I wrote an article recently about my good friend who was in the market for a new pickup truck.
Like anyone else, he had a few questions before making a purchase – some of them obvious and others not so obvious.
One that I think was pretty interesting was: can a pickup truck fit in a garage? I mean, imagine buying a new truck and finding out after the fact that it won’t fit in your garage. I’d be pretty angry.
So, to save him any heartache, here’s the advice I gave him:
A pickup truck can fit in a garage as long as the dimensions of the truck are less than the dimensions of the garage.
The first thing you need to do is determine the dimension of the pickup truck and garage. The height, length, and width are the most important factors that will tell you whether your pickup truck will fit or not.
Second, determine if your garage floor is capable of handling the substantial weight of a pickup truck.
Finally, understand the potential safety and environmental factors associated with keeping a pickup truck in a garage.
Let’s look at these factors a bit closer as well as some of the benefits of storing your pickup truck in a garage.
Benefits Of Storing Your Pickup Truck In A Garage
Storing your pickup truck in a garage has two main benefits. One, it protects the paint and interior materials from damaging UV light. Two, it protects the vehicle from inclement weather.
Over time, the sun’s harsh rays affect the clear coat and pigments in the paint. Slowly, they break down and oxidize so your paint becomes dull, rough, and can even flake off.
On the inside, UV light wreaks havoc by bleaching and depleting the elastomers in plastics. As a result, your interior becomes faded and brittle.
Natural materials, like leather, are also effected. These materials quickly become dry, faded, and prone to rips and cracks.
When combined with weather, these issues are exacerbated. Wind, rain, snow, sand, and dust have a grating effect on the paint. Falling branches, hail, and bird droppings have a deleterious effect, too.
There are measures you can take, like washing your truck regularly and applying wax and sealants, that help protect your vehicle. But these steps are temporary and require regular maintenance. Storing your pickup truck in a garage is the best thing you can do to protect your investment.
Measuring Your Garage Accurately
A typical garage is 22-feet long, 9-feet high, and either 12-feet, 22-feet, or 32-feet wide depending on the number of stalls. There are a surprising amount of variations, however, so it’s crucial that you measure your garage accurately.
To do so, simply measure from one wall to another to get both the length and width, then from floor to ceiling to get the height.
Once done, take into account obstructions like tool boxes, work benches, garden tools, or anything else that takes up floor or ceiling space. Remember, garage doors and openers can reduce the amount head room considerably.
Finally, and perhaps the most important step, measure the opening of your garage. A standard garage door is either 7-feet tall by 8-feet wide or 7-feet tall by 16-feet wide depending on the number of stalls. Again, there are a huge number of variations here, so be sure to double check.
Measuring Your Pickup Truck Accurately
Pickup trucks come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. It’s length, width, and height will tell you if your pickup truck will fit in a garage comfortably or snuggly, if at all.
Perhaps the easiest way to determine your truck’s dimensions is to look at the owners manual or on the manufacturers website. These measurements, often times, don’t take in to consideration differences in trim levels and mirrors. So the best way to get an accurate measurement is to do it yourself.
To find the length of your pickup truck, measure from one bumper to the other. To find height, measure from the ground to the roof. Finally, to find width, measure from one mirror to another.
Take into account things like antennas or truck caps that may extend beyond the height of your vehicle.
It may also be possible to fold in your sideview mirrors to get a little bit of extra space to work with. For some people, folding their mirrors may be preferable to avoid possible damage.
Determining Garage Weight Capacity
Pickup trucks are heavy so it’s important to determine if your garage floor is capable of handling the weight over time.
If your garage floor is overloaded the concrete may crack or buckle causing it to shift or sink.
For garages and driveways, the standard thickness for non-reinforced concrete is four inches. However, for heavier vehicles like pickup trucks, a thickness of five inches or more is recommended.
Reinforced concrete is stronger, so four inches should be sufficient even for heavier vehicles.
Finding out how thick the concrete is and whether it is reinforced or not is sometimes difficult. There are a few options, though.
The easiest method, if possible, is to visually inspect and measure the foundation from outside the garage. If this isn’t possible you can try contacting the home builder or a neighbor may know. If all else fails, you can take a core sample of the concrete and measure it.
Understanding Safety
Due to their size, pickup trucks can lack visibility – especially directly in front of or behind the vehicle. So there is some danger associated with parking a pickup truck in a tight, potentially dark garage.
When pulling in or backing out of a garage, be conscious of any obstacles (including kids and pets) in front of or behind you.
To avoid damage to your pickup truck, pay close attention to your mirrors and roof. Also, be sure you’re pulled in all the way so the garage door doesn’t close on it.
Beyond that, be cognizant of running your pickup truck in the garage for too long to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
Understanding Environmental Concerns
Whether you’re parking a pickup truck in a garage or any other type of vehicle, the environmental concerns are the same.
The first concern is leaks like oil, coolant, or differential fluid. These fluids can be absorbed into concrete or directly into the ground causing soil contamination.
These fluids can also stain and degrade the concrete or floor coating leading to premature wear.
To prevent problems with leaks ensure fluids are changed on a regular basis and all seals are inspected and replaced when needed.
The second concern is exhaust fumes. As I mentioned in the safety section, exhaust gases can be a problem with pickup trucks.
These gases not only fill the garage, but your house if attached. Try not to run your truck in the garage longer than you need to. Also, a carbon monoxide detector installed in the garage or your house is a good idea.
Conclusion
A pickup truck can, indeed, fit in a garage. And, there are benefits to doing so – mainly protecting it from the elements.
Just know the length, width, and height of both your garage and truck before making an attempt.
Understand that there are some unique safety and environmental concerns as well.
If you’re looking for a bit of levity, check out the Matty’s Garage video to see his trials and tribulations with fitting his pickup truck in the garage.
