so i finally bought a car lift....

Yes, red lifts attract all kinds of nasty critters...it's a well known fact!

I had to bolt mine to the floor. When I pulled my wide, heavy RAM 2500 onto the runways the first time I ever used the lift, I thought it was getting a little tight so I touched my brakes while going up the yellow ramps to make sure I had clearance for my wide mirrors. Well, the entire lift moved about a foot forward. Yikes!!! I didn't like that. So I moved it back (no casters) and bolted it down so it won't move again. I wasn't planning to bolt it down, but after this experience, I wouldn't trust using it without bolting it down. It was too easy to move it while driving up the ramps on my epoxied floor. Also discovered I needed to fold my truck mirrors back to fit between the posts, so I'm glad I stopped on the ramps.

Just a, 'this-is-how-the-whole-mess-turned-out' footnote:

As of this past Tuesday, my dad's Caddy and Dodge are sitting atop my Bendpak, and my dump truck and '37 Chrysler are nestled beneath them...just as I had originally intended. The hoist's cross members are resting on the 4x4 steel 'legs' I placed inside the hoist's four posts (the factory 'air latch' system is still in place and working, though)...and everything sits 100% l-e-v-e-l everywhere no matter where/how one may check.

The two posts next to the North wall of the garage are secured to the 6x6 frame of the building via custom-made U-bolts and steel brackets. The hoist will not budge in a quake unless the garage does...and if that happens, I'll have bigger issues to deal with.

Total 'drive under' clearance now? 80.25 INCHES! 'Up from the 77.5" or so 'pass-under' clearance that the hoist can actually provide when it's lifted to its max height with 9,000 lbs of cars aboard. (The darned thing will lift slightly higher than that when it's 'empty'.)


So, 'final score? Pockets ONE...Bendpak ZERO :cool


DO not mess with old people! :biggrin

Freddy, your going to love having the lift, looks like yours came more pre assembled than mine.

John

Finally got a lift! Bought a BendPak HD-9 from a dealer; his installers came right on time this morning and set it up in about four hours. I tried both my Lotus Elise and the GT on/off it, and parked the Outback underneath. My measurements were correct, and at its highest lift, both cars still have several inches of clearance from the ceiling (only 10', not like you guys with huge garages ... ;-).) I am going to bolt it down, though, because I can rock it fore and aft if I push on it hard. That's not confidence inspiring!

My "education" from this and other lift threads was very helpful and led me to the right decision about what to buy.

Vincent998 said:

I am going to bolt it down, though, because I can rock it fore and aft if I push on it hard. That's not confidence inspiring!

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You may find there's still a "rock" to the upper portion of the hoist (when empty anyway) when it's raised even though the hoist is bolted to the floor...since the top of the 'posts' aren't attached to/secured to anything. If the 'framework' of the wall closest to the hoist is 'skookum' enough, I suggest you do what I did and bolt the 2 posts nearest that wall to the framework of the building using u-bolts and steel brackets at the top of the 2 posts.

My double wide didn't move at all after I did that. But, it should be noted the 'frame' of my detached garage is composed of 6x6s buried 3' down into concrete!

I finally bought a lift last weekend. I chose the Atlas KOH9 overhead 2-post model based on the recommendations from the GTGuys to get a 2-post with asymmetric arms, and based on ready local availability and price. Yeah, it's made in China, but I called and emailed Rotary Lift, and they have a goofy 20th century way of selling through distributors, and the distributors want to have someone give you a sales call and discuss the options. After a couple days of waiting, I said the hell with it, and went to Greg Smith Equipment for the Atlas. It was only $1595 (I don't understand how they make a profit at that price), and I could pick it up from their warehouse in Delaware on Saturday morning, without having to hassle with shipping to some intermediate shipping handler and having it pick it up there, so that sealed the deal. With a 9000 lb rating, it's overkill for my meager needs. It also has a 4" low pad height, which fits under the (non-lowered) GT without the need for 2 X 12 ramps. The Rotary Lift AT07 has even lower pads, at 3-5/8", which might have swayed me to them, but like I said, they didn't call back.

I set it up loosely this week and I have to test the location of my cars relative to the columns to make sure I get it optimally positioned before I drill the bolt holes in the concrete. More later and pics after I get it working. As Empty Pockets suggested above, I plan to bolt some braces from the tops of the columns to the roof rafters to give it more stability and resistance to tipping. We actually had a decent earthquake in Virginia a couple years ago...

