2 Post Lift Placement & Distance From Wall

By the Daytona Team · Published 29 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026 · 11 min read Since 1999

Your car lift has arrived and the garage has been cleared for its installation, once the anchors go in, it stays there unless new holes are introduced in your slab.

This guide will show you how to install the columns, where the best positions are, how much room is required per side and how to test your automotive lift with tape before you go and order. It builds on our complete automotive lift installation guide, so you plan placement first and install second.

2 post lift distance from wall: the four-side clearance map

Each side of the lift needs its own clearance, because each side does a different job. The side walls give you room to swing arms and open doors. The front and rear give you a walkway. Overhead has to clear the vehicle at full rise.

So how far from the wall should a 2 post lift be? Use this map as your starting point.

Side walls and the power unit side

Three feet per side is the figure we use in our step-by-step 2 post lift install. Here's the thing: measure from the widest point. On one side, that's the power unit, not the column.

We recommend putting the power unit on the side with the most room and the shortest run to your electrical supply. A licensed electrician has to reach it, and so do you whenever you check the fluid.

Which wall is the front wall?

In this guide, the front wall is the one your front bumper faces when you drive in. In most garages, that's the wall opposite the garage door.

Your 2 post lift front wall distance runs from that wall to the column centerline. Arm style sets the number, and we cover that below.

Line the columns up with your door opening, too. You want to drive straight in, center the car and stop. A layout that makes you swing the wheel at the last second slows every job.

Rear wall and arm swing

Once the front is set, the rear mostly takes care of itself. Your longest vehicle hangs behind the columns, and you still need a walkway past its bumper.

Also watch the arms. Parked arms fold alongside the columns, but they sweep out wide while you position them. Keep benches and toolboxes out of that sweep.

Why your longest vehicle decides where the columns go

Place the columns around the longest vehicle you'll lift, not around the lift itself. Most placement advice starts with a fixed number from the wall. We think that's backwards.

Here's the better way. Park your longest vehicle in the bay where you'd want it sitting on the lift. Walk all four sides. Can you pass the front and rear bumpers with a rolling cart?

Next, find the vehicle maker's lifting points and learn how to spot a vehicle on the lift correctly. The columns have to land where the arms reach those points while the vehicle stays balanced.

The Automotive Lift Institute's Lifting It Right training covers spotting and load stability in more depth. It's worth an hour before your lift arrives.

Mark where the columns fall. If your longest vehicle fits with room to walk around it, everything smaller will too.

Still choosing a lift style? Start with our guide to the different types of car lifts, then come back to lay out the bay.

Symmetric vs asymmetric: how arm style moves your columns

Arm style changes where the vehicle sits between the columns, so it changes your front wall distance. Here's how the two compare for placement.

What about door swing?

In a narrow bay, door swing often decides the arm style for you. If you mostly lift cars and SUVs, we'd pick asymmetric for the easier exit. If you lift long pickups, symmetric keeps the load balanced.

Compare the arm and width options across Daytona 2-post lifts, then check the spec sheet for your chosen model before you finalize the front wall number.

How much bay width and depth do you need?

Bay width is the lift's overall width, power unit included, plus 3 ft (914 mm) on each side. Bay depth is your longest vehicle plus walking room at each end. That's how much space you need for a 2 post lift, in plain English.

When an adjustable-width lift helps

If your 2 post lift bay size is tight on width, an adjustable model gives you options. The LTPA10 adjustable 2-post lift offers three width settings: 88.6, 94.5 and 100.4 in. (2,250, 2,400 and 2,550 mm).

Need more capacity? The 12,000 lb LTPA12 offers 107, 113 and 119 in. (2,718, 2,870 and 3,023 mm).

A narrower setting leaves more wall room, and a wider one fits wider trucks. Ask your distributor for the overall outside width at each setting before you run the wall math.

Worked example: one lift in a two-car garage

Say your garage is 24 x 24 ft (7.32 x 7.32 m), and the lift is 11 ft (3.35 m) wide overall. These are example numbers only. With 3 ft (914 mm) per side, the lift bay takes 17 ft (5.18 m) of width.

That leaves a 7 ft (2.13 m) strip. It's great for a bench and storage. It's rarely enough to park a second car and still open its doors.

Depth tells a similar story. A 16 ft (4.88 m) sedan leaves 4 ft (1.22 m) at each end, which is comfortable. A 20 ft (6.10 m) crew cab leaves only 2 ft (610 mm) at each end. That's too tight to walk past with a cart.

