GLTHFJ60's Garage Chronicles

[rattle_snake]

this won't help

 

[rattle_snake]

If you do a new pour add a pipe for air and power like this. I assume the lift is a base plate witch sucks fucking ass.
I would pour with a trough for the legs, cables and hoses to go in so the floor remains flat. Else you can't push a broken non running vehicle on or off the lift.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

It's not a base plate lift, it's a two post "mobile", so there are flexible hydraulic lines that come out of the back of the columns. No mechanical synchronization of the lift columns, i guess they do it hydraulically.

Good call on putting conduit under the slab. I had that thought as well, but then reconsidered for just running it overhead.

As far as the base goes, yeah 12" seems excessive, but I could see myself putting a larger lift in here at some point in the future, and I sure as shit wouldn't want to pull all this out again.

 

[I HATE PONIES]

Fix that fucking step before somebody falls through it and breaks a leg.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Side project;

My old workbench / welding table was about 3'x5', way too big for the new shop layout. Took the 3/8" table top I had on it and cut it into this 2x3 fixture table I designed. This is far and away the most complex thing I've done with the plasma table to date, and the most complex thing I've designed in CAD. Made some mistakes in the design, and learned how to cut thick plate more reliably on the plasma, so it's been a good exercise, but damn this thing has been a challenge. Lot of correcting bevel in the slots with the plasma hand torch, and fine tuning with a grinder stone. The next one will be better.

It has come together pretty well all things considered. Going to glue it together tonight and stick some legs on it. After that, have a car project or two, then back on the garage work.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'm happy for a first shot. Gonna add some features then on to bigger and better things.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Done for now. Need to build a grinder rack for the big boys and a place for my drill press to live, and she'll be finished.

Stay tuned for more garage updates in a few weeks when I cut the floor.

 

[rattle_snake]

Nice work on the table. Not sure about the 'Yota stool though

 

[arse_sidewards]

'Yota stool

Is that the medical term for Tacoma owners?

 

[ridered3]

GLTHFJ60 got anything new related to the garage to share with the class?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Nope, still learning the ins and outs of installing cedar siding, now that the rest of life has slowed down a bit.

Hoping to finalize my caisson foundation plan for the lift and cut the floor this coming month. It'll be a few weeks to a month from pour till I can put anchors in, then profit.

I'll finalize the caisson foundation plan and post it up here for review before I go about cutting.

 

[ridered3]

Nope, still learning the ins and outs of installing cedar siding, now that the rest of life has slowed down a bit.

Hoping to finalize my caisson foundation plan for the lift and cut the floor this coming month. It'll be a few weeks to a month from pour till I can put anchors in, then profit.

I'll finalize the caisson foundation plan and post it up here for review before I go about cutting.

👍

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Past few months I got through the trim, siding, door gaskets and exterior detail work. Stainless ring shank nails are a pain in the ass, so is pre-drilling every hole so you don't split the cedar. Got the calcs right though, only had one leftover cedar board, which was my contingency.

Now the doors look like ass, lol. I'll get to painting those later this year maybe.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

With that done, it's time to cut and pour for the lift.

Questions I've got for the peanut gallery if you're willing to help:

1. Do I need an expansion strip against the foundation wall? Existing slab does not appear to have an expansion strip and is not tied into the foundation.

2. I'm going to stick a conduit in the slab to route stuff between the posts. Hydraulic lines, power, air, whatever. What diameter should I go with, 2" and where should I stick it? Thinking to one side of each column instead of the back.

3. Any downsides to using the j-bolts on one side? Put another way, should I just drill all of the anchors? Or j-bolt both posts I suppose.

4. Should I hire someone experienced to finish the concrete? I've done a little concrete finishing, but nothing like this. Doesn't need to be glass smooth, but I would like it to be troweled smooth to match the existing.

Explanation of the plan:

Got the lift laid out on the floor again. Using Mohawk specifications for new pours, specifically their TP-15, I'm going with a 6' x 14' floor cut and pour. Dowels 3" into existing, rebar mat on the bottom of the pour elevated an inch or so off the floor of the hole. New pour will be keyed under the existing by 6" on three sides (yes, doing both key and dowels), and the pour will just be up against the outer foundation wall on the last side.

4000psi minimum concrete, planning on ordering from a truck, and paying the short load fee (or whatever). Mixing this many bags of concrete doesn't sound fun. Looks like just shy of 4 cubic yards.

Current idea is to sink j-bolts into the slab for the wall side post so I can bolt it down, then use wej-it anchors or the like for the others.

