Bendpak HD9XW Installation in the "Truck shop"

[PurdueSD]

First off, I want to thank member JSK on this board for answering all of my pre-purchase questions. As most of you know Jeff works for Bendpak and often replies to posts on this board.

I selected the HD9 XW after having a couple years to save up and research all of the options available. I chose the XW due to its versatility to handle vehicles of the wide or narrow variety. The right ramp is adjustable in and out by removing 4 bolts.

I had my lift delivered to my wife's work because the have a fork truck and a shipping dock. I loaded the lift onto our utility trailer and backed it in. The unloading process was a little more cramped due to the cold temperatures and snow we have been getting.

Here you can see how the lift looked when i got it home.
The lift did appear to shift a little in transit resulting in a couple scrapes, but that doesn't bother me too much. It is a tool not a display piece. It is shipped with a spray can of touch up paint which i thought was a nice touch.

Unloading is defiantly made easier with a cherry picker especially if you are like me and put this beast together by yourself!

After reading through the directions a couple times, I started to question the advice given. They say to stand the 4 columns up and drop the cross members down into them followed by the ladders. After a little reading on the forum, I got the idea to lean them against a couple saw horses to drop the cross members and ladders in.
CAUTION, follow the directions! Any deviation is done at your own risk!

Then I was able to stand the columns/ crossmember up (without help) by using the ole busted nut method. It really isnt that bad.

Proceeding on to the other side.

After these are stood up, its time to get down to the runways. These guys are not light by any strech of the imagination. Some redneck ingenuity is required if you plan on moving these around without help. Notice i used a combination of engine hoist/ floor jack/ and some dollies.

After getting the ramps in place I took my two cherry pickers (one end at a time, one safety latch at a time) and raised the ramps until they were at a comfortable height to route the cables.

After routing the cables I took a bungee strap followed by a ratchet strap to put some tension on the cables. This is a little tricky by yourself but definitely can be done.

Next up is installing the pump/resivoir and routing the hydraulic and air lines. This step is a little confusing because it looks like the instructions are a little outdated and show a previous model pump. The hydraulic line is accurate however the air return line is on the opposite side as called out in the instructions. No big deal...

After hooking up the power, we have lift off! (after 30 seconds of waiting for the air to bleed out of the system)

Running the lift up and down several times helpes to get rid of the jerkyness caused from air in the system. the Final step is to adjust the cables and ladders and enjoy!

Payoff to follow!

 

[PurdueSD]

Here's the christening run. Unfortunately the mustang is about inch shy of the rear catalytic converters clearing to drive right up on the ramps. A couple wood blocks help relieve the problem.

^Notice how help shows up now...hah!

And all the way up

And finally the over under treatment...

 

[PurdueSD]

My review.

All in all, great purchase. I really dont know that i could have ended up much happier. I have not seen any other lifts in person, but cannot imagine how any other 4 post could be a whole lot better. I was initially throwing the idea of a 2 post around. After a year of deliberation and using the shop i found that i could really use some more space. The 4 post solved that and ultimately was the deciding factor. As you can see in the pictures, I've got a lot of **** and there are always multiple projects in different phases.

As far as using the lift for service. It's going to be great! The mustang fits on the lift at the wide setting. (barely) This frees up the entire underside of the car from inside of tire to inside of tire.

Shipping was no sweat since i am lucky enough to be able to use a business address with a fork truck.

Setup was relatively easy, I took my time and enjoyed getting to know exactly how the lift works. I would recommend to anyone. Don't have your lift installed by a pro! After putting it together myself, i can tell you just about anything about how it works. I know how to adjust the cable and ladders. And best of all you get the sense of accomplishment along with a fatter wallet.

The negatives:

Only a couple minor things here.

1. First off the instructions are pretty vague. Some of the pictures are out of date and the recommended procedure for installing the cross tubes is a little silly. A little room for improvement here.

2. Max rise of the lift. It is stated in the product literature that the maximum rise of the lift of the HD9XW is 82.25" This is a little misleading. My lift in-fact does reach 82.25" of rise. However, for the safeties to rest on the top window of the ladders, i have to drop the lift down to 79.25" Not a deal breaker for me in the end. The waggy just cant get much bigger tires/ more lift.

Other than that, no complaints. I would recommend Bendpak to anyone. I am looking forward to getting some use out of this guy!


I also got an RJ45 rolling jack. I will add the review to that when i get to use it.

 

[thk2c]

wow, that looks great!!! congrats!

