instead of getting a lift...
 

So im tired of putting my car up on bricks when i work on it and i cant afford a lift. So i decided that im gonna dig a 6 foot deep and 3 foot wide trench at the end of the driveway so that i can just roll up and have easy access. obviously this is not just gonna be a random hole in the ground, i plan on reinforcing the walls and building a cover so that water does not get in while its not in use. Has any one heard of this being done here? i know its done alot in my home country but never seen it here

make sure you clear it with your municipality first to dig, dont want you hitting any gas lines there buddy lol

pits are illegal to build in nj anymore iirc. epa regs and such.

How do you plan on reinforcing that hole? 6' down needs some real engineering to prevent collapse. It might cost as much as a lift. You'd also have to consider safety when not in use. You would not want animals or children to fall into the hole. So it needs a cover that a child cannot remove.

Then there is the whole don't drive your car into the hole (I have heard stories about the, lol).

So I'm gonna vote no on your pit idea. Is your driveway concrete? Jack stands can help.


BTW, don't use blocks/bricks with voids as vehicle supports. They have been known to break at inopportune times.

Bad:
http://www.ccmaonline.com/concrete-h...ete-blocks.png

Why not get a good set of jack stands and a good jack?

Cinder blocks are bad, concrete blocks are good. Go to any marina, I bet they use blocks to hold up boats. :wink: But yea.... a trench? Seems like a nice way to dig your own grave and use it...

that's because they are lghter. Boats float, cars sink. Duh!

LOL... rightt

hahaha boats float


yeah i don't think you can legally build a pit. i wouldn't go 6 feet either, more like 4 to 5. usually there are two ramps that "bridge" either side of the pit too. also, you would want a drain because water would definitely get in there. i guess it would have to be contained and removable for the bad stuff that would come out of your car. you should just make friends with someone who has a lift though! or get a forklift :)

Can you explain to me the difference in a cement block and a cinder block? :-P I'd never go under a car supported by a block with a void. They break and they do it without warning.


I'd use solid blocks in a pinch, but not on a regular basis.

My pleasure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_masonry_unit

And why not? A concrete block stacked correctly will hold up a 20 ton boat.... for long periods of time...and if stacked right, if they were to crack you will not have a full failure.

don't they support houses too?

Houses float too!


Oh wait... no...

:)

http://corvettec3.ca/ramps/ramp11.jpg

this?

Hope there is more to that than crappy particle board...

That deal under the vette looks like a failure just based on the ramps alone.

When stacked and mortared together according to a plan normally approved by a structural engineer. I'm comfortable saying the average back yard car repair guy will just drop the car on a block or 2, they will not be 'stacked correctly'.

I guess you know-it-alls will believe me when you see one break. Maybe you won't be under that car. Don't ****ing use them. Actually, maybe you two should. We could use some Darwinism around here.

Um, your the only who sounds like a know it all asshat here....

You asked the difference, I gave you a link... I do suppose almost every single marina just uses them for the hell of it? I mean the few hundred thousand dollar boat is insured right? F it if it falls....

Right.

Dips***t. I know the difference, I was goofing see the :p. Argh.

I've seen them break. They get moisture in them, they go through freeze & thaw cycles, and you really have no idea a blocks history, and getting back to your wiki link I'm confident saying most people cannot identify the grade/composition of the concrete used in any given block.

You already said the marina stacks them, and that is far different then using them under a car where stacking them in a proper way is not very possible - you can't get a car all that high. Plus no one is probably lying under the boat, working under the boat and so forth. Apples & oranges. You appear to say it is ok to use cement blocks under a car and I'm telling you from experience it is not a good idea.

Common guys we are not ford owners we don't argue.

All I am debating is the ability for the correct block to support the weight of a car. And what do you mean no one lays under boats? How do you think the props get changes, bottoms painted, etc? :)

And they don't usually fail under load, they will just crack or crumble when being handled, pretty easy to spot.

I do agree on the height issue though, would need to be at least two blocks high...

This seems to work! just stack a bunch of these up. :lol:
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...3/filter-1.jpg

i've never used a brick to hold a car i was working on. i use jack stands on very heavy vehicles or cars that will be up for a long time. i maintain my jacks.

See, it's all in the execution of the plan. :) And the reality is it is nearly impossible to properly execute blocks with voids under a car safely. You also grasp the point its about load distribution. Problem is under a car is rather un-flat, lol. So it is hard to spread the load evenly across the block, say like in a house foundation.

You just can't say it's ok to use blocks with voids under a car w/o a big disclaimer. You have to remember there are a ton of users on this site that are very inexperienced and all they will see is 'it's ok to use blocks'. Nope, it isn't for the reasons given, unless they go to great lengths. Given the safety aspect of the issue at hand (see the crushed by Jeep thread), it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better to just say "no" than to try to explain the details involved in "yes, but".

I know you hate hearing about actual experience, but my Dad was a cement block junky so I have more experience with them than I'd like. I've seen them break out of the blue. And I know other guys that have seen it too. Better to be safe than dead or paralyzed.

Who said Frams aren't good?

Point taken.

And I did the supports for boats for like 4 years, never had one fail on me.

And they were nicely stacked, spreading the load, right? :)