hey Volvo, thanks for the advice! I bet you're really appreciated here.

Ross/Kzoo · Mar 4, 2014

How do you think that he got the post count so high?

Ross/Kzoo · Mar 4, 2014

Are you thinking 4 post, 2 post, scissors, what?

It also help to know what part of the country you are located.

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

it's a shame really. I belong to several reputable boards (6speedonline, Rennlist, Lotustslk etc) so I'm just a little surprised that individuals go out of there way to provide childish responses.

Oh well!

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

Ross/Kzoo said:
Are you thinking 4 post, 2 post, scissors, what?

It also help to know what part of the country you are located.

Hi Ross!
I'm located in N VA.
Ideally I'd like to install a 4 post with a jack, but am also willing to do the 2 post.
Scissors IMO will not provide the access.

Cheers mate.

Ross/Kzoo · Mar 4, 2014

I plan on buying one next year. You hear the most about Bend Pak and they are supossed to be great but a little pricey. I'm leaning toward the Direct Lift Pro Park. It comes with a jack tray and I was going to use 2 HF 20 ton jacks @ $100/ea. There are quite a few threads about lifts so do a search and that will keep you busy for about 1 1/2 days.

https://www.directlift.com/Pro-Park-9-PLUS-Four-Post-Lift-P55C9.aspx

Welcome to the GJ and forget about the negative comments. It's usually pretty good around here.

Slick111 · Mar 4, 2014

I wonder if there is a SERCH option for lifts on this site I bet it has never been talked about lifts in a garage you know.

DodgeMech · Mar 4, 2014

What are you lifting? A Challenger 2 post without the overhead bar would be small enough for your needs...if the biggest thing you'd ever lift is a half ton truck...

DodgeMech · Mar 4, 2014

Slick111 said:
I wonder if there is a SERCH option for lifts on this site I bet it has never been talked about lifts in a garage you know.

If you're trying to be a smart ***, at least spell check...

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

slick111 never tried a "serch", perhaps you can provide us with a tutorial?

DodgeMech, I'll be lifting a Lotus and a few German cars, so in the range of 1900 - 3400lbs max.

My primary concern with the MJ is the floor mounting.

exlondoner · Mar 4, 2014

Ross/Kzoo said:
I plan on buying one next year. You hear the most about Bend Pak and they are supossed to be great but a little pricey. I'm leaning toward the Direct Lift Pro Park. It comes with a jack tray and I was going to use 2 HF 20 ton jacks @ $100/ea. There are quite a few threads about lifts so do a search and that will keep you busy for about 1 1/2 days.

https://www.directlift.com/Pro-Park-9-PLUS-Four-Post-Lift-P55C9.aspx

Welcome to the GJ and forget about the negative comments. It's usually pretty good around here.

Thanks bud! The negative replies are quite funny, goes to show the caliber of the individual.

TurboMiata · Mar 4, 2014

I think you would get more serious responses if you provided more information upfront. I'm shopping for lifts myself so believe me I know how overwhelming it is. There are many factors to consider.

You covered the garage size and the thickness you think your slab is. Do you have high rise garage door tracks and opener already? If not, is that built into the budget? Are you SURE you won't lift anything heavier than 3400lb? What type of work will you be doing (wheel work, body work, transmissions, all of the above)? What's your budget? Do you care about safety certification? Do you care about USA made vs China made?

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

Understood, all good questions Miata.

Ideally I'd like to stick to a budget of around 2k. There will not be anything heavier that 3400 lbs ever.

I'd like to be able to work under the car as well as having the capability to adjust lift heights easily.

On the side that I'll be using the lift the garage has regular rails installed which would probably need to be swapped out to increase the height of the door.

Thanks again.

rburke65 · Mar 5, 2014

In the defense of all the "smart asses" and their responses, your initial question was very vague.....

Falcon67 · Mar 5, 2014

If there is any doubt about the slab, your options would be either a 4 post because the foot print weight per sq/in is a lot lower or possibly putting in footers for a 2 post. If you have a decent driveway leading up to the building, I'd lean in the direction of a 4 post with casters that had towers short enough to clear under the door. then you'd have something you could pull out into the driveway pad on nice days for a little extra work room.

PS - I think his post was precise enough. He has a small space and wants a lift. 19'5 wide is not too bad, 18' deep is a real issue. In that space, IMHO it would be hard to place a 2 post such that any particular vehicle could be balanced properly on the lift. There's not a lot of wiggle room. Our hot rods are all 16' long, that would leave 24" in his shop. Not much.