 

[mhulbrock]

Very nice! Looks great, do you plan on bolting it into the floor? Is that necessary?

 

[ket-tek]

Very nice, I just made the same purchase and recently put two bendpaks together. Very easy to assemble and I am also very happy.. I still haven't gotten the pics together to post them but will also share mine in the next few days hopefully..

Congrats!

 

[gandyj]

Nice job on the photos of the assembly process. I just this week installed a 4 post lift in my garage. It's not a Bend Pak but I got such a good deal I couldn't pass it up. A shop here in town bought two lifts in January '09, only installed one and this one just layed on the floor in the back of the shop until I bought it. You're right about not having it professionally installed it really is a do it yourself job. I had help lifting the heavy parts but the final assembly and tweaking was just me. When it was all done and I had the car lifted I couldn't believe how much floor space I was able to reclaim.

 

[aabirdman]

Thanks. Your post gave me the info I needed to do an "uninstall" in a couple of weeks. What's your ceiling height in there. I am finishing the plans for my new garage and have been toying iwth idea of a four poster. Never really cared for the post idea, but what are you going to do?

 

[PurdueSD]

finished out right at 11'11.5"

 

[sstruckguy]

I hate to change the subject, but that Wagoneer is pretty damn sweet.

OH, and nice job on the install. I seem to have alot of the same kind of "buds". Always showing up after the hard stuff is done

 

[northern 85]

Great job! very nice.

 

[PurdueSD]

Very nice! Looks great, do you plan on bolting it into the floor? Is that necessary?

I bought a set of the optional casters and do not plan to bolt it down. Bolting it down is optional, although it is supposed to stiffen up/ make the lift more rigid. I am always getting new "bright" ideas on how change stuff so no bolts for me.

I hate to change the subject, but that Wagoneer is pretty damn sweet.

OH, and nice job on the install. I seem to have alot of the same kind of "buds". Always showing up after the hard stuff is done

Well, that bud is my best bud (Dad) and he helps me out more than enough anyways

And the wagon would be alot sweeter if i could figure out how to get the 4L80E to shift past 2nd. Damn electronics, sure makes me second guess the whole late model running gear swap.

Thanks for the compliments guys!

 

[Junkman]

Now that you have the lift assembled, you will wonder how you ever got along without one in the past. I love mine, and it makes it so much easier to do the under car work. I only wish that my garage ceiling height were another 6 feet. With my over sized cars, 11 feet high just doesn't cut it.

 

[Boost Creep]

if you don't mind saying, how much did that cost?

 

[Dave Heacock]

The Bendpak pricing changes each quarter. The 2010 1st quarter promo minimum retail price for the HD-9XW lift is $2,910.00 with free shipping (in rural areas additional charges might apply). The standard price on the lift is $3,060.00 so this quarter you would save 5%. Sales tax if applicable would be added.

 

[PurdueSD]

^ there you have it!

 

[ovilla]

Congrats on the lift! I've had a Bendpak HD-9 for almost 2 years now (along with an RJ45 and a jacking tray) and must say that it's got to be the best tool purchase I've ever made. It's also a nice compromise when only considering a 2 post as a 4 post set up with the RJ-45 and tray will allow you to easily perform any maintenance and even take all four tires off as needed. Being able to park another car under it also frees up a lot of space.

I often talk to people who keep telling me that they want to get a lift but they feel that they are too expensive, and I always tell them the same thing. I bet everyone who wants one could EASILY save up for one. Break down the cost of a 4 post Bendpak (like yours) and one would just need to save $8.25 per day ($57.75 per week) for a period of just one year. That's it!

 

[Pulatoy]

I am trying to get my lift working working I have a question. I hooked up my lines just like yours in the photo and when I push the start button the motor runs and I press the lever I can see the line move but it does not go up or down I ran it on several times but nothing moves it just makes noise.

How do I know which way it is going

 

[ket-tek]

I am trying to get my lift working working I have a question. I hooked up my lines just like yours in the photo and when I push the start button the motor runs and I press the lever I can see the line move but it does not go up or down I ran it on several times but nothing moves it just makes noise.

How do I know which way it is going

When I assembled mine I was wondering if it was ever gonna start to lift, the lines and cylinder are empty, it took about a minute of holding the lift button down before enough fluid filled the system and built enough pressure to lift it up. If you put 12 quarts of fluid in it and hooked up the two lines right it will go, give it a little more time to build up pressure.

