Where to Install Your Two-Post Lift: A Complete Guide

One of the questions we get most often is where to mount a two-post lift. There's no single answer, because it depends on the shop's floor space, the ceiling height, and how much room is left in front of and behind the columns.

But there is an order for deciding it, and specific measurements for each arm type. That's what this guide covers.

Before measuring anything: set the lift up for a dry run

This is the advice that prevents the most problems, and it costs nothing.

Before anchoring, stand the columns up temporarily where you plan to put them and walk around them. Then drive in the longest vehicle you expect to lift and leave it in position.

That shows you three things you can't see on paper: whether the arms reach the correct lifting points, whether you can get around the vehicle without turning sideways, and whether the doors open fully.

If you have floor space to spare, the only restrictions are ceiling height and room around the columns. If space is tight, this dry run isn't optional.

How far from the front wall should the columns go?

It depends on the arm type your lift has, and the difference between them runs to three feet.

Versymmetric arms — the ones on the Challenger CL10AV3 and VLE10 — let you adjust where the vehicle sits on the lift, which makes it easier to walk around the front and the back of it. You'll find all three types among the 2-post lifts available.

How the vehicle ends up positioned, and why it matters

This is where the arm choice turns into real floor space.

With asymmetric arms, the vehicle sits 30% in front of the columns and 70% behind them.

With symmetric arms, it's 50/50.

An example with numbers: if your bay is 25 feet long and the vehicle is 18 feet, asymmetric positioning leaves about 4 or 5 feet of vehicle in front of the columns. With the columns 9 feet off the front wall, that's about 4 feet between the hood and the wall.

With symmetric positioning, that same 18-foot vehicle leaves about 3 feet between the front of the car and the wall.

The room you actually need to leave

Three things get underestimated almost every time.

The length of the longest vehicle. If your bay is 25 feet and you'll be lifting a dually crew cab with an eight-foot bed — 23 feet overall — you're left with one foot at each end. That's barely enough for the vehicle and nothing for working.

Room to move. The three feet in front of the columns have to be enough for you to pass comfortably with a tool in your hand, not to squeeze through sideways.

The equipment you already own. A large toolbox against the back wall eats the space you thought you had. Measure it and subtract it before you decide.

The floor: how much concrete your lift asks for

This needs to be precise, because the number changes by model.

The range runs from 4 to 6½ inches of thickness, at 3,000 to 3,500 psi, cured for 28 days. It isn't a universal figure, and the spread between the extremes is more than 50%.

To put that in perspective: one manufacturer asks 4¼ inches for one of its models and 6½ for another, in the same manual. Another asks 3,500 psi where the rest ask 3,000.

Check the requirement in your model's manual before you buy, not after. It's what decides whether your floor works or has to be replaced.

Do cracks in the concrete affect stability?

Cracks come in every size and they need judgment. If the concrete meets the thickness and strength your manual asks for, a surface crack isn't the problem.

What does matter is the distance to the edge of the slab. Drilling too close to the edge can break the concrete apart, and no anchor helps at that point. That's what to review with your installer before marking the holes.

If the floor doesn't meet the requirement, the answer is replacing concrete in the column area. How that's done is defined by your lift's manual and your installer, not by a general guide.

The ceiling: the filter that rules out models before anything else

A shop with a 12-foot ceiling can't install a lift that asks for 14, however much capacity it needs. The Challenger LE12, a 12,000-pound symmetric lift, calls for 167 to 176 inches of clearance — close to 14 feet — where Challenger's 10,000-pound models call for 12.

Configuration moves that number too: a two-foot column height extension kit, offered on several models, takes a 12-foot requirement up to 14. Check the exact configuration you're buying, not the base model.

Measure to the lowest obstruction, not to the highest point of the ceiling. Fire sprinklers, ducts, electrical runs and light fixtures all count. The manuals say so explicitly.

And when in doubt, leave more room

Choosing where to mount your lift comes down to three things: the space you have, the condition of your floor, and the size of the vehicles and equipment already in the bay.

None of them gets settled by looking at a catalog. They get settled with a tape measure, with the columns standing up for a dry run, and with the longest vehicle you'll lift parked between them.

If you're unsure whether your bay works, write or call JMC Automotive Equipment with the measurements and we'll tell you what fits. If you'd rather have it done for you, JMC quotes installation separately.