Ceiling Height and Four-Post Lifts. You Provide the Space, Wrenchers Provides the Lift

How Does it Measure UP?

Armed with your tape measure and a quick review of the vehicles you typically work on, you can find the four-post car lift that fits what you work on in your garage best.

To determine the total dimension that you will need, simply measure and combine the following 3 (*) amounts noted below. Then compare the sum of these 3 measurements to your existing ceiling-to-floor space. Remember, the total of these 3 measurements is the dimension that will be lifting upward and approaching your ceiling. Note that the “Height of Columns” measurement is used to establish that there is adequate fixed vertical distance for the four columns to exist under the ceiling.

• Height of Columns
• Maximum Lifting Height
• Height of Vehicles You Regularly Repair
• Margin of Clearance

As an example, the BendPak HD-9ST four post lift from Wrenchers’ fits many low ceiling areas with columns that measure just 88” in height. With the runways fully raised, they stand at 74.5” above the shop’s concrete floor. The third and equally contributing element of any lift configuration though has to do with the vehicle’s roof height dimension. In other words, if the vehicle is parked off of the lift, how far is it from the top of the vehicle’s roof to the ground? As a general example let’s say that a Chevrolet Camaro measures 57.5” high (roof to ground). So if we add 57.5” to the fully raised runways of the BendPak HD-9ST example that measures 74.5” in their maximum lifting height position, we have a total of 132.00” or 11’. Conversely, if we park a Toyota Sequoia or similar SUV on the same BendPak HD-9ST lift, much more vertical room is required because the taller vehicle’s roof height is almost 20” higher (77” roof to the ground) and will approach the same ceiling sooner. This means more vertical space will be required to accommodate the same BendPak HD-9ST four post lift.

It is also important to note that when any lift’s runways are parked and/or released off of the safety locks, the runways will need to raise roughly 2 or 3 inches above the latched position. This is to allow the locks to either release or to set. Include this amount into your total dimension needed.

Give Some Space

Finally you will want to include a Margin of Clearance (the space between the ceiling to the vehicle’s roof with the vehicle fully raised on the lift) that you are comfortable with. Obviously, a little more than you anticipate needing will be to your benefit. This may be 4 inches, 6 inches, 12 inches, or more. Remember too, that if you take the same vehicle that currently will clear and over the years change suspension, tires, wheels, roof racks, or other, it may change the vehicle’s vertical height. Keep that in mind when allowing for lifting clearance to the ceiling.

Make Your Room

Still need to find more room and looking for ways to increase ceiling space? Fluorescent Lights and Garage Door Opening Tracks may be able to be relocated to free up needed space.

If you have fluorescent lights that might work fine if relocated to other areas, consider repositioning them to gain more room. Maybe someone once installed a storage rack that can be relocated? Or maybe your garage door openers drive assembly is a concern. Remember you’re looking to increase operating room at the ceiling for the lift to rise higher. The more room you have (or can make), the more four-post lift options you have.

An Open and Shut Case

Know, that there are special garage door opener drive assemblies that can help free up ceiling room. If the installation of a four-post lift and its operation is somewhat limited with a center operating garage door opening mechanism, consider installing a high-lift kit to the existing garage door. This means setting up a jackshaft garage door opener that performs its duty off to the side of the door. Not like traditional garage door openers, a jackshaft doesn’t use up space operating from the middle of the ceiling to the center of the garage door. Since jackshaft openers are installed to the area of the wall alongside your garage door, unobstructed ceiling height is made available for your four-post vehicle lift. Your local garage door experts should be able to help you with this installation.

Some Four-Post Lift Uses Require Less Ceiling Space

Do you plan to use a four-post vehicle lift to double vehicle storage or to provide room to work on a vehicle below a lifted vehicle? Your planned use is obviously your call and actually influences how much vertical room you ultimately need. Why? The reason is that for simple vehicle storage you may only need enough room to safely raise and hold that car above, while allowing enough storage room to park a second car underneath. In other words, have one stored above the other.

In this scenario, vertical height available is not as critical as it is when a lift is being used for under-chassis car repairs. For example, if the two cars you need to store are a ’70 Mustang Boss 302 and a ’92 Mustang 5.0, both of these cars are not very tall from the top of their roofs to the ground. Therefore the vertical height consumption distance is not relatively huge. The four post lift’s runways only needs to latch at a locking level high enough to adequately allow the car on the ground to clear and pull underneath for storage use.

Now compare a scenario with the ’70 Mustang loaded on the top runway of the same lift, but this time for a repairs. For example that Boss 302 needs the 4-speed Top-Loader removed for a new clutch. In order to stand under the ’70 Mustang to complete the repairs, it would typically require the lift to raise and lock at a higher position than otherwise used for simple storage. This is to provide enough under-car working room to stand and remove the somewhat heavy cast-iron transmission and the clutch assembly. Possibly a trans-jack would even be called into duty. If this latter situation is generally the norm, a four-post lift that has the ceiling clearance to raise high enough to facilitate heavier repairs is needed. Again, establish what amount of room you will typically need based on your anticipated use.

Wrenchers Has a Four-Post Lift in Your Size

A new four post lift is more than a way to raise a vehicle, but a way to double vehicle storage or increase working and repair access. Below is a quick run through of the four post lifts that Wrenchers offers. Each model number lists the column height, maximum lifting height, overall width, outside length and lift capacity. If you are looking for a great four-post lift that fits your garage or shop’s ceiling nicely, Wrenchers has one that should measure up.