Bend-Pac's single post.

bret a ewing said:

Bend-Pac's single post.

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That looks great. Although it would most likely never happen, the worry wart in me would lose sleep over the possibility of the lower car turning into a pancake one day.

BAT said:

...the worry wart in me would lose sleep over the possibility of the lower car turning into a pancake one day.

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...which could be laid to rest with two proper 6x6 (or bigger) wood frame supports...one positioned 'width-wise' under both ends of hoist. IOW, four vertical 6x6s, one erected beside each fender of the bottom car (2 in front...2 at the rear), and two horizontal 6x6 'cross beams' (one at the front fenders...one at the rear fenders) that straddle the width of the bottom car and connect the two pairs of vertical 6x6s at their top. They'd form two independent, upside-down 'U's, if you will, one bracing the front, and one bracing the rear of the hoist.

'Negative perspiration' from that point on...

bret a ewing said:

Bend-Pac's single post.

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I am currently looking at a single post lift for our cabin.....a quad post would be in the way. I've got 16' ceilings but limited width available so a single post is my only choice..it will be for parking and storage only as opposed to servicing . How have you found BP to deal with? Any issues I should be aware of with the single post?...I have several 4-posters made by different companies (all of which I'm very happy with), none of which makes a single post. Approx how far from the wall is the passenger sidewall of your car.? I will check the BP site for additional specs. Thanks.

Wow.... would work , but ever try to lift a couple of wooden 6"x6" posts....???HEAVY --even short ones...!!
use several steel jack stands instead I would think....
andy (ajb)

Every lift I've seen has positive mechanical locks.

Not familiar with this one, but I can't believe it would be approved without a locking mechanism.

That single post lift is cool. Super clean.

We are in earthquake country. I can't even leave my FGT up on the 4 post up high any longer than I need to and not get an ulcer worrying.

Love the cars too. Is that a real 65'? Awesome!

AJB said:

Wow.... would work , but ever try to lift a couple of wooden 6"x6" posts....???HEAVY --even short ones...!!

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WHEATIES, Andy! WHEATIES!!!

Ya, I know they're not light...but, even for me (5'-8"...160 lbs...70-yrs-old) they're not that bigga deal.

AJB said:

...use several steel jack stands instead I would think....

Click to expand...

Mebbe not if they ever started bouncing around in a quake. The braces I described (secured to the hoist, of course) wouldn't...or shouldn't anyway.

Guys,

Bend Pac describeds the single post unit as a "Commercial Parking Lift".

I installed the lift 15 years ago. It is one of the original "Made In USA" models. I got the idea when travelling through NYC, they were literally everywhere. I was a believer when I saw some idiots had installed them on/in mcadam. They had cars on and under them.

Naturally my setup was a bit different from that. My floor is 6" of 4000psi concrete. Since day one I have probably a couple of thousand lift cycles with zero issues. It has a positive mechanical locking bar-and-stops every 4". The operation is hydraulic chain. It looks and operates exactly like a fork truck with a minimum 6000 lb rating. I spoke with a Bend-Pac engineer prior to purchase. He explained the unit was tested at 10,000 lb and proved fully operational during and after.
The most mass I have lifted was a Diesel Crew Cab F-250SD. No problem.
There are 3 fully structural and removable access plates covering the entire center section of the ramp. They weigh approximately 50lbs apiece.
The ramp is beaver-tailed at both ends. The ramp can be configured for entrance from either side simply by reversing the end stop and ramp fold down. Nothing has ever rubbed going on or off the lift.

Hope this information is of some use. I do not know if the current quality is consistant with the early models since most manufacturers have chosen to source foreign materials and labor.

Best, Bret.

I kinda like Mustangs, here are a couple more.......

I became a little curious so I emailed Bend-Pac.

Here is the reply:

"Hi Bret,

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and fill out a contact form! My name is Maricela and I work in the Sales Department here at BendPak.

Unfortunately we discontinued out Pl-6000 single post lift.

Below I included a link to all of our other parking lifts we currently still offer.
http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/parking-lifts/

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the information I have provided.

Thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to speaking with you soon!


Best Regards,

Maricela Noriega"
Sales
BendPak / Ranger
Office: 1-805-933-9970 x 131
Fax: 805-933-9160
www.bendpak.com


Sorry Guys. This was an exercise in futility. :facepalm:

My contact yielded the same info. Appears there are several other single post manufacturers so I guess I'll look for some legit reviews. Thanks for the info .