CONCRETE FLOOR REQUIREMENTS
SLAB RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2-POST 4-POST LIFT MODELS
What depth of concrete is needed for installing a car Lift?
If you’re looking to truly elevate your home garage, there’s nothing like installing a car Lift to make you the envy of all your mates.
You’ll find your workshop efficiency gets a massive boost. Car Lifts give you access to the complete underbody of your car, and can free up valuable space in your home workshop.
Though you might think installing a car Lift at home is a difficult project, in fact it’s something that you really can accomplish. One of the most common questions we’re asked at Automotive Lift Experts is, “What depth of concrete slab will I need, to safely install a car Lift?”
Here are our tips for making sure your installation is an uplifting experience.
The minimum and recommended thicknesses of concrete slab for car Lifts
Some of manufacturers standards for a 2-Post and 4-Post Lifts require a minimum 4 inches of reinforced concrete slab to be safely installed.
That’s the minimum – however if you’re installing a new slab, it’s a great idea to plan around a slightly deeper concrete for even better strength – a least 6 inches thickness concrete is our recommendation.
How to install a Lift on an old or damaged slab?
If your home workshop’s slab isn’t thick enough, or if it’s very worn or damaged, all’s not lost. You can still install a car Lift by modifying the slab in a couple of ways.
In this case you can cut out a 4 feet x 4feet square form the old slab, and pour new concrete to a depth of about 10 to 12 inches (approx 1 foot deep). You can then tie this new section of slab back into the existing slab with re-bar drilled in.
Now you have the ideal depth of concrete slab in your workshop, it’s time to fix the two or four post Lift securely to it.
Whatever method you use, remember that the Lift’s anchor bolts should be checked on a daily basis. Just like any piece of heavy duty industrial equipment, a car Lift will give you safe and reliable service when it’s used correctly and maintained properly.
Basic Concrete Requirements:
Minimum Strength of Concrete: 3,500 P.S.I.
Minimum Aging of New Concrete Slab: 28 Days
Minimum Thickness of Concrete Slab:
8,500 lbs – 10,000 lbs lifts: 4″ Minimum Thickness
12,000 lbs – 18,000 lbs lifts: 6″ Minimum Thickness
DO NOT install any Car lift on any surface other than concrete, conforming to the minimum compressive strength, aging, reinforcement, and thickness stated in the table above. ALL LIFTS MUST BE INSTALLED ON CONCRETE ONLY
DO NOT install any Car lift on expansion seams or on cracked or defective concrete. All 3/4 inch diameter anchors must be a minimum of 8 inches away from any expansion seams, control joints or other inconsistencies in the concrete
NEVER install a Car lift on hand mixed concrete.
Specifications of concrete must be adhered to. Failure to do so could cause auto lift failure resulting in personal injury or death. All of our automobile lifts include a manual with floor and concrete specifications . Adhering to these specifications will ensure a safe and successful installation.
If the floor does not meet these minimum pre‐existing floor requirements, it is suggested to construct a slab as outlined below in New Slab Recommendations.
Temperature bars are steel rods placed horizontally (longwise) in concrete slabs for prevention of cracks due to temperature changes or drying; placed perpendicular to the main reinforcing rods (short span). Temperature bars are placed at right angles to the main reinforcing bars.
Note 1: Temperature bars are steel rods placed horizontally (longwise) in concrete slabs for prevention of cracks due to temperature changes or drying; placed perpendicular to the main reinforcing rods (short span). Temperature bars are placed at right angles to the main reinforcing bars.
An additional layer of 6 x 6 ‐ 10/10 WWF at mid height of new slab would be advisable in any extremely hot or cold climate to control cracking due to temperature fluctuations and shrinkage. At anchor bolt locations only keep WWF mesh below the elevation of the anchorage to avoid drilling interference with the wire.
Note 2: The main reinforcing and lower temperature steel shall be Grade 60 deformed bars
Note 3: The tolerance on spacing of the bars in each direction shall be the value shown, plus or minus 1 inch. In addition, the number of bars specified in the table must be used.
Note 4: The concrete outline dimensions and the reinforcing shown are for a foundation bed allowable bearing capacity of not less than 2,000 lb. / sq. ft. (1 ton per square foot). Many clays, and most all firm clay, hard clay, sand & clay mixes, dry sands, coarse dry sands, dry sand and silt mixes, sand and gravel mixes, and gravel type soils meet or exceed this allowable bearing capacity. If there is question regarding the foundation bed allowable bearing capacity, a soils testing engineer should be consulted. Situations where the allowable bearing capacity is lower than this value will require special attention.
New concrete slabs must conform to the above stated properties before installation of the lift is deemed acceptable. The new slab must be totally surrounded by an existing asphalt or concrete floor. Certified strength documentation should be obtained from the firm who supplies the concrete mixture at the time of the pour. These new concrete slabs are designed as “stand alone” and do not take into account the contribution of strength from surrounding concrete. It may be desirable to tie and reinforce the new slab to the pre‐existing surrounding floor. Care should be taken to locate any reinforcement bars away from any anchor positions of the specific lift.
These new concrete slabs do not account for second floor installations or installations in a ground floor with a basement beneath. For this case, the lift should not be installed without written authorization from the building architect.
All 3/4 inch diameter anchors must be a minimum of 6 inches away from any expansion seams, control joints or other inconsistencies in the concrete.
NEVER hand mix your own concrete.
Courtesy of Bendpak.com
