Owners feedback of Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 + 8. Also additional safety features.

Hello everyone.

I've searched all over these boards and other forums as well as manufacturer / distributor web sites and have spent dozends of hours researching 4 post automotive hoists.

I am from Toronto, Ontario , Canada. I have visited a few distributors show rooms and seen brand new lifts, unfortunatly never under load with an actual vehicle on them. I am a hobby welder with 8+ years experience and I understand good quality over poor quality weld as well as good and bad structual design, I have also worked as a mechanic under commercial / industrial hoists but am not willing to spend $5,000 for one. My first and foremost concern is my safety, followed by structual rigidity and quality.

I am looking to purchase a 4 post hoist for my garage, mainly for the added parking space as well as to do some service work on my vehicles now and then. I have a single car garage.

For some time now - my decision was to buy an "open channel" 4 post hoist as opposed to the square tube with collar type. Unfortunatly I am swayed by scare tactics, not to choose one type of hoist over another, rather scarred to buy ANY hoist at all as I almost never feel comfortable being under anything heavier than myself. Please no jokes about former girlfriends

I was going to purchase either a Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 or the Direct-Lift Pro Park 8 (some added levelling adjustability and secondary built in "locking" features with the 8 model). I was planning on adding some of my own safety features to whatever 4 post lift I buy. I want to share them with all of you so that you can adapt them to your own hoists (or future hoists) to add some additional safety to it.

My additional safety features are:-

1. to add a hydralic flow restrictor to the cylinder / ram. In case of hydralic failure / hose failure (bursting), this $2.50 piece (available at local hydralic shops) will greatly slow down the decent of the hoist as well as give you some reaction time to engage the "locks". Without this restrictor, if the hydralic pressure was to drop to zero, the hoist would plummit straight down and you would NOT have time to react to engage the "locks". IF you somehow were able to engage the locks, they would most likely fail by shearing off the welded on "lock stops" or tear holes on the post of the tube + collar design post style hoists.

2. to add between the cylinder and the restrictor valve I would also install a shut off valve (much like a tap on your sink). This would add a second "off valve" to the hoist other than just relying on the "dump valve/ button" on the hydralic pump motor resevoir assembly. Yes it means when the hoist is up you need to reach under the runner and manually move the lever to "off" and "on", but I definatly think it's worth the 4 seconds extra time it takes to do so.

3. I plan to use the casters to move the hoist back and forth in my single car garage (and possibly outside as well) and will NOT be bolting down the unit to the concrete floor. So to add additional stability - I am going to add some angle bar stock to the bottom of the posts. These will be adjustable and will not impede the hoists movement up or down.

4. I will be welding up some wheel chalks that will go infront + behind each wheel to prevent vehicle rolling. They will have some "sure grip" type coating on them for added frictional resistance and will also have a "tie in" feature that will link the two sections of the wheel chalks together.

5. I will be making a special "collar" around the cross beams at the "locking mechanism locks" to prevent the locks from moving side to side [they are only inteded to move up and down on a pivot bolt]

6. I will add in stronger springs to the locks (or put some in if they don't already have them) to help them 'engage" in case of hydralic failure while lowering the hoist.

7. I will also use additional structual steel tubing (antena style where one fits inside another with locking pins, like some jack stand have) and prop them up under the 4 corners of the cross beams. In case the whole lift catastrophically fails, these will still hold the hoist up while working under it.

8. There are probably a couple more features I will add to the hoist once I've had some experience with a residential model.

9. I have considered for a long time now - to design and make my own 4 post hoist. If I do this - I will share my design with you all and make the plans available for scrutinization as well as for anyone who would like to build their own hoist. Raw materials may be a hinderence for this purpose. (I weld and have a plasma torch, so this is not beyond me or others like me)

I will photoshop up some photos to illustrate these features later on when I have some extra time and post them up here. Perhaps I will create a new thread just for the added features. What do you guys think about me creating a new thread?

