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Thanks Phil. I’m going to do the same thing with mine.
Hoist Medics installed my lift and said that it is fine the way it is. I have another company coming on the 7th to bolt it down. They do commercial installs primarily. I want a second opinion on the install. The manual clearly states that the slope can’t be more than 1.7 inches if it isn’t going to be bolted down and the columns must be plumb and on the same plane.
Look at how much the column leans in toward the Center of the garage...and that’s with no car on the lift! I wonder how many here would feel comfortable leaving it as is?
I read about a couple of guys using nylon cutting boards and they worked well. The plates are $11.50 each for 1/4 inch thick plate. I’ll hit them with lots of Black Tremclad before installing. Found a company to do the bolt down in early October. It will be interesting to see what they say about the initial installation given the slope.
Look into POR-15 instead of Tremclad. Much better.
I wish I had paid more attention to the rust on my posts. Spray them at the bottom every year before winter with Krown or Rust Check! Trust me. Mine are almost at the end of their life. Contacted Rotary today and replacement posts are not available for my lift. 15 years old.
That is quite the lean without a car. I have a slight lean with a car. They said no issue. I would still like it nice a square but haven't fussed with it myself and no problems.
That is quite the lean without a car. I have a slight lean with a car. They said no issue. I would still like it nice a square but haven't fussed with it myself and no problems.
Let us know what ends up happening.
Will do. I spoke to Atlas tech help and they confirmed that the columns must be plumb regardless of whether it is bolted down or not. Also, that with 3.5 inches of slope the lift must be bolted down. I'm pissed off with Terry at Hoist Medics because I showed him the issues with the floor before the install started and told him that if the lift needed to be bolted down, to go ahead. He was adamant that it didn't and blew me off when I showed him the leaning post. Now he is telling me it will be 8 weeks before he can come out to bolt it down - knowing that I can't use the lift as is. I also noticed that he cut my pulley guards with a grinder and created a pinch point with sharp edges and no paint. He must have forgot to install the guards before he adjusted the cables and was too lazy to take the cables off and install them properly. I asked him via text why he would do that and he ignored me. I used him based on recommendations from this site...wish that I had used someone else now!
I will start a new thread detailing my install and the slope solutions once it is complete. I'll also review both companies involved in the install and fix.
I had some time yesterday to investigate a little further. I bought a 360 degree laser level and measured the slope at my columns. At the front I have 1/4 inch From the wall column to center column. At the rear it is 3/4 inch wall to center. Front to back slope is 3 3/8 inches between the columns. My manual states that columns must be on the same plane and that the slope can’t be more than 1/8 inch per foot, which would be 1.6 inches between columns, or it must be bolted down.
I had these full size 1/4 inch thick base plates laser cut and I’ll use them to take the size-to-side slope away. Since I am bolting it down, I don’t have to take the front to rear slope away, but will use 1 1/2 inches on each rear post to make it more level front to back.
I also need to move the lift away from the wall so that the bolt holes are 6 inches from the slab edge. As you can see, this cuts into the bay a good amount, but still leaves me about 4 inches of clearance on each side of my SUV when entering the garage.
09-11-2020, 05:31 PM
