freedhardwoods
New member
Sounds like you went to the same redneck engineering school I did
Lift or mechanic's pit for new garage?
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Oaktree
Super Member
Seems to me the only real advantage of a pit would be not needing to build as high of a garage. Lift way easier on the back/knees for brake work, tire changing, bodywork, etc.
Shawn T. W.
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I'll just stick with my made in USA creeper! 
dfkrug
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This guy's pit is very similar to mine, esp in dimensions. I love his tile work. I do not have wired electricity in mine, but I love it.
To the OP: you only have one chance to adapt the design of a new workshop building to certain features. Strongly consider a mechanic's bay or pit, a hoist with beam trolley, 240VAC outlets, air pipes, and heating/cooling system. Lifts can be added later with minimal advance planning.
There are few Utube vids of pits, but many vids of vehicles falling off lifts. Don't be scared.
freedhardwoods
New member
My boss at work is building a new shop now. Still setting trusses today. He has all kinds of construction equipment as well as 280" wheelbase semi trucks pulling 53' trailers. The rig I drive is 80' long.
He has been getting by the last few years working in an older pole barn that we couldn't get our taller trailers into with one 10,000 lb 4 post lift and no pit.
The new shop is 80'x126' with 18' walls and scissor trusses for a raised ceiling in the center.
He is going to put the 10,000 lb lift in there somewhere and a 30,000 lb 4 post lift in the center bay to lift the 13' tall trucks.
He said a pit was quite a bit cheaper but not nearly as useful.
He has been getting by the last few years working in an older pole barn that we couldn't get our taller trailers into with one 10,000 lb 4 post lift and no pit.
The new shop is 80'x126' with 18' walls and scissor trusses for a raised ceiling in the center.
He is going to put the 10,000 lb lift in there somewhere and a 30,000 lb 4 post lift in the center bay to lift the 13' tall trucks.
He said a pit was quite a bit cheaper but not nearly as useful.
jigs_n_fixtures
Veteran Member
Most early service stations had pits. As lifts became more affordable, those stations with enough height in the bays, converted to lifts and installed lifts into the pits. Those without the height eventually moved or remodeled to accommodate the lifts.
I would never install a pit in a new structure. I might consider installing one in my existing garage to avoid the issues, entailed in raising the roof 8-ft. If I were to install a pit, I would design in a trolley and rail system along the edges, to allow removal of things like the transmission over the pit.
With a lift you can generally pull a transmission, transfer case, etc. and then raise the vehicle away. The shops which specialize in diesel pickups, frequently unbolt the cab from the frame and lift it away, so they can access teh engine and transmission more easily. When they are assembled in the factory, they drop the cab assembly onto the rolling chassis complete with engine. Which is why with the cab on, you need to be a space alien with an extra wrist between the normal one and the elbow, to access and turn fasteners.
I would never install a pit in a new structure. I might consider installing one in my existing garage to avoid the issues, entailed in raising the roof 8-ft. If I were to install a pit, I would design in a trolley and rail system along the edges, to allow removal of things like the transmission over the pit.
With a lift you can generally pull a transmission, transfer case, etc. and then raise the vehicle away. The shops which specialize in diesel pickups, frequently unbolt the cab from the frame and lift it away, so they can access teh engine and transmission more easily. When they are assembled in the factory, they drop the cab assembly onto the rolling chassis complete with engine. Which is why with the cab on, you need to be a space alien with an extra wrist between the normal one and the elbow, to access and turn fasteners.
MossRoad
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WOOF!!
My family regularly puts a pit in a new garage. I would guess that even at current costs a pit can be put in for $2,500 if you dig the hole yourself. The home-owner type lifts I see do not look substantial enough for me, not nearly so, and I would guess that what I consider a real lift plus the added cost of a higher ceiling would spoil the looks of $50,000 today. My skid steer weighs just under 7,000 pounds, and my Cummins Ram isn't a whole lot lighter as now set up. On the other hand a Ford garage went out of business here and the bank brought in an auctioneer who auctions nothing but belly-up dealerships. I talked with the guy and asked him about the lifts, which went for about $3,000 each. He said when there isn't at least two people that want them they go for scrap price, which is what happened.
Shawn T. W.
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Or meow! ?
Cats laying on the picture of the dog that the creeper came in !
At least I can't fall too far off the creeper, and my truck/tractor can't either ... This also works on the gravel ...
Guess I'm just too cheap to spend money on a lift!
MossRoad
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on the cat!I have a creeper and some ramps made from stacked 2x12s for the past 30 years. I'd like a lift in my future. Thinking about a mid-rise, similar to this...
BendPak MD-6XP Portable Mid-Rise Scissor Lift
You haven't experienced state-of-the-art portable lifting convenience until you've used the BendPak MD-6XP mid-rise scissor lift.