I'm going to drill the corners of the slab and cut up to the drilled holes. Cutting will be done with a rented walk behind floor saw like this:

Floor Saw Gas 14" | Sunbelt Rentals

Push type concrete floor saws utilize diamond blades for wet/dry cutting of concrete and asphalt pavement. Applications include short run slab cutting, crack control joints, patching, trenching and traffic loop installation. A water system is included for wet cutting applications to cool the...

www.sunbeltrentals.com

While overkill, I'm going to do this just once, so I am pouring a slab that will accommodate up to a 15k (maybe 20k) two post lift. One and done.

TP-15 Manual:

https://www.mohawklifts.com/library/manuals/tp15.pdf

Section example to show what I'm explaining:

Section of the floor to be cut out.

 

[ridered3]

Looking good! No insight into the concrete portion though.

 

[PAToyota]

1. Do I need an expansion strip against the foundation wall? Existing slab does not appear to have an expansion strip and is not tied into the foundation.

Cheap insurance to throw a strip in there and then you don't have to worry about it.

2. I'm going to stick a conduit in the slab to route stuff between the posts. Hydraulic lines, power, air, whatever. What diameter should I go with, 2" and where should I stick it? Thinking to one side of each column instead of the back.

Hydraulic lines and air plus other things sounds a bit much for 2". Bundle the lines together, wrap your fingers around them all, and see what you think. Are you putting everything in as you glue it together? Or trying to shove everything in after it is in place? If the latter, you definitely want more room than you "need" by diameter. Also, bends will make it that much harder to shove through.

4. Should I hire someone experienced to finish the concrete? I've done a little concrete finishing, but nothing like this. Doesn't need to be glass smooth, but I would like it to be troweled smooth to match the existing.

Unlikely a pro would use a power trowel for something that small. You can likely get a decent finish yourself. Start with a 2x4 to screed things out and then trowel by hand from there. Don't overwork it and bring a lot of water to the surface.

4000psi minimum concrete, planning on ordering from a truck, and paying the short load fee (or whatever). Mixing this many bags of concrete doesn't sound fun. Looks like just shy of 4 cubic yards.

See if you can find a local site mix truck service. This is just the sort of thing they're for.

 

[tac1]

Questions I've got for the peanut gallery if you're willing to help:

1. Do I need an expansion strip against the foundation wall? Existing slab does not appear to have an expansion strip and is not tied into the foundation.

2. I'm going to stick a conduit in the slab to route stuff between the posts. Hydraulic lines, power, air, whatever. What diameter should I go with, 2" and where should I stick it? Thinking to one side of each column instead of the back.

3. Any downsides to using the j-bolts on one side? Put another way, should I just drill all of the anchors? Or j-bolt both posts I suppose.

4. Should I hire someone experienced to finish the concrete? I've done a little concrete finishing, but nothing like this. Doesn't need to be glass smooth, but I would like it to be troweled smooth to match the existing.

I did my lift in 2015 using the exact same mohawk lift specs, pretty sure I've posted it here a few times

1) Mine was in the center of the pad not on a wall, so have no idea on the expansion strips

3) I used the supplied anchors only

4) I hired a guy to do the concrete, I did the prep,, trucks in my area hate dealing with diy guys and quote accordingly. He did nothing special finishing wise, again I wasn't picky but his price plus concrete was cheaper than trucks were quoting me.

 

[bad zuki]

With that done, it's time to cut and pour for the lift.

Questions I've got for the peanut gallery if you're willing to help:

1. Do I need an expansion strip against the foundation wall? Existing slab does not appear to have an expansion strip and is not tied into the foundation.

2. I'm going to stick a conduit in the slab to route stuff between the posts. Hydraulic lines, power, air, whatever. What diameter should I go with, 2" and where should I stick it? Thinking to one side of each column instead of the back.

3. Any downsides to using the j-bolts on one side? Put another way, should I just drill all of the anchors? Or j-bolt both posts I suppose.

4. Should I hire someone experienced to finish the concrete? I've done a little concrete finishing, but nothing like this. Doesn't need to be glass smooth, but I would like it to be troweled smooth to match the existing.


Section of the floor to be cut out.

To hell with all of that. Older Harder concrete will hold the lift fine. The parents shop is 4" non reinforced concrete. They swapped from in ground to post lifts without doing any floor upgrades. If you plan on lifting fully loaded f550 tool trucks, cut the floor.

My 8k is sitting on 3.5" of old concrete and I'll gladly do it again.

1. Up to you.
2. I wouldn't bother with that. Run everything from the ceiling. Also, I'd add an outlet to the lift for lights and power tools.
3. Anchor everything. Period.
4. Up to you. If you plan on keeping the shop cleaner than normal I would, but that's just me.

5. If you have the room. offset the lift away from the wall. In-case you need to pull axle shafts out.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Sounds like I'm on the right path.

Can't use the current concrete. When I drilled for a few anchors, the bottom of the holes blew out at 3", so not enough.

For the conduit, I'll put one in large enough just for the hydraulic line for the lift, other stuff overhead. Want to keep it minimal so I don't mess with the concrete strength.

