Four Post Lift?

[moparguy]

I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on a Dannmar D12, 12,000 lb. four post lift. In my poor boy wisdom back in about 1988 I scrimped on the floor in my shop and now am not comfortable with safety issues related to a 2 post lift. With what our Cummins diesels weigh, I'm leaning toward a four post lift that has a few thousand lb. safety margin. I'll also likely store the 340 Duster on the lift when it's not working for a living.

Only real issue I have (and someone please chip in) is how much am I really giving up in convenience while working on suspension and brakes. I know you can use a bottle jack or lift jack while the lift is raised, however I've never worked off a 4 post so am not really sure how well that'd all play out.

Thanks, RR

 

[AllianceDiesel]

4 posts are horrible to work on. A 12k 2 post will hold any cummins safely as long as they dont have a service body full of tools.

 

[jhenderson]

You'll be way ahead of the game to to cut out a pair of 4ft holes I the floor and pour some reinforced concrete. 2 post lifts are far more convienient to use, and the selection is great.

 

[JR]

The general consensus among most 2 post lift manufacturers is 4" of 3,ooopsi concrete for a 10,000 lb lift. If you don't feel comfortable with that, I'd do what was mentioned above and dig 2 footers in the ground and pour fresh concrete in. A 4 post lift is like a bad joke IMO.

 

[Wertles]

4 posts are great for car storage and fluid changes. With the available jacks and trays wheel and suspension work is doable. It is not as convenient as a 2 post. I have a 10,000 and a 12,000 pound 2 post and have had my 3500 crew cab long bed dually up on both. I have 6 inches of fiber reinforced concrete. The 10,000 pound required 4 inches of concrete, 12,000 pound required 6 and a 15,000 pound required 8.

 

[moparguy]

Thanks for all the input. I retired this year (second time, we'll see if it takes this go around, so I now have time to work on projects and first step is cleaning out 30 years of packrat saving in the shop..... And installing a lift.

High on the list is putting a T5 transmission (five speed with overdrive) and replacing the front and rear main seals in the 51 Chev 3/4 ton, along with several upgrades on the V8 Miata and man does the Duster need some TLC. So a lift is pretty high on the list of must halves, laying on my back pressing transmissions and rearends isn't as much fun as it used to be.

Wertles, would you be comfortable storing a 3200 lb car on a two post lift, it'd require some pretty substantial locks in my opinion and I'm wondering if it'd be wise to build a couple of (for lack of a better term) load locks where you lower the lift from max height a couple of inches transferring the load from the lift, to pipe or small I-beam posts strategically located on each side.

 

[AllianceDiesel]

That car is light for a big truck lift. The safty locks will handle it just fine. Just remember to resealse all hydro pressure so that the locks are holding the weight not the cylinders.

 

[Wertles]

I have had my 3500# car on my 10,000 pound lift all winter doing all sorts of winter projects on it. Tomorrow will B&W the first time off the lift in 5 months. At all times, I have the lift on the locks. Never rely on the hydraulics. My lift has probably 12 different heights to lock in, about every 5-6 inches or so.

This is the 12,000 pound lift I have in my shop. It's the one I would recommend as it is wide enough to get in and out of the truck fairly easily.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/ATPK-PV12P

If you don't have the ceiling room, this one will work with any 3500 truck.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-Apex-10-Plus

You can spend hours on their website. The lift on the left is my 12,000 extra wide, extra tall and the one on the right is my 10,000 extra tall.

 

[jhenderson]

My buddy stores his 3500lb race car on a spare 2 post for 6 months or more every year

 

[moparguy]

Quest over....pulled the trigger on a 9k Rotary lift at a State auction yesterday. Now to get it home, make a template of each post's base and locate exactly on the shop floor, then drill holes and see whats to see. That'll tell the story on the next step.

 

[moparguy]

Well, after moving the Duster and 51 Chevy out I discovered Unintended consequences were biting my backside again. I left many trees standing near the shop almost 30 years ago and they provide welcomed shade in the Hot Southern summer, however tree roots are the enemy of concrete shop floors.

After making templates of the lift post bases and locating on the floor I discovered a small crack within a very few inches of two bolt holes....not good. So, rent a water fed walkbehind concrete saw... cut out a 5'x15' concrete slab.... find tree roots... remove said roots... dig down 3 inches... dig under the existing slab to key the new concrete to the old... drill 1/2" holes 6" into the old concrete on 18" centers to pin the new to the old... install #4 rebar on 1' centers...pore 2 yards or 8" of 4,000 lb. concrete..... cover with plastic watering twice a day for 4 days.....now wait 30 days to install the lift. What fun.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Not sure about pinning old slab to new - when we installed heavy equipment and required a thicker slab, we "floated" the new slab independent of the surrounding floor - seems like tying them together would create cracks as they move slightly over time and weight...

 

[moparguy]

Gary, I considered that very possibility. However after considerable research and visiting with others I decided to pin. My hope it to achieve maximum stability when my 8,000 lb truck is 6' feet up. If it's perfectly balanced....no problem of course. So, my goal is always to lift perfectly! Time will tell, thanks for the input. Also, GOOD to see you still around .

RR

 

[moparguy]

After what seems like a lifetime (which it sorta was)....for the initial lift test, the lightest thing in the area (the V8 Miata) defies gravity!


Now to continue de-junking the shop so I can make max use of the small 30x40 area.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Moparguy... You have any regrets about the bay doors located on the long side (40') of the building?

 

[moparguy]

Moparguy... You have any regrets about the bay doors located on the long side (40') of the building?

Not at all. Given that I generally have 3 vehicles in the shop, it's really the best solution for my needs. I use dollys under the wheels to move the center vehicle in and out.

My main regret is not building big enough. Have wished many (Many) times I'd made it 40x50 or even 40x60 with 14' walls. If I had I could pull the backhoe and horse trailers inside when I needed to work on them. Also 40x60 just seems like a nice size. However back in the mid 80s when we had two young boys to raise, money was tight and I was thankful for what we did manage to build. As I recall, total cost was around 5K, with lots of sweat-equity on my part.

 

[JR]

That's the only place I'd put the doors, and that's speaking from experience. You get more use out of the shop without having to worry about burying "stuff" in the back with the doors being at the gable end.

 

[Wayne M.]

moparguy- very we'll done. Nice collection too.

 

[moparguy]

moparguy- very we'll done. Nice collection too.

Thanks Wayne! Turned into much more of a project than I had expected, but as is always the case, it was worth the effort. I'm steadily making progress on cleaning out the shop, sold a complete 1970 spec 340 engine and 727 to a good friend this week along with a couple extra blocks, cranks and several heads. Lots of engine trim as well. Once he picks it all up I'll be able to upgrade shelving and complete my portable work station. It's based on a old steel GYU exam table that I'm adding 4" swivel wheels too.

 

[TJJEEPER]

My brother built a 30x50 and I built a 28x48 due to space constraints on where I located mine on the property. After the fact for both of us, when people ask, we tell them 10,000 Sq Ft and build out from there . It's sorta like gun safes, that's why we all have two!