 

[Jagman]

Given that you have not bolted it down, is there any 'sway' when you push on the side of the lift when you have a car on it? I am seriouly considering a BendPak 4-post this fall when I get my garage built.

John D.

 

[kool55]

My HD 14T seems stable when elevated but when the lift is on the floor the 2 cross members make floor contact allowing the columns to wobble easily. Slighty touch them or run a vehicle up on the runways and the columns will rotate out of parallel with each other. Another reason I will anchor it.

 

[PurdueSD]

I am trying to get my lift working working I have a question. I hooked up my lines just like yours in the photo and when I push the start button the motor runs and I press the lever I can see the line move but it does not go up or down I ran it on several times but nothing moves it just makes noise.

How do I know which way it is going

Yep, like said above, I had to hold the button for 60 seconds before much happened.

Given that you have not bolted it down, is there any 'sway' when you push on the side of the lift when you have a car on it? I am seriouly considering a BendPak 4-post this fall when I get my garage built.


John D.

Yes, there is some sway. Especially when the lift is empty. I was pretty concerned at first, never being around a 4 post lift. After I put the mustang on the lift, the sway got much less. There is still some movement, even loaded though. And yes it was a little unnerving at first.

 

[rburke65]

PurdueSD, On your garage build....Roof pitch and attic size space please? I know it was 30'x56', just curious about the room size that was created with the attic trusses. Thanks.

 

[Arne73]

Very nice indeed!
You mentioned delivery to your wife's job in order to use their forklift and dock.
Is a forklift required to accept delivery?

 

[ket-tek]

Very nice indeed!
You mentioned delivery to your wife's job in order to use their forklift and dock.
Is a forklift required to accept delivery?

You'll need a forklift, bobcat, or tractor with front end loader. Something to lift the 2000lb load off the truck with.

I had mine delivered to my local Yellow freight hub, (yellow is the carrier bend pak uses) and just called a rollback flatbed tow truck to go get it for me. Yellow put it on the tow truck with a forklift and the tow driver backed the end of the bed into my garage tilted it back and slid it off on a dolly for me and then pulled out of the garage slowly and I stuck another dolly under the other end and I could then wheel the whole package around in the garage.

I was gonna borrow a friends car trailer and go get it, but for only $60 for the tow truck plus the fact I didn't have to do anything it was worth it. Went smooth..

 

[PurdueSD]

PurdueSD, On your garage build....Roof pitch and attic size space please? I know it was 30'x56', just curious about the room size that was created with the attic trusses. Thanks.

Looking at the shop, the left portion has a 10' ceiling height downstars. the attic trusses create a 12'x36' room upstairs. The bottom of the truss collar tie finished out right at 6.5'. The roof pitch on this side is an 6.5/12. The right side has a 12' ceiling down stars ended up around a 7.5/12 to match up with the ridge-line created by the trusses. We built that side with conventional, rafter/ ceiling joists. It does get used for building material storage... I was trying to get usable space upstairs without having a building in my front yard that looked like a factory.

Here are a couple old pics to help...

[/IMG]

Very nice indeed!
You mentioned delivery to your wife's job in order to use their forklift and dock.
Is a forklift required to accept delivery?

Yes, unless you want a huge pain in A*^ and a pissed off truck driver. My advice to you would be pick it up in the terminal if you cant find someone with a fork truck to borrow. Mine came on a flatbed with about 20 other lifts stacked high...

Goodluck!

 

[ket-tek]

I was trying to get usable space upstairs without having a building in my front yard that looked like a factory.

I like factories. Wish I owned one, I'd live in it if I did own one. If only my wife didn't prefer a house!

Seriously tho,

Hadn't seen your outside pics before. Awesome building and nice landscaping..

 

[rburke65]

PurdueSD...Thanks for the info.

 

[The Wizard]

Thanks so much for sharing how you constructed and installed your lift. Well done!

Quick question, can the pump/reservoir be mounted on any of the 4 posts, or does it have to mounted on the front left leg?

Ever get the RJ-45 installed? Looking forward to pics and your review.

 

[PurdueSD]

Thanks so much for sharing how you constructed and installed your lift. Well done!

Quick question, can the pump/reservoir be mounted on any of the 4 posts, or does it have to mounted on the front left leg?

Ever get the RJ-45 installed? Looking forward to pics and your review.

It can be mounted on the front left or back right. ( it gets mounted to 1 post but the ramps can be switched from one end to the other)

I have installed the RJ-45 and it seems to work great. I am yet to use it on a car though. Spring projects have gotten in the way. I'll post up when i do...