Stuart in MN · Mar 5, 2014

With an 11' high ceiling, putting the Lotus up on a four post lift probably won't be an issue. The other cars will depend on how tall they are. Do you also want to be able to store a car on the lift and park a second one underneath it?

Stang65 · Mar 5, 2014

If everyone used the search then this forum would be dead, I never understand that statement. A lot of people use this forum everyday, and new information about the same old questions is posted everyday. That's how a forum grows and becomes sucessful.

Jack Olsen · Mar 5, 2014

Search issues aside, an open-ended question like: 'I have a two-car garage and I want a lift -- so which one should I get?' is not going to get you much that's useful.

A four-post or two-post are going to give you a lot of steel to bump into when you're doing other stuff in a garage that's as small as yours. You say a scissors lift causes too much obstruction, but you don't say what kind of car you'll be working on and what work you're going to be doing. A scissors lift obstructs the exhaust, mostly. A four-post makes it a lot of work to pull wheels and work on brakes and suspension. A two post obstructs opening doors and can be kind of a pain if you're using the space for parking.

From what little information you're giving, I'd advise you to re-think a scissors lift, which fits away under the car when you're not using it, so that the rest of the garage is still useable. When you need to work on the exhaust, raise the thing up with the scissors lift and then support it on oversized Jackstands and lower the scissors lift back down.

But again, it depends on what you're doing. I mess with exhaust once a decade, but service brakes and adjust my suspension much more often.

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

To answer the question to cars, I'll be more specific but hate advertising on the boards on what I own, nevertheless: Highly modified Lotus Exige with minimum ground clearance, an M3, 335 and another car.

I'll be performing all kinds of work on these cars.
If you understand the underbody of an Exige you'll know that a scissor lift would be useless.

It would be nice to store a car underneath but that is not a deal breaker. Wheeling the 4 post outside would not be an option since the driveway slopes slightly.

I hope I'm providing enough information now.

Wow this board is pretty harsh.

pattenp · Mar 5, 2014

Sounds to me that the MaxJax is the solution.

http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com...lifts_maxjax&gclid=CMLYwfCh_LwCFS1eOgodrgYABA

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

pattenp said:
Sounds to me that the MaxJax is the solution.

http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com...lifts_maxjax&gclid=CMLYwfCh_LwCFS1eOgodrgYABA

Thanks pattenp, that's what I'm leaning towards now. Hopefully the new concrete is the specified 4".

pattenp · Mar 5, 2014

You can always bore a couple test holes to check the slab thickness.

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

Atlas® Garage Pro 8,000 4 Post Lift
Product Code XH-PRO8000

Thoughts? Would this be pushing it in terms size?

sctattooer · Mar 5, 2014

exlondoner said:
I hope I'm providing enough information now.
Wow this board is pretty harsh.

It's not that the board is harsh, but it is established. Many of the members here have been here a long time, and have seen the same threads over and again. There really are a ton of very informative threads on here comparing just about every lift make and type out there, and it's use and placement. If you do take the time to search them out, all the info you seek is there.

I made the decision on my lift solely based on the info I found through searching here, and couldnt be happier with my decision.

BTW, Welcome to GJ :hellobye:

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

Yep, I totally get the search part, I myself have thousands of posts on several automotive forums, but still assist regardless of the question.

Question for those with a 4 post, would there be any issue with the approach ramps being outside of the garage and resting on the driveway. I don't foresee any problems but just want to make sure.

I'll update again when I begin.

JDishong · Mar 5, 2014

Full-Rise Twin Scissor lift design doesn't obstruct undercarriage of car significantly (ie exhaust work) ... 6,600 lb max. Just one of many options for you.

exlondoner · Mar 5, 2014

Thanks J. The issue with the Exige is that it has separate under panel covers. Looking at these scissor jacks you would have to remove the panels and then lift the car.

I've found a 4 post that I've decided on, I'll let you know once the garage is finished completely.

Ross/Kzoo · Mar 6, 2014

JDishong said:
Full-Rise Twin Scissor lift design doesn't obstruct undercarriage of car significantly (ie exhaust work) ... 6,600 lb max. Just one of many options for you.

What locks that scissors jack in the up position and what makes it rise equally left and right?

Smaller two door garage - lift ideas?!

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