Beezupra

posting to encourage those with low ceilings. Mine is 114". Each of my cars is 51" tall, and the tracks eat 5" of vertical. That leaves 7" to split between clearance above the lower car, and space above the upper car for lifting off the locks. It's enough, but I'll never be able to fit an old muscle car into this plan. I also use this Bendpak HD9 lift a lot for wrenching, and agree with others that jacking off the moveable cross bar to do wheel-off projects is no problem at all.

Ecosse911

Thanks for posting. I am building a new two car detached garage and the maximum allowed finished ceiling height is 114”. The restriction is due to local zoning daylight plane and the location of the garage which is 4ft off the property line. Unfortunate bureaucracy of living in SF Bay Area.

I had almost crossed of the bend pack due to concern of being able to disengage the locks on 2x 51” tall cars. I am so glad you posted as you have the exact same setup. With your 114” finished floor to finished ceiling how much clearance to the ceiling do you have with the locks disengaged? Also which model of lift?

Last of all what type of garage door solution did you use in front of the lift?


Thanks

Beezupra

Glad the info is of help. My lift is Bendpak HD9 Revision M (no other letters after the HD9 part). My door company did a great job of changing the upper rails to hug the ceiling, and installed a Liftmaster 8500. When the lift is sitting on the locks at the right notch for both cars to be parked, there is 3" clearance above the lower car, and 4" clearance above the upper car. You have to move the lift up at least 1 1/2", but better 2 to 2 1/2", to be sure it has cleared all the retracted locks. So if I lift 2" to clear locks, the upper car has 2" of clearance left to the ceiling. In my case, if I were to accidentally go up a full 4", the next-higher set of lock-notches could engage and trap the car against the ceiling. This got much easier once I thought of making marks on a post I watch during operation, see pic below. (I added text to the indicator arrows in case I keel and someone else has to deal with the cars)

jlee504

I would so scared that while I’m raising the car it would hit the ceiling..

irish guitar

Aanyone using the challenger lifts, specifically the CL4P?

Thanks

Viv

paradocs98

I have the 9000lb-rated Challenger four-post (CL4P9S). Been very happy with it. I went with Challenger for a few reasons: 1) Made in U.S. out of high-quality domestic materials, 2) ALI (Automotive Lift Institute)-certified, 3) doesn't require a separate air tank for the locking mechanism like other brands do. The only downside has been with the optional rolling bridge jacks that allow you to lift the car off the ramps to work on wheels/tires/brakes--the lifting arms of the bridge jacks don't spread wide enough to reach the jacking points of modern unibody cars. But this is solved with extension pieces that I sourced from a company called SVI International.

If you're interested and have the time, I posted a walk-through video of the lift, and a followup describing the extension pieces for the bridge jacks:

irish guitar

excellent information!

many thx!

viv

joejenie

I have 2 of them and they work great and don't need an air compressor to use them. Would buy them again.

Semitone

I also have two Challenger CL4P9S. I've had them for about 4 years and haven't had any issues once I got them bolted down. Before they were bolted down, they did walk around the garage a bit and I wasn't thrilled They seem well made but I haven't experience with any other brand to really compare. Sometimes holding the lever while I lower the lift is a bit tedious but that is a small gripe. I'd probably gripe even more if I had to hook up an air canister or compressor to release the locks.

The ramps are pretty heavy. Not a real issue but nothing lightweight about the lightweight aluminum ones, LOL.

irish guitar

Thank you. I'll be bolting mine to floor.

wareaglescott

Check out race ramps. They make some made for lifts. I got some of those for one of my lifts and love them. Can literally hold them up with 1 finger under the lip that attaches to the lift.

Sweeper

i have the same lift un-bolted and it has never moved a bit i did'nt want all the trouble with air systems either. not to get into a pissing contest the revolution lift is a superior lift.
How many bendpak lifts do you see the pros use?

buddalun

Does anyone have experience with the auto stacker which I believe is made by BendPak? I’m only interested in extra parking space so this seems like a decent option.

https://www.autostacker.com

Sweeper

I know a guy hold on i'll get his review, here ya go I've seen it, nice, he was a new camaro on top and a jag SUV underneath .. i cant fit my macan under my 4 post


I do have the auto stacker. I find it to be a great and versatile lift. that takes up less space than a four post style. When extended it doesn't block the area like the 4 poster and when on the ground is less obtrusive. Holds most suvs and midsized vehicles. Mechanism is compact and allows for easy egress from the lower vehicle. It also allows for variable high vehicles as it has numerous stops to accommodate for height differences. More expensive than a four poster but well worth the money.

inverterman

Pretty much all of them listed and reviewed here. I bought three from this company and they have been good to work with. That was pre-covid of course.

https://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com