Thanks!

 

[phrogs]

You'll need a forklift, bobcat, or tractor with front end loader. Something to lift the 2000lb load off the truck with.

I had mine delivered to my local Yellow freight hub, (yellow is the carrier bend pak uses) and just called a rollback flatbed tow truck to go get it for me. Yellow put it on the tow truck with a forklift and the tow driver backed the end of the bed into my garage tilted it back and slid it off on a dolly for me and then pulled out of the garage slowly and I stuck another dolly under the other end and I could then wheel the whole package around in the garage.

Funny Mine went via Conway the whole way from california to michigan??



As far as sway its not that bad on mine. Without a car on it the lift is very movable bump it and it moves but with a load its just fine I also do not have mine bolted down.

 

[heinzd01]

How is the RJ45 bridge jack working out?

From the online specs it looked like the min height was 4 1/2". I just received one and I measured a minimum 6 1/4" from the lift ramps to the top of the bridge jack. I don't think most of my cars will clear this.

 

[ket-tek]

Here's a pic of mine, the "drive over" clearance is only 3.5" without the pads..

My wifes lowered honda clears it's just fine, other cars that I've cleared over it were 300zx, 240z, lowered Lexus, lowered Probe, Toyota Matrix, and a few others. You shouldn't have to many problems.

I take the silver lift pads off when driving on which saves about 1/4" total height and also eliminates the chance of nicking the tires sidewall with the sharp corner..

 

[heinzd01]

ket-tek - Thanks for the pics. It looks like your RJ45 mounts differently to the lift rails and your rails look lower than mine. I've got 3" of clearance from the floor to the bottom of the bridge jack. Lift is a BendPak HD-9 made 12/2004.

 

[PurdueSD]

I completed my first two service related uses of my lift recently and i can tell you for sure.... WOW, why did I wait so long. All these guys that say you 4 posts are for storage are trolls.

1st job: New clutch in the mustang. With the help of a cheap torin ****** jack this job went without even a whimper. My mustang sits about 3.5" off the ground so you can imagine trying to drop the transmission without a lift. To get the transmission out, the H-pipe must comes out first. There is more than enough room between the rails for access. Turned a miserable job in to some good time in the garage.

Job 2: Brakes on the F250. Now this job was a little different than the clutch. For starters the tires had to be lifted off the runways. (obviously) So, I got my first chance to put my RJ-45 to use. I quickly found the limitations of the RJ-45 when trying to lift a solid axle HD truck. More on this later. As you can see my x-cab F-250 takes up the entire lift and a little bit more, hanging over the sides. My right mirror had to be folded in to drive on the lift. Its a good thing i went with the HD-9 XW! After starting the brake job i found out how nice it was not having to bend over or sit on my knees. Just position the wheel so its about at belly level and give her hell. Brake job itself was also made much more enjoyable. In summary, wow i am spoiled now!

The one main issue i did encounter is that the RJ-45 is that the lift pads (even with the extensions) are way short of being able to reach the axle tubes. I suspect that dana 44 or smaller axles would not cause issues. My front axle is a dana 60 and it was close to working, my rear is a sterling 10.5 and it was 3" short. I did find ways to make the jack work until i can get some buddies to turn me out some longer extension spacers.

Now on to the pics:

 

[69CHARGERMD]

Purdue,

Great thread......... I have been following it for a while. The pictures you posted have been great,,,,

I am waiting on my HD9 to arrive,,ordered it last week,,should be here soon...cant wait.

I am going to pick it up at the local freight company,,,,and bring it home on my open trailer,,,,I have a cherry picker,,,will find some dolleys',,,,and have a few friends that will work for beer,,,lol

Do work on the muscle cars mostly,,,and the wifes mini van,,,,so i think the HD9 will fit the bill..........

Hope you dont mind me asking some questions.....

Looks like the Mustang sits "close" to the inside of the runways,,and the truck close to the outside of the runways.... I assume you have to leave the runway width at 44" to allow the RJ-45 to work ? ( will it work at the more narrow ramp width setting ?)

