Could You Fit a 4-Post Car Lift in Your Garage?

Need to lift a car completely, but don’t want to risk investing in an equipment from brands you don’t completely know? Then go for Bendpak. This well-known manufacturer has been in the industry since 1965.

Figuring out the height and space requirements for installing that Bendpak 4-post car lift in your garage, JMC Equipment noted that you need to answer the following questions first. These will guide you in installing your car lift successfully, so that you could park that new ride safely in your garage.

What Measurements Do You Have to Figure Out?

In general, the common footprint for a 4-post car lift is 173” long and 103” wide. Most lifts also have an 8-feet space on either side of its runway, in between the vertical posts. As for length requirements, a majority of passenger vehicles are between 16 and 17 feet. This means that in many cases, if your vehicle could fit in your garage, your car lift would also fit inside your garage.

What About the Height Requirements?

Although there’s no one who can answer this question accurately because every garage, car, and lift differs, an easy way to determine height requirements is through simple addition.

For example, let’s say that you have two cars that are approximately 55” tall and you want to park them both inside your garage. Your car lift would require an extra 8” of height — 4” for runway thickness as well as 4” for clearance purposes. You simply add the height requirements, like so:

• Car 1: 55”
• Car 2: 55”
• Car Lift: 8”
• = 118”

This means that the ceiling of your garage should have been 118” or 9.8 feet high, so that you could fit your 4-post car lift inside.

What About the Garage Floor’s Slope?

All garage floors have a slope for proper drainage. In general, the slope starts around 1/8 foot for every foot of floor, and this could lead to issues when you drive your car onto the lift. If you’re unsure about this, call your car lift dealer to see if there are different options for the specific lift you bought or are about to purchase, taking into account the ride height and wheelbase of your cars.

Yes, purchasing a Bendpak 4-post car lift is a cost-effective solution to expand your garage space, but you would only benefit from it once you have successfully and safely installed it in your garage.