If you’re looking to truly elevate your home garage, there’s nothing like installing a car hoist to make you the envy of all your mates.
You’ll find your workshop efficiency gets a massive boost. Car hoists give you access to the complete underbody of your car, and can free up valuable space in your home workshop.
Though you might think installing a car hoist at home is a difficult project, in fact it’s something that you really can accomplish. One of the most common questions we’re asked at Garage Equipment is, “What depth of concrete slab will I need, to safely install a car hoist?”
Here are our tips for making sure your installation is an uplifting experience.
The minimum and recommended thicknesses of concrete slab for car hoists
Garage Equipment’s two and four post hoists require a minimum of 100mm (about 4”) of reinforced concrete slab to be safely installed.
That’s the minimum – however if you’re installing a new slab, it’s a great idea to plan around a slightly deeper concrete for even better strength – a depth of 140mm using 32 mpa concrete is our recommendation.
How to install a hoist on an old or damaged slab
If your home workshop’s slab isn’t thick enough, or if it’s very worn or damaged, all’s not lost. You can still install a car hoist by modifying the slab in a couple of ways.
In this case you can cut out a 1m x 1m square form the old slab, and pour new concrete to a depth of about 300mm (approx 1 foot deep). You can then tie this new section of slab back into the existing slab with reo drilled in.
If you’re looking for even more peace of mind, you have the option of using chemical anchors to increase the grip between the old and new sections of slab. ChemSet multi-purpose Polyester adhesive by Ramset is ideal for anchoring the reo between slabs.
Attaching your car hoist securely to the slab
Now you have the ideal depth of concrete slab in your workshop, it’s time to fix the two or four post hoist securely to it.
Again, Ramset have the perfect product for the task. Their TruBolt stud anchors are heavy duty, torque controlled expansion anchors that are ideal for permanently anchoring your car hoist into the concrete slab.
Whatever method you use, remember that the hoist’s anchor bolts should be checked on a daily basis. Just like any piece of heavy duty industrial equipment, a car hoist will give you safe and reliable service when it’s used correctly and maintained properly.
Set up your car hoist safely and be the envy of the neighbourhood
If you have a home workshop, there’s no doubt that a car hoist will be its centrepiece. With some planning and good advice, you can install it safely and correctly.
For more expert advice on how to safely work on vehicle in your home workshop, talk to the expert Garage Equipment team on 1800 777 318 or get in touch with the contact form here.