I am looking to hear from some owners of these 2 hoists, both the good and the bad of owning these units (Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 + Direct-Lift Pro Park 8).

If you have either of these, I would like to know the following:-

1. Do the posts bend, bow, sag, or do anything other than stay straight?
2. Do the runways bend, bow, sag, twist, or do anything other than remain solid?
3. Have you experienced any problems with the locking features?
4. Anything you would like to add


My appologies for the long read/post. I am someone who likes to be thorough and likes to put forth an effort.

My Thanks in advace to all your replies.


Cobie.

Sounds like you are trying to reinvent the wheel. I have a Bend-Pak HD9, and it is a hydraulic over cable unit. When I put the car up on the lift, I then let it down on the safety's before working under the car. This way, the hydraulics or cables can fail, but there is no catastrophic failure. Also to be considered, is if you start making modifications to any lift, you will void the warranty, and if there is a catastrophic failure, you will have no recourse against the manufacturer. I think that the Bend-Pak HD9 is a superior product, and would have no problem recommending it to anyone. My only regret with my lift is that it is a bit short for my 20+ foot long car. Buy the best that you can afford, and enjoy it, not modify it. The wheel chock idea is a good one, but I don't know how much you would use it. Most times, the car is going to be either in park, or the emergency parking brake engaged.

I have no intentions of re-inventing the wheel, only to make the wheel last longer and be safer (no blowouts at freeway speeds type thing ). The additions / modifications that I suggested were for safety reasons and extra precautions for when the lift is in motion (either going up or comming down). When you diss-engage the safety locks to lower the hoist - there is nothing but the hydralics and cables holding up the ramps and vehicle. If a cable snaps it could cause one of the corners to drop a foot or so - more than enough to shift the load (car on the ramps) and cause a larger headache than just the broken cable. Worse would happen if the hydralic hose burst, or the dump valve failed, or the cylinder broke off its mount, or the end of the ram where the cables go into the 4point block snaps off. All those events equals the whole thing comming down in a fraction of a second with no time to manually engage the locks. As I stated before, if by chance you did manage to engage the locks, the momentum and enertia would easily shear them off = no locks = disaster. I weigh 220lbs - if I jump up, my enertia now has a force equal to 500-700lbs. A 3,600lbs car + 800lbs of partial hoist can easily generate a force equal to something approximating 21,000lbs, which just so happens to be the amount of force when those locks fail under load testing.

I had no intentions of working under a car that solely relied on the hydralics/cables for support. Those locks are a bare minimum must.

I don't care much for warranty if Im dead. When those columns and ramps do bend and get out of whack - do those companies give you a new hoist or replace those components for free? I think they will come up with excuses saying that it was the operator overloading the hoist. Plus the items/modifications I would make would be things that all manufacturers should be putting onto their hoists now. I only know of one manufacturer that uses braided line ontop of hydralic line. A hydralic valve and restrictor valve should not void waranty. The angle bars bolted to the base plates is the same as bolting the base plates to the ground. Im simply creating a frame on the floor.

I would consider anything less than the modifications I propose to enhance the safety of the hoists as negligence on the part of the manufacturer/distributor. If you buy an impact gun and it explodes sending shrapnel bits into your face causing blindness, scarring, etc... and the manufacturer did not engeneer that particular impact gun well enough to prevent that tragedy - in a court of law, that company can be found negligent causing bodily harm and probably have to pay out a hefty settlement, as well as have their stocks plumit and most likely go out of business. Personally I'd rather have both my eyes working than have one eye and a $3 Million dollar settlement / court award. So if these manufacturers take the cheap way out - then I would have to say that they are negligent in manufacturing their products. I think it should be LAW that all hoists and lifting equipment must have certain minimum safety components and redundancies. There are building codes, electrical codes, emmission controlls on vehicles, safety requirements of all road going vehicles, CSA, American Safety Standards, etc... and there should be a minimal hoist building code/safety requirement - otherwise the hoist is illegal. Just my opinion. If I can come up with those improvements - then Im sure their engineers can come up with much better ones and implement them.

