I am in the process of installing a mid rise lift in a recessed location in my out building. Since the lift will be stationary...always running in the same tracks-should I be concerned with damage to the concrete slab?

I have a buddy who works for a fab shop, and I have lined up stainless strips-entire pit length by 12" wide for the rollers to travel on. I'm getting an exceptional price on the pieces, about $100 for both(2pcs 85"longx12" wide)

I went with stainless because, well why the hell not! It'll always look good, never rust, and who doesn't like shinny huh?

So, all you mid rise guys...seen any damage to the top surface of your concrete slab from the rollers?

 

I'd guess depends on the concrete and finish but yes... mine started pitting a bit so I added a couple of steel runners. They don't have to be that long or wide but it can't hurt

Having a steel surface to let the rollers ride on is a good idea in my opinion

 

Mine has already gotten a ton of use and hasn't done much more than worn through the epoxy flooring. I am going to install metal strips underneath though just in case. You only need about 12" of length, the rear legs don't travel much more than that.

 

I thought full length would be good, in case that extra 1/4' thickness under the rollers would cause the platform to out of level at full rise. Afterall, 1/4' at the base...extended up 48" could be quite a bit out of level.

and as far as the width goes...the pit is almost 5" wider that the actual lift I choose(I was deciding between two different models when the final top slab was poured). The wheels are only 2" wide, so 12" gives me a just drop them in the hole and forget about it dimension.

thanks for the reply Mark

 

You won't notice any leveling issues even at full height with the plates. My floor is sloped much more than that, and I don't have any leveling issues. If you go full length, then you will need to go all the way across the front as well (at least my front on the bendpack is a bar that touches the ground all the way across the lift).

If you haven't gotten any yet, pick up some hockey pucks to use on top of the lift pads so you can reach the lift points without wider pads hitting side skirts, etc.

 

Haven't noticed anything on my concrete. But based on the "pitting" comment above, I'll have to take a closer look next time it's up. At any rate, if there is anything, it's not noticeable at this point. Had it about 2 years or so.

I've just had smaller cars up, Porsche, Audi, Acura and Subaru's mostly.

 

+1000 on the hockey pucks!

I have alum 1/4 thick x 12"W x 72"L (x2) and it's way overkill. To be honest 8"W x 24"L would be more than enough. Those rollers don't move as much as you might think and AL is more than sufficient.

Biggest issue I have with the lift is it sometimes wants to "walk" forward. Just put some kind of bar/block on the front crossbar of the lift to keep it from doing it.

 

The lift I will be getting runs in its own tracks.

I will however place a vinyl ribbed mat under the whole lift to keep it off the concrete which tends to hold moisture.

 

You don't need to go nuts. I just got some thick gauge strips of steel from home depot. It's probably 1 or 2 ft long - there isn't much travel on the lift.

 

I've not noticed any wear on my floor, over two years of use.

 

If your concrete is new, then the wear is going to be higher, Older cured concrete tends to be more durable... If new i would put some metal down for runners.

 

For the price, it seems like a complete no-brainer.....

 

Agree with the Home Depot steel sheet concept. Works great. These photos were actual from my first purchase (thin aluminum, which ended up bending... the steel now works great)

 

After many years and a lot of use the metal plates have protected both the carpet and floor.

Actually, the carpet keeps the metal plates in place and cuts down on the noise when raising and lowering the lift.

 

I used some 3/8" al. hull plate cutouts we had laying around, under both the rollers and the pivot, I later added poly sheeting under the whole thing as there is a lot of moisture that out-gases from the concrete. ss is a good alternative. They do have a tendency to walk




I left the carpet loose so that I can roll it up when doing anything that will be messy