Do-it-yourself car lift for a garage: manufacturing instructions, types

Many car owners, having the appropriate knowledge and skills, are ready to begin repairing the car engine on their own. To do this, the machine engine should be pulled out of the hood and installed back at the end of the work. It’s difficult to do this, and it’s impossible without a special lifting device .

But you can find a way out of every situation. And if you have a garage, you can take advantage of the experience of many craftsmen and make a car lift for the garage with your own hands.

Choosing a design

So, you have decided to rely on your own skillful hands and make a homemade lift for your car garage , rather than purchasing it at a special equipment shopping center. This is an understandable desire: the cost of such equipment may not be much less than the price of your car, and it will be used extremely rarely (only if you do not intend to open a service station in a garage).

The idea and desire have appeared, now it’s time to select the system for the device being created. To do this, you need to focus on industrial lifts demonstrated on the special equipment market, “peek” at their design and imagine whether you can do something like that .

Most likely, the first thing you will come across is a two-post lift, which can be found in almost any auto repair shop. This type of device can be equipped with an electromechanical or electrohydraulic drive .

In the first case, inside any rack there is a threaded shaft rotated by an electric motor with a gearbox. The threaded shaft contains a bearing nut that moves along it and, accordingly, raises and lowers the “legs” on which the car rests .

In a two-post electro-hydraulic lift, the axle is replaced by a drive, the pressure in which is generated by an electric motor. There are other types of similar systems, but with one, three or 4 racks.

Another type of lift is a scissor lift, where the platform has a system of levers (called “scissors”), rises and lowers with the support of hydraulic drives driven by electric motors.

When creating similar systems, you can encounter a large number of problems and difficulties that need to be solved. First of all, this is work safety - no one wants to get seriously injured or damaged due to a broken lift at one not very fortunate moment.

Therefore, it is necessary to select materials and the device system in such a way that it can withstand the weight of the machine with a significant reserve . It is also worth taking care of the production of locking elements that allow you to keep the car on the site in case of emergency situations with the lift. And in order to prevent the latter, you should constantly inspect them. For an electric drive, it is necessary to check the wear of the shaft thread and the bearing nut; for an electrohydraulic drive, it is necessary to monitor the integrity of the hoses and cylinders.

And the main problem faced by those who want to make a two-post or scissor lift with their own hands is the complexity of production and the high cost of the elements. At home, it is almost impossible to form a threaded shaft; selecting cylinders and hydraulic hoses is not an easy task and is not cheap.

But there is a simpler type of car lift , which turns the car on its side at an angle of 45°-60° and is called a tipper. Let's take a closer look at it and take a look at where and how it can be done.

Lift-tilter

To avoid costs and a lot of complications, you can give preference to a simple garage lift-tipper. The device will allow you to tilt the car to one side, and the tilt angle can vary from 45° to 60°. This is quite enough for most repair work.

To build such a unit, you will have to create and connect a number of parts: the front pillar, beams (top, bottom, rear), shoe. Various connecting elements will also be required. You will need to work a lot with metal, so you must have a special tool - welding, a grinder and a drill with a set of metal drills. The main material for work is 4 mm steel sheets, angles and bushings.

Creating a Top Beam

Next, proceed directly to creating the top beam. For this, take two 1.5 m corners and weld them into a U-shaped profile. It is also necessary to weld a metal insert in the middle, which will ensure the fixation of the jack. The beam will be ready when you weld a plate of the appropriate length and height to the profile. The result is a rectangular beam. One end of it must be welded tightly - the bushing will be attached to it, and the guides for the jack are welded to the other end.

The platform for the beam is created from a steel sheet. You can bend its sides to get something like a box, or weld the walls of this very structure. Inside the site there will be a piece of wood of the required size, which is fixed with fasteners, and rubber is mounted on top of the wood. The platform is attached to the beam using a pre-welded eye.

