How to make a car lift in your garage
For convenient car maintenance, it’s a good idea to have a car lift in your garage. By making it from a hydraulic cylinder from a loader or other special equipment, you can significantly save free space, since almost the entire technical component of the device is hidden underground. The plunger car lift of the proposed design allows you to rotate the raised car in any direction without lowering it down.
The underground lifting part of the device consists of a large pipe dug with a drill, vertically concreted into the well. It serves as a guide. It houses the hydraulic cylinder from the lift.
Since the hydraulic cylinder rod is quite thin, another pipe plugged from above is installed on top of it. It slides along the guide, which eliminates distortion when lifting.
That is, the hydraulic cylinder is located inside between these pipes and moves them apart. The inner one, which acts as a rod, can be welded from oxygen cylinders. After which the resulting rod is ground with a grinder, since the cylinders are quite uneven. If the diameters of the outer and inner pipes do not coincide greatly and there is a large gap between them, then approximately 30 cm of a thinner pipe with a machined internal seam can be welded into the outer one. In this case, the rod will slide along it. It definitely won't get stuck or warp. If the hydraulic cylinder has a thick rod, then you can simply concrete it into the well and not use any pipes.
2 hoses are connected to the hydraulic cylinder. A high pressure hose is used as the lower hose. It is routed to the oil pump driven by an electric motor. The second hose is connected to the compressor. When pumping oil, the hydraulic cylinder raises the car lift. When you need to lower it, air is supplied from the compressor to the top of the cylinder, since the weight of the machine is not always enough to squeeze the oil back out.
To implement the operation of such a mechanism, it is necessary to install 2 taps when laying the oil pipeline. One is necessary to make an insert into the line to return oil to the tank, and the second to shut off the oil pump itself. Before raising the rod, you must first close the return valve, and after lifting, close the pump valve. In this case, the hydraulic cylinder will definitely not lower under load. Then, if necessary, lower it, the return valve opens, which will allow the oil to drain back into the tank. In parallel with this, it will be necessary to pump pressure up the hydraulic cylinder with the compressor if the weight of the machine is not enough to press the rod.
To lift the car you need to make a support platform.It is a welded coil on which 4 beams 65 cm long from a profile pipe 80x80 mm are fixed with the help of fingers. To lengthen them, 4 thinner pipes, 60 cm long, are used. They can be welded from a corner and machined for easy sliding in the profile. The platform is secured to the retractable rod using a thick pin. This allows it to rotate with the raised car. At the edges of the beams you need to cut a thread for installing plates that will rest against the bottom of the car.
In front of the lift, you need to paint lines on the floor of the garage, which you can use to guide you when you arrive. Without them, it will be difficult to stand level under the rod. Then the beams move apart and the plates are unscrewed until they stop at the bottom. Having received 4 points of support, the oil pump turns on and the machine rises. It is advisable to make a locking mechanism in it before using the car lift, since if the hydraulic hose ruptures, it will go down, which is not safe. The stopper should fit between the outer tube and the stem. To operate it, you will need to develop a remote drive so as not to have to crawl under the car to install it manually.
Basic materials:
- hydraulic cylinder for a loader with a rod stroke of 1.1-2 m;
- large diameter steel pipes;
- oil pump driven by an electric motor;
- tank;
- profile pipe 80x80 mm;
- corner 60x60 mm;
- high pressure hoses, air hoses.
Overview of the device and manufacturing process of the car lift
The underground lifting part of the device consists of a large pipe dug with a drill, vertically concreted into the well. It serves as a guide. It houses the hydraulic cylinder from the lift.
Since the hydraulic cylinder rod is quite thin, another pipe plugged from above is installed on top of it. It slides along the guide, which eliminates distortion when lifting.
That is, the hydraulic cylinder is located inside between these pipes and moves them apart. The inner one, which acts as a rod, can be welded from oxygen cylinders. After which the resulting rod is ground with a grinder, since the cylinders are quite uneven. If the diameters of the outer and inner pipes do not coincide greatly and there is a large gap between them, then approximately 30 cm of a thinner pipe with a machined internal seam can be welded into the outer one. In this case, the rod will slide along it. It definitely won't get stuck or warp. If the hydraulic cylinder has a thick rod, then you can simply concrete it into the well and not use any pipes.
2 hoses are connected to the hydraulic cylinder. A high pressure hose is used as the lower hose. It is routed to the oil pump driven by an electric motor. The second hose is connected to the compressor. When pumping oil, the hydraulic cylinder raises the car lift. When you need to lower it, air is supplied from the compressor to the top of the cylinder, since the weight of the machine is not always enough to squeeze the oil back out.
To implement the operation of such a mechanism, it is necessary to install 2 taps when laying the oil pipeline. One is necessary to make an insert into the line to return oil to the tank, and the second to shut off the oil pump itself. Before raising the rod, you must first close the return valve, and after lifting, close the pump valve. In this case, the hydraulic cylinder will definitely not lower under load. Then, if necessary, lower it, the return valve opens, which will allow the oil to drain back into the tank. In parallel with this, it will be necessary to pump pressure up the hydraulic cylinder with the compressor if the weight of the machine is not enough to press the rod.
To lift the car you need to make a support platform.It is a welded coil on which 4 beams 65 cm long from a profile pipe 80x80 mm are fixed with the help of fingers. To lengthen them, 4 thinner pipes, 60 cm long, are used. They can be welded from a corner and machined for easy sliding in the profile. The platform is secured to the retractable rod using a thick pin. This allows it to rotate with the raised car. At the edges of the beams you need to cut a thread for installing plates that will rest against the bottom of the car.
In front of the lift, you need to paint lines on the floor of the garage, which you can use to guide you when you arrive. Without them, it will be difficult to stand level under the rod. Then the beams move apart and the plates are unscrewed until they stop at the bottom. Having received 4 points of support, the oil pump turns on and the machine rises. It is advisable to make a locking mechanism in it before using the car lift, since if the hydraulic hose ruptures, it will go down, which is not safe. The stopper should fit between the outer tube and the stem. To operate it, you will need to develop a remote drive so as not to have to crawl under the car to install it manually.
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