The parking pawl's fail on automatic trannys if enough momentum is used, and a corner dropping due to a snapped cable might be enough force to knock the pawl into the next slot or skip them all together and keep rolling. [ FYI:- a parking pawl is a part inside automatic trannys that is supposed to keep the car in park on mostly level ground. If that car is hit by another car - the parking pawl will dissengage - if the car is in motion (say anything above 5kms / 3Mph) the parking pawl will not engage. just try putting yer car in park when its moving slowly and you'll see what I mean] Emergency brakes applied are a must. But what happens if you have the rear jacked and the back wheels are off? Standard transmissions rely on the parking break and one of the gears as added friction towards rolling resistance.

Im just very safety concious, probably too much, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I am currently rethinking the whole "open channel" post type hoist. Im now leaning towards the tube post type with collar (but Im not overly fond of those manufactureres or the rest of those hoist designs - I only like the tube type post part) OR a very thick guage open column design. I may just wait it out, save up a few more bux and go commercial.

I am still looking to hear from owners or the Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 or 8.

Thanks.

I didn't read your whole post but after skimming though and capturing the essence of what you wrote, I thought I should point something out to you.

The hydraulics and cables do nothing except lift the car UP or DOWN, obviously while you are not under the car. They DO NOT hold the car in position while you work on it. That is the job of the safety dogs.

Also, I believe that all safety dogs default in the engaged position. The only way you can disengage them, is to manually pull a lever and hold it. As soon as you let go, the dogs engage.

79rallysport said:

I didn't read your whole post but after skimming though and capturing the essence of what you wrote, I thought I should point something out to you.

The hydraulics and cables do nothing except lift the car UP or DOWN, obviously while you are not under the car. They DO NOT hold the car in position while you work on it. That is the job of the safety dogs.

Also, I believe that all safety dogs default in the engaged position. The only way you can disengage them, is to manually pull a lever and hold it. As soon as you let go, the dogs engage.

Click to expand...

Thanks - but I already know all of that - and then some.

I want to hear if anyones experienced any probs with residential lifts, like, do the lock dogs not fulley engage, ever have a lock dog slip out, ever have acable snap, or a hose burst, etc...

Personally, if I had to do that much to a lift before I considered it safe, I'd be looking at other manufacturers. I'm not familiar with Direct-Lift, but browsing their website I notice absolutely no information about testing, certification (other than ISO 9001 - which really has nothing to do with safety), or anything along those lines. No ANSI testing, no ALI certification, nothing... So, again, I'd be looking at other manufacturers... Just my $0.02.

PAToyota said:

Personally, if I had to do that much to a lift before I considered it safe, I'd be looking at other manufacturers. I'm not familiar with Direct-Lift, but browsing their website I notice absolutely no information about testing, certification (other than ISO 9001 - which really has nothing to do with safety), or anything along those lines. No ANSI testing, no ALI certification, nothing... So, again, I'd be looking at other manufacturers... Just my $0.02.

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I have looked at every manufacturer I could find, and NO ONE makes a super redundant safe hoist and no one but intelligent safety concious minded ppl would buy one (10% of the population), and would place their hoists in the higher end of the spectrum price wise - making it not too competative for cheap shoppers with the Wal Mart mentality.

I dont think Ive come across yet, a residential lift that IS certified. Being its intended use is with civilians/hobiests/etc.. no one puts a lot of effort or money to have their hoist certified, that only seems to be reserved for the commercial market/ professionsl market.

It's only about an extra 15 mins to install those extra added features I talked about, and since Id be assembling the hoist from the crate, its not an issue.

