Cost of concrete work?

[POORSH]

I am planning on putting in a MaxJaxx lift. Unfortunately, my concrete is only 3.5" deep and I need a minimum of 4". Anyway, I was just quoted $1100 for 2 patches of concrete measuring 5Wx5Lx8"D. This would include cutting out the existing concrete as well. Overpriced or not? What should I be looking at? I am in Northern California.
Thanks in advance.

[ltusler]

How about placing them on some 1/4" steel plate?

[rwest]

Sounds pretty reasonable, busting out concrete is nasty work and then they have to haul it away too.

-Rutager

[POORSH]

How about placing them on some 1/4" steel plate?

It is actually a portable two
post lift.

[stomachmonkey]

$18-20 a sq ft around these parts.

Sounds about right.

[ben parrish]

I wouldn't pay that but I am a sadistic lover of bleeding knuckles, sore knees, an aching back and sand paper hands.

Not out of line for the demo and replacement. I second the steel plate idea.

[nota]

do it yourself with day labor

rent a wet saw


buy re-bar lots of re-bar that may cost the most

find a saw guy and a rebar guy and a finisher [home dumpo lot ?]

I would guess about 12 bags a hole

no idea local labor or rules
but way cheaper no permit or inspection or contractors
500-600 labor and materials

[look 171]

It will take one man to chip out the old concrete and haul it away. Two men to mix more then half a yard of concrete and finish it. Even at $250 a day for three men, you are doing well plus the cost of the concrete and steel. Very little money on the overhead. I say its a steal. Dump fee and fuel cost to the dump or recycling place isn't included. We have to recycle it around here.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

About right - you can DIY too and get a good workout too & save a few bucks.

[fastfredracing]

I have one of my lifts mounted to the floor in only 3.5" of concrete. It has been like this for 10 years now, and I have lifted many one ton trucks. I use this lift every day. It has never moved. I epoxied all my anchor bolts in , and I will check the tightness on them every once in a while just in case. Just sayin'.

[1990C4S]

Post a pic of the jack. I'm leaning towards what Fred says....

[wdfifteen]

I'd go for it at that price.

[andyt11]

^ Me too. You could do some of it yourself but I don't think its a bad price and I don't think there is much to save either. Get it done, enjoy the lift.

[tharbert]

For that price, it'll be fun to watch someone else struggle with a crappy job for a change! That said, I'd probably do it myself. All the equipment you need can be found at the local rent-all store: wet saws, jack hammer, mixer and concrete finisher. Watch a few YouTube videos on stuff you aren't quite sure how to do.

[Drisump]

To achieve a good smooth finish on it would be the most challenging for a novice. You are going to need a little over a yard of concrete, so about about 5 or 6 bags of Portland and about a yard and half of sand and gravel. A good grid of rebar and a good, rich mix, probably a ratio of about 4 to 5 gravel to cement) would be a good idea. In my understanding of the MaxJax, it relies completely on a great bond to the floor and for the floor to be very sound (since the two posts are not tied together at the top). Personally, I would go through the concrete mods....I wouldn't like 3000lbs of P-car over me a have doubts about the installation. Cheers and I'd love to hear about your experiences with this lift.

[john70t]

It's heavy, dusty, loud work but if you DIY on the cheap:
-$25 rent concrete saw. Water ones are better but you can wet it down.
-$25 rent jackhammer. The gas one I used was lighter and more effective. Angle grind the bit at 45deg. Use technique.
-Pile concrete and feed into trash slowly, or reuse as walkway edgers or filler later.
-Dig and compact. I'd suggest more than 8" directly around the bolt-attachment area.
-Buy, cut, wire tightly with correct wire, and place rebar. Some can be driven deep vertically. Some should be closer to the attachment points.
-Buy, mix and pour. Harbor Fright has larger mixers or struggle with other.
Calculate this carefully beforehand and have extra. You will need to place strings or marks for where the studs go. Making a template for location would seem most precise.
Threaded inserts for bolts would seem better if the lift is to be removed to leave a flush floor.

There are different types of concrete, varying in strength/density.
Not sure which is correct for this type of application.
There's 5k psi QUIKRETE® - QUIKRETE® 5000 Concrete Mix and 6k psi QUIKRETE® - Fiber-Reinforced Deck Mix

(I'm not a pro so get more advice )

[Geoz1]

As stated already, 3.5" will be more than sufficent. As long as its a true 3.5". Mine is on a 3.5" slab, its a 10k lb Eagle 2 post asymetrical. 1 ton trucks are on it everytime I need to maintain my families or my vehicles.

An easy way to check is with a 3/8" hammer drill with a 12" bit, drill into the slab untill it speeds up. Mark the bit and measure.

[Bill Douglas]

Other than it being 3.5" or 4" (not much difference) it's a case of how hard the concrete is. Some place where it doesn't matter, you could try whacking away at it it a cold chistle and hammer. Only a few millimeters (5mm or at the most 10mm) should be able to be chipped off if it's good stuff.

[POORSH]

Other than it being 3.5" or 4" (not much difference) it's a case of how hard the concrete is. Some place where it doesn't matter, you could try whacking away at it it a cold chistle and hammer. Only a few millimeters (5mm or at the most 10mm) should be able to be chipped off if it's good stuff.

Totally agreed. I drilled the pilot holes and thought that the concrete was rather soft. I was able to go through it pretty easily. I think I was more concerned with its softness than its depth. But the depth doesn't help either.

[look 171]

IMO, if you are going to cut it out and pour, another couple of inches isn't going to make much difference in the cost. I go at least 6" just for laughs. 8" is over kill but it is better. You just have to dig a bigger hole and deal with the dirt. It will take you about four days(maybe five) doing it by yourself. Is it worth your time? Many people talk about hardness, and depth and all the engineering stuff for a simple lift (Home use?). Just pour 6" of pad and be done with it. it will hold up just fine for a long, long time.