Bobd207s

I just found out that you can get these to store your car - instaed of paying for garage space as I am now doing . Do any of you store your Vettes this way ? If so what brands do you recommend ? What should I look for in a lift. How much space do you need for one of these to fit in a garage - I have a 2 car garage 24'x24' outside dimensions. Are they DIY projects or factory installed. Any help is greatly appreciated
TIA
Bob

wamara

Hi Bob,
This has been fairly extensively discussed. Have you taken a few stabs at searching for previous threads on the subject ?

VRROOOM2

I just went to the search function and typed in "4 post lifts" I thought I'd throw you a link...HA! There is a full page, plus more.. I didn't bother to look... when you have detailed questions, PM me...I'll help you with what I know... I have one, a SuperLift. 9-10' is close to the minimum ceiling height but you can get by with less... There are many different brands with many being quite similar yet different... It pays to look over several of those threads... Then ask anything you still are unsure of.


<------ BTW, look here 11'3" ceiling with extra high lift. I have 6'1" below to walk under and park my DD. The downside? I'm 6'2" in my bare feet...

POK868

good to know thanks

Patches

VRROOOM was a huge help to me when I installed mine with help from a buddy. I opted for the Bend-Pak HD-9 in my 21'x21' garage. I have a 10' ceiling with no clearance issues. Fits great.

Here a couple of links to my installation.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1468748

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1470876

kww

I also have a 24x24 garage with a ceiling that's a little over 9 feet. I store a Superformance Cobra on top with the Vet below and have no problems. The arrangement works great. The lift is a Superior model SR-7H. If you need any further advice or measurments you can also PM me.

OC1Dave

I bought and installed a 9000# Americas Pride ( 1-800-348-4244 Rick Nickerson) and had no problems. Some things to think about:


1. If your ceiling is less than 10' it will be a very tight squeeze unless
you have two "low" cars. Our Burb and Trailblazer won't fit under
the lift at max height - our Impala SS will. My ceiling is 12' and the
lift will just go all the way up with the Burb on it without hitting the
lights.
2. Take a look at your garage door tracks and opener - you may have
to move or modify them.
3. Delivery is a big issue. The package was 14' long and weighed
1500#. It takes a forklift and a good operator to unload it from the
tractor trailer that will deliver it. Once you get it on the ground, the
individual parts can be handled by you and a few of your strong
friends.
4. You may need an electrician to wire up the motor as most come
with no cord or plug.
5. Be sure to use the correct hydraulic fluid - I had to search far and
wide to find the right stuff.
5. Good luck - you will wonder why you waited so long to get one.

loops

Yes, I store both my vettes this way - it is the least expensive solution to garage space. I went with the Revolution lift by Rotary and I am totally satisfied. (see pictures by clicking the "My Corvette Photos" link in the member information box).

$$$frumnuttin'

I can understand the ceiling height issue. But isn't there a need to beef up under the 4 inches of concrete? 4 inches is borderline to support the load, right? I always wanted one of these but held back because of this issue.

hotwheels57

I've had a 9,000# two post FORWARD MANUFACTURING commercial lift, a 7,000# four post SUPERLIFT and now have a 9,000# four post BEND PAK lift. The manufacturers specified 4" of fully cured concrete is sufficient. On the two post lift I chose to add 2'x2'x3' footers beneath the columns, but it was very much overkill.

VRROOOM2

No need to beef up the floor with a four post system... I forget what the standard PSI rating is for concrete, something more than (2200 PSI runs in my head at 4" thick?) but it was explained to me and I also had been thinking about it in the same way... Most cars sit on 4 tires with a contact patch of say 10 x 8 or so, yes? (I know, the Vette patch is LARGER...) Anyway, the bottom plate on a 4 poster is usually 1/2" thick and 12" or so square...Giving you an even greater surface area for contact... even with an added 300-400 lbs per corner (The weight of the lift) It will be fine... But ask someone in the know about that concrete rating and as long as you have 4", you should be good. (Ahem, 4" of concrete!!)

The websites usually address this too.

Also, the first poster asked about installation... I have very detailed install instructions for a SuperLift. The others come similarly packaged and I do offer them to anyone that is assembling their own lift if they want them.

The worst thing about installing a lift is the lifting obviously but a engine hoist and a strong friend or two helps!! Patches did a Super nice write up on his install from last fall... Assembly is quite simple.

Good luck!!

