To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

$70 Quiet Air Supply for Bendpak Lift

T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
My son has a small airbrush compressor that is almost silent. I borrowed it to try on the Bendpak lift I recently got, to open the air cylinder locks. The thing works perfectly and even has a regulator to dial in the correct psi needed. It builds the pressure needed to release the locks in just a second or two and is QUIET!

Here is a link to the one I bought: Compressor

Go to about 17:00 minutes on this video and you can hear how quiet: Video

Used a 1/4" pipe male elbow to hook the air switch right to the regulator and mounted the unit right above the hydraulic unit on the lift. Easier install and less money than the Bendpak air cylinder kit too.

Figured I'd share a cheap, easy and good solution for those of us that don't have the garage plumbed for air yet. Couldn't be happier with the results.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    38.9 KB · Views: 177
Last edited:
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
S

sublimate

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Messages
776
Location
Colorado
Awesome idea for those without shop air and who don't want to fire up a big compressor everytime they want to lower their lift.

I doubt it matters for this application, but i don't think your water trap filter is going to work in that orientation. You could put the elbow on first and then stand the regulator/trap up in the proper way.
 
OP
T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
Good idea to right angle the trap/reg.

There will be 100 ways to mount/use one of these because they are so small.
I originally was going to put it on a nearby wall and run a section of airbrake line to the lift.
 
C

c39er

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
1,663
Location
Seattle, Washington
How can you have a lift and not need a good air compressor to air wrench with?
A lift is not being used enough if you don't work on cars on it!!!

Air tools saves wear on ratchets and old mans arthritis.
 
Last edited:
OP
T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
C39er,
Garage isn't plumbed for air, so now I don't tie up my portable feeding the small amount of air the lift needs.

Real mechanics don't need compressed air to get it done btw.:rocker:
 
B

BHR4CE1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
952
Location
Long Beach, CA
I use a California Air Tools compressor in my garage, and it handles ALL air duties (including my Bendpak Lift) and is ULTRA quiet!
 
OP
T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
AndrewnTX said:
Good idea! How is it mounted, would need to be sure it doesn't fall onto anything..
Click to expand...
There are unused slotted holes on the power unit mounting bracket and I had a scrap piece of steel maybe 5x15". One of the slotted holes had the air switch mounting bracket on it.
Pulled the rubber feet off the compressor and mounted it to the scrap with 4 bolts and the scrap to the power unit with 2 bolts. It's not going anywhere. Honestly, you could do the same thing with a piece of plywood as there is plenty of room and the thing doesn't weigh a whole lot.
 
Last edited:
C

c39er

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
1,663
Location
Seattle, Washington
A lot of the automotive work I do could be done with air but I still do some of it with hand tools.... making lotsa noise too!
I'm not a mouse in the garage.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
S

Slowbra

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Messages
276
Location
NC
Where did you find it in black? I can only find the silver.

I was going to run air lines up my wall for the lift, but I may just get this for the lift to have a nice clean look in the garage (I.e., no air lines running up a wall).
 
Last edited:
J

jmx

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
4
sublimate said:
Awesome idea for those without shop air and who don't want to fire up a big compressor everytime they want to lower their lift.

I doubt it matters for this application, but i don't think your water trap filter is going to work in that orientation. You could put the elbow on first and then stand the regulator/trap up in the proper way.
Click to expand...

Dear thickhead, have just ordered a Bendpak HD-9ST for our application. I am calling Bendpak in the morning to understand what's the current state of their compressed air bottle. My installer's reaction was negative, though he understands that there has been a re-design, which I'll check tomorrow. Being a novice in all things lift and even more so in compressed air, I'd like to ask you a favor on three requests:

1) How is the unit holding up?
2) Would you mind taking a few pictures of your install of this with a flash, so I can try to figure out the install?
3) Did you end up changing the water trap filter as recommended in the post I've quoted?

I am attracted to your solution and the compressed air bottle mostly because they make the lift a stand-alone operation not dependent on other tool configurations.

Thanks much!
 
OP
T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
jmx,
Replied to your pm.

The unit is holding up just fine with zero modifications.
I wish Bendpak would just include one with each lift.
 