Final stage

To ensure that the machine is securely supported on the opposite side of the lift, a rear beam is required. It is welded from 4 corners 32, 1500 mm long, so that in the end you get a square the length of a car. The beams are connected to each other through a special unit on the rear beam. The lower beam is also created from the corners and is connected to the rack and the rear beam. All that's left to do is to make the stud pins and install the jack. As a result, you will have an effective tipper.

A car lift is equipment that is used to carry out maintenance and repair work on vehicles.

Simple lift

For several decades now, the most common and durable method of lifting a car has been turning it on its side. In fact, it is not only the engine that needs repair from time to time, but also other components that can only be reached using a test pit . But not everyone has such a pit, and folk craftsmen have constructed an elementary, if not primitive, system.

At least 3 people are required for this lift. This method can hardly be considered ideal, because not a single person wants to tempt fate by scratching a car on a concrete flooring.

However, if there is no other way out, then such a lift can help you out. His system is as simple as possible, and the production method is clear even from photographs.

An alternative to a lift can be an inspection hole (of course, if the garage system makes it possible to dig it). If you make a hole as tall as you are, you can easily examine the bottom of the car. If it is not possible to properly equip the inspection hole, then you can limit yourself to an overpass (but it will require the presence of quite significant ceilings in the room).

Instructions:

1. For the base, embed metal corners into the side walls of the room so that the car hood is located just under them. Next, install a centimeter plate on the corner racks and secure it with eight “M8” bolts. It will not merge with the corners, so in the future you will be able to change its placement above the car engine.
Fix the worm adjuster on the plate. Next, take the key, put it on the electric drive shaft, and secure it. Then make a 2 cm opening in the tile for the chain, then pass the chain through the finished hole and close it into a ring.
Place another sprocket on the outgoing shaft, smaller this time, and combine them.
Make 2 more holes of 3 cm in the slab, pass the chain over the key. The 2nd chain must end with a metal hook capable of supporting the weight of the motor.

Complex block system how to calculate power gain

If the system is designed in such a way that one simple pulley pulls another simple pulley, then this is already a complex system of blocks. To theoretically calculate the gain in strength, it is necessary to conditionally divide a complex chain hoist into simple ones and multiply the values of the gain from simple chain hoists.

For example, if the system consists of 4 blocks, and the first conditional simple pulley has a gain of 3. It pulls the second simple two-block pulley, also with a gain of 3. The total force that will need to be applied will be 9 times less. It is the 4-block complex chain hoist that is most often used by rescuers.

Model with 2-leg shoe

To make a car lift with your own hands, you should first tackle the lower support. For this purpose, numerous experts advise preparing a clamp in advance. With its support it will be possible to hold the main pin. But first of all, it is important to secure the frame. To do this, it will be necessary to use a welded inverter . Then, in order to assemble the lift with your own hands, it is important to choose a high-quality hydraulic device for raising the beam.

After its installation, the handle is installed. A channel regulator will do for these purposes. The lift stand can be made from an aluminum plate . The supports for the fixture are formed last. Before this, it is important to check the reliability of the clamp, for which it will be necessary to use a welding inverter.

Which to choose

There are several types of garage lifts on the market. It is necessary to select equipment taking into account the size of the room; you need to take into account the height of the garage, its width and length.

The car scissor lift is equipped with a hydraulic drive. It is suitable for tire fitting work, as well as for wheel alignment adjustment. Such equipment helps to gain access to the vehicle from all sides. The maximum load capacity of such a mechanism is about 3000-5000 kg. It is recommended to be used for body repair work.

Small plunger-type lifts have a simple design that includes arms mounted on hydraulic cylinders (plungers). Such cylindrical elements are mounted on the garage floor. The device can consist of either one or two legs. Using this device you can carry out maintenance of any vehicle (car or truck). The design is characterized by a high level of reliability and long service life.

A mini garage lift is used to lift vehicles whose weight does not exceed 4,000 kg. The raising time of such equipment can be from 45 to 60 seconds, and the lowering time - from 50 to 60 seconds. The height of the loading platform does not exceed 1700 mm. Both self-propelled and stationary units are available on the market. Such lifting devices are powered by rechargeable batteries, the power of which does not exceed 2.2 kW.

