Decided to build a garage. Now the fun begins.

[0xDEADBEEF]

This thread is really making me jealous.

 

[South VA]

I've had/used both types of lifts, the 4 post is nice an definitely more stable but for most work a 2 post is better imo. Yes you can outfit a 4 post to lift the vehicle for suspension an brake work but it's still not ideal since the ramp/floor is still in the way. Give alot of thought to the type of work you'll be doing before making the decision. If it's suspension, brake or driveline heavy I'd opt for the 2 post personally. With a couple of tall stands to put under front an rear after you raise the vehicle the 2 post gives alot more access to more parts of the vehicle.

Thanks. You and others have confirmed that the two post lift would be the better fit.

I would definitely plan on getting a pair of under hoist jack stands to go with it.

I'm just not sure whether to go with symmetric or asymmetric. Any thoughts on that?

 

[South VA]

There are two ways a two post can be tied together - a bar at the top or a bar at the bottom. I have heard, but not experienced, that the bar at the bottom get in the way for rolling carts. The bar at the top limits the total lift height you can do. Food for thought.

That makes sense. For that reason, and because I imagine the top bar design to be a bit stronger, I'm tending toward that. The garage has a 12' sidewall and will be a few feet higher in the center, so interior height should be sufficient for an extended top bar model. I'll have to check on that with the building folks.

 

[South VA]

This, 100%.

Get a single-point release, and make sure the lift is ALI certified. An extended height lift is absolutely worth it if you have the room. I'm partial to Rotary lifts because I like their flip-up pads better than the pedestal pads everyone else uses.

Thanks. Yes, ALI certified seems like the way to go. And I think I'll have room for an extended height lift, but will have to confirm that.

I looked at the Rotary lifts and they look top-notch; I'd imagine that they're pretty nice to use. Their prices reflect that.

One thing that's becoming clear through this process is that I need to revise my budget number for a lift.
Upward, of course .

 

[Hipster]

They just put another 2 post in one of the bodyshops I frequent. The top bar type. It was height adjustable, and the top bar is also a safety stop. Handy for not turning the lift into a car crusher. Height limited in that part of the bodyshop. My rafters are 15' off the floor in the center of my building, never actually measured the side wall to see if they are a legitimate 12'. Siding covers the concrete so probably lost a few inches wall height.

Don't remember the lift brand offhand.

 

[BuiltToWork]

Project down the road ~5 years is a two post lift. I read alot of reviews and BendPak seams good, but price and my slab thickness has put it on hold until I can cut out a section of my garage and re-pour to the proper thickness. Last thing I want is to have my heavy K3500 falling over. I'm in construction and there are reasons that specifications should be adhered to - seen many accidents. Rule of thumb - potential energy is dangerous. Same when I do all my own electrical work. I shut down the whole house to change an outlet, you never know when a neutral has been tied in to another circuit. I was thinking of putting in a 1/2" steel flat plate - but that is not the manf's intent. I could pour a 2" topper on the existing slab and would only have to fix 1 door, but then it would a 4" and a 2" slab instead of a 6" slab. Sigh. Going to take my time an do it right.

 

[bluex]

Thanks. You and others have confirmed that the two post lift would be the better fit.

I would definitely plan on getting a pair of under hoist jack stands to go with it.

I'm just not sure whether to go with symmetric or asymmetric. Any thoughts on that?

I'm not sure the difference honestly. I think it has to do with more room to open the doors.

My experience is with the lower end non-certified type lifts an they all worked just fine. The 2 post I had at my business was a 9k triumph branded one. I believe it was a NTO-9AE. We used it nearly everyday an had no real issues with it besides a cylinder seal in over 4 yrs. For home use I think they would be perfectly fine but that's your call. We did mostly older trucks, but we did have some suburban, avalanche and 2500s on it. I'm not sure that we ever had a 3500 on it but it would have handled it fine.

People get hung up in wanting that certification an I get that but unless you're going bendpak or rotary there isn't much difference. The next one I buy will likely be similar to, if not that same one again. I think it runs about 3k now.

 

[South VA]

This thread is really making me jealous.

Not my intention!

I'd be more than pleased if it inspires someone who has been considering building one or upgrading their garage, to actually moving forward with their project.

 

[fancyTBI]

I’m jealous too. I want to build a shop-house. I want to just have everything in the same building. My girlfriend drives a truck, I have 3 GMT400s, so we’d need a big garage anyways. Then we can both wrench, detail our vehicles, and work on other projects during the cold months.

When interest rates normalize and we have some more savings we plan on buying some land and getting to work.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

One thing I would add to this thread: an old family friend had a body shop in South Austin, and we talked with him about his shop building when we were building ours. He said to build it bigger than you think you need it, and it'll be big enough. From my experience though, the more space you have, the more stuff you find to put in it....