J

J Persons

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
640
Location
Louisiana
How much air pressure is required to operate the locks? Just wondering if I should turn it down a little from the 120PSI line pressure.
 
J

jmx

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
4
thickhead said:
20psi if I remember right.
Click to expand...
Spoke with a technical support at Bendpak in detail about the locks. They require a consistent 30psi to get the lift down. With smaller compressors, I understood the gentleman to say that they'd need to be able to support 90psi at initiation to have enough air in the tank to get the lift down.

Here's what else I learned about their compressed air bottle product - you have to have enough height available to get the lift almost to the top height to get reliable air for the release. The other issue that they've seen is leaks in the valve that connects to the locks.

Net for me is that thickhead's solution is elegant solution if your use case is to have the lift be a stand-alone operation and/or you don't have air plumbed today.
 
J

James E

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
16,507
Location
Raleigh, NC
The air bottle is a simple and clever idea that fails in application. Mine leaks down overnight in spite of the fact that I have (on more than one occasion) completely disassembled it and re-sealed it, and all of the valves attached to it. It's the single aspect of the lift that has left me dissatisfied. It's such a simple idea, too, that it bothers me that they haven't been able to perfect it in several years.

I finally added an air valve so that if the lift spends the night at the top of its travel, I can add air later to lower the lift. Usually, when I'm working, even if the bottle is empty,if the lift isn't at the top of its travel, I can raise it a couple feet and produce enough air to then lower it. It is correct that the piston doesn't produce measurable air pressure until the lift is at least two thirds of the way up. Once it's there, however, the piston produces much more than is necessary.

The miniature compressor is a good idea, but it seems to me that for the price of the little compressor, you could just buy a cheap compressor and tank, then have a more versatile source of compressed air that you could use for filling tires and such.

You can't really use that little compressor for anything else besides airbrushing.
 
Last edited:
4

404

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
3,463
Location
Mass
James E said:
You can't really use that little compressor for anything else besides airbrushing.
Click to expand...

Now I know from reading your posts that you are a smart man, so this must have just escaped your memory. Can use it to inflate frogs and toads before the shellac spray. And puffer fish and alligator/crocodile like pests too! Makes a more impressive display for the tourists.

You do know that these items can be use as drums, right? :rocker:

Have you seen the crocodile/alligator weather vanes? Some good money to be made there.:beer:
 
OP
T

thickhead

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Messages
817
Location
Connecticut
James E said:
You can't really use that little compressor for anything else besides airbrushing.
Click to expand...

Hope I don't sound like an ***, but on the flip side of this statement.....the Bendpak air bottle cost quite a bit more and can barely be used for its sole intended purpose. Maybe think of the little compressor as a cheaper air bottle that works?
 
J

jmx

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
4
If my use case was to have one air system for every type of situation, I completely agree with those that keep going to air tools as the core requirement. However, that's not my use case as the idea is that the lift be a stand-alone operation. I've already an investment in tools that do not require air that I'd have to decide to replace before I can make sense of the business case.
 
J

James E

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
16,507
Location
Raleigh, NC
thickhead said:
Hope I don't sound like an ***, but on the flip side of this statement.....the Bendpak air bottle cost quite a bit more and can barely be used for its sole intended purpose. Maybe think of the little compressor as a cheaper air bottle that works?
Click to expand...

Oh, I agree completely. The air bottle would have been worth the money to me if it had worked as advertised but it hasn't. It is, in fact, a more expensive alternative to the OP's solution and I still wind up sometimes having to add air to it from my compressor. On the other hand, the OP's solution is more complicated than the air bottle and requires plugging in every time he intends to use it.

Also, and this didn't occur to me yesterday, can that compressor be mounted vertically (like the OP did) long term? I have a very small and similar Badger air compressor that I use for air brushing and the instructions said not to run it unless it's sitting on its feet with the compressor piston in a vertical position. I assume there is some sort of oil lubrication inside it that might not work adequately in another orientation.

Anywhoo, I'm really not trying to pick holes in this idea. If it works, it works--and it's certainly a novel concept. My only real point here is that small, tanked air compressors routinely go on sale for $79-$129 and having one of those would seem to me to be just as good at releasing the safety locks and then useful for other things around the garage as well.

As for inflating toads and lizards, I'll just have to try that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom