4 post lift decking for storage

[dirtrider]

I have little experience using lifts but I am getting older, lazier, and have a little more money than I used to so I'm finally considering getting one. It seems a 4 post lift needs no special footing work so that is nice. Allows me to potentially move it around the slab if I decide to reorganize things down the road. What I'm really curious about is using it for storage most of the time. Most people might store a car on it but I was thinking something else...like 4 motorcycles. Would be nice during the winter to get those bikes up and out of the way and park a car underneath. I was looking at something like:
Garage Pro 9000 Extra Tall and Extra Long | Atlas Automotive Equipment

Atlas makes it really easy to see dimensions on their images tab. It seems most people and manufacturers just use drip trays between the runways. I'd need a solid decking that could take pretty significant weight and I'd want the whole surface as flat as possible. I'd need 8' width minimum to store bikes width wise so a 10'+ wide 4 post lift seems best. Are the runways for the tires adjustable for width so I could set them far apart? Something like this idea but with bikes...
4-Post Lift Solid Deck Option Automotive Equipment Installation

I noticed Danmar has some solid deck centers but they look damn expensive for what they are ($816 at Northern Tool)
Aluminum Deck

Putting wheel mounts on the runways is another idea and then the bikes would store lengthwise with no need for a platform for kickstand or center stand.
http://dannmar.com/car-lifts/four-post-lifts/accessories/motorcycle-vise.html

I really like the Condor Lifts for motorcycles so perhaps I could fit 4 of those
http://www.condor-lift.com/

This is a nifty approach for a 2 post but again I'd need a solid deck and a 2 post wouldn't accommodate as much storage
LMA Lawnmower Two-Post Adapter | Atlas Automotive Equipment

I suppose I could weld something up or even make it out of wood. Or perhaps I should buy the jack platforms and then put a floor on. Maybe bolt a floor into the sides of the jack trays.
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Garage-Pro-9-000-Jack-Tray

I'm just surprised not to see 4 post lifts being used for other storage more frequently. I'd think it really makes sense especially in areas like we have with the seasons. Store the bikes half the year and the snowmobiles the other half. Use it for truck maintenance every now and then as needed. Any recommendations?

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[Yaj Yak]

watchin' dis for work

 

[CMNTMXR57]

I have a Bend-Pak HD9ST. It is a 9,000 pound, 4-post lift. It can run on regular 110v (although it would be REALLY slow), or 220. I believe you just need to specify which when you order. I went with 220v. I wasn't about to spend another $5k to have 220v fed into the house, a new electrical panel installed, then a line trenched out to the garage and have a fixed setup, so I admit I went a more "african engineered" way, but it works...

Their HD9 series has a couple styles, the ST I have is a narrower unit specifically meant for home garages. It is also a "free stander". Meaning you don't HAVE to anchor it to the floor. Matter of fact, they sell as caster kit that will allow you to move it. As such, the floor plate for each post is a little bigger than normal to be more stable. I DID anchor it to the floor though. My F-I-L hammer drilled the holes into the concrete for me and I drove them in. THAT my friend was a workout... I would recommend at least 4" of concrete floor, preferably 6".

He (F-I-L), helped me "lift" the garage door (he installed industrial garage doors, dock levelers, and the such as his own business), a few extra inches to clear the posts. Keep in mind, the garage I put it in didn't have lifts in mind when we built it and West Chicago would NOT let me lift the roof.

I purchased the lift from Garage Equipment Supply out of California. It was $2,500 for the lift. I won't get into a pissing match as to what brand you want, but remember, if you're working on cars with them, your life is under them. I would stick something with ALI certification (American Lift Institute), and stay with a known brand such as Bend-Pack, Rotary, etc... To have it shipped to my door would've tacked another $700 on to the price, so again, I enlisted the F-I-L with is work truck (has a crane on it), had it shipped to the Conway facility in Elgin for free (included in the cost I guess), and he and I went and picked it up and then took it to the house in WeGo. For the next month, I built it in my spare time in the garage.

To your question(s) though;

1) Many are "free-standers" As I posted above, that means they don't need to be anchored and you can buy dolly/caster kits that you can then move them around as needed

2) Decking. On the inside rails of my ramps, is a "trench". This trench is there for attaching implements. You can buy an additional hydraulic center lift that rolls along those trenches, you can buy additional decking like you're seeking, etc, etc...

I actually fabbed up my own oil drain container support that hangs off those trenches using 2x4's and some "L" brackets. It's not special but it works. So I would imagine whatever size lift you get, once assembled, just measure that distance between the trenches, and then cut your own decking and rest it on those trenches.

 

[dirtrider]

The casters are nice on those 4 post lifts in the rare occasion you want to move it or rearrange things.
https://youtu.be/got_-zAZjhs

It wouldn't be hard to weld up a custom decking so I'll probably just go that route. Using rolling jacks with a floor attached would likely make the flat floor proud of the runways. So a custom insert is probably best and then I can make it real strong too. I'm a little paranoid about the decking somehow popping up off one size of the runway flange and falling through. Not likely with any weight on it. But I'm sure I could figure out some way to secure it.

Right now my attached garage has 7.5' ceilings so I'm actually considering a detached garage build from scratch. Already have the new side driveway being poured now. Of course a new garage at the end must be considered! The lift is part of the plan then.

