Power To The People

[bucky]

Yeah! I just finished adding 140 amps to the 40 amp service I had in my shop. 162 feet of trench (dug by hand), 1 1/4 inch conduit and 500 feet of #4 wire. 250 feet of EMT plus outlets, switches and a shit ton of wire. Only took me 3 weeks to get it done. Don’t ask me how much it cost because I don’t want to know.
Now I can ditch the Hobart handler 140 and use my Hobart Ironman 230. Next is to save up for an auto lift. I’m too old to sit on the ground or crawl under a vehicle for maintenance any more.
Any recommendations for a lift. Pros and cons on single post or ramp style?

 

[qslim]

Nice work!

Two post & four post lifts both have their advantages & disadvantages, I've worked with both for years. Two post lifts are nice because it completely opens up the bottom of the vehicle & gives you much more access, but you can't use them for anything that requires weight on the wheels unless you rig up some screw jacks & pay attention to what you're doing.

Four posts let you lift with the weight on the wheels, but then the drive-on ramps are in the way. They make jack fittings that you can roll back & forth between the ramps to lift the vehicle from the frame while the lift is in the air, but then those are in the way too & you have to figure out how to work around them.

I'll be putting in a two post when we finally get to a place that we're not going to leave, its better suited to the type of work that I do. Personal preference really.

 

[1o1proof]

I have an Atlas, 2 post certified 10,000# and have zero complaints. Went with a 2 post for 2 reasons. The foot print of a four post is pretty high and the cost of the jacks to raise the car off the ramps are even higher.

 

[qslim]

I have an Atlas, 2 post certified 10,000# and have zero complaints. Went with a 2 post for 2 reasons. The foot print of a four post is pretty high and the cost of the jacks to raise the car off the ramps are even higher.

Mind sharing what it set you back after all was said & done?

 

[DK-RESTO]

As long as your concrete is the proper thickness and strength then a lift at home is nice. This is my home garage work in progress. Excuse the messy wiring courtesy of the previous owner of the house. Once the a/c is finished it'll be run in conduit properly and then it'll be time for drywall/insulation.

Atlas 9klb set me back $2100 delivered to my work at which point we forklifted it onto a trailer and set it up ourselves

 

[1o1proof]

Mind sharing what it set you back after all was said & done?

It was $4200 to the door. Like DK-Resto, I had delivered to work and installed with help of friends.

 

[Squatch]

As long as your concrete is the proper thickness and strength then a lift at home is nice. This is my home garage work in progress. Excuse the messy wiring courtesy of the previous owner of the house. Once the a/c is finished it'll be run in conduit properly and then it'll be time for drywall/insulation.

Atlas 9klb set me back $2100 delivered to my work at which point we forklifted it onto a trailer and set it up ourselves


View attachment 242265

Nice early Fox body! Oh, and the garage, too...

 

[bucky]

As long as your concrete is the proper thickness and strength then a lift at home is nice. This is my home garage work in progress. Excuse the messy wiring courtesy of the previous owner of the house. Once the a/c is finished it'll be run in conduit properly and then it'll be time for drywall/insulation.

Atlas 9klb set me back $2100 delivered to my work at which point we forklifted it onto a trailer and set it up ourselves


View attachment 242265

Must be nice not having to be inspected.
Not sure how thick my floor is. It was poured in the 70s and only has one thin crack on the edge. If I have to I can cut it out and pour a footing for the lift. The main part of my shop is 32’x32’x14’ so a lift should fit nicely.

 

[flyinfish]

Nice work!

Two post & four post lifts both have their advantages & disadvantages, I've worked with both for years. Two post lifts are nice because it completely opens up the bottom of the vehicle & gives you much more access, but you can't use them for anything that requires weight on the wheels unless you rig up some screw jacks & pay attention to what you're doing.

Four posts let you lift with the weight on the wheels, but then the drive-on ramps are in the way. They make jack fittings that you can roll back & forth between the ramps to lift the vehicle from the frame while the lift is in the air, but then those are in the way too & you have to figure out how to work around them.

I'll be putting in a two post when we finally get to a place that we're not going to leave, its better suited to the type of work that I do. Personal preference really.

Another big advantage of the four post lift is the ability to park one rig on top of another.

 

[flyinfish]

Yeah! I just finished adding 140 amps to the 40 amp service I had in my shop. 162 feet of trench (dug by hand), 1 1/4 inch conduit and 500 feet of #4 wire. 250 feet of EMT plus outlets, switches and a shit ton of wire. Only took me 3 weeks to get it done. Don’t ask me how much it cost because I don’t want to know.
Now I can ditch the Hobart handler 140 and use my Hobart Ironman 230. Next is to save up for an auto lift. I’m too old to sit on the ground or crawl under a vehicle for maintenance any more.
Any recommendations for a lift. Pros and cons on single post or ramp style?

View attachment 242096

View attachment 242098

Always nice to have plenty of power. You'll really appreciate it since you hand dug 162 feet of trench

 

[bucky]

Always nice to have plenty of power. You'll really appreciate it since you hand dug 162 feet of trench

Luckily I have nice sandy loam soil so it was relatively easy digging.I wish I could have put in a 200 amp service but when I upgraded the service panel to the house last year the powers that be would not allow anything over 200 amp service. I need to keep some capacity for the house. I plan on getting a 12000# lift this summer and that will take a 30 amp 220 circuit so the new panel will fill up fast.