Bottom line: a 2 post lift in a 2 car garage works well, but plan it as a one-car shop with storage.

What else has to clear the lift?

Walls are the easy part. What catches people is overhead and underfoot. The garage door is the obstruction most layout plans skip, and it's the one that shows up at full rise.

Garage door track and opener

Good 2 post lift garage door clearance means the vehicle's roof clears the track, the opener rail and the open door itself at full rise. Measure to the lowest point with the door fully open, not closed.

If it won't clear, you have three fixes: lower your working height, switch to a wall-mounted opener, or have a garage door pro change the track. Our low-ceiling options guide covers the tightest rooms.

Floorplate designs help under low ceilings because there's no overhead beam. The LTPF9 floorplate lift is 110 in. (2,794 mm) tall overall, and the LTPF12 is 114 in. (2,896 mm).

Floor joints, cracks and slab edges

Each column's baseplate anchors into concrete. Keep the anchor holes clear of saw cuts, control joints, cracks and slab edges. Our guide to concrete requirements for 2-post lifts covers slab thickness and anchor spacing.

Power, air and drains

Plan the electrical drop near the power unit side. A licensed electrician should run it to the specs in your manual. Keep air lines and hose reels outside the arm sweep.

A floor drain under the vehicle is handy. A drain under a baseplate is not, so shift the layout.

Too narrow for a 2-post lift? Consider a scissor lift

If your bay can't fit a 2-post lift plus 3 ft (914 mm) per side, look at a scissor lift. There are no columns beside the vehicle, so your side clearance is mostly room to open doors.

There's a trade-off, and it's worth being honest about it. The scissor mechanism sits under the vehicle, so some underbody jobs are harder to reach than on a 2-post lift. Browse Daytona scissor lifts to compare.

For tire, brake and body work, the LMS6 mid-rise scissor lift raises 6,000 lb to 54 in. (1,372 mm) and runs on 120V power.

Need more height? The LHS7 high-rise scissor lift handles 6,600 lb and reaches 74.5 in. (1,892 mm), with a 5 in. (127 mm) lowered height.

How far apart should lifts be in a multi-bay shop?

Give every lift its own 3 ft (914 mm) side clearance, so neighboring columns sit at least 6 ft (1.83 m) apart. Add more if tire carts, balancers or a drain line run between bays.

That's the planning distance between 2 post lifts. The width of your door openings sets the rest, since every bay needs a straight approach.

Where do the power units go? We'd rather see them on outside walls than jammed into a shared aisle. People trip over power units in walkways, and service access gets harder.

Leave room for inspection, too. The ANSI/ALI ALOIM standard calls for every lift to be inspected at least once a year by a qualified lift inspector. The Automotive Lift Institute also recommends an inspection whenever a lift is installed.

The tape-out test: check your layout before you buy

Mark the whole lift on your floor with painter's tape before you order. It costs one roll of tape. Drilling in the wrong spot costs a lot more.

1. Park your longest vehicle where you want it on the lift.
2. Tape both column baseplate outlines, using the footprint on your spec sheet.
3. Tape the power unit outline on the side you picked.
4. Check 3 ft (914 mm) of clearance at each side and walking room at both ends.
5. Open every vehicle door fully and confirm it clears the tape.
6. Open the garage door and measure to the lowest point of the track and opener.
7. Mark slab joints and cracks, then confirm the baseplates clear them.
8. Photograph the layout with a tape measure in the shot and send it to your distributor.

Placement mistakes that cost you later

Most car lift placement in garage problems come from a few repeat mistakes. Here's what they cost and how to avoid them.

In 2026, the best layout tool is still a tape measure, a roll of tape and your longest vehicle. Get those three right and the lift will fit like it was built for the room.

About the author

The Daytona Team

Written by the team at Daytona Automotive Equipment, a Canadian-owned manufacturer of automotive lifts, tire changers and wheel service equipment since 1999.

• Specializations. 2-post lift selection, bay layout and placement planning, installation preparation.
• Standards. Guidance aligned to ANSI/ALI ALIS installation practice and ANSI/ALI ALOIM operation, inspection and maintenance practice.
• Reviewed by. Daytona product and technical support staff, September 2026.

Daytona Automotive Equipment Inc. · Brighton, ON, Canada · Automotive lifts, tire changers and wheel service equipment since 1999.