SSPerformance

iTrader: (76)

I found a 2 poost lift for a good price but my celing in my garage is only 9foot tall. i was looking around and most say the need 11feet....any way around this

code4

iTrader: (30)

I don't think 9' ceiling will cut it for any kind of lift. If the bottom of your vehicle is at 6' you don't have much space left. Your car would probably hit the ceiling. Clear floor 2 post lifts run the chain up above so it is a lot taller, i think mine is 12'. A non clear floor runs the chain along the floor and is a lot shorter but I am not sure of the exact height.

SSPerformance

iTrader: (76)

wll the 9 feet is to the beam there is abnother foot after that

DARK AGE 53

My pole barn has 9' ceilings, I modified the trusses to give me the clearnace I needed. I don't have any pics but if you want I can give you a call an explain what I did to make it work, one other thing you'll want to think about is the thickness of the cement where the lift will sit.

Al

TheBlurLS1

iTrader: (8)

take the max height you can rase the car, and subtract the height of the car, and thats how much room you will have to work in

i've seen a 2 pole lift with the tops of the poles sticking into a guy's attic. his car was short enough so he could raise it almost to where the car hits the ceiling and sill get under it.

insaneclown

I also have a 9' celing and just installed a low profile Autolifters lift and am very happy with it. If I raise my Camaro or Corsica all the way to the top of the 9' ceiling I can walk under there quite easily... and I am 6'5". In fact I usually lower the car when I start work on it so I can sit down while working underneath.

If you think about it you should measure from the bottom of your chassis, not your wheels to the roof of the car and subtract that from your 9' ceiling; you can walk around the tires.

Anyway, I say go for it! You'll love it. It's a HELL of a lot better and a HELL of a lot faster that dicking around with jackstands

Let me know if you have any questions. It sounds like we have the same kind of setup.

44mag

iTrader: (1)

does your garage floor have to be built a certain way to have a lift? does the concrete have to be laid thicker. im going to build a garage in the near future and plan on putting a lift in.

DARK AGE 53

If you're going with a two post lift you should contact the lift company and see what they recommend, more then likely you'll need 6"-8" of concrete where the lift base is anchored. With a four post like mine you only need 4" of concrete, personaly I like a four post lift over a two post lift. You'll want a 12' ceiling and if you're lift a truck or SUV you may want something like 14' instead.

1BADAIR

iTrader: (1)

I had the same problem with my pole barn. I boxed in the ceiling/trusses right above the hoist and made an area for the cabin of the car to be lifted up into

insaneclown

My 2 post Autolifters lift said 4" minimum steel reinforced 3000 psi concrete. It is the lowest capacity they offer though at 8000 lbs. I saw that most lifts wanted at least 5" of concrete. I bought the garage the lift is in now and the concrete turned out to be reinforced 6" concrete. I also noticed 4" is the minimum recommended concrete thickness for garages (I think it has to be that thick to meet code).

I don't know if it is a lot more expensive to have a 14' insulated ceiling, but if not I would go for it. You definitely can't walk under vans with a 9' ceiling.

44mag

iTrader: (1)

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

code4

iTrader: (30)

I poured my own concrete. I had pre-planed where my lift was going. I did 6 inches of concrete under the lift & put plenty of 1/2 inch steel. I had marked out exactly where I needed to put anchor bolts for the lift & made sure that there was no steel in the hole locations. I drilled the holes with a masonry bit, I don't think it would have been pleasant trying to drill through rebar.

insaneclown

I hit plenty of rebar on the way down. It took a little longer to go through it but I think it's worth having that extra reinforcement next to the lift.

My drill bit only cost me $10 anyway.

Just my .02.

code4

iTrader: (30)

Exactly, I put extra steel all around where the lift was going but I was able to avoid the exact locations of the anchor bolts. Just made it easier to drill.