Floor Requirements For Properly Supporting A Vehicle Lift?

If you perform vehicle repairs within your own personal garage, pole barn or other building structure around your residence, you may find that installing a vehicle lift can make your work much easier. When using vehicle lifts to work on areas such as the undercarriage of your automobile, you take away the need for blocking the vehicle and using unstable jacks to raise the car to a workable level. Ultimately the vehicle lift can help to create safer working conditions and can decrease the length of time necessary for performing the actual repair work.

Before purchasing a vehicle lift to install for your personal use, it is important to make sure that the floor of the building meets certain specifications. These specifications are important to insure that the vehicle lift will be properly supported. Different model vehicle lifts may carry special requirements that are set in place by the individual manufacturer. However, when it comes to the floor specifications, most of the model vehicle lifts that are available for residential use are usually the same.

Make Sure You Have Adequate Floor SpaceTo insure that you will be able to operate the vehicle lift safely you will need an adequate amount of floor spacing to work with. Depending on whether you select a two-post or four-post auto lift will determine the amount of floor space that you will need. This is determined by the width and height to safely lift the vehicle while providing you with a safe space to work in. You should always leave enough room to maneuver around when working on your vehicle without the risk of bumping into equipment or having equipment block you in if there is an emergency. This space should be set in a manner in which you leave room and space around the lift to move and work with needed equipment and tools as well. Concrete Floor RequirementsWhen installing a vehicle lift in a residential outbuilding, the building should contain a concrete foundation to build the lift on. The concrete that is used for this foundation will need to have a rating that allows for 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. Concrete is the only material that can be used for supporting the vehicle lift because of the need to distribute the weight of both the vehicle lift and the vehicle it is holding. Concrete that does not meet this rating can be cracked under this amount of pressure causing the vehicle to fall and injure anyone that may be in the area. Floors Must Be Level before Installing the LiftInsuring that the floor of your outbuilding is level will help to create a safer working condition. Even the slightest slop in the floor can greatly affect the ability of the vehicle lift to support vehicles. This tilt can cause the vehicle to slide off from the lift when it is raised in the air. Due to the seriousness of this requirement you may want to hire a professional to inspect the floor for you. If it is necessary to pour a new concrete foundation or add to your existing concrete floor, you will need to wait for 30 days after completing the floor before installing the vehicle lift. This will allow the cement to harden to its peak.