Lowest possible ceiling height for 2 post lift? (1 Viewer)

[matmattmatthew]

I'm a custom home builder and I've decided to stop paying rent for office space, electing to build a 3 car detached garage on my property with office space on the 2nd floor. The 1st draft of plans came back from the architect and the ceiling height from the slab is 10' 2". This is achieved with 9' studs, 3" of bottom plate, 3" of top plate and approximately 8" of a foundation stem wall. There are 2 steel beams that run side to side and stick down about 12" from the ceiling but they are spaced 16' apart so I would put the lift between the 2 of them.

The easiest way to get a higher ceiling hight would be to bump up to 10' lumber for the studs. This will add a decent amount of cost between the lumber, sheathing, and siding. But the bigger issue might be the stair dimensions, adding 1' in height will add 2 treads and I think it will make my stair design not meet code, I'll have to double-check my math.

So my question is, What is the minimum ceiling height to make a 2 post lift worthwhile? I have a lifted Fj62 for reference.

 

[Skeet]

12' ceiling height will allow you to fit an Atlas PV-10P and have room to work beneath the vehicle

 

[1911]

My Danmar D-10/ACX lift is a few inches over 12' high, so you'd need more than that. My shop has 12' walls and the peak of the roof is 14' high so it fits easily in that.

 

[gnob]

Agree 14' is where I'd go.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

12-14' is ideal for a traditional rail over lift. I just bought a 2 post floor plate and love it. Most home/shop garages are using these nowadays.

My shops are 14' ceilings

Also depends on what you will be working on and how tall you are. I want a minimum of 70" lift height for cruisers. I'm 6'3" and is about perfect for me.

J

Traditional

Floor Plate

 

[PAToyota]

12-14' is ideal for a traditional rail over lift.

That's what I found when I was looking into it. A lot of them will work with 12' - you may have to position the lift posts between joists if it is a bit over 12', but it can be made to work. There are low headroom lifts, but depending on what you are lifting you may not be getting it far enough off the ground to be as useful as it could be.

 

[matmattmatthew]

Thanks for the input guys.

In a perfect world, I would make it 12-14' but that would require a total redesign of the garage and increase in size to fit the stairs. The max I think I can go with the current design footprint is 11-11.5'. If I wasn't putting the office for my company on the 2nd floor this wouldn't even be an issue.

This is the lift I was looking at, mostly because of the total height and also because there's a distribution center about an hour from me so I can pick it up and save on freight. Atlas® 9KBP Baseplate 9,000 lbs. Capacity 2 Post Car Lift

So is a lift even worth the investment if I only have a ceiling height of 10-11'?

 

[Skeet]

Thanks for the input guys.

In a perfect world, I would make it 12-14' but that would require a total redesign of the garage and increase in size to fit the stairs. The max I think I can go with the current design footprint is 11-11.5'. If I wasn't putting the office for my company on the 2nd floor this wouldn't even be an issue.

This is the lift I was looking at, mostly because of the total height and also because there's a distribution center about an hour from me so I can pick it up and save on freight. Atlas® 9KBP Baseplate 9,000 lbs. Capacity 2 Post Car Lift

So is a lift even worth the investment if I only have a ceiling height of 10-11'?

Depends on your height, height of vehicle on the lift and your clearance to work.

 

[e9999]

the pics above remind me that we cruiserheads may want to plan for roof rack goodies too... There goes another foot. And goes for the door too.

 

[thelal]

do a pit?

 

[PAToyota]

Pits can be problematic with local building codes and insurance policies. Flammable vapors are typically heavier than air and can collect in pits leading to either fire/explosion or asphyxiation. As such, they've really been curtailed in a lot of places.

 

[OTRAMM]

Our shop has a hair under 12' ceilings. We've got 2 floor plate lifts like what Jason posted. At 12' ceiling a Cruiser is still fairly low. I'm short and I can't stand up straight under most trucks on the lift. We've also got a mid rise lift that we use a ton. It's great for brakes, suspension, oil changes, etc. You just can't get to the middle of the drive train. The mid rise is way more stable feeling than the 2 post though.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

Trusses are supposed to be 12'. I didn't build the barn. Lift from Harbor Freight. Don't think they sell them anymore. Lifts a 60 series high enough.

 

[RockDoc]

Could you raise things over a single bay to clear the lift and leave the rest at the planned height? Have a step-up storage area on the second floor there?

 

[Rugy]

Minimum 12' best go for 14'.

 

[e9999]

or go for a sawzall and weld job on the truck's roof pillars? Unique look definitely possible!

 

[ntsqd]

Raise the stem wall, make the landing for the stairs part of it. Make the stem wall 18"-24" instead of 8". I know, that adds cost too. Cry once?

Don't most of these lifts require a specific set of specs for their concrete base?

 

[matmattmatthew]

Raise the stem wall, make the landing for the stairs part of it. Make the stem wall 18"-24" instead of 8". I know, that adds cost too. Cry once?

Don't most of these lifts require a specific set of specs for their concrete base?

The stem wall is already roughly 18" because the walls are 48" on top of the footers which are 30" deep because of frost requirements where I live. It's basically flat where the garage is going so when we pour the slab it will be roughly on grade which puts the stem wall right around 18". Because of the zoning rules of "accessory structures" on my property, I can't increase the total height of the garage so I've come to terms with the ceiling height limitations.

Yes, the lift I'm looking at has a requirement of at least 3000 psi 4" concrete. My flatwork company uses a minimum of 3500 psi concrete and 4", but we are planning to pour the area for the lift slightly thicker with a little extra mesh for good measure.


The slab will need to cure for a few months before installing a lift so I'll have some time to decide if it's worth it given the ceiling height. I'm actually going in for permit later this week.