Anchors, I'll research it some more. J-bolts seem like a good idea but the additional effort might not be worth it.

I'll look into pricing between hiring a guy and getting concrete from the batch plant up the road directly. Don't see a site mix concrete truck in my initial search, but I'll keep looking. EDIT: They're called volumetric concrete mixers. Getting some results now.

Updates soon.

 

[rattle_snake]

Wedge anchor come loose and have to be retorqued over time. To do again, I would use epoxy anchors. J bolts would have to be perfectly lined up (not that hard) and would have to lift the posts up and over to install.

4. I would finish the mud myself, small enough.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Wedge anchor come loose and have to be retorqued over time. To do again, I would use epoxy anchors. J bolts would have to be perfectly lined up (not that hard) and would have to lift the posts up and over to install.

4. I would finish the mud myself, small enough.

Oooh, I hadn't considered that. This type of thing would be absolutely ideal for these portable lifts. Good call!

Epoxy Anchor Bolt Kit

These high-performance anchors are the perfect floor-anchoring alternative for your MaxJax portable car lift. The special proprietary anchors are internally threaded and specifically designed for use with structural adhesive. Because the structural adhesive adheres to the entire length of the...

www.maxjax.com

Looks like that maxjax kit includes enough anchors and is a 5/8" diameter bolt out the top. That translates to this in the datasheet:

https://toggler.com/pdfs/POWER-Sert%E2%84%A2-Adhesive-Anchors.pdf

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Just remembered that I ordered a set of the lift mfg's standard anchors for 3.5" deep concrete. They're 3/4-10 bolts with 1" overall diameter anchors.

Looks like these, which are 2350# pull out strength in 4000psi concrete

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

The epoxy equivalent for that bolt size is this guy. 9000# pull out strength in 3000psi concrete:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

No sense in putting tiny 3" anchors in 12" of fresh mud, so I'll order the longer epoxy ones and epoxy set all of the anchors.


EDIT:

Going to grab these in a 3/4" flavor for both posts. Thanks for the advice folks!!

POWER-sert™ Adhesive Insert Anchor — Zinc Plated Carbon Steel

POWER-Sert is used for placing adhesive anchors in concrete for a strong, long lasting hold. Friction-fit design allows immediate fastening. Shop POWER-Sert.

anchorco.com

Inject-TITE™ FS (Fast-Set) Adhesive

Inject-TITE Fast Set Epoxy is an exceptionally strong concrete adhesive. Use for anchoring and doweling applications in temperatures from 40°F to 110°F.

anchorco.com

 

[Rockwood]

Best lift arrangement ever, they're literally never in the way...just use the garage like normal, vehicles in and out, work on whatever, no big deal. I leave rubber mats over them when not in use, so you don't drop shit (or water) doesn't get in there. Working on them the platforms are almost never in the way, except if you're accessing the rocker area...but I've done exhaust, suspension, transmission/clutches, pulled engines, everything on this lift without it getting in the way. The lift platforms when up also give you a great place to set tools down when working in the wheels wells.

I'd say the only real downsides are 1) mine is only a mid-rise, so no walking underneath (but a low profile roller stool I built works)...but that was a limitation of my ceiling height, they make full rise scissors. and 2) putting a vehicle on and hitting lift points isn't as easy as a 2 post, you have to drive on just perfectly and there's only so much space for hitting lift points - longer vehicles I made some extensions for, but hitting full size truck frames is probably not in the cards...unibody only.

Given the vehicles I work on and the space I have, this is literally the best arrangement possible...I wouldn't buy the Bendpak again, probably the Rotary or Atlas or some other brand, but the style of lift is great.

Can you adjust the distance between the jacks to accommodate different width vehicles (assuming the holes in the concrete allow it)?

 

[SomeGuy]

Can you adjust the distance between the jacks to accommodate different width vehicles (assuming the holes in the concrete allow it)?

Not really, once set that's it...but there's a good bit of wiggle room for different widths. I've had cars and SUV's on it of a variety of types and not issues. Though this lift type is less than ideal for full size trucks or body on frame vehicles given it's really designed to lift at the pinch welds rather than a frame.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Floor cut and concrete removed. Went through about two blades, which doubled the cost of the rental total, lol.

The existing slab was 3" and under in many places, about 3 3/8" thick at the thickest bit we found. Very necessary in my case to do this to put the lift in.

Also, there was an expansion strip against the foundation wall, so one will go back in.

 

[ridered3]

Looks super fun!

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'm fat and slow, but progress is happening.

 

[Rockwood]

Try a HF rotorhammer?

 

[ridered3]

I'm fat and slow, but progress is happening.

Trying to dig your way out of prison or are you looking for Al Capone??

 

[rattle_snake]

Good time to hide a body. or two.