The locks are all automatic. There is no "reaction time" They lock unless you unlock and hold them unlocked. This is standard for any good lift 2 or 4 post.
Bend Pac is certified. The chances of a lift failing and falling quickly is remote to unheard of with a well maintained unit. If someone does not use or feel the need for all the added items you require they are not bottom feeders on price or build. The 150 lifts I amin charge of at work do not have any of the added items like super strong springs or in line valves and they run all day every day without fail.
The fail safes in modern lifts are there because they are all that is needed to make a safe system. Simple systems that have passed the test of time.
Sometimes things have unintended results. The in line valve could itself cause a line or pump seal failure from your forgetting to release it. The added springs could cause wear on the release system, cause one to not release and jam and over load a component.
The rams have restriction built into them. Adding more might cause the user to get so frustrated with a 120 second loaded and 400 second empty drop that they cheat the locks and down valve so they can do somethign else while the lift is dropping. An empty lift is slow as it is.
"intelligent safety concious minded ppl" Have set the standards and tuned them over many years. Finda lift that you like that conforms to them and use it some. I bet you end up feeling comfortable with it.

I might guess that the best thing to do is purchase a good quality com rated unit and feel safe in knowing that you will put a commercial shop days worth of use on it every 3 months or so.

I am not one to leave things alone and remake almost every thing to fit my needs. The lift is stock so far.

I get the feeling that other hobbies beckon.

I have the Pro Park 9, which has a redundant safety latch at each corner. A spring loaded secondary dog reacts to any loss of tension in the cable (from a broken cable, a corner that is not lowering at the same speed, or a sudden loss of hyd pressure as the cables would go slack. I looked at almost every lift out there, and was very pleased with this lift. At a 9000lb rating and the quality of the welds, and safety devices, I am very happy with this unit.

Vicegrip said:

The locks are all automatic. There is no "reaction time" They lock unless you unlock and hold them unlocked. This is standard for any good lift 2 or 4 post.
Bend Pac is certified. The chances of a lift failing and falling quickly is remote to unheard of with a well maintained unit. If someone does not use or feel the need for all the added items you require they are not bottom feeders on price or build. The 150 lifts I amin charge of at work do not have any of the added items like super strong springs or in line valves and they run all day every day without fail.
The fail safes in modern lifts are there because they are all that is needed to make a safe system. Simple systems that have passed the test of time.
Sometimes things have unintended results. The in line valve could itself cause a line or pump seal failure from your forgetting to release it. The added springs could cause wear on the release system, cause one to not release and jam and over load a component.
The rams have restriction built into them. Adding more might cause the user to get so frustrated with a 120 second loaded and 400 second empty drop that they cheat the locks and down valve so they can do somethign else while the lift is dropping. An empty lift is slow as it is.
"intelligent safety concious minded ppl" Have set the standards and tuned them over many years. Finda lift that you like that conforms to them and use it some. I bet you end up feeling comfortable with it.

I might guess that the best thing to do is purchase a good quality com rated unit and feel safe in knowing that you will put a commercial shop days worth of use on it every 3 months or so.

I am not one to leave things alone and remake almost every thing to fit my needs. The lift is stock so far.

I get the feeling that other hobbies beckon.

Click to expand...

I want everyone to fully understand that I *DO* know exactly how hoists work. I am merely trying to offer up some added safety ideas and primarily looking to hear from owners of the Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 + 8 hoists.

I KNOW that the locks automatically engage. I know that the only time they dissengage is when the operator diss-engages them to lower the hoist (if you carefully read my posting youd know this). This is exactly when the hoist is vulnerable to dissaster, when its being lowered.

ANY hoist can fall and fall fast due to malfunctions or mechanical failure, or breakage. This is where extra safety devices should be in place.

No where did I even suggest that ppl who do not add extra safety devices are bottom feeders, so please do not put things in my mouth, or imply that I meant anything other than what Ive stated.

