Box for sunken scissor lift

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Pouring concrete soon and we are putting in a box so the scissor lift is flush with the floor. Also going to put in PVC tubing to run the hydraulic lines to the side of the shop.

Anyone done this and have dos and don'ts? Anything you wish you had done or had to go back and do? I'm guessing box dimensions should be 1" on each side larger than the lift.

[Cairo94507]

Hi Shaun, I did that exact thing in my 3-car. I would say make sure the location you choose is well thought out for space to walk around and fit large and smaller cars. I went down 18" the garage is 40 years old. We then packed down some crushed rock about 6" worth. We added rebar and also used the styrofoam blocks to raise the rebar off the rock. Then we poured the balance of the pit in concrete to the level we determined would allow for a flush finish. We allowed 1/2" all the way around the lift ramps. My lift is a mid-rise scissor lift made by BendPak. It has two separate lift rams and you can set their spacing at whatever you want. Off the top of my head we set them with 33" between them. Used 3" PVS to run lines from the outs to the cabinet where the hydraulics are as well as a 2" PVC between the two ramps. We then bolted the ramps to the concrete with the provided lag bolts and have never had an issue. Ramps sit flush when down and raise nicely with a car on them.

[76FJ55]

I have not done it, but the first thing that came to mind was some sort of a drain for the area. if you ever wash out the garage floor of pull in after driving in rain or snow, it would be nice to have a way to drain the area or your lift will end up setting in a nasty pool.

[fanaudical]

Nothing to contribute to the thread other than "Awesome garage, Cairo!".

[Dan J]

[QUOTE=Cairo94507;11088499]Hi Shaun, I did that exact thing in my 3-car. I would say make sure the location you choose is well thought out for space to walk around and fit large and smaller cars. I went down 18" the garage is 40 years old.

That's the best looking 40 yo garage I've ever seen!
Well done Sir

[Rob T.]

Awesome

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Cairo94507

Hi Shaun, I did that exact thing in my 3-car. I would say make sure the location you choose is well thought out for space to walk around and fit large and smaller cars. I went down 18" the garage is 40 years old. We then packed down some crushed rock about 6" worth. We added rebar and also used the styrofoam blocks to raise the rebar off the rock. Then we poured the balance of the pit in concrete to the level we determined would allow for a flush finish. We allowed 1/2" all the way around the lift ramps. My lift is a mid-rise scissor lift made by BendPak. It has two separate lift rams and you can set their spacing at whatever you want. Off the top of my head we set them with 33" between them. Used 3" PVS to run lines from the outs to the cabinet where the hydraulics are as well as a 2" PVC between the two ramps. We then bolted the ramps to the concrete with the provided lag bolts and have never had an issue. Ramps sit flush when down and raise nicely with a car on them.

That's not a garage, that's an art museum. Wow, that is gorgeous, and great cars too!

Thanks for letting me know what you did, very helpful. Lift is going into a paint booth/shop so location has to be very well thought out, agreed. Hopefully pouring tomorrow or Friday.

[Cairo94507]

Thanks everyone. It was a labor of love. I really enjoy garage time and this remodel made it all the better. As for a drain in the pits, we considered it but we do not get that kind of weather here in CA to worry about water collecting in the pits. If I washed out the garage (actually mop it monthly) I could use a wet/dry vac to evacuate the water from the pits. If I lived in an area that got snow or lots of rain, we would have run drain/PVC to my tight lines and french drains surrounding the home.

[Geronimo]

Your garage is nice than my entire house.

[GH85Carrera]

Yep, I did and I love it.











I mounted the pump on my wall. For projects like replacing the fuel lines in the tunnel I just sat on the edge of the pit, and straddled the lift arms. Changing transmission fluid is still very easy.

I love my scissor lift. I will put my car up in the air to wax it, or do electrical work, or just about any excuse.

When the lift is lowered, the 1/2 inch piece of plywood covers the hole and it is pretty much gone. The plywood is great for lifting weird items like my lawnmower or BBQ grill to work on them at a comfortable height. We even painted our front door on it. Sure beats bending over.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Glen, in the first pic, is that clay? What did you do for gravel under it and rebar in it?

[GH85Carrera]

Our house sits on clay. The builder put down a layer of sand to pour the slab on. They just dug down through the garage floor and removed it to make it deep enough. They laid down a grid of rebar and tied it together. They used 3,000 PSI concrete.



One of the smart thing I did was hire processionals to do it. I have zero experience in that type of work. They cut the concrete, broke it up, and hauled the old concrete and dirt away. My only part was putting in the PVC conduit to run the hydraulic hose and some Romex in to have 110 volts in the pit. I have that circuit off unless I need to use it.

The top of the pit has a lip recessed down 1/2 inch so the plywood sits level with the concrete floor. 3/4 inch plywood is just too heavy to move around, so I went with 1/2 inch marine grade plywood from a lumber yard, not big box store.

[Quickstep192]

I'm Jealous!

[GH85Carrera]

When my wife said we needed to move just over 22 years ago I said my one minimum requirement was a 3 car garage. We looked at this house and it has a 3 car over-sized garage, with a heated and air conditioned bathroom in the garage! I told my wife, I assume it has a kitchen and a bedroom, but I am in love.

I can open the giant doors of my 86 El Camino all the way on both doors and not hit anything.

I added in a 220 electric heater so working out there in the winter is a t-shirt and jeans event. I added a AC system so even in the summer I can tinker all day and not be covered in sweat. Of course I have a fridge for beer (and water) and my tools. That ugly wooden workbench is something I have had since 1982, it ain't pretty, but it is sturdy and full of my stuff.

I love my garage. Fortunately for me the master bedroom has a ridiculously large closet and my wife fell in love.

Cairo94507, your garage is just fantastic. Nice garage and some nice cars. I am too much of a slob and I work in my garage and make messes too much to have a place that nice.

[GH85Carrera]

Look into the costs. It is not that bad. I ended up with the Bendpak MD6-XP sells for $2,500 now. It was a little cheaper when I bought mine. The pit only cost $600 I believe. They did it in a day.

For the sore muscles and pain and suffering of floor jacks and jack stands it was worth it for me. I can get the 911 up to the point is 42 inches in the air. The El Camino can go high enough that I have to stop before the roof hits the light.

[930cabman]

I considered digging a pit, but simply "pinned" my HF scissors lift to the floor. It rolls around and works just fine.

[HaroldMHedge]

I haven't done one but Jack Olsen did and his garage is one to behold.

Taken from Scissor lift in garage floor help which has some good information.

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

Here would be the steps.

1) Work out what space you need, and include a plan for electric and/or hydraulic lines running in and out of the space. Also think about water drainage or putting in a pump if that will be an issue.

I used tape to make sure I had the right location and also to mark the space I needed.



2) Rent a wet saw and cut your square. Cut up the rest of the inside space and you won't need to rent a jack hammer.



3) Break up the concrete, dig out your hole.



This is about 1/3 of the dirt I removed. And I was only going 16" down.



4) Drill for rebar tying into the existing slab. Build your forms.





5) Pour your mix. Let it set.



6) Cross your fingers that you did everything right and drop the lift in.

[HaroldMHedge]

More from Jack.

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

In my case, I tiled the top of the lift to match the floor.





Final step, choose your dramatic music.

Lift Video