I'd get 220v to the garage. Village code allows up to 15' height to the roof peak. I'd like 1 commercial sized garage door 10' wide and ideally 12' high. This would allow me to park a toy hauler trailer or large boat inside. An asymmetrical roof would allow the peak to center over this higher garage door and maximize height. Then a standard size garage door next to it.

This quick SketchUp gives a rough idea. Not to scale and exact dimensions not yet figured. The worst part is dealing with the 600 square foot size limitation per Village code. I want bigger but not sure how open they would be to variance.

 

[CMNTMXR57]

IS your garage attached to the house? If so, it may be different rules. The one at mine in WeGo is a detached unit and they're really strict.

If you go with heavy enough deck material, even with no weight on it, they shouldn't move. The dummy ramp on mine (the one without the hydaulics and cables was plenty heavy. I used my portable truck lift to lift it and maneuver it into place on the cross beams. So going with something of comprable thickness should be sufficient. Those flanges/trenches are about an inch or so in width, so you have enough to lay that plate over it.

And of course, another thought, once you get the decking cut out, fit to the lift, you can always, drill through the plating and the flange/trench, then affix a sufficient size bolt that you can physically tighten in place when you have those decking pieces in place. Say a bolt at each corner of that piece of decking. Or heck, make then a little wider, and then bend an edge on each side to fit into that trench...

When I had photobucket, before they went greedy, I had an album of pictures of me building it in the garage, so when I converted to Imgur, I didn't move them. I'll have to find them pics and see if I can find something with the flange/trench on it to give you a better idea.

Edit after my trip to the bathroom where I do my best thinking...: I want to say that the ramps are going to be at least 1/8th" steel in terms of thickness. The approach ramps (the part you drive up on to get ON the lift) are the same thickness and those suckers are heavy (and hurt... I've smacked my noggin on them many times), and they're no where near the size of decking across the width of the gap. So if you lay something down of comparable thickness you should be fine

 

[CMNTMXR57]

Probably the best image I have. you can see the trench running the inside length of the ramp. You can also see the thickness of the approach ramps before I installed them.

 

[dirtrider]

Ultimately what I'm looking to do is something like this but reverse the vehicles.
http://www.bendpak.com/a-study-in-lift-design/Four-Post-Lift-Design/Four-Post-Lift-Design/s/CSwBXt4ZAUeR7qbVAISnbQ/BendPak-Storage-Lift.jpg

The Bendpak HDS-14X 14,000-lb. Capacity Extended Length Car Lift looks pretty good actually. 229" (19' 1") long runways would fit 2 bikes lengthwise on each runway. Outside edges of runways adjustable from: 77-1/2" - 91". Wish that went a little wider actually as it's 7'7" at the widest. Width between posts 120" so it will pass exactly the same as a 10' wide garage door. Big enough to work on a large pickup.
BendPak HDS-14X Four Post Lift, 14,000 Lb. Capacity, Long Style

 

[The Beast]

I need a lift in my life asap to stack my cars. I'm pulling the trigger this coming week.

 

[CMNTMXR57]

Unless you're going to be working on bigger vehicles regularly, I would think 14k might be a little overkill. But be it NOT for me to keep from twisting anyone's arm about a lift.

Driving by a house in Geneva a couple weekends ago, a guy was living my dream... 3 car garage, two of them occupied with 4 post lifts, both with Corvette's (4 total... 1 on and 1 under). I should've been a drug dealer or something...

Anyway, this is where I got mine from. When I was shopping they were the cheapest.

Car Lifts - Wheel Service - Shop Tools - Garage Equipment Supply

Also Bend-Pak has great customer service. As I was assembling mine, one of the main post top plates (where the cables anchor to), I had a wrong side (the are specific for each side, so you should have 2 right oriented and 2 left oriented ones), I had 3 left, 1 right.

Called up GEUSA, who then gave me the contact at Bend-Pak and they (Bend-Pak) overnighted a correct one, at no charge, to me.

 

[dirtrider]

I wasn't so much looking for a high weight capacity as I was a large size. Can't get those dimensions in some of the lower weight ratings. Based on your suggestion I can see it is quite a bit more costly but it's not out of reach BendPak HDS14X - Auto Hoists - Parking Lifts - Garage Equipment Supply

Good to know on the customer service

 

[J-LO]

I have the atlas and it works great, if I was going to do it again I'd get the wider track one vs the standard. Mustang fit no problem but the vette is wider and it's very tight

 

[CMNTMXR57]

When I say mine is the narrow unit, I'm not referring to the ramp spacing. What it means is that the cross-beams that the ramps sit on, aren't as wide, which brings the columns in closer to better fit in a regular garage.

I had the Wife's van on it this weekend. I have the older van on it all the time, my STS, probably the widest car I've had on it was my Bonneville GXP.

My issue is something completely unrelated to the lift, it's due to gestapo building codes not allowing me to lift the ceiling of the garage, so when I have the bigger vans on it, I can only go so high, but I can still roll under it. With the cars, I can sit upright under them.

 

[J-LO]

Those blue angled pieces on the arms by the ramp, you have to be perfectly straight going up ramps in a lowered vette or you hit the side skirts. Don't ask me how I know [emoji25]

 

[CMNTMXR57]

Yup. That's where all the air safety part are.