I've been thinking about getting a lift to make it easier to work underneath vehicles for doing jobs like engine and trans oil changes, exhaust work, trans removal/replacement, U-Joints replacement, clutch jobs, etc. It's going to be expensive and will require a pole barn with a higher ceiling, thus making the pole barn more expensive too. Does anyone have a lift? If so, is it worth the money?
Now I'm wondering if a pit would be a better idea. It wouldn't be as nice as a lift, but maybe it would be good enough. I've seen them and I've seen people use them, but I've never actually used one myself. Does anyone have one? Are they really much better then just jacking a vehicle up? One disadvantage I can see is that I'd still have to jack it up to do brake jobs and tire rotations.
A friend of our family built a multi-multi-multi-million dollar house in the hills overlooking El-A, [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I can't remember which community he actually resides in because Los Angeles is just one huge mass of interlocked towns now...but anyway, his garage includes a large port for the Motor Home. In the MH port he has a real nice pit with side lighting, plugs-ins for air and for power, and the pit is LONG so you can go down the stairs at one end real easy. This guy is something else,...like you can SWIM into the house by diving low in the pool and going through a little archway in the stone work and come up in a smaller pool indoors...... but he KNOWS what works. Once you've had a pit, you scoff at the rest of the shops that don't. THE PROBLEM is falling into the pit when it's open. His pit has some covers that slide to one side and then down. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Danny, the pits are commonly used around here only by places that specialize in oil changing, and in my opinion that's about all they're good for. They are also generally considered to be very dangerous fire hazards because flammable liquids and/or fumes can accumulate there. And of course there's always the danger of someone falling into it. I don't know whether you have to be concerned with building codes, but know in some areas at least you cannot get a building permit to build such a pit without a lot of extra expense in ventilation and safety modifications.
I'd look at one of the electric lifts. Think a 7000lb capacity is around $3000 and just needs a concrete floor to bolt in to. Then you can also do brake and tire work which a pit will not help with.
Rather than a pit, the concept of having a "shed" where there is a lower level (such as on a slope) with the vehicle on the upper level, a slot in the floor, and you work on it from the lower level. That combination worked well for a neighbor. Good ventilation is necessary, as has been mentioned. The concept of a "pit" is cheaper than having a lift. Safety wise, both ways require intelligence and good thinking to be safe.
I once had my eye on some car ramps that I planned on setting up outdoors over a bank, to run the car (or whatever) out onto to change oil (or whatever). Couldn't make the deal on the ramps, and never finished the plan. Just had the idea.
>>like you can SWIM into the house by diving low in the pool and going through a little archway in the stone work and come up in a smaller pool indoors.
Now that is really cool [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] never seen one of those before.
<font color="blue">like you can SWIM into the house by diving low in the pool and going through a little archway in the stone work and come up in a smaller pool indoors</font color>
I stayed at a hotel once that had one of those, I think it was a Holiday Inn.
It seems strange that someone that rich would have a pit rather than a lift, I know I would have the lift if money was no object. Actually, I'd just let someone else work on my vehicles!
Quite often the required work on a vehicle requires that the wheels are not touching ground. Pit don't help for that. Then there is the 6Ft 6 in. tall versus the 5 ft. 6in. tall. The two do not work well in a pit.
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