i am in the process of installing a 2 post automotive lift. (picked it up used) and im looking for some concrete anchors/bolts/lags(not sure what to call them) i've been reading instructions on other lifts(cant seem to find an instruction manual online for the lift i have) but they recomend something that goes down 4inch's minimum. (3/4inch dia.) i checked out some concrete anchors on mcmaster.com as well as MSC, they have a good selection but i dont know which i should or should not buy, or if any ones "work" better than others. can anyone steer me in the right direction?

thanks for the help

 

I'm sure there's going to be alot of honda-tech'ers telling you to just drill holes or duct tape this lift to the floor, but what you really need to do is
1) look up and call the manufacturer to see if you can find thier specific instructions and either way
2) to properly (READ: SAFELY) install a lift, you need to cut out a portion of your existing floor, pour a new, keyed section at *LEAST* four inches thick of the proper strength concrete with the new anchors embeded, let it cure, then install the lift, preferably with a load spreader since the floor will only be partially re-inforced.
The lift manufacturer should be able to tell you the strength of concete and anchors they reccomend for your specific lifts load ratings.

 

Hmm, i had my lift professionaly installed and they didn't do anything with the concrete.

 

How thick is your floor and what kind of concrete is it? I'm assuming this is your completely awesome shop we're talking about, right?
Also if it's a four post it's different than a two post.
I assumed this guy was installing a lift in his garage, which tends to be 4" thick or less and not of the strength that the people that did my rotary required as per the instructions.
Either way, I think Tony's on to something with the professional installation thing.

 

No idea, lol, concrete isn't my dept. I understand what you're saying though, i can definitely see the concrete in a residential garage being different than in an industrial building.

 

On the installation, it cost me $500 to have the lift picked up from the storage building it was in about 45 minutes away, brought to my shop, installed, and wired. Well worth the piece of mind of knowing it was professionally installed and that i don't have to be questioning my installation while there's 3500lbs above my head!

I'm getting another lift today, and it will be professionally installed as well.

 

yeah im a pretty hardcore DYI guy but when it comes to being crushed by a 2 ton car i rather not risk it....

not that im scared of dying... im not im an exmarine.. i just know that with my luck i wouldnt die and id be crippled the rest of my life...

 

the lift is being installed in an older industrial building. i have drilled into the concrete and it as at least 4inchs thick(my drill bit wasnt any longer ) i am going to get another longer bit, to check the depth on the floor.

im assuming there are business' that specialize in this sort of thing?(lift installations)

 

I used concrete anchors from Home Depot when i installed my lift..

It's really not that bad to do..

 

i was at lowes last night and they didnt seem to know what i needed. i suppose there is a chance the depot has what im lookin for ?

 

Tony,
What lift did you go with? New or used? I need to get another lift also... I've noticed there are a few places in the Dallas area that sell new...
-Taylor

 

Yeah go into the nut and bolt section. You are looking for 3/4" concrete anchors. They sell them in boxes of 10 for about 25-30 bucks.

I've installed 3 or 4 lifts myself and would rather pay $500 for someone to come do it. It's just not worth the time or energy for $500 bucks, especially if they will wire it also. In fact I planned on having a local guy that does it for a living install my last one but he was sick for a few weeks and I had to do it myself...

 

Dave contact phillydyno works and ask them how they did theirs or call Frank up as PSI and ask him. He has moved his lift 4 times in the last year to 4 different buildings.

 

I did the same.

 

Try MSC Item #68002286 Grade 5 or Item #68003722 304SS. The grade 5's should be plenty for the weight of the lift. Plus SS anchors are about 5X the price. If you call MSC up you will beable to buy in smaller quantities then listed on there site. They usually come in 25, 50, 100 ct boxes. We use these at work all the time for anchoring heavy equipment(5-10ton). Depending on the weight will decide diameter. I think 3/4" would be overkill personally. 1/2" would probably be fine for the lift install. But overkill wouldnt be a bad thing.

 

i picked up some 3/4 inch concrete anchors made by Hilti from the depot, tonight. (and a long *** 13inch 3/4 concrete drill bit)

 

The bits are def not cheap thats for sure. Do you have the drill also? Or just a regular drill?

 

I put my lift in took like a half a day it was easy. $500 for an install seems high to me with the right equipment is a 1-2 man job no more than 4 hours tops.
Required Tools
Forklift
Hammer Drill
Impact Wrench
Big Crescent Wrench
Circuit Breaker
Wire
Conduit
Twist Lock Plugs

As for anchor size I would go with .75 or 1.00" anchors, 1/2" grade 8 bolts only have load ratings or 2500lbs or less when they are forged & thread rolled anchored in to solid metal which means its way less in concrete. Youll also need shims to level out the lift

If you want pain in the *** try moving a 7000lb cnc machining center and have your forklift blow a hydraulic cylinder @ friday at 4pm and its sitting in the middle of the parking lot block traffic. Yes that happened last week

I would take a car lift install over moving machinery most days of the week

 

$500 was to pick it up from an hour away, deliver it, and install it. I'd pay it again in a heartbeat for the same job. I can make $500 a lot easier than i can pick up and install a lift. And i don't have a forklift.

 

I would charge a $1000 to do it. And I'd be pissed off. Thats a good deal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I can make $500 a lot easier than i can pick up and install a lift. And i don't have a forklift.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well said... It's best to earn money on what you do best, and certainly lugging and installing a lift and drilling concrete isn't your thing.

I like how people are budget conscious, but man, that's how disasters happen when DIY'ers try to save a few bucks doing everything themselves.

 

Let me rephrase my answer, I wouldnt personally do it for $500 but the persons who work for me would gladly take care that issue for less than $500 in payroll money

 

dave, give me a call, i can pick you up a set of anchoprs form grainger, i have an account. we can meet up if you want. it should be a minumum of 4 in in the ground, 3/4 round. if you can torque 100ft/lbs the concrete is strong enough. you can use washers for shims to get it level. go corner to corner of lift plate for trueness. how many do you need? they make a few differant styles to, i like the wedge ones. i used the collar type and i did not lke them, it didnt tighten up right and that was inthe floor i poured. it was 5000 psi concrete. you will need a nice hammer drill, better rent one. i bought a harbor freight one and it was a waste.

edit, read the rest of the post...

the home depot ones are twice the price of grainger

 

tony,

i think you need to come spend 6 months here in maryland so you can realize how bad everything sucks and how expensive everything is, so you can appreciate where you live.


after i was quoted $3500 to have the lift installed, i learned to do it myself real fast. i had a friend help me who has done it numerous times. we did it when it was about 10 degree's outside and snowing. needless to say it sucked.

i dont even want to talk about pricing for digging/cementing the dyno pit. that was a disaster in its self.


dave rent a hammer drill from HD. make sure you have a good vacuum handy, we rigged ours up with a small peice of vacuum line so that we could suck all the concrete out of the hole we just dug. after drilling, the hole was nearly half full with dust.

 

Yeah, i'm still not really sure why you live where you do. lol