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anybody got a pit dug in the garage?

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Dan76spit

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hello all,
i've recently been thinking about the best way to go about working under my spit and figured id ask if anybody has a pit in their garage? you know the kind like they got in the grease monkey shops. if so how was it made, how was it to build, what was the process, costs involved? I dont know maybe nobody ever did this i sometimes come up with some out there ideas! thanks...
 
The house I grew up in (still in the family) has a pit of sorts in the garage, but it came about by accident! Long story short, the original dug well didn't do so well, so a new well was drilled near the house. Then we added on to the house...right over the "new" well. So there's a pit in the garage to allow access to the well head. But it was perfect for some of those jobs best done from underneath but preferably standing up!

Two doors away is a house I helped build, the builder being the same one who built my parents' house and most of the others on that part of the road. He built a nice, large two-car garage...with a pit in it! I think, though, a subsequent owner filled it in. :frown:

I realize that doesn't help much in terms of how-to ideas...and you might want to check your local codes to see if it's even allowable nowadays!
 
Some of my customers have filled them in due to liability. Others have put temporary covers over them, not sure if a vehicle parked over it counts.

A lift would probably serve the same purpose and cost less.
 
The farm I use to live on had one. It was a pain to climb in and out.
 
AND if the vehicle is covering you, there's NO way out. Not the best solution. Get a lift.
 
Friend of mine has one, and loves it. Obviously (I hope), you have to park the vehicle so it does not completely cover the pit; so you do need a little extra room at one end or the other.

The local muffler shop (same location since 1946) also uses a pit, seems to work for him. He has pretty much his entire workshop in the pit, which is 2 cars wide with adjustable tracks.

Both have steps, which I suppose aren't quite as convenient as having everything on the same level.

OTOH, my garage is only 8' high, so I'd only have a few feet under a lift. And I'll bet digging a pit is a LOT easier than raising the roof.
 
You can get a decent low profile lift for under $3k now (IIFRC) if you are limited on height. Not full tilt boogie, but better than dealing with ramps all the time. Then again, ramps are about $2900 less than the scissor lifts :smile:
 
I still feel TRAPPED. :smirk:
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]anybody has a pit in their garage? [/QUOTE]
My wife calls the garage a "money pit", does that count?
 
yea i got a spitfire so i got a 'pit' to. :smile:

i've got two problems with a lift; one is a lower cieling height and two is my floor is asphalt-and im not sure whats under it. so im not sure how i would mount the lift down even if i were to solve the height issue.

I've been thinking about building something similar to this
https://www.secondchancegarage.com/articles/images/80lift/untitled-1.jpg

maybe just alittle taller but it seams like it might not be to bad an idea. thanks all...
 
In the UK, they market a ready made garage pit made out of fibre-glass. Has the steps, lights, etc all built in. Check the internet and see what you come up with.
Cheers,
D.
 
For a normal height garage take a look at one of these. Prett danged nifty. I plan on adding one to my garage once I get a project or two done and out of the way.

https://www.maxjaxusa.com/

No financial interest.
 
Water table here precludes any "pit" install. We'd have half of it breedin' mosquitoes.
 
In Chicago, there is a 15' height restriction for garages. I spotted the following garage in one of the neighboring areas which I thought was brilliant! The owner "chopped" the peak off the roof, efectively raising the height about 2 feet! As I remember, the inside ceiling height was over 10 feet. It's what I plan to do when we finally build our new garage.
 

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We have a flat-topped roof, even more room vertically. Here the building regualtions require that any addition be compatible with the existing building. Ours looks like it was part of the original, quite neat, though smaller than I'd have liked but property boundary didn't allow more.
 
Local regulations here make it almost impossible to legally put in a pit. There are required dimensions, ventilation and the like, then if your homeowners insurance company finds out about it, your rates go way up.
 
If you put a pit in remember gas fumes will settle in the bottem so use explosion proof wiring and tools if you have electricity/lighting in the pit. Check the national electrical code for specs.
 
Most older garages here have pits. I personally don't like them, but they are helpful sometimes.
They're fast.
They're good for low roofed garages.
The vehicle can remain <span style="font-style: italic">on</span> the suspension whilst working.

It's not unheard-of to accidentally get a wheel (and then much more) into the pit.
They are easy to fall into, even with covers. I have fallen through a covered pit because another worker put the cover on just slightly out of kilter.
They collect explosive gasses.
Draining water out is a real b***h. This makes it hard to wash the floor.
You can get air or hydraulic lifts that fit over the pit and can roll along the metal edges. This is otherwise nearly the only way to jack the car up while over the pit.
I will guarantee you will bash your knees going up or down the ladder.

And please, a ladder at each end.
 
During break when I worked at the county garage one of the saddles kicked out of a double post lift. The school bus fell into the next one knocking it off the lift. This went on for 8 buses the ninth one did not have a bus to fall against. It went upside down into the pit. No one was hurt as we were all on break, but everyone got free tool boxes as the roll around boxes were only about a foot tall. Took forever to remove the bus from the pit.
 
Due to heavy gases and the chance of explosions, most areas/towns have outlawed them. I had one years ago, but we moved from there and haven't had one since. Actually cost wise, it's cheaper to buy a hydraulic lift than install a concrete pit with lights, electric and air piping. I'd never have another. PJ
 
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