DaBeast

would there be any kind of risk with this kind of lift incase of an earthquake?? i live in Socal so we are the mother land of earthquakes

hotwheels57

You have the option of bolting a four post lift solidly to the 4" concrete or installing so the lift sits on the concrete...most four post lifts are very stable w/o being secured to the concrete (some horror stories are out there depending on the lift manufacturer, installation, etc). This also allows you to use the optional caster kit which enables you to move the lift around.
On the two four post lifts I've had, neither were bolted into the concrete...but then I don't live in an earthquake zone. Even if the lift were secured to the concrete, there's no guarantee of what might happen with a earthquake occurrence. I also never leave my car on the lift at full lifted height, usually up to three feet to keep the vermin out and dog nose smudges to a minimum.
The bigger risk might be that your friends will all want to use your lift. You might also want to check with your homeowners insurance about liability issues if a failure should occur.

Bobd207s

Thanks to everyone for the great info - I will continue to investigate this so next year I can keep my car in my garage.

Bob

3Vettes@Home

Here's mine, Eagle SS7000, I've owned this rack since summer of 2000 with no issues. Check them out, EagleEquip.com
Installed myself using an engine hoist and two friends, just sits on the floor. Wired the 220 myself, used Valvoline hyd. fluid purchased at NAPA auto parts.

Schnaps

I've also been researching lifts for my planned detached garage and sent the following questions to my three lift finalists. Below are my questions and their responses.

Question- Builders of my new detached garage have told me that there will be a 3 1/2" per 24 feet pitch on my concrete garage floor to allow for drainage. How does this affect the support or physics of your lift? Does this change it's capacity rating? Would I need shim two of the posts to maintain full lifting capacity?

Response #1- BendPak HD 9

This situation is one I’ve had to take to my design department and Vice President of Operations to get a final answer on. We have determined from the measurements you gave us that the total gap to fill is going to be approximately 2 ½”. The only way to fill this gap is going to be adding base plates to the lower end. This will create a great deal of instability and pressure on the crosstubes that would normally be in contact with the floor. It would also create the need to have longer approach ramps. All of this is possible to do but it might cause warranty problems further down the road and Bendpak does not recommend this application of the lift. The best possible solution would be to level out your floor before installing.

Response #2- Revolution RFP7

The lift needs to be level. You could as you said shim up the rear. In
doing this you would probably require some longer extended ramps to
allow access on to the lift.

Response #3- Pro Park 7

From what you describe the pitch of the floor over the length of the lift is just a shade over 2.00". That is really too much pitch over the length of the lift. You really have two options, option one is to shim the two posts 2.00" on the low end of the lift. Option two is to look at the Pro Park 9 which is somewhat adjustable requiring no shimming in a case like this.

The Cons
Option one, by shimming you effectively raise the height of your runways which can create problems getting lowered vehicles on the lift. This can be solved by placing 2" X 12" planks under your approach ramps.

I've been through a lot of threads and did not see this issue being discussed. Do us new buyers need to be concerned up the garage floor slope? Can anyone shed any light from their experience?

Thanks!

hotwheels57

My shops have all been absolutely flat as the concrete contractor can make them. I didn't want any drop in grade, mainly because of the lift. I figured I can always vacuum/sweep/mop out the shop (a weekly chore for my shop). I didn't want sockets rolling down grade. Don't allow your contractor to dictate what you want in your dream shop. Maybe the contractor can make a defined area flat where the lift will be and the rest with grade? (if that's what you want). I would not shim 2-2.5" a four post lift if it were me.

jrh009

Let's see if I can help a little. I am a structural engineer.

1. Concrete strength, not your question, however you can not use specified concrete strength to determine if your floor can support a lift. It is only one parameter, base plate design is more critical for residential applications.

For example shear strength on a 3000 psi conc floor is only around 60psi.

If you have a 4" floor and average soil conditions a 4 post lift will support a C5.

2. Floor Slope Generally building codes require 1% of fall in the floor to your door for drainage. However you can install a floor drain centrally. If you have a 24'x24' garage with a center drain you should provide 12' x12" x .01 = 1.5" of grade to the drain. Some codes require an oil interceptor if you use a floor drain so this may not be an option for you.

The lift should be installed level using non shrink grout or shims under the base plates to level the lift. Other wise the lift may bind or not work as well as it should. Ramps would need to be adjusted to suit.

3. Earth quake loads are horizontal loads, not vertical and are transimitted to structures through the soil. The stronger or more dense the soil, the stronger the transmitted force is. Note I am not an earth quake guy, in my area our zonal earthquake velocities are zero.

However I would expect little or no consequences for a C5 sitting on a lift during an earthquake. No anchor bolts would be better for earthquake loads but you need to install the anchor bolts for stability.

Hope this helps.

Schnaps

I think its evident that you should install a 'level' 4 post lift whether by shimming or having a level floor.

I'd rather not shim and mess around with the ramps, but local building codes may force that. If they require a pitch to pass inspection, I may have no choice.

I've tried to look back over pictures submitted by members with 4 post lifts and didn't see any with shimming, yet. Either everyone's floor is level or the floor slope is being ignored. I have to wonder whether I'm just getting too detailed!

Thanks for the info!