scannon Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 My back and hip have reached the point where it is too painful to work under a car supported on jackstands. Having a lift went from the "nice to have" to the "need to have" category if I want to continue working on my cars. A new BendPak XPK-10ACX two post lift was installed today in the North bay of my shop. It took two men about 3.5 hours to install it and an electrician to run the 220v service to it. I also had 110v outlets added to the South side of the shop as there was no electrical service on that side. The lift is an asymmetric style which also can be configured as a symmetric lift, thus it will accommodate my small cars as well as the Silverado pickup. I lifted the Caterham this afternoon and with it at full lift I can walk anywhere under the car without having to duck my head except under the lift arms themselves. It's going to make maintenance and repair so much easier. I also noticed the car is getting quite dirty under there.
jlumba81 Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 What thickness concrete is recommended for that lift? I plan on getting a MaxJax when I get around to finish building my garage, only a 12ft ceiling.
scannon Posted October 13, 2010 Author Posted October 13, 2010 What thickness concrete is recommended for that lift? I plan on getting a MaxJax when I get around to finish building my garage, only a 12ft ceiling.I found that most lifts under 10,000 lb capacity require four inch, 4,000 lb test concrete. I didn't know what my shop had for a floor. It was built as a pole barn with a dirt floor, the concrete was added later. I tried digging along the sides of the shop to measure it but there was a wood frame with no access to the concrete. After the first hole was hammer drilled I measured the depth of the concrete and it was a little over 5" but the packed cement dust in the bottom of the hole kept me from finding the true depth. With a 12' ceiling to work with there are a number of full height lifts available that you will allow you to stand upright under your car. My lift requires a 12' 1" clearance. Some people have notched their ceilings to get that extra inch or two of clearance. Floor plate lifts require a lot less height but then you have that trip hazard between the posts.
Hank Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Congrats, Skip. When I sold my previous home the owner did not want my Bendpak 2-post lift so I took it down and put it in storage. My new home does not have enough ceiling height for the 2-post so I'm selling it to my nephew. I'm about to purchase a 4-post Bendpak. I considered a Back Yard Buddy but on-line searching has convinced me otherwise. You will enjoy that lift immensely!
Mondo Posted October 14, 2010 Posted October 14, 2010 Every guy would love one of these.... but with my skills, it would mainly be used to wax the sides of the car and clean the inside of the wheels;)
Ruadhd2 Posted October 14, 2010 Posted October 14, 2010 Sometimes I feel like the wallflower at an engineer's senior prom. I just love looking at the cars, owning one, driving it and studying them. I really wish I had the mechanical abilities to sort them out and put them together, but I don't. I think there needs to be a mechanical mentoring program for klutz 7 owners like me. I'm sure that, with the proper guidance and support, I could hold my attention on the mechanicals for at least about 3 hours.
scannon Posted October 14, 2010 Author Posted October 14, 2010 Every guy would love one of these.... but with my skills, it would mainly be used to wax the sides of the car and clean the inside of the wheels;) Funny you would mention cleaning the inside of the wheels. I made that same statement to a friend who dropped by to check out the lift as we were walking around the Caterham while it was raised up on the lift.
Croc Posted October 14, 2010 Posted October 14, 2010 Envy......:toetap05: :drool: +1 here.....both for the garage and the new lift!
DeanG Posted October 14, 2010 Posted October 14, 2010 We're talking about Se7ens. Just pick the thing up and put it on sawhorses.
scannon Posted October 14, 2010 Author Posted October 14, 2010 We're talking about Se7ens. Just pick the thing up and put it on sawhorses. That's what I used to do before my back started giving me fits.
DeanG Posted October 14, 2010 Posted October 14, 2010 I'm a quarter of the weight of my 7. Pretty soon my Dr will need a hoist to examine me and my mechanic wont.
gjslutz Posted October 16, 2010 Posted October 16, 2010 You will love the lift, I installed one in my hanger a few years ago. I have 14' height to work under. Why did I wait so long to do it?
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