Getting a lift or a piece of workshop equipment into your bay is as much about the building as it is about the machine. This page sets out what to check before you order, so that the equipment you choose is the equipment that will actually fit and work in your workshop.
Floor: concrete depth and strength
Vehicle lifts anchor into the floor and rely on the concrete around each anchor point. As a general guide, lifts need at least 150 to 200mm of sound concrete of grade C25 or better at every anchor point, free of cracks, expansion joints and previous patch repairs. Older workshop floors, floors laid in sections, and floors with underfloor ducting or drainage close to the anchor positions are the most common reasons a survey turns up a problem.
We survey the floor before any installation. Where the existing slab is not suitable, we can arrange for a new pad to be cut out and poured at the anchor positions before the lift goes in. This is discussed and quoted separately once the survey has been done.
Ceiling height: clear floor versus base plate
Two post lifts come in clear floor and base plate versions. A clear floor lift has no floor plate between the columns, which makes it easier to work underneath and to move other equipment through the bay, but the extra steelwork in the columns and carriages means it needs more headroom for the same lifting height. A base plate lift has a lower profile at the top of its travel, so it suits workshops with restricted ceiling height, at the cost of a plate across the floor between the columns. When you tell us your ceiling height, measured from the floor to the lowest point above the lift position such as a beam, light fitting or roller door track, we can confirm which lifts and which lifting height will actually work in your bay.
Bay width and clearance
As well as height, check the width between columns you need to swing car doors and clear mirrors, and the space either side of the lift for walking round the vehicle and for other lifts or benches nearby. Four post lifts and scissor lifts need enough approach ramp length in front of the platform, and mobile column lifts need floor space to store the columns when not in use.
Electrical supply: single phase and three phase
Single phase equipment runs from a standard 230V supply, but larger single phase motors, such as those on bigger lifts and compressors, need a dedicated circuit of 16 or 32 amps rather than a shared socket. Three phase machines need a 400V three phase supply, which most domestic and many smaller commercial units do not have. Your listing states which supply a machine needs. We recommend having a qualified electrician confirm what is available at the installation position and make the final connection once the machine is in place.
Access for delivery
Heavy machines are delivered on a tail lift vehicle. Check that the vehicle can get close to your workshop entrance, that there is a reasonably level and firm surface for a pallet truck, and that doorways are wide enough for the crated machine. Tell us about any steps, gravel, steep slopes or narrow lanes when we call to book delivery, so the right vehicle and the right number of people are arranged.
What a site survey involves
For installed versions, our engineer or surveyor checks the floor slab at the proposed anchor points, confirms ceiling height and bay dimensions, looks at the electrical supply available, and checks access for delivery. Where anything needs attention, such as a concrete pad or an additional circuit, we tell you before installation is booked, so there are no surprises on the day.
Bay One Equipment is a trading name of AT AUTO & SPARES LTD, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 17176482. Registered and trading address: Unit 1 Main Road, Tydd Gote, Wisbech, PE13 5QD, United Kingdom. Email info@atautoparts.co.uk, telephone +44 7429 827113.