A slab that is not what it seems
Cracks, a thin spot or soft concrete mean the anchors cannot hold. The usual fix is to cut out and pour a reinforced pad under each column, then let it cure before installing.
Sample project
Two-post lift install
A general repair shop swapped an old, worn lift for a new two-post lift in its busiest bay. Here is how a job like this goes, step by step.
- Shop
- Three-bay general repair shop
- Equipment
- Two-post lift, truck-capable
- Time on site
- About one and a half days
- Work
- Removal, install, test and training
The job
The shop's oldest lift was slow, leaking fluid and no longer matched the trucks coming through the door. The owner wanted a two-post lift that could handle full-size pickups, with a clear floor between the columns so a vehicle could be moved in and out without driving over hoses.
Before quoting, we looked at the bay itself: the slab, the ceiling height, the power and the space around the lift. A lift is only as good as the floor it stands on.
Before and after
How it went
Survey the bay
We measure the bay, check the overhead for beams, lights and heaters, and confirm where power will come from. Manufacturers publish minimum clearances for each model, so we work from the installation manual for the lift being installed.
Check the concrete
Manufacturers typically call for a slab around four inches thick, at least 3,000 PSI, fully cured, with no cracks or joints near the anchors. We check what we can see and, if the slab is in doubt, say so before drilling.
Remove the old lift
The old lift is drained, unbolted and carried out, and the floor is cleaned and inspected where it stood.
Set and anchor the columns
The columns are stood up, squared to the bay and checked for plumb. Anchor holes are drilled to the manufacturer's size and the anchors are tightened with a torque wrench to the value in the manual, never an impact wrench.
Hang the overhead and run the cables
The overhead assembly goes up, then the lifting and equalizer cables and the hydraulic hoses. The equalizer cables are adjusted so both carriages rise together and the safety locks click at the same height.
Fill, power up and test
The power unit is filled with the fluid the manufacturer specifies, connected to a dedicated electrical circuit, and the lift is cycled with no load before anything is lifted for real.
Test lift and hand over
We raise a typical vehicle, check the arms, the arm restraints and the locks, and then walk the shop through safe operation. A lift should only be run by trained operators.
What can get tricky
Post-tension cables in the floor
Some slabs contain tensioned steel cables, and drilling into one is dangerous. Manufacturers say to check the building plans, and scanning the slab can help, before any hole is drilled.
An uneven floor
Shims level the columns, but only so far. Many manufacturers limit shimming to about half an inch; beyond that the floor needs to be corrected, not shimmed.
What we did
- Surveyed the bay and confirmed clearances against the manufacturer's instructions
- Checked the slab and located a safe anchor position away from cracks and joints
- Removed and disposed of the old lift
- Installed the new two-post lift, tightened the anchors to specification and set the equalizer cables
- Ran the dedicated power circuit connection, filled the hydraulics and tested under load
- Trained the crew, and recommended a periodic inspection by a qualified lift inspector
The bay was back in use the next morning. Lifts like this are meant to be inspected at least once a year by a qualified lift inspector, which is the interval the ANSI/ALI ALOIM safety standard calls for, and we set up that schedule with the shop.
Specifications vary by lift model and manufacturer. We always work from the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
The finished install Side view of the full lift Arm and pad under the frame Baseplate anchored to the slab Power unit and safety lock Operating the controls
A sample project written for this demo. The shop, timeline and details are illustrative and will be replaced with real jobs. AI-generated sample images for this demo, to be replaced with photos of our own installs.
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