How to prepare your garage for a new car lift

Preparing your shop or garage for a new car lift is the same whether you’re getting a two-post lift, four-post lift, low-rise or anything in between. This video will cover the five things you need to know to have your shop or garage properly prepared and ready to receive your new car lift.

Number 1 – Know Your Floor Specs First thing you need to know is whether or not your concrete floor is good to go. Shop and home garage floors may come in different concrete thicknesses and pressure strengths. If you don’t know your concrete floor specifications, it may be required for you to get it tested by an engineer.

Different lifts have different concrete requirements, and generally speaking, the heavier the lift, the thicker the concrete needs to be. Know what your space needs before an installer shows up with your lift. If you need to put down additional concrete or re-do your flooring, it’s best to do so before the lift is delivered. You can find concrete floor specifications for each model on BendPak’s website at www.bendpak.com/floor.

Next, you’ll need to know your dimensions. Measuring your available space accurately and knowing its dimensions ensures your lift will fit nicely in its new home. Make sure you have the minimum floor space and vertical clearance for the lift of your choice. Ample ceiling height and side-to-side clearance is a must. It’s a good idea to plan for extra room around your lift to give you a little extra space to work. All lift measurements are available at BendPak.com

The third to know is electrical requirements. Make sure you know the right electrical hookups for the car lift of your choice as well as the power unit location. Some power units use 110V power, but others require 220V. You’ll also want to be careful not to overload any circuits. All the electrical requirements as well as amperages are available Keep in mind that most units do not ship with an electrical plug. We highly recommend contacting your local electrician to determine the best method for hooking up your electrical connection. This will ensure your power unit runs as smoothly as possible.

Fourth on the list is knowing if you need an air supply. Many lifts use a pneumatic system to disengage the safety locks. Make sure that you have a sufficient air supply available if you plan on installing a lift with one of these systems. The necessary air and electrical requirements for each lift are specified in their manuals which are always available to download from the BendPak website.

The fifth and final thing you need to know is will you need an installer? While we know you’re capable of installing your new car lift yourself, we highly recommend that you find and hire a certified installer to handle your lift install.

Not only does it make the process much easier, you’ll be rest assured that the car lift was installed properly. In some cases, the installers can even accept delivery of your lift and bring it over on your scheduled install day. You can find a full list of BendPak certified installers in your area by visiting www.bendpak.com/locator.

And that’s it! If you can check all the boxes from this video, congratulations, you know your garage is ready for its new lift. If you need any other help planning your lift just contact a BendPak Product Specialist, and we’ll get you squared away.