Author Topic: Preparing to buy a two post lift  (Read 2094 times)

Offline Fatty_McButterpants

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Preparing to buy a two post lift
« on: March 18, 2022, 04:47:33 PM »
I may be overthinking this but bare with me, I don’t have much else to post.

I’m pouring a slab to make it easier to work on my vehicles and I’m buying a 2 post lift. Creepers don’t work well on gravel and my knees can’t take all the squatting I have to do without a lift.

I’ve decided 12x25 fits the spot in front of my carport. When I pour the slab, I’m pouring it thicker where the post will sit. What I have to figure out is how far back from the front of the slab to place the posts.

The front edge of the slab will be at the very edge of the carport. I’m thinking that it won’t be often that I’ll have a vehicle in the air at maximum height and need to be under the hood at the same time so I can have the vehicle sitting 1’ back from the carport without worrying about insufficient room between the truck and the carport.

So, with that being said……

When lifting a crew cab long bed, the front of the post will be at the trailing edge of the front doors. On a dually, it might be a few inches farther back if not the same place. With a shorter truck, the post might be more forward. On both my ‘88 and ‘93 Ford F Series trucks, the front bumper to the back edge of the door is about 9’. So I’m thinking the front of the post should be 10’ from the front of the slab, maybe 11’.

I don’t have to worry about available work space in front of the truck. I’ve got 36’ of carport sitting there. It’s currently cluttered beyond belief but I’ll fix that soon enough.

So that’s all there is to know about placing a 2 post lift on my slab. Oh, I did consult with the company I plan to buy the lift from and my slab will be more than adequate to support the lift and have it sufficiently anchored.

Did I fail to consider something or is there some information I didn’t get that I need?

If you have a lift, what kind do you have and how did you position it in your shop?


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Offline DeadNutz

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2022, 06:19:30 PM »
I would say don't try to figure it too close to what you have calculated. Myself I would probably add at least one to two extra feet to what you know is the minimum. I do not have a lift. We also poured the concrete apron in front of the garage and RV garage/shop close to 6" due to driving the forklift and MF tractor on it. We also saw cut the low area across the width that is the drainage path and have no cracks in the concrete after over 10 years. We do have a frost depth of 18" here.

I hope it all goes well for you.

Offline Fatty_McButterpants

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2022, 08:13:38 PM »
I would say don't try to figure it too close to what you have calculated. Myself I would probably add at least one to two extra feet to what you know is the minimum.

Add one to two feet to the minimum of what?


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Offline DeadNutz

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2022, 10:57:46 AM »
I would say don't try to figure it too close to what you have calculated. Myself I would probably add at least one to two extra feet to what you know is the minimum.

Add one to two feet to the minimum of what?


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The clearance between the front of the vehicle and the carport.

Offline TexasT

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2022, 09:21:38 AM »
To pick up a crew cab you will need a pretty substantial unit. This in turn will need a substantial slab under it to make sure it stays upright and parallel to each other. I'd want several feet on each side to be able to open the door if needed and be able to have room to work.

Should provide an easier way to work , I hope it works out for you. It is a dream for me.
Rich

Offline walrus

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2022, 08:10:28 AM »
I have an SPO rotary lift, it will lift my 2500hd extended cab GMC with 8 ft Reading aluminum body loaded with tools and parts/pieces for work. Its a wee bit scary :) My floor is 7 or 8inches thick where it bolts down,  4000psi concrete, #4 rebar 12 inches on center. It picks up a normal pickup like nothing. It will even pickup my 1995 3500 HD bucket truck 6 inches or so. No higher as boom hits safety switch. I'm not sure how much the bucket truck weighs but I'd think 10,000 lbs more or less? Its a 15,000 lb truck with 19.5inch tires on it. Fiber body with really not much in it.

Offline wantedabiggergarage

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Re: Preparing to buy a two post lift
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2022, 08:17:54 AM »
"Did I fail to consider something or is there some information I didn’t get that I need?"

City codes?

We had both a commercial place and a residence that put a lift in front of themselves, and codes got involved.