An electrohydraulic two-post lift is equipment presented in the form of a platform that is raised and lowered using special handles. The unit itself does not take up much space and is equipped with a silent hydraulic system, in which a powerful fuel drive is responsible for the reliability of the design and long service life. For proper operation of the equipment, oil fluid is required, which activates the fuel pumps.

Mechanism with 3-leg shoe

It’s easy to assemble a device with a shoe on three supports with your own hands. In this situation, a U-shaped base is prepared. After this, it will be possible to secure the pickup. For this purpose, numerous experts advise using a clamp. The hydraulic mechanism can be directly determined on the screws. However, it should not cover the supports.

Next, to make a car lift with your own hands, you need to fix the regulator. To do this, a small plate is cut from an iron sheet. It should be welded at the top beam. The distance from the edge should be at least 2.2 cm. After this, the shoe is strengthened. The first base is installed at the hydraulic device. At this time, 2 other supports should be placed at the front edge of the model.

Materials and tools

The most important thing when making a crane is to use high-quality tools and materials. This will guarantee that the structure will be strong and safe.

The cable should have minimal stretch; this will give a greater gain in strength when using a pulley system. The fittings used for tying must be taken only from metal. Plastic fittings cannot withstand heavy loads and break at the wrong time. To fasten individual parts of a homemade crane, you should choose high-strength hardware products.

If a winch is intended to be used, its lifting capacity should not be less than 500 kilograms. The best choice would be winches that can lift a load weighing 1 ton or more.

In conclusion, I would like to once again remind you of the need to observe safety precautions when working with lifting mechanisms. Also, regardless of whether the crane is purchased or made by yourself, you should inspect it before starting work.

Device with U-shaped rear beam

In this case it will be difficult to make the base. To do this, it is necessary to cut a large number of long plates of iron sheet. In such a situation, experts advise identifying a metal type shoe. In this case, the hydraulic mechanism must be located at the lower beam. Then, to select the lift, you need to assemble the regulator . To do this you need to use a clamp.

The first base is welded only after the nut is secured. The support must be marked on the machine. In this case, the distance between its corners must be at least 230 mm. Certain modifications to the approved lifting device require the use of pumps. In this case, they are necessary to lubricate the hydraulic device. To determine this part, it is important to attach an auxiliary support to the rear beam.

Video tutorial

Be that as it may, design and technological engineering calculations must be taken very seriously. Thus, it will be necessary to calculate the minimum cross-section of beams, calculate the axes of hydraulic cylinders, select hydraulic cylinders based on performance and rod length, select the correct hydraulic pump and control system

When designing, special attention is paid to safety and emergency mechanisms for raising/lowering the car

The task is quite difficult, but solvable. If you have the materials and knowledge, you can assemble a small scissor lift that will be useful not only to you, but also to your friends and neighbors. Happy designing!

No auto repair shop is complete without a car lift. The equipment is available on the market in a wide variety of models from local and foreign manufacturers. A car lift installed in a car service will pay for itself quickly, but purchasing a car lift for personal needs is a stupid expense. Moreover, it is possible to build a car lift with your own hands.

L-shaped rear support device

To assemble a model of this type, first of all, prepare the base. For this purpose, the plates are selected from steel. Their thickness must be at least 2.2 mm. Then, to assemble the lift, you need to secure the side supports. It is not necessary to use a clamp for this purpose.

The support is welded at the appropriate step. To make it without help, you will need 3 sheets of metal of the same size. Their length should be 120 millimeters. After welding them, the upper support is fixed. In this case, it is more expedient to use a compact hydraulic mechanism. In a similar way, the gearbox can be placed next to it.

Why can you increase it?

In addition to the dimensions of the transport, the size of the room for it is influenced by the presence of various equipment and additional premises. If you want to install a lift or crane in the garage to remove the engine, then the optimal height of the garage for a passenger car should be 3.5 m, and for a jeep - 4 m.

The length of the garage can be increased by 3-4 meters by adding a platform for repairs or other work related to metal or wood, or by adding a utility room. If you consider yourself a lover of comfort, then it makes sense to add a relaxation room.