The 150 lifts you are incharge of are no doubt commercial lifts and not residential units, correct? Therefore due to their superior strength, quality, etc... they do not require extra safety things because they simply are built way better. To knock down the price for the average home user, much of the strength/thickness of steel needs to be reduced (steel is pricey), use 1 ram instead of 2 or 4 rams, do not use rotary shafts, etc... Flimsy thin walled steel hoist should have extra safety features to compensate for the weak structure.

Simple systems have NOT passed the test of time. When a commercial hoist gets bumped by a car from underneath, they are far more resilliant to tipping over or having a post shift (mainly because they are firmly bolted to the ground), etc... If you bump a residential hoist post, it will knock the lock dog out and that corner will drop, causing the load (car) to shift and lead to a big mess. So those lock dogs are not all that great. The contact point on most dogs are only 1/2 inch, if the floor is not level, expect less contact. Working on a car from underneath and lightly rocking the car (could be using a rolling jack, hammering off a stuck on brake drum, etc..) and that COULD be enough to shake the hoist enough to have a lock dog slip out and cause disaster. Then thats operator fault and manufacturer liability insurance would not cover that, plus your most likely to be under that hoist when performing maintenence/work on the car.

The hydralic valve would have ZERO affect on the hoist. If it were accidentally left on, no fluid would move and the hoist would not move, promting you to open the valve. The ram ***** in fluid to lower the lift, not the other way around. Yes, in raising the hoist the valve would need to be open, wel just put a sign next to the pump switch saying "CHECK TO MAKE SURE VALVE IS OPEN" if your a forgetfull person. If you are a forgetfull person, then the vavle is the least of your worries.

Direct lift Pro Park 7 + 8 already come from the factory with a braided hydralic hose, restrictor valve, and on the 8 model come with secondary engaging safety locks, and adjustable locking ladder to compensate for uneven floors as STANDARD features. The secondary locks engage only if the cables snap or if they loose tention, which triggers the secondary locks to engage. They are the only company Ive seen with extra safety features put there by the manufacturer. I just worry about the columns flexing, bending due to weight and the runways sagging under the wieght of any vehicle.

There is NOTHING wrong with having secondary/extra safety devices on a hoist.

Your car has perfectly working brakes (pads, calipers, hoses, vacum diaphram, brake lines, hydralic fluid, linkages, etc..) and yet it still has a secondary extray safety device known as a parking brake/ emergency brake. Well if every vehicle has properly maintained primary braking devices, why would it need a secondary safety braking device? Because accidents and mechanical failures happen, that's why. So to I belive, car hoists should have.

I hate to say this, but there are loads of stupid ppl in the world. The type that would work on the floor under a car with only a hydralic jack holding it up are the same type of idiots who could cause a severe accident with a hoist (perhps by not cycling the hoist after its been moved to help ensure alignment, not checking to see if the lock dogs are properly engaged before working under it/parking a car under it, list goes on). There are warning labels on hair dryers and electrical devices warning of shock/death/to keep away from water, and there are warning labels in hoist manuals to. But some one always magages to find a way to get hurt, leaving manufacturers open to liability and law suit.

ViceGrip - I whole heartedly hope that I would feel safe under a residential hoist after some experience with one. Again, it,s why Im asking to hear others experience with hoists. Restaling fee's of distributors is a henderence to just "trying one out", I dont have 400-500 bux to play around with, not to mention transporting back and forth the hoist.

RCHG said:

I dont think Ive come across yet, a residential lift that IS certified. Being its intended use is with civilians/hobiests/etc.. no one puts a lot of effort or money to have their hoist certified, that only seems to be reserved for the commercial market/ professionsl market.

Click to expand...

Personally, as you seem to agree, I don't trust the "residential" lift market because it isn't certified. By the time you have added all your safety features in it is better to just step up to the "real thing" and get a certified lift in the first place.

icnsltmfg said:

I have the Pro Park 9, which has a redundant safety latch at each corner. A spring loaded secondary dog reacts to any loss of tension in the cable (from a broken cable, a corner that is not lowering at the same speed, or a sudden loss of hyd pressure as the cables would go slack. I looked at almost every lift out there, and was very pleased with this lift. At a 9000lb rating and the quality of the welds, and safety devices, I am very happy with this unit.

