2 Post lift location question....

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Cuda416

Cuda416

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A few months ago I bought a used Atlas 10k lb, asymmetric, 2 post lift. I'm now at the point in the shop where I need to get it installed. My shop is configured as in the picture below so my question is simply, how far from my door should I set the posts? My initial thought was around 12ft.

EDIT: Door in front of that location is a standard overhead door, 10 ft wide and 12 ft tall. The walls (eaves) are 14ft

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depends on what kind of door you have but you want to place it far enough inside so when you have vehicle on lift it doesn't interfere with closing door
 
Cuda416 said:
A few months ago I bought a used Atlas 10k lb, asymmetric, 2 post lift. I'm now at the point in the shop where I need to get it installed. My shop is configured as in the picture below so my question is simply, how far from my door should I set the posts? My initial thought was around 12ft.

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Let's see, how much of the car hangs out the back when it's on the hoist? and along those lines, give yourself some extra room. You will want to put a pick up or even a trailer on the hoist sometime to work on it. You are going to want some walk around room behind the car when it is on the floor as well. You don't necessarily want a extra car space behind the hoist. It's kind of a waste of space. My buddy put his hoist in the front of the shop so it was close to his tool box, bench space, air compressor, water hose, and floor drain. Something else to think about. He had to watch what he parked behind it though so he could pull on and off the hoist whenever needed.
 
toolmanmike said:
Let's see, how much of the car hangs out the back when it's on the hoist? and along those lines, give yourself some extra room. You will want to put a pick up or even a trailer on the hoist sometime to work on it. You are going to want some walk around room behind the car when it is on the floor as well. You don't necessarily want a extra car space behind the hoist. It's kind of a waste of space. My buddy put his hoist in the front of the shop so it was close to his tool box, bench space, air compressor, water hose, and floor drain. Something else to think about.
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I hadn't even considered my trailer, thanks.
 
Me personally, I would put it in the shop as far as possible, this way if the vehicle you have on it is incapacitated ,you can work on one behind it.
 
I agree. Lift closer to back wall.

car on lift still allows another car parked close to garage door.
 
roll up doors do not interfere with lift space as much as conventional garage doors
 
I put mine closer to the back wall and used my one ton truck to see where to set the posts. Figured that's the biggest thing that I'll put on the lift and left myself about 4ft in the front for room to work when it's lowered down.
 
I have a 20-40 shop and put my 10K eagle lift closer to the rear of it so I could pull something else behind it to work on it. Plus it makes pulling another vehicle inside to park it while I have a car up on the lift. I put it more to one also. I would say the one post is about 3 " from the wall. Works out great. I wouldn't want it anywhere else.
 
I like the idea of pulling your longest vehicle in where you want it, and place the lift right at your front door of your vehicle. Also, make sure it's far enough from the side wall, so you can pull straight in, and walk around the lift. I like a little room in back, to walk around. Also, if it's a standard style garage door, it will hit your vehicle when you open the garage door with the car on the lift.
 
I prefer lifts to be "in deep". In other words, in the space in front of where you have it. Just personal preference.
 
also makes the lift closer to the workbench because you likely need tools and work space for the car on the lift.
 
YY1 said:
also makes the lift closer to the workbench because you likely need tools and work space for the car on the lift.
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Certainly a concern but that rectangle inside the larger one is a staircase up to the loft (larger rectangle). I guess I should have labeled it.
 
Lot's of good suggestions, especially for moving it to the back. I'll have to rethink how I was going to arrange things now. Thanks everyone.

-=C
 
Yep, I just assumed it was a workbench as that's where mine is.
 
But I would make sure you set the lift in a location where you can back in , in case you want to pull a motor while vehicle is on the lift.
 
Just keep in mind if you put it right there in the front, if you get a vehicle incapacitated on it, you're blocking the entire space in front of the lift. Course if you ain't worried about all that, then more power to you.
 
I placed my lift biased heavily in relation to where my work bench and tool box were going to be.
I wanted able room in front of the vehicle but also within convenient distance from my tools, bench, air ect. I didn't want to have to be packing things back and forth

So in your pic, "?" distance ft would be in the 24-28ft range.


To keep the garage door opener out of the way of the lift, I used a LiftMaster.
Not only did it save a a crap ton of room around the lift, it was the EASIEST opener I've ever installed.
wall-mount.jpg
 
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I put my lift in as far as possible .... with room to walk around vehicle on the lift...and enough space to pull in a vehicle behind the lift to work on as well.
 
Cuda416 said:
A few months ago I bought a used Atlas 10k lb, asymmetric, 2 post lift. I'm now at the point in the shop where I need to get it installed. My shop is configured as in the picture below so my question is simply, how far from my door should I set the posts? My initial thought was around 12ft.

EDIT: Door in front of that location is a standard overhead door, 10 ft wide and 12 ft tall. The walls (eaves) are 14ft

View attachment 1715435726
Click to expand...
I would recommend moving it farther away from the wall. At least 3 ft clearance so you can walk around that side. I would put the location to where it would be in the center of your roof peak .
 
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