Thread: New shed and maybe a pit

Hoist is $2400 nowadays, pits are (in SA at least) no longer legal to build in household sheds..

Hoists are easier too, adjustable working height, no climbing or falling

Down here I spoke to the council about putting a pit in if I seal the shed floor (crusher dust at the moment)..

They brought out a list of regs including things like:-

must still have easy access/egress to/from pit when vehicle parked atop (I thought that would always be the option.)

must have the area lit and ventilated to outside the shed!
(this involves a length of 6 or 8" sewer pipe? (PVC anyway) from the wall of the pit underground and coming up outside, powered by a suction fan and connected to the light switch (eg light on/fan on)

must be fitted with a sump area that can be easily cleaned and contained.

I was suprised but figured they werent bad things to take on board... these all appliy to new pits... so I shall just concrete my 'old pit" in when the time comes but will look at incorporating some of those ideas!

Originally Posted by Tombie

Hoist is $2400 nowadays, pits are (in SA at least) no longer legal to build in household sheds..

Hoists are easier too, adjustable working height, no climbing or falling

Thanks Tombie, I did not realise that hoists where that price, I expected 10k upwards, that puts a new twist on things then, but I may need a higher roof for clearance, ok I have to go and think about that again, I am sure I could even slip 2.5k into the build somewhere

cheers

The best pits are the kind you build on sloping blocks using steel channels which you drive on and have access both sides. However heavy gearboxes etc still need a hoisting arrangement for lifting boxes in and out. When I rented a workshop with one of those pits, I built a trans hoist out of a Hills Hoist and some jockey wheels, but it was unsteady at 6 ft up and I dropped at least one gearbox.

A decent clear floor hoist can't be beaten as you can work at any height and raise the vehicle off the trans with a simple wheeled trolley to roll your transmission out. I often use my 2 post hoist at low levels so I go under with a trolley board but can still access everything under the bonnet without constant height adjustment. Being able to do the brake pads while sitting on a stool means you don't lift the wheel as far, and you can poke the brake pedal or reservoir at the same level.

I have seen a shed/garage nearby that has a hoist and the only part of the roof that is raised is above the hoist. The shed (if you can actually call it that) matches the house, so it fits in quite well in the neighbourhood.

Originally Posted by GuyG

I have seen a shed/garage nearby that has a hoist and the only part of the roof that is raised is above the hoist. The shed (if you can actually call it that) matches the house, so it fits in quite well in the neighbourhood.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Something like this pic, with the centre raised, gives you a nice workshop area either side, but plenty of room for the AULRO hoist in the middle.

Horse Barns - Carports.com - TNT, Metal Carports, Garages, Buildings, RV Covers, Boat Covers, Barns

An Amish style barn would work well with a hoist.

IMO a pit is not much better than a creeper Just bought a hoist in Brisbane just under $3000 inc GST seems well built was packed well and easy to install
If it will just stop raining I can move enough crap to get the Defender on it