Building a Garage Pit

[EddieWalker]

What do you guys use your lift for? I change my oil myself about twice a year on my truck, once a year on each of my tractors. I've never thought twice about laying a piece of cardboard down to lay on while draining the oil, then I'm done. What else do you do with your vehicles that you need to buy a lift?

 

[Parkanzky]

What do you guys use your lift for? I change my oil myself about twice a year on my truck, once a year on each of my tractors. I've never thought twice about laying a piece of cardboard down to lay on while draining the oil, then I'm done. What else do you do with your vehicles that you need to buy a lift?

I can't speak for anyone else, but the biggest advantage is that it allows me to park one more car in my garage in the winter.

However, any time you change fluids (oil/filter, gearbox, differential, coolant, blinker, etc) is way easier when you can walk under the car. Especially since more than half our cars have an undertray that covers the entire bottom and has to be removed to do any service. It comes in even handier when you do more significant work, like dropping a transmission or similar.

 

[oliver1555]

What do you guys use your lift for? I change my oil myself about twice a year on my truck, once a year on each of my tractors. I've never thought twice about laying a piece of cardboard down to lay on while draining the oil, then I'm done. What else do you do with your vehicles that you need to buy a lift?

I'm building a new shop and installing a lift. Although I have gotten by pretty well without one, I can think of many reasons to have one so I don't have to roll around on a creeper:
Rotating tires
Working on brakes
Oil changes
Painting frame - some people never do, but I hate to see a rusty frame, drive train, etc.
Installing/maintaining wiring to trailers
Clutch/drive line work
Basically, any reason to get under my vehicles. I enjoy this kind of work. Others, not so much.

 

[LD1]

No question a lift is nice. Especially when working on older stuff or exhaust work. Wrestling things around under there and constantly getting dirt/rust knocked all over you isnt fun. And doing exhaust work that requires welding....I'd rather be standing and welding over my head than laying on by back and welding overhead.

What do you guys use your lift for? I change my oil myself about twice a year on my truck, once a year on each of my tractors. I've never thought twice about laying a piece of cardboard down to lay on while draining the oil, then I'm done. What else do you do with your vehicles that you need to buy a lift?

You need to invest in a creeper:thumbsup: Light-years ahead of a piece of cardboard.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have 2 creepers, I just like the cardboard better. ☺

 

[Citydude]

I like the cardboard as well. My knees appreciate the cushion.

 

[jerrybob]

I use my buddy's lift often.....but you still need to be careful and make sure all is secure.

car falling off lift video - Bing video

 

[bdog]

I have four post lift and use it all the time. Makes everything easier from oil changes, to greasing, to welding on exhaust, running wires, etc. I put my trucks, skid steer, UTV's, etc on it and I have a rolling 20 gallon air powered oil drain can. Oil changes are a breeze.

 

[George2615]

What do you guys use your lift for? I change my oil myself about twice a year on my truck, once a year on each of my tractors. I've never thought twice about laying a piece of cardboard down to lay on while draining the oil, then I'm done. What else do you do with your vehicles that you need to buy a lift?

Pits are not permitted even in my rural area. I have a lift and use it regular. Oil changes on 5 vehicles, brake jobs, replacing shocks, tires (I have a tire changer and balancer), Transmissions, exhaust systems, suspension work, gas tank replacement, undercoating, etc. Mostly the same work that a regular shop does. I also do side work on vehicles for other people. As I got older I found it more and more difficult to work under a vehicle whether on cardboard or a creeper. A lift may not be something everyone needs but I have been a car guy all my life and enjoy working in my garage. It also saves me money by doing my own work over what a dealers garage would charge. Now that I've retired I spend most of my day in the garage.
For the OP I'd also recommend the low rise lift mentioned and the dangers of a pit also mentioned.

 

[newbury]

Has anyone "built" a raised platform for their vehicle using pallet racking?

I've got a lot of pallet racking with 8.5 foot beams that have capacities of 6,000 lbs. I can get beams with capacities of 12,000 lbs. I was thinking of using 2 or 3 sets (2 uprights and three pairs of beams) plus support to go between racks with a ramp to drive up/winch up a vehicle so it was about 4 or 5 feet off the ground and I could easily sit on a rolling stool or chair and work overhead.

 

[Zerk]

First thing I'd do is check with your Insurance Company.

I bet you would check with your wife first.

It is not a fire hazard. You could do rails or cover it.




I have thought about stacking 2x10s or 12s, a few high, staggered to drive up, just to get a few more inches. I have also thought about building a wood structure for working on my side by side. Wood is strong.

 

[Zerk]

And the OP said that he don't have the height for a lift so he can't use one.

