New Bend Pak on the way.

[mtwaterguy]

Placed the order for a new Bend Pak HD-12, plus the RD186 oil drain w/pump and the JP-6 rolling jack plate. Talked to the shipping dept and they are shipping on a flat bed trailer. They expect to have the trailer loaded within the next few days and then it'll be on it's way. I'll be anxiously awaiting delivery in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Phatsub]

Congratulations!
I envy you guys with lifts.
Post pics when you get it all set up.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Congratulations!
I envy you guys with lifts.
Post pics when you get it all set up.

When it arrives I'll be looking for installation tips. Hopefully it won't be to hard to setup.

 

[JohnZ]

Hope you ordered the optional aluminum ramps - the standard steel ones are a BEAR to move around.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Hope you ordered the optional aluminum ramps - the standard steel ones are a BEAR to move around.

I've had second thoughts on a couple of items. There may have to be a second order.

 

[ovilla]

Don't sweat it. Once you start using your lift, you'll quickly realize what you do or don't need. I got the HD-9-B and had thought about buying the aluminum ramps and the caster kit but I'm glad I didn't. I have yet to need to move my lift for anything. Also, not having to take the ramps on and off makes it so extremely easy to use the lift. It's always ready to go. I also really enjoy using my RJ-45 rolling air jack. About the only thing I'll be looking for is truck adapters for the RJ-45 as it's been a bit tricky trying to use it on trucks. Anyway, save your money and just start using your lift. You'll wish you had bought one ages ago. Once your friends know you have a lift, they'll be constantly bugging you to use it. If they're good friends they'll at least buy you dinner and bring over some beer too. Congrats on the purchase! Please post pics when you get it assembled. If I can help in any way, just send me a PM. Thanks

 

[mtwaterguy]

Living in the sticks here in Montana I probably won't have to worry alot about onyone wanting to use it. Might get a few oil change requests from out of town guests tho. Thanks for the advice offer, I'm sure I'll need some.

 

[stevej37]

Be sure to have some extra help around when the truck arrives. I used a couple of furniture/appliance dollys to roll the lift into the garage. Lots of heavy lifting when breaking down the package...but it goes fine if you take your time and plan each move.

 

[Junkman]

Living in the sticks here in Montana I probably won't have to worry alot about onyone wanting to use it. Might get a few oil change requests from out of town guests tho. Thanks for the advice offer, I'm sure I'll need some.

You must really live in the sticks, if they have to change oil as a result of the drive to visit you........

 

[e-tek]

I just got my BP HD9-XTW (extra tall and wide) and needed 6 (!) big guys to get the pieces off the truck! The ramps must weigh 3-400 lbs apeice!!
Now I`ve got èr all in and lined up, I have to get some guys back to help put it together...One thing I noted is that it says in the instructions to stand up all the posts then lift and slide the cross-beams into them and slide them down....that`s crazy talk! I was wondering how the hell I`d do that until my (much smarter) father-in-law suggested I lay the posts down, slide in the cross-bar THEN lift them back up! You`ll see what I mean when you get it and open the instructions!!

 

[mtwaterguy]

You must really live in the sticks, if they have to change oil as a result of the drive to visit you........

I'm not that far from civilization. Only about an hour from Missoula. Lot's of friends and family from Oregon do visit. When they find out I have a lift I'm sure they'll find it convenient to need a change when they get here.

 

[mtwaterguy]

I just got my BP HD9-XTW (extra tall and wide) and needed 6 (!) big guys to get the pieces off the truck! The ramps must weigh 3-400 lbs apeice!!
Now I`ve got èr all in and lined up, I have to get some guys back to help put it together...One thing I noted is that it says in the instructions to stand up all the posts then lift and slide the cross-beams into them and slide them down....that`s crazy talk! I was wondering how the hell I`d do that until my (much smarter) father-in-law suggested I lay the posts down, slide in the cross-bar THEN lift them back up! You`ll see what I mean when you get it and open the instructions!!

I think for now I'll just plan the best way to get it in the shop and then figure the rest out after looking over the directions, Thanks.

 

[ovilla]

stevej37 is right on the money in that furniture dollies are the way to go to help move things around and in to position. I bought two 1,000 lb units for like $20 a piece. I also rented an oversized engine hoist and used it mostly for just the two ramps as we had four guys helping out. The engine hoist was definitely worth every penny of the $44 it cost me for the day. Not a single person went home with a sore back. I also used Junkmans advice and laid the columns on the floor. I've seen a few other installs and can't believe folks are doing the set up with the columns standing up. That's crazy. Anyway, speaking of oil changes. I now have my wife telling others to just buy some oil and bring a new filter. At least I'm also getting folks to take home their used oil. I just tell them to deposit it at Autozone. Anyway, just get-r-dun soon. I don't think I could have a lift sitting unassembled in my garage for too long. I'm sure I'd be rigging a come-along on to the rafters before too long.

 

[Junkman]

Buy a drain oil heater, and then invite everyone over for oil changes. You will be toasty warm in the winter for free.....

