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This coincides with my research. Overall, I couldn’t find any pictures or stories of a lift breaking concrete or tipping over, but the internet is filled with pictures of cars falling off and tearing stuff up. I did find guys who used less than recommended concrete thickness with zero issues, and even posts from people in the know suggesting that the tensile strength of concrete is so strong that it’s unlikely a 4inch floor will break.
I work in the corporate legal field, and I recognize that if 4 inches is safe, many manufacturers would say 4.25 is required just to build in a liability buffer. Then considering it’s a 7k lb lift and I would not be using all the capacity, that adds even more of a buffer. Overall, I’m going to drill a pilot hole and see how deep it is, then go from there. I have a gut feeling my floor is deeper than 4 inches. If not, it was installed very well. It’s aged and still almost completely flat and crack free.
4" might could be just fine, but if it isn't you don't have any recourse. That's the real problem.
4" might could be just fine, but if it isn't you don't have any recourse. That's the real problem.
i agree, and I won’t belabor the point... after this...
I’d be very surprised if there was recourse w/ all the boxes checked either.
my point is if something were to happen with the 4.25 recommended thickness, there are so many “outs” that unless someone died and you wanted vengeance it would be cost prohibitive to seek and obtain damages from the lift manufacturer.
Second, if you don’t agree with the above statement, a PE would probably be willing to take on the liability for a fee if it were truly safe. That’s the point of getting someone with a stamp. Another way of thinking about this is... so you hire a contractor to install a thicker slab under lift as recommended, there’s an accident... do you really think that contractor is bulletproof? More bulletproof than the engineer? If so, go with the contractor. Be sure they know exactly what you are asking them to do and that there is a paper trail all over the contract documents.
i agree, and I won’t belabor the point... after this...
I’d be very surprised if there was recourse w/ all the boxes checked either.
my point is if something were to happen with the 4.25 recommended thickness, there are so many “outs” that unless someone died and you wanted vengeance it would be cost prohibitive to seek and obtain damages from the lift manufacturer.
Second, if you don’t agree with the above statement, a PE would probably be willing to take on the liability for a fee if it were truly safe. That’s the point of getting someone with a stamp. Another way of thinking about this is... so you hire a contractor to install a thicker slab under lift as recommended, there’s an accident... do you really think that contractor is bulletproof? More bulletproof than the engineer? If so, go with the contractor. Be sure they know exactly what you are asking them to do and that there is a paper trail all over the contract documents.
Nah, I'll do it myself. Then failure is all mine. I do a lot of things that way.
I agree with the statement it probably would be difficult and expensive to win a case. Too many arguable variables in implementing a solution unless you spend more than the cost of the lift on engineering studies before installing the lift to prove the KSI of the concrete and the thickness of the pour and...who knows what all might be called into question.. completely agree with you.
Floor is in! I did make the mistake of ordering 800 sq ft of floor for an 800 sq ft room, which doesn’t leave any room for cutting waste. It almost covered perfectly, but the very last row is 1-2 inches short since I had to use leftover cut tiles from another wall. I’m OCD, so I’ll order a little more to finish it correctly.
On another note, the garage now looks so good it really brings out the dinginess in the doors. I’ll scrub some more, and may look into a way to cover the garage doors with a better color.
This was the very last row. Every single tile is slightly too short.
The attic is the same square footage as the garage, but with lower ceilings. It has some OSB laid in areas, but it wasn’t done well and has areas of sketchy footing. I’ll be fastening the OSB down and making it a bit safer. It has unlimited storage potential, which is a massive help. 800 sq ft really fills up fast when you stick 3 cars and a family’s worth of stuff in it. My goal is to keep as much functional mechanic space as possible, so I hope to fully utilize the attic. I want to add metal fab stuff as well, but I need to figure out how to organize that all and make it work.
The attic is the same square footage as the garage, but with lower ceilings. It has some OSB laid in areas, but it wasn’t done well and has areas of sketchy footing. I’ll be fastening the OSB down and making it a bit safer. It has unlimited storage potential, which is a massive help. 800 sq ft really fills up fast when you stick 3 cars and a family’s worth of stuff in it. My goal is to keep as much functional mechanic space as possible, so I hope to fully utilize the attic. I want to add metal fab stuff as well, but I need to figure out how to organize that all and make it work.
I keep telling myself that, but then the reality of the noise related to metal working makes me sure my neighbors would tell me I should just rent a shop somewhere if I want to do that kind of stuff. My dad has welders, a lathe, a mill, a surfacing machine, and pretty much all the stuff you might want for light automotive. My cousins have a full CNC machine shop and have been innovators in silk screen printing for many years as well as redesigning the cannons Quaker Oats uses for making puffed wheat, puffed rice, etc.. Before they did their work, the cannons would last less than a week before needing a complete rebuild. They've increased that to 6 months and save untold amounts in maintenance over the years. None of this work is something you could do at home...but I will say there have been many times I wanted a small lathe, or a decent mill at home.
A Lista Modular Cabinet. They let you custom spec your drawer height and layout, so I went with drawers optimal for automotive tools. This is why I picked this model. It has a 28 x 28 inch footprint and is 64 inches tall with full extension drawers. It can store a lot of tools and fit between my garage doors. Lots of tool storage, and I only sacrificed low value garage space. It’s right by the bay that the lift will be in.
Snap on is generally king of tool storage when it comes to marketing, but Lista and Vidmar make true industrial cabinets. They have 440 pound sliders in each drawer, and the drawers don’t flex when you load them up (even with humans). To give perspective, this small cabinet weighs 500 pounds, and is rated to store about 4800 pounds of stuff, all in a 28x28 inch footprint.
The downside, this pretty cabinet makes my doors look even dingier. I’ll need to address the cosmetics of the ugly old garage doors somehow.
I had Vidmar in the Air Force. They're fine, but I still like Snap-On Epic a little better. Not worried about the footprint, I don't generally move my box around the shop.
I have played with Vidmars and almost bought one. If I had to split hairs, I’d wager the Listas are heavier duty. They simply feel more solid than the Vidmars. Since both were used in the armed forces, you used to be able to get great deals used, but Stanley bought Lista and Vidmar, changed the bearing design, and don’t make old replacement bearings, so I bought new. My old Lista cabinet needed new bearings from neglect and I couldn’t easily procure them.
I don’t think snap on should be blown off. They make great products. I’m a little surprised that Lista and Vidmar aren’t more popular, but any of the three brands will outlast a human if cared for, and probably even if neglected.
I am trying to keep a spacious garage, so footprint is on my mind with most purchases. It’s easy to drown in a sea of “stuff” in the garage.
01-18-21, 03:19 AM
