Ceiling Height To Accomodate Automotive Shop Lift

[Bobacuda]

I have been thinking about building another "shed" with a shop lift on my property.  I remember as a kid at the gas station we had to use spacers to make the lift contact the frame and not hit the running boards, but I cannot remember how high the gas station ceiling was.  So, for those of you with shop lifts that allow your to stand and work under your truck (or '40's and 50's cars), how high is your ceiling?  What brand of lift do you have?

[Don Coatney]

13-14 feet

[Bobacuda]

I thought I posted this earlier, but I guess I hit a wrong button.

 

For those of you that use a shop lift so that you can stand when working under your truck (lift under the frame, not tires), how tall is your shop's ceiling?  I have been thinking about building another "shed" for a lift, but I don't want to make the ceiling too low.  Also, what lift do you have or recommend?

[48Dodger]

13-14 feet

 Agreed.

 

My shop ceiling is 12 feet......I have plans to redo the rafters in the lift area to get that all important 2 extra feet.

 

48D

[Reg Evans]

My ceiling height is only 12' and I have no problem lifting any car or truck to my lifts highest position.

Edit.....I should say that a 12' ceiling height works with my type of lift that lifts the car from the frame. The type that you drive up on does require a higher ceiling.

Edited July 11, 2013 by Reg Evans

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have 13 foot ceiling and have no problem running my mini van to the stops...

[48Dodger]

If I put a car on the lift it goes all the way up (platform lift).....but if I put my Pilot-House on it, well, I need another 2 feet. 

 

48D

[Plymouthy Adams]

If I put a car on the lift it goes all the way up (platform lift).....but if I put my Pilot-House on it, well, I need another 2 feet. 

 

48D

 

 

and your ceiling height is what....

[Reg Evans]

and your ceiling height is what....

Tim,

48D's ceiling height is the same as mine.....12'

[58prostreet]

I have a Eagle 2 post lift in my garage. Has a floor plate so only need 9.25 feet for install, but really need 12 plus to get full lift of vehicle. My lift was $1500.00. They wanted $400 to deliver and install. I couldn't go pick up for that, so I got them to install. It's a 500 mile round trip from Virginia Beach to Greensboro, N.C. The guy that did the delivery and install was 82 years old and was a joy to work with. I am happy with the lift. It is not as heavy duty as a Bend Pak or a Challenger, but for my purposes it is just fine.

Bob

[BigDaddyO]

That's one Eagle lift.

Three 12 foot ceilings.

One 13 foot.

And a 13-14 feet.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I will state my lift has twin drive on ramps that when raised...will allow me to walk without ducking beneath the ramps themselves...and still allow my mini van to go to max lift with roof clearance..the 13 foot ceiling is ideal so far for me..and building the addition for this height was involved as all work was on a scaffold, ladder or other means of elevated working condition..but I did enjoy building it myself.

[48Dodger]

Here are a few pics of my lift. Again its 12 feet.

The lights are actually out of the way but don't look it sometimes.

 

48D

[Bobacuda]

I am considering building a shed just for a shop lift so I can stand under my truck when working on it.  For those of you with shop lifts for your trucks, how high should I make the ceiling to avoid clearance problems?

Thanks.

[Plymouthy Adams]

^{with all due respect this is a repeat of your question posted earlier...it was well answered in the thread...}

 

^{http://p15-d24.com/topic/33594-ceiling-height-to-accomodate-automotive-shop-lift/?hl=%2Bceiling+%2Bheight}

 

^{If for some reason you lost your navigation link to the page or simply forgot what column you listed the question you can always click on your name at the top, go to content and see all posts you have made in the past and these links are clickable to take you straight there...}

Edited July 14, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[HanksB3B]

Design it so that when the truck is up, the Pilothouse roof becomes your second floor dining room table.

 

If you are married, the wife will love that !

 

Hank   

[Plymouthy Adams]

yeah Hank, I can see it now, a nice rug to hide the hole when the truck is out on an errand...wait...remember the old cartoon..the portable hole...now I could use a few of them..

[Frank Elder]

yeah Hank, I can see it now, a nice rug to hide the hole when the truck is out on an errand...wait...remember the old cartoon..the portable hole...now I could use a few of them..

Portable holes coming right up!

[48Dodger]

I thought my multile pictures showing multiple cars and truck would have answered the question. Note that the 12 foot roof is not high enough for the the standard cab of the Pilot-House. I need two more feet.

 

Just as a side note for the shop construction. I had a 2 foot stem wall constructed, cuz at the time, using a 10 foot wall designed saved me some engineering grief from the planing guys when getting every thing approved. I would ask Reg to explain it better, cuz I didn't quite understand it at the time. They even made me put a funky "L" shaped wall right in the midle of the shop for "strength". I knocked that sucker out as soon as I got the final. In the end, I built a spray booth from 2 x 4's, so in reality the "L" is back in there. Just in a better place for me.     

 

48D

[Plymouthy Adams]

hey Tim, your answer and pictures did tell the story..I believe the guy lost his orientation on where he made his original post and did not read the answers provided..I measured the average car of this era using the 1941 through 1954 vehicles I have here at the house and the measure from approx. 53 inches through 66 inches (station wagon with added luggage rack) while my rack sets level at it highest stop dead on 72 inches (6 feet) the need for a couple inches of additional lift on some lifts to set/reslease the stop is required and not to be overlooked. 

[Bobacuda]

I apologize to everyone for posting this topic several times.  The first time, I thought I just hit a wrong button.  The last time, I saw it posted, but I did not know it was moved.  Since I knew it posted last time, I started going through all of the topics until I found it.  Once again, I apologize for being a Luddite and thanks for the input.