 

[mtwaterguy]

stevej37 is right on the money in that furniture dollies are the way to go to help move things around and in to position. I bought two 1,000 lb units for like $20 a piece. I also rented an oversized engine hoist and used it mostly for just the two ramps as we had four guys helping out. The engine hoist was definitely worth every penny of the $44 it cost me for the day. Not a single person went home with a sore back. I also used Junkmans advice and laid the columns on the floor. I've seen a few other installs and can't believe folks are doing the set up with the columns standing up. That's crazy. Anyway, speaking of oil changes. I now have my wife telling others to just buy some oil and bring a new filter. At least I'm also getting folks to take home their used oil. I just tell them to deposit it at Autozone. Anyway, just get-r-dun soon. I don't think I could have a lift sitting unassembled in my garage for too long. I'm sure I'd be rigging a come-along on to the rafters before too long.

I just got a call from the delivery co. It'll be here Monday early morning. I'll get it in the shop and then determine the easiest way to move it around. Thanks for the tips. Safety is always a concern.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Buy a drain oil heater, and then invite everyone over for oil changes. You will be toasty warm in the winter for free.....

Wish you'd suggested that before I bought my gas heater!! Actually I did consider that option during the construction of my pole barn. Since we lived in it while building the home, I decided to use natural gas. Lot's more convenient. The waste oil heat is a good is a good idea, especially when you end up with drums of used oil that you need to get rid of.

 

[ovilla]

Junkman - Are the oil units allowed in residential garages? Also, how's the smell? Just curious if they make everything in the garage smell like oil. I have no problem with that but I'm sure my wife and kids wouldn't care for that.

 

[Junkman]

I know that the original units that were made in the 1970's were quite smelly, however, they have made great strides in the efficiency and design of the current production models. The newer units have no objectional smell at all. I know of only one that is in homeowner use, and I don't believe that there is any restriction on the use. It is most likely a local issue that you will have to resolve. If you run out of drain oil, they will work on regular heating oil also. The person that I know that has one, filters his drain oil prior to use, and has a oil pick up that siphons off the top. He drains any moisture off the bottom of the fuel tank, and since he generates his own waste oil, he doesn't have a sludge problem.

 

[jcs_in_ky]

I put my HD-12 together without any help at all but I did have a tractor with pallet forks that I used to unload it from my trailer. I stood my posts up and used a boom pole on the tractor with a chain hoist on it to raise the cross pieces up and then dropped them down into the posts. I also used the tractor to put the runways in place.
One thing you need to make sure you check is the studs on the ladders that go in each post. When I was putting mine together the studs were not long enough to put the ladders down as low as they need to go (about 1/2" above the bottom place if I remember correctly.) I called BendPak and they said that some of them were shipping out with ladders that had studs that were too short. At first they were going to send me out an extension set to make the studs longer but they ended up replacing the ladders. It sounds like the problem has been going on for a while and it was only about 3 months ago that I got mine. Hopefully the problem has been fixed but if you should end up with the short studs I'd insist on a new set of ladders.
You should really like the lift. I use my HD-12 nearly every day in my shop working on my own vehicles and customers. I bought it with two RJ-6 rolling bridge jacks but I've decided that I'm going to put in a second lift in my shop and it will be a two post so I'm most likely going to end up selling at least one of the jacks (I've only used one so far, the other is still wrapped and strapped to the pallet it came on in March). If you only have the four post lift the rolling jack should work well for you.

 

[ovilla]

For those of you not familiar with the use of the studs on top of the ladders, they are to help in leveling the ladder's locking points on uneven floors, so that one can compensate for a column being too high or too low when compared to the vertical orientation of the rest of the columns. Anyway, each column is adjustable, and is simply limited by the length of the bolt itself at the top of the ladders, which gets bolted to the top of each column. The bottom of the ladders are free floating to allow for fine tunning the height of each ladder. Depending on how uneven your floors are, you may or may not need anything more than lining up all of the ladders at the same height. You can also adjust the locking heights of your lift up/down as needed. Finally, my series (the HD-9-B) came with long bolts that allow for a good 2-3" of movement up/down.

 

[jcs_in_ky]

You should end up with at least 2" of adjustment on the HD-12 if they've given you ladders with the correct length studs. With the studs that were on my original ladders I'd of started out with the bottom of the ladders already about 2" above the base. You just want to make sure when you adjust your ladders that the bottom of them is lower than the bottom of the rubber block on the cross piece (when the cross pieces are lowered all the way down and setting on the base plates). If they aren't it may bind up when you operate it and also if the ladders are adjusted up too high you won't be able to raise your lift to the highest point on the ladders. It seems like the cables are a little too long on my HD-12. It's hard to get everything adjusted correctly so that I can raise my lift to the highest point on the ladder and then raise it high enough that the safeties can disengage. John

 

[Junkman]

I found that getting everything into proper adjustment take time and patience. Originally, I was having difficulty getting everything aligned, so I walked away and came back the next day, fresh with patience. In less than a half hour I had all the locks properly aligned. Since then, I have moved the lift with the rolling casters, and now it is slightly out of alignment, probably by around 1/8", but when I let the ramps down on the safety's, all is fine. I love my lift, and the RJ-45 rolling jack. The only thing that I am unhappy with is the hight of my garage. 11' ceiling isn't enough when your cars is more than 8' high. My only regret is not having purchased a Bend Pak lift sooner. I leave my ramps on all the time, and they are never a problem. I like the way that they drop down when the lift goes up, and create a wheel stop. To me, Bend Pak is the Rolls Royce of 4 post lifts.