Click to expand...

Thank you, you are the first person to supply me with some information that I have been looking for.

How long have you had your hoist for?

Have you ever withnessed any sagging of the runways (not the drive up approach ramps) with a vehicle on it? I am assuming that your runways are the same guage thickness as the Pro Park 8. Do you know if they are the same thickness?

Also, have you ever witnessed your post columns "bowing" under the wieght of a vehicle when the hoist is at or near full lift?

I've just heard horror stories (even by sales ppl) of open channel post columns bowing, spreading open, lock dogs popping out under load, etc..
Can anyone confirm this?

I know the Pro Park 9 has the ladder locks so this would not happen. Im curious if it happens on the Pro Park 7 lift.

Thank you.

PAToyota said:

Personally, as you seem to agree, I don't trust the "residential" lift market because it isn't certified. By the time you have added all your safety features in it is better to just step up to the "real thing" and get a certified lift in the first place.

Click to expand...

Yea - it looks like I will be stepping up to a certified/commercial lift if I get one at all.

I dont REALLY need one, but would like to have one, so I cannot justify a higher price hoist to myself. If the price was right (to me) and the hoist was safe, certified, strong - I would order one in a heartbeat. Im looking to keep total cost (taxes + shipping incl) to under $3,000 Canadian or about $2,500 US Funds.

The Pro Park hoist(s) seem to best fit this criteria of mine. But I am FULLEY open to ideas, suggestions, anything that I may have missed.

From what I've seen, you should be able to find something in that price range that is certified.

RCHG said:

Thank you, you are the first person to supply me with some information that I have been looking for.

How long have you had your hoist for?

Have you ever withnessed any sagging of the runways (not the drive up approach ramps) with a vehicle on it? I am assuming that your runways are the same guage thickness as the Pro Park 8. Do you know if they are the same thickness?

Also, have you ever witnessed your post columns "bowing" under the wieght of a vehicle when the hoist is at or near full lift?

I've just heard horror stories (even by sales ppl) of open channel post columns bowing, spreading open, lock dogs popping out under load, etc..
Can anyone confirm this?

I know the Pro Park 9 has the ladder locks so this would not happen. Im curious if it happens on the Pro Park 7 lift.

Thank you.

Click to expand...

I purchased the lift about 2 months ago after 6 months of research.

The ProPark 9 and I beleive the 8 has 5 gauge (5mm) steel runways, and are built very strong. I have not seen ANY flex on the runways.

The columns are 3/16" plate steel pressed into a Triple bend channel. The lock ladders are 1/4 inch steel, and the primary dog engages more than 1/2".

Take a look at the Greg Smith site and it gives you great pictures and specs of each lift and safety feature.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=TPPRO-PARK8

I was a bit skeptical until I saw a few of my friends lifts that were very light weight, moved a bit even with a car on it, and had all of the dog's, rods, and other things exposed, where the ProPark has all of the safety and rods covered / hidden. Even with the lift fully raised without a car on it, it does not shake or move if you tried to rock it. When I first assembled the unit, had not finished adjusting the safety locks / rods, and one corner did not disengage fully while on the way down. the runways dipped slightly and caused all of the cables to sag, and the safety locks snapped against the lock ladder and would have engaged the next opening if it continued to drop. I would not look at the 7 as it is the low end hobby type design like many of the others and I was not please with it. I also ordered the the 4500 lb 2 arm jack that rides between the rails of the lift. It rides on small steel rollers, and it moves to effortlessly, I can't wait to do my first break job.