Its size depends only on your budget and preferences - you can make either a small closet or a large place where you can sit with your friends after a successful renovation. It would not be a bad idea to equip the garage with a basement and an inspection hole, but in terms of dimensions they will only increase the depth, by about 1.8-2 meters.

All the above dimensions are not mandatory; they are based on accumulated experience in the construction and operation of garages. The main criterion that you must follow when planning is your comfort and the comfort of your family.

If the car is big

Sometimes it is necessary to repair engines of not only passenger cars. In this case, you will need at least 2 assistants - they will pull the motor hanging on cables to the table, which you must first move to the car’s bumper. At the same time, you will use the chain to rotate the gearbox, but only in the other direction.

Once faced with this kind of situation, you will probably start thinking about upgrading your own design. Alternatively, you can provide the metal plate with wheels, which will make it possible to pull it towards the side wall in order to further lower the dismantled motor onto the table. Moreover, you can go further and equip the lift with an electric motor with a reduction gearbox.

Equipment for removing the engine from a car

Removing the engine from a car is done in case of replacement and repair of car engine parts. Before removing the engine, it is necessary to move the machine to an overpass or inspection pit.

Lifting of the device is usually done using talc or another lifting device, such as a motor support. Since most engines are designed in conjunction with a gearbox and clutch, it is more convenient to remove the entire unit. The result of the technical condition allows you to determine the need to remove the engine from the car. In case of serious technical problems with the car, various repair equipment will be needed one way or another.

The procedure for removing the engine from the car

We remove the hood; if the power unit is removed downwards, the hood does not need to be removed;
Drain the antifreeze;
Drain the oil from the engine;
Disconnect the wires of all electronics;
Disconnect the brake booster hose;
Disconnect the fuel supply hoses;
Disconnect the throttle and choke wires;
Disconnect the clutch hydraulic cylinder or cable drive;
Disconnect the muffler intake pipes;
We fix the motor on the lifting device;
Unscrew the fasteners to the body;
We remove the engine; after the work, assembly is carried out in the reverse order.

Before disassembling the engine, it is necessary to carry out mandatory external cleaning on a stand specialized for these tasks. The stand allows you to rotate the motor at different angles for convenient washing and disassembly and assembly work. In order to ensure long-term operation of the car and the engine itself, all unusable parts are replaced with new ones.

Worn parts are marked for future replacement. The parts that most often become unusable are: pins and connecting rods with covers, pistons, liners, flywheel with clutch, crankshaft, cylinder block, bearing caps.

In conclusion, we can say that removing the engine from a car is a serious and lengthy process and is considered inappropriate without preliminary and accurate diagnostics.

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Using a lift

The worm system should be operated in the following manner. Move the car about one size deeper into the room to make room for the table.

The operating principle is not particularly complicated:

Be sure to remove the bolts holding the engine and frame of the machine.
Place loops of steel rope under the motor and throw the ends onto the hook.
Start searching the chain. Over time, the movement will transfer to the drive shaft, it will force the loading shaft to move and tension will occur in the cables. The engine must be lifted slowly and carefully.
After pulling out the motor using a lift, stop operating the crane. The weight of the lifted load will now be securely held by the regulator.
Move the car and install in its place a strong table that can withstand a significant load from the motor.

Note! Use a durable table that can withstand heavy loads. It is preferable that it be on wheels for more convenient movement in any direction.

terms of Use

To operate lifting mechanisms safely, certain rules must be followed.

Homemade Pioneer crane

These rules apply to any lifting device:

The load capacity must not be exceeded. A load that is too heavy may damage the device.
The base must be stable. Homemade lifting devices should be located on a previously prepared hard horizontal surface.
In bad weather conditions, you should also refrain from working with the crane. Strong winds will throw the crane off balance, and poor visibility may make it difficult to see people under the boom.
Before operating a crane or lifting device, it is necessary to conduct an external inspection to identify any malfunctions. If malfunctions are detected, operation of the crane is prohibited.
It should be remembered that when working with the lift, you should not make sudden movements. The load must be lifted smoothly. And most importantly, do not stand under any lifted load.

