Two Post Lift Location & Orientation?

[Lee]

Anyone with 2 post asymmetric lifts have any thoughts or opinions?

I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the amount of room you have to work with. I'm planning a nice sized "forever shop" 60x125' covered, 60x100' enclosed, with an efficiency, 25x40' 2 story apartment in a corner, second story just one big open, enclosed, heated/cooled mechanical/storage/workout/bonus room.

So in the shop space I'm planning to have a pair of 2 post lifts. I'd like to finalize their placement in the plans.

I've looked at a lot of shops over the years. I've seen a lot of folks that put their lifts at an angle from the wall, but there seems to be just as many that mount them perpendicular to the wall.

I worked for a large Japanese car dealer in another life, all 30 or so of their lifts were perpendicular to the walls on either side.

Is there any advantage to angling the lifts, other than maybe reducing how much a vehicle on the lift sticks out from the wall? Help ease lining a car up with the lift by pointing it at a door?

If you've got multiple lifts, how close do you have them to each other? I'm sure this varies a lot with the space you've got to work with, too.

Additionally, how about floor drains? I don't think I'd want a drain directly under the car, I don't want something to hang caster wheels up on, but somewhere nearby, to squeegee messes into.

Anything you would do different? Any thoughts from anyone that's put a lot of thought into this? Anything I'm missing that I should be thinking about too?

 

[NEVERLIFT]

I work in a shop that is like 25x70 (I know its a little different)
Here are the things to think about

Completely flat floors and one drain near the middle of our shop. I use a big squeegee to just push the water/clean floors to the drain.

Our 3 lifts are right inline with our garage doors. If we need to pull or push something in we just need to get squared up with the door.
We also put big d ring anchors in the concrete in front of our lifts, if we need to use a electric winch or come-along we can.

I would also leave enough room around your lifts so you can walk freely 360* around them without hitting a work bench or vise. One of our two post lifts is to close to the wall and I have to walk all the way around on the passenger side. I cant go from front tire to rear tire.

With that above, I would also leave room in front and behind the lift so you can push the car/truck/buggy away from the 2 post lift and open both doors and not hit the 2 posts. It sucks when we work on a really long truck or something and I need to lay on the drivers floor board. The front drivers door is touching the lift or I have to open the garage door and have some of the truck sticking out.

The one thing I hate the most about our shop is the limited work benches. If I need to do head gaskets on some pos car. Things that I remove end up on the ground because I need room to work on my bench.

 

[toomany]

Mine is directly inline with the door. The post is 4' from the wall and that's about as close as I'd want it. Also have anchors in the ground inline with the doors at the back of the shop to pull dead vehicles in. Make sure you leave enough room in front of the lift so when a car/truck is on it you can move a cherry picker around. Been in a few shops that you have to let the car down and push it back so there is enough room to pull a motor.

​

 

[Kage]

Anyone with 2 post asymmetric lifts have any thoughts or opinions?

Additionally, how about floor drains? I don't think I'd want a drain directly under the car, I don't want something to hang caster wheels up on, but somewhere nearby, to squeegee messes into.

My lift isn't the asymmetric style, so I can't speak specifically to that. But spacing wise, I have the post from my lift about 2' from the wall on the closest side and I would not want anything tighter than that (room I had to work with forced that spacing). It is inline with the door as well. You had mentioned having two lifts, I would make sure that one of them is in line with a door to make moving certain projects around easier as well as making it easier to lift stuff off and on trailers.

Floor drain - I got talked into putting in a drain under my lift when I built this place. right in the center. and I cannot tell you how much I hate having it there, and the sloped floor leading to it. Hindsight being 2020, I wish I had never put it in and will likely look into pouring something over it in the future if we stay here long enough to justify the expense.

If you really want or have to have a drain near your lift, make sure it doesn't land under the car work zone. It will piss you off.

Work surface wise, I built a stupid heavy welding table with wheels that doubles as a rolling bench. Roughly 2.5'x5'. It's nice as I can roll it under a subframe/axle/whatever, drop everything on top of it, and lift the car out of the way. It's also nice to have a big work surface to move around the shop depending on what task I have to do. I'm done working on the floor unless I absolutely have to!

One other thing I wish I had done before the concrete was poured was to put an anchor to winch off of in the concrete. It usually isn't an issue, but every now and then it would be a nice to have a solid anchor point to winch a dead vehicle off rather than playing around with car dollies.

 

[Blugreenformula]

My old shop has two asymmetrical lifts. My shop was shaped like an L. (Door was on the long end of L) first lift was in the corner of the short end of the L. Second lift was straight in from the door. I used the straight in lift the most. Was a bit easier to get lined up on. In my new shop, I only have 1 lift, straight drive in. Additionally, it's symmetrical instead of asymmetrical. I like that part much better. Only down side is I was forced to go open top on the lift due to roof height. I FUCKING HATE open top lifts now!

 

[det107]

One other thing I wish I had done before the concrete was poured was to put an anchor to winch off of in the concrete.

It might still be a viable option, drill & add an anchor pot (exposed or hidden).

The other one is hole(s) drilled in floor to put in a 'removable smoothbore tie down eye bolts.' I used to work in a one bay body shop & was set up for frame straightening when needed. The eye bolts were huge & mebbe the stem was 4 inches?