I saw the the RJ-45 is around $1200,,,,any comments on how you like the jack ?,,i was going to use some wood planks,,bottle jacks,,etc,,red-neck ingenuity,,,but after seeing that jack,,,,that looks outstanding,,,and MUCH easier,,,

Is it "easy" to move the runways back and forth (in closer to the more narrow 37" setting or wider 44") if needed ?,,or does this require messing with the cable adjustments,,etc,,,, I was going to set my runway width at 44 due to the cars i have,,,(curious what the width/distance from center of tire to center of tire is on your Mustang,,,,my cars are approx 62")


Is the RJ-45 "sturdy" enough to lift and NOT put some jack stands under it ? (looks like the jack stands in the pic are CLOSE to the inside rail ( i assume they are there for extra insurance ,,,didnt see them on the front brake shot pic), I usually put jack stands under everything,,,

Any comments on being able to "hook" a winch to either the front of the lift or wall in front of the lift,,,,to have the ability to "pull" a car up onto the lift ? Usually have the motor/trans out of the race car a few times a season,,,and would be nice to have the ability to "pull" the car on the lift to work on it while the drive train is out......
Thinking i could somehow mount a winch somewhere near/on the lift to do this...

I hope you dont mind the questions....learning as i go with the lift thing,,,never owned one,,,but took the plunge and ordered one....should be cool.......dont think i will miss laying on the ground working on the cars,,,,,,,,,,



Doug

 

[ket-tek]

Purdue,



Looks like the Mustang sits "close" to the inside of the runways,,and the truck close to the outside of the runways.... I assume you have to leave the runway width at 44" to allow the RJ-45 to work ? ( will it work at the more narrow ramp width setting ?)

I saw the the RJ-45 is around $1200,,,,any comments on how you like the jack ?,,i was going to use some wood planks,,bottle jacks,,etc,,red-neck ingenuity,,,but after seeing that jack,,,,that looks outstanding,,,and MUCH easier,,,

Is it "easy" to move the runways back and forth (in closer to the more narrow 37" setting or wider 44") if needed ?,,or does this require messing with the cable adjustments,,etc,,,, I was going to set my runway width at 44 due to the cars i have,,,(curious what the width/distance from center of tire to center of tire is on your Mustang,,,,my cars are approx 62")


Is the RJ-45 "sturdy" enough to lift and NOT put some jack stands under it ? (looks like the jack stands in the pic are CLOSE to the inside rail ( i assume they are there for extra insurance ,,,didnt see them on the front brake shot pic), I usually put jack stands under everything,,,

Any comments on being able to "hook" a winch to either the front of the lift or wall in front of the lift,,,,to have the ability to "pull" a car up onto the lift ? Usually have the motor/trans out of the race car a few times a season,,,and would be nice to have the ability to "pull" the car on the lift to work on it while the drive train is out......
Thinking i could somehow mount a winch somewhere near/on the lift to do this...

I hope you dont mind the questions....learning as i go with the lift thing,,,never owned one,,,but took the plunge and ordered one....should be cool.......dont think i will miss laying on the ground working on the cars,,,,,,,,,,

The one movable runway is easy enough to move, here is a post about the ramp adjustments:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67671

I have the rj-45 and it is worth every penny, no doubt. It was tough to part with the money but after the first use it was clear that it was a wise purchase once you have a 4 post in your home might as well go all the way with it.

The rj is adjustable width and works at any ramp width positions.

The rj has locking positions so the cylinder is not holding the weight, so you don't need extra jackstands, but extra overkill on safety it always ok..

The winch discussion has come up before. If your bolting it to the wall/floor then no problem. The lift doesn't have anything to do with that. But if you mount it the crosstube of the lift, the lift will likely need to be bolted down as it may slide towards the car some when pulling.

 

[VC-Racing]

Very nice. I have a few ?'s. I am lift shopping and plan on buying in the next 2 months . I'm looking for a HD lift that is tall enough I can park my truck under when the lift is at its highest setting.



1 What length is that lift and its height underneath at its highest setting ?

I have a short bed CC Superduty. I don't think mine would fit on that lift or be able to park under it.

2 How tall is your building floor to ceiling ?

I have 13 foot to the truss joist and if I can position the cab between 2 trusses I can have 18'.


3 If your truck is diesel , do you think the HD9 is sufficient for a 8800lb truck ?

3a Does the lift seem stable with all that weight?

 

[PurdueSD]

Purdue,

Great thread......... I have been following it for a while. The pictures you posted have been great,,,,

I am waiting on my HD9 to arrive,,ordered it last week,,should be here soon...cant wait.