Step-by-step installation of a lift with your own hands

Having chosen the right car lift, you do not get a guarantee that it will work properly. For comfortable operation, the device must be installed. The main condition for successful installation is the high reliability of the garage foundation.

Installation of a solid base

The area of the garage in which the car lift will be installed using fastenings must have a thickness of concrete material of at least ten centimeters. In addition, when pouring concrete, the layer of material is additionally reinforced. Without reinforcement, the foundation may be pushed through. In such a situation, it will be necessary to dismantle the car lift and re-fill the foundation.

Calculation of the minimum height of paw lowering

When installing the lift, you need to determine the minimum height for lowering the legs. The plane below should be level. The minimum height to which the arms of the equipment can be lowered depends on the specific model of the device.

Assembly of the structure

The equipment must be positioned according to the length of the machine. On average, the bumper of all cars protrudes about two meters from the center of the lift holders.

At the next stage of installing the car lift, it is necessary to install its frame and fix it. Next, the solution is poured. Before pouring, you need to check whether the frame is symmetrical. After the solution has hardened, you need to tighten the bolted connections. This will allow the frame to be securely fastened.

The bolts are installed in the grooves of the risers. The minimum length of bolts is 22 centimeters. After tightening the bolts, tighten the nuts. Attaching the stands to the frame is carried out in accordance with the instructions supplied with the equipment.

Preliminary height adjustment is necessary for screw car lifts. If the lift operates hydraulically, the cable must be pulled. Then all the chains are installed, and the quality of tightening of bolted connections on the frame floors is checked.

If, when tightening bolted connections, the frame is displaced and the symmetry of the racks is disturbed, metal plates are placed under them. Metal plates are usually supplied with the car lift.

Electrical connection

After assembling the structure, electrical cables are connected and emergency switches are installed. To do this, it is advisable to call an experienced electrician who will carry out the procedures according to the wiring diagram. If you know how to build electrical circuits, you can do it all yourself. Whether the lift drives will work properly depends on how correctly the electrics are connected.

Checking operational readiness

Hydraulic lifts must be filled with oil. After this, you need to check the equipment. To do this, lowering and raising are performed several times.

Make sure there are no grease leaks anywhere. It is recommended to check the condition of the equipment at least once every six months.

If you want to create a real mini-car repair shop out of an ordinary garage space, you need to install a lift in the garage, in this case you can carry out almost any repair of a passenger car. Installation of the equipment can be done with your own hands, but first choose the lift wisely, because the rush to purchase will turn the equipment into a set of parts.

Blueprints

To make a crane, first of all, draw up a project diagram and drawings of the main components. Consider the manufacture of a manually operated crane structure. It would be possible to make a device powered by electricity, making it possible to move a load using a device on a long cable, as happens in factory designs. But then the complexity of manufacturing units increases, this will entail an increase in the cost of the finished product and an increase in the time for its creation. Therefore, we will focus on making a manual model.

Buying or making your own?

A person who is faced with the need to get a car lift has several options for solving this problem. New lifts of all types can be bought in a store or a suitable used device can be purchased second-hand. There is a third option - do it yourself.

At first glance, a self-made car lift should cost much less than a new one, since its price does not include the salary of the worker who worked on it. But it seems so only at first glance. New Chinese autolifts will cost 90-100 thousand rubles, while materials for your own lift will cost from 100 to 120 thousand.

On the other hand, used car lifts from expensive companies can be more expensive than new Chinese lifts. Thus, the main selection criterion remains the reliability of the mechanism.

When making a lift yourself, you take as a basis a load diagram developed by someone, which you have to rely on when operating the lift. Before deciding to buy a lift and make it yourself, everyone must answer the question, who does he trust more: himself or the factory workers and the technologies that created this or that car lift?

Video: DIY car lift.

Types of manual taps

All construction cranes are classified into:

self-propelled;
stationary;
tower;
special purpose.

This equipment is equipped with a boom extension mechanism, a cargo trolley, and a rotating support.

By type of movement they are divided into:

stationary;
adjustable;
self-elevating;
mobile.

According to the type of control, these devices are electrically driven and manual (mechanical).

This is interesting: The principle of operation and the difference between a crane beam and a hoist - let’s introduce the issue

Double plunger lift

A double plunger lift consists of two paired single plunger lifts with or without a common lifting frame. In the latter case, both plungers are equipped with short frames or fork-shaped supports; if there are supports, one of the plungers is made movable. Short frames or a movable plunger provide lifting of vehicles with different bases.

Twin plungers without a common frame can have a synchronous or independent drive. With an independent drive, you can position the vehicle in an inclined position when lifting.

The positive side of frameless double-plunger lifts is the better accessibility of the lower parts of the car, the negative is the impossibility of circular rotation of the car when raised.

The diagram of the hydraulic drive of a single-plunger lift is shown in the figure. Oil from tank 2, through the suction valve with filter 1, is supplied by pump 4, driven by electric motor 3, into cylinder 12 of plunger 11 of the lift. When the pump is running, using handle 9 of control valve 6, oil can be directed into cylinder 12 through bypass valve 8 (during lifting) or directly into tank 2 (idling). Reducing valve 5 (adjusted to a pressure of 9 kg/cm2), at the moment the plunger stops lifting, automatically transfers oil to tank 2. The oil pressure in the system is controlled by pressure gauge 7. Lowering of the plunger 11 occurs under the influence of the weight of the car mounted on the lift frame 10 when the gear is not working pump. In this case, control valve 6 is set to the “descent” position, and the speed of lowering the plunger is regulated by bypassing oil from cylinder 12 to tank 2 (bypassing the pump) using the handle of bypass valve 8.

Spontaneous lowering of a car raised on a lift is prevented by folding racks attached to the lift frame.

For the hydraulic mechanism, spindle oil or a mixture of 65% AK oil and 35% kerosene is used.

Drafting

To build a house you need a crane. Let's look at how to independently make a miniature crane design for lifting construction loads to a height. It is necessary to manufacture a mobile dismountable device.

First, a design for the manufacture of the apparatus is drawn up and calculated:

The main part of the structure is the supporting frame. It is installed on wheels or permanently.
The rotation unit of the unit is fixed to the running frame.
The boom can be rotated thanks to the creation of electric or manual control.
The unit can be disassembled into parts for ease of transportation.
The crane will be stable thanks to the creation of a block of counterweights and steel cable stays.
The load will be lifted using a block and a winch.
You need to assemble a crane with your own hands.

The best models of car service lifts by characteristics and prices

Two-post lifts are most in demand at service stations. Previously, foreign products were considered the best.

According to reviews that take into account the pros and cons of lifts, among the best in terms of characteristics and price is the Sorokin 17.1 device, produced by the company of the same name. It is with synchronization arranged on top. It can be used to service passenger cars and SUVs of various sizes weighing up to 4 tons. The lift has telescopic-type rotary levers and is equipped with carriage locking locks and a limit switch.

A more powerful product with a lifting capacity of 5 tons is produced by Sivik. Model name - Ermak 5000. Passenger cars and trucks can be serviced on the lift. Has a higher power engine and is equipped with:

adapters that can securely mount various vehicles;
automatic locks that lock cars;
stoppers that ensure the machine is held in height every 10 cm;
a safety bar that turns off the lift when touching the roof of the vehicle;
blocking the control panel in case of unauthorized activation of the lift.

Among the four-rack devices produced in Russia, the AE&T F4D-4 model stands out. It is equipped with a lifting platform, can serve vehicles with low ground clearance, and turntables for wheel alignment control.

Types of car lifts

Owners of personal cars are well aware of how rapidly the prices for the maintenance and servicing of such vehicles increase every year. The best solution would be to repair the car yourself when your qualifications and experience allow you to do so. A separate tool is already in the garage of car enthusiasts, but with a room for pit repairs and equipment, things are different. However, some important devices (for example, a car lift for a garage) can be created independently.