If they read the first post, we wouldn't have half the posts here.

The ventilation system will have to have an Engineers stamp.

Or what? I don't think OSHA will show up at his house and fine him.

 

[Zerk]

I've thought about creeper, but my trucks are still a bit low. Unless I drived up on 2x12s.

 

[cmyoung2]

OrangeB2400,
I have a pit, love it. Suggestions- 4' is too wide. Mine is 3' and works fine. Mine is 6' deep-too deep and I am 6'. I think about 5'2"-5'4" will be about right for me. The pit is a total of 18' long, with steps at one end. I work on both small cars and a F250 4x4. Mine is filled concrete block, with a 3"x3" angle iron track on top, with the poured concrete floor level with the top of the angle. The angle down both sides gives me a ledge to put the cover. The cover is two 1"x6" oak boards, rough cut, with 3/4"plywood sandwiched and bolted together. I just remove as many as I need to get to what I need to work on. The cover stays on except when a car is over the pit. It is strong enough to drive the front wheel of a Dodge 3500/Cummins down the middle. Bowed a little, boys probably won't do that again. The garage/shop is mine/private/farm so not many people around.
I might have the height for a lift, but like you, I could build a pit. after 10+ years, only thing I would/will change is the depth.

 

[MossRoad]

... I have thought about stacking 2x10s or 12s, a few high, staggered to drive up, just to get a few more inches.....

I did that with two 14' long pressure treated 2x12's. Cut them into 5', 4', 3', 2' lengths, stacked them and nailed them together for a 6" lift. Just enough to get the truck or car high enough so I can lay on a piece of cardboard or scrap 1/4 plywood I get from work and not be cramped underneath. Works great! :thumbsup: I tried creepers, but I end up running over my jacket or hoodie. Cardboard is just slippery enough to let me slide very easily right under there. Also, any spills drop onto the cardboard and not my garage floor or driveway.

Speaking of spills, I noticed about a 4" puddle of oil on the driveway after working on the truck. So I put some kitty litter on it to soak it up. Works great. Been using it for years. Came out the next day to sweep it up and there was a nice pile of cat poo covered up neatly in it! Stupid neighbor's cat.

 

[Egon]

If they read the first post, we wouldn't have half the posts here.

Or what? I don't think OSHA will show up at his house and fine him.

They probably would not. It is all up to the OP if he installs a pit but if he does it should be done properly for his own well being should it not?

Note the danger to those who respond to the original incident.

[video]https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/confinedspace_intro.html[/video]

 

[ultrarunner]

I would not do it.

These used to be more common but they turned out to be death traps. The fumes from numerouse solvents (gas, brake clean, carb cleaner) collect in the pit and eventualy overwhelm the person in the pit who then collapses in the pit and sinks to the bottom where there is even less air than there was at the top. The other thing that can happen is the volitile solvens explode in the pit.

Based on the above insurance companies stopped insuring places with pits, and hence the decline. This is probably why somone suggested checking with your insurance company before going to the trouble of building one.

In the end I decided to get a lift becuase of the above issue with the pit, but also becuase it came out cheaper than building the pit. Now if you do the digging perhaps a lift would not be cheaper, but when I looked at all the digging I said screw it.

Leo

I know it is not allowed for residential here...

What I do see is a lot of the oil change franchises using pits... there are not old buildings from another era... always wondered why they are OK

 

[GLyford]

The oil change places I see around here are more "2 story with drive-through ramps" than actual pits, the bottom floor is not confined, there is space to get away from spilling hot fluids, etc. by ducking under the ramps and out to either side, there is plenty of fresh air, etc. Unless you want to call the whole bottom floor a pit, it doesn't quite fit the same definition to my mind...?

 

[ultrarunner]

My shop is a concrete slab built on a downslope... I can stand up under80% of basement under the slab and the previous owner that built it showed a pit which was quickly denied by the building department... he appealed and no luck... this was in 1975.

The city said any passthrough or opening constitutes a pit...

So what he ended up doing was extending two steel ramps over the downslope next to the shop with concrete underneath so his mechanix stool on wheels could scoot around... worked well and open on 3 sides.

 

[Cord]

The problems with pits are two fold. 1. There are serious fall protection issues that would need to be addressed. The quick oil change places deal with this by installing stacking mesh trays that are supposed to be closed when a vehicle is not over the pit. Yea, right. 2. Gasoline vapors are heavier than air and will accumulate in the pit. Therefore code, requires the pits to be equipped with explosion proof devices. Motors, outlets, light fixtures, conduit connections are all explosion proof. Explosion proof equals $$$. Between the liability of the pit and the past lessons learned that lead to the explosion protection requirements, I wouldn't do it.