I am going to pick it up at the local freight company,,,,and bring it home on my open trailer,,,,I have a cherry picker,,,will find some dolleys',,,,and have a few friends that will work for beer,,,lol

Do work on the muscle cars mostly,,,and the wifes mini van,,,,so i think the HD9 will fit the bill..........

Hope you dont mind me asking some questions.....

Looks like the Mustang sits "close" to the inside of the runways,,and the truck close to the outside of the runways.... I assume you have to leave the runway width at 44" to allow the RJ-45 to work ? ( will it work at the more narrow ramp width setting ?)
One ramp houses the the cylinder/ cables the other is totally empty. It is the ramp that can be moved in or out. I have mine set at the widest setting. (remember Ive got the xw) I didn't bother to change it for the mustang vs. the truck. I just have to be a little careful when pulling the mustang on. The RJ-45 actually expands and contracts to fit multiple widths.

I saw the the RJ-45 is around $1200,,,,any comments on how you like the jack ?,,i was going to use some wood planks,,bottle jacks,,etc,,red-neck ingenuity,,,but after seeing that jack,,,,that looks outstanding,,,and MUCH easier,,,Well worth it! I suggest purchasing or making a couple extra spacers for the lift pads though.

Is it "easy" to move the runways back and forth (in closer to the more narrow 37" setting or wider 44") if needed ?,,or does this require messing with the cable adjustments,,etc,,,, I was going to set my runway width at 44 due to the cars i have,,,(curious what the width/distance from center of tire to center of tire is on your Mustang,,,,my cars are approx 62")Ill have to check on the trac width of my mustang. I can tell you it is fairly narrow and my truck is extremely wide and both fit without adjusting my lift. The runway will slide over with the removal of 4 bolts. It is pretty heavy though.


Is the RJ-45 "sturdy" enough to lift and NOT put some jack stands under it ? (looks like the jack stands in the pic are CLOSE to the inside rail ( i assume they are there for extra insurance ,,,didnt see them on the front brake shot pic), I usually put jack stands under everything,,,

If you look at the pic of the rear with the jack stands, i needed the stands because the differential is resting on the center of the rj-45. The lift arms don't reach far enough up to the axle tubes. I am going to have a buddy turn me out some extensions. I really like the jack and it makes servicing quick and easy. The air jack has mechanical locks so no need for the jack stands under normal circumstances.

Any comments on being able to "hook" a winch to either the front of the lift or wall in front of the lift,,,,to have the ability to "pull" a car up onto the lift ? Usually have the motor/trans out of the race car a few times a season,,,and would be nice to have the ability to "pull" the car on the lift to work on it while the drive train is out......
Thinking i could somehow mount a winch somewhere near/on the lift to do this...
I would think this would be very easily doable with a small electric HF winch or even a come-along. No experience with it though.
I hope you dont mind the questions....learning as i go with the lift thing,,,never owned one,,,but took the plunge and ordered one....should be cool.......dont think i will miss laying on the ground working on the cars,,,,,,,,,,

No prob, thats what makes this site great! We all have different experiences. I dont think you are aware how much difference the lift will make for servicing. I heard the same thing and was still like, WOW look what i have been missing!

 

[69CHARGERMD]

The one movable runway is easy enough to move, here is a post about the ramp adjustments:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=67671

I have the rj-45 and it is worth every penny, no doubt. It was tough to part with the money but after the first use it was clear that it was a wise purchase once you have a 4 post in your home might as well go all the way with it.

The rj is adjustable width and works at any ramp width positions.

The rj has locking positions so the cylinder is not holding the weight, so you don't need extra jackstands, but extra overkill on safety it always ok..

The winch discussion has come up before. If your bolting it to the wall/floor then no problem. The lift doesn't have anything to do with that. But if you mount it the crosstube of the lift, the lift will likely need to be bolted down as it may slide towards the car some when pulling.

Purdue and Ket-Tek,,,,,

Thanks for the help. I couldnt find my "old" post on the ramp question,,,thanks for the link,,,, I was under the impression there were cables under both ramps,,,sounds like it's just under the power side and the other ramp is "empty" ,,, never had a lift before,,so i wasnt sure,,,sounds like i can move the "empty" ramp wherever i like ,,,,,

Sounds like i might pony up for the RJ-45,,,if it "locks" in place,,,,that would be key,,, (still would use the jack stands),,but sounds more secure if it's not relying just on the cylinder........

I am planning on NOT bolting down my lift,,,,so,,,,looks like i would have to either mount a winch to the floor,, in front of the lift,,,,hmmm

thanks again for the help..

Doug