Garage question... lift or pit?

[stevebez]

Going to build a new garage and wanted to get your opinion on wether I should dig out a pit for under car work or get a lift ... can get second hand lift fairly cheap. Pit I can get a jack on runners to hoist car to change / remove wheels etc...

Headroom might be an issue with a lift - I doubt I would be able to raise a big 4x4 more than 20"... but I may have a work around on this.

Thots?

BTW its going to be a traditional english oak framed double bay garage...

[kompressed55]

If you can make the room, definitely do a lift instead of a pit. I've had my overhead Rotary Lift in my garage for about five years now, and couldn't live without it - but it helped designing the garage around it. Nothing like having a 13' 6" ceiling height in my garage.

[cls55]

lift all the way.
good luck

[Blacksport350]

You may want to consider a low-rise scissor type lift if you have clearance issues. They don't take up a lot of room and will allow you to perform most tasks. Here is a good example of the lift that I would suggest:

http://www.slk32.com/pages/garage/Garage/garage.html

A pit is useless unless you are going into the oil change and lube business.

[dc63er]

why are you going to frame it in oak???

[stevebez]

thanks guys , re the oak frame ... local planners are rather anal. They want it keeping the local area's heritage and want the garage to be in keeping with local traditions and surroundings...

They are pretty but ferking expensive..... and in the end not very pratical. As it is I have to keep roof peak to 3.75m as neighbours moaned....

I saw a submerged lift (i.e. fitted into the floor and completly seamless to the garage surface.... thats super cool but I need to know what head height clearlance I have before I go this route ...

The scissor sounds good - and that garage looks the bananas.... good job!

[Jakpro1]

Just brainstorming here. What about a little of both?

I was at my dealer last night for service and standing straight up and looking underneath my car was just awesome!!

Could you possibly have a pit that you stand in while also having a small lift that brings the car up enough that your head is above the floor bottom. That way if you drop the tranny etc, you could slide it onto the garage floor and not have to worry about lifting it out of the pit.

I still like the 4 point lifts better than scissors. Would tick me off to pay all that money all still have to use a jack to remove tires.

When you get it done, post up some pics.

[kompressed55]

Originally Posted by stevebez

I saw a submerged lift (i.e. fitted into the floor and completly seamless to the garage surface.... thats super cool but I need to know what head height clearlance I have before I go this route ...

Rotary makes a submerged lift. I considered it before being advised about the significantly increased "hassle factor" if it ever needs service - after all, it's submerged under the ground. My conclusion was that a standard asymmetric two post lift is optimal if ceiling height and concrete pad strength permit; low rise scissor lift work where there's poor ceiling clearance (don't forget to take into consideration your garage doors - go with high lift doors if you can). Unfortunately, scissors-type lifts consume a vast amount of floor space compared to a post lift, so you will have limitations on what you can access on the car and the access entry for other equipment you need to move under the car (e.g., transmission jack, etc.). I rated a submerged lift as last option because of unit cost, cost of installation, and additional issues with servicing it in the event the need arises. As always, YMMV.

[CWW]

I have to confess to being insanely jealous of you guys with lifts in the garage...that's seriously ballin!