OP~Keep the idea of a drain in floor plans, when you gotta go, you gotta go

 

[Tim C]

Shop at work is a 30x100 building with 5 bays, one end is enclosed for storage. The doors are on the long side with the lifts centered and square to the doors. Lifts are about 16 or 17 feet from the doors so not quite centered in the building front to back. With asymmetrical lifts you'll want them farther from the door generally. There's not quite shoulder width between the lifts which sucks rotating tires. I'd try to keep them at least 2, 2.5 feet apart or skip a bay.

 

[Lilyota]

It doesn't matter which way you put it in there.



You're gonna wish you had done it the other way

 

[Lee]

This is roughly what I've got in mind. I've changed stuff around so many times, I think I'm close to having a final plan.

I was trying to maximize wall space, for pallet racking, maybe a couple 4 posts lifts, or a system like Hoovies Garage uses in the future. I still wanted to be able to pull a truck & trailer straight through, so I don't have any of the lifts in front of doors.

I may not have made it clear in the OP, this isn't for making a living off of, this is just for me, and maybe friends/family that provide beer.


At least I've half ass taught myself Revit in the process.

 

[Etyler2]

Looks good except for dead vehicles and pushing through a 10 point turn through the side door. No way would I build all that and not have a straight shot through the front to the lifts and out the back.

 

[Ransil]

I laid mine out by driving my truck in the door and a slight left turn( 1 door garage) parked the truck and marked it out.
36x60 door on long end, lift about the half way point

 

[arse_sidewards]

Looks good except for dead vehicles and pushing through a 10 point turn through the side door. No way would I build all that and not have a straight shot through the front to the lifts and out the back.

This times a million. You need straight shot access to at least one lift. It will make your life a million times easier with rolling shells and/or loading/unloading things from trailers.

 

[Lee]

I hear you, and am not just stubbornly ignoring y'all's advice. I've been thinking about this for years, and working on plans off and on for 18 months, I've tried a lot of lay outs, I think what I've got now, is what's going to work best for us.

I've got Swinger wheel loader, and plan to have multiple anchor points in the floor, may even put some receiver hitch tube in the floor, and get a 110V winch I can move around. I think I can manage getting dead vehicles in and out of the space without doors inline with the lifts.

I hear the door comments, and that's part of why I was considering angling the lifts, aiming them at one of the doors. I've got future plans for the wall space, either inside, outside, or both, so I really don't want to add any more over head doors. My original versions of the plan did have 3 overhead doors on the wall opposite of the lifts, but I've changed my mind on sacrificing that wall space to a door.

 

[Johann]

I'd still angle the lifts so they point at the door. They are going to eat up that side of the bay no matter how you orient them. It would also give you a bit of space in front of them. Draw up some CAD vehicles and put them on the lift so you know where they stick out. Make sure you leave space around them to open their doors. 4ft is usually a good size.

Might also consider widening the distance between the lifts so I could park my tool boxes between. No reason to walk all to the wall every time you need another socket. Then you have more wall space for something else.

Either way drop your tool boxes on the plan too and figure out where they should be. That may change your offsets to the other terrain features.

 

[Kage]

I'd still angle the lifts so they point at the door. They are going to eat up that side of the bay no matter how you orient them. It would also give you a bit of space in front of them. Draw up some CAD vehicles and put them on the lift so you know where they stick out. Make sure you leave space around them to open their doors. 4ft is usually a good size.

Might also consider widening the distance between the lifts so I could park my tool boxes between. No reason to walk all to the wall every time you need another socket. Then you have more wall space for something else.

Either way drop your tool boxes on the plan too and figure out where they should be. That may change your offsets to the other terrain features.

All of this. The way that is drawn right now will piss you off eventually. Yes it is great that you have access to stuff to move dead things around, but I guarantee you will eventually get pissed and resent the process of dragging a wheel loader around, hooking up winches, etc to jockey a vehicle over 3" to get it where it needs to be.

Hell, If you're hell bent on putting them like that, at least give up a little more wall space and put another door in front of one of them. You will thank us later.

 

[DozerDan82]

No matter where you put it, it will not work for the one job you need it most for.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

So to those recomending that you have 2-4' from the lift to the wall + Lift inline with the door, how far from the side of the building would you place the overhead door opening if you were building new.

 

[Etyler2]

Far enough from the wall for a workbench and access to the lift in my opinion.

 

[arse_sidewards]

So to those recomending that you have 2-4' from the lift to the wall + Lift inline with the door, how far from the side of the building would you place the overhead door opening if you were building new.

A couple inches more than theh of a man door, my toolbox, lathe, tire machine or whatever other large object I specifically wanted to occupy that corner. Don't just pull a number out of your ass. Plan something.

 

[NEVERLIFT]

A couple inches more than theh of a man door, my toolbox, lathe, tire machine or whatever other large object I specifically wanted to occupy that corner. Don't just pull a number out of your ass. Plan something.

x2

 

[Rerock]

Far enough from the side wall to allow for a workbench, plus enough room to pull an axle shaft without it hitting something.

Far enough from the front wall to allow for a workbench, plus ample space to maneuver a cherry picker.

Definite "+1" on the winch anchor point.

 

[NEVERLIFT]

We have one of these electric warn winches.
Then a D ring in front of every lift.

Thinking about it now, we should hang a snatch block above the lift so we could pull motors without a cherry picker.