BTW, I called Pro-Park directly regarding a few questions (I wanted to add a hyd quick connect on the side of the runway when the unit is not in use) and the engineer (in the US) who helped design and wrote the install / operating manual was overly helpful.
Adam

I have a pro park 8: it appears that the safety cable locks do not engauge to the lock ladder. Does any one else see this problem

Have you heard of the direct lift slack cable safety lock not catching in the lock ladder?

I recently (about 3 weeks ago) got my ProPark 8s and I am very happy with it. Now to answer a couple of questions that have come up.

1. The ProPark series has safety devices as suggested by r cole.

2. To r cole, the safety latches do not engage at all times, only when slack occurs in the cable. Does this work? Yes, I can say for a fact that if there is slack in the cable the safety latch does engage. How do I know this? In the assembly process I routed the cables on the wrong side of the safety pulley. The lift would go up, but would not come down, because the slack in the cables forced the safety latches into the engaged position. It appears to me that the system is very efficient and functional. Once I got the cable routed properly, the lift works just as it should.

3. The ProPark series lifts have a flow reducer to reduce the bleed off in case of a hydraulic line breaking.

I am very satisfied and convinced that my lift is safe.

I just installed my Pro Park 8 Plus and must say it is a well built machine. I think I made the right choice in lifts. It was easy to assemble and it don't budge. Greg Smith equipment gave me a great deal. If you are looking for a lift this is great all around.

I have a direct lift from Greg Smith and I'm happy with it. The only thing I would improve is the casters.

Other then that, I like it. I also have the 2 hydraulic jacks.



Cheers
Engelbert

I have had my Pro-park 8s for about 2 months now and love it. I pulled the trans and swapped a flywheel in less than a weekends time (working off/on). I love it. Only think I need to do is raise my ceiling and do what Rothaus did with his opener and I'll then be able to open the door with the car fully in the air.

The Alchemist said:

I have had my Pro-park 8s for about 2 months now and love it. I pulled the trans and swapped a flywheel in less than a weekends time (working off/on). I love it. Only think I need to do is raise my ceiling and do what Rothaus did with his opener and I'll then be able to open the door with the car fully in the air.

Click to expand...

How high is your ceiling? I have a 10.5 foot ceiling and wondering how well a lift would work.

Currently, as in the picture, my ceiling is only 9.5" tall. If I removed the opener, I could stand up and work on the car. As of now, I simply sit on a rolling stool. Fortunately, there is only attic space above the garage, so I plan to vault the ceiling and angle my opener like Rothhaus did. Then I'll be able to put the car in the air, open the door and then park my daily driver under it.


With a 10.5 foot ceiling you should be fine.

FYI - was just doing some research on lifts, and all the Direct-Lift 4 post models are now certified.

As noted on the Direct-Lift site - http://www.adgforward.com/directlift/4-post-lifts.htm

As noted on the Automotive Lift Institute's site (listed by model - look for the models starting with PP, listed by manufacture - look under Rotary) - http://www.ali-directory.org/ALI/AL...er?OpenView&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=7.1#7.1

I just installed the Pro Park8 and PP8+ in my garage. They are well built and mine have the ALI Certification sticker. With the flow restrictors and ladder locks, I feel pretty safe while underneath the lifts. The ceiling height where the 8s is located is between 10'6" to 11' and provides enough height for two cars.

Well, I finally got my ceiling raised and just need to spackle and paint.

viccin said:

Hey everyone!
I stumbled across this web site www.1stchoicegarage.com and they apparently have the Direct Lift Pro Park 8 & 9 and they are all certified by Ali www.autolift.org Check this web site out to see who ALi is. It is the only residential lift that is certified by Ali. Hope this will easy some concern on some of you home owners & hobbyist.

Viccin
Toronto

Click to expand...

Bend Pak has been selling ALI certified lifts for the hobbiest for many years.

I wonder how old RCGH is doing with his lift?... he hasn't been on the site for 10 months...

The Alchemist said:

Well, I finally got my ceiling raised and just need to spackle and paint.

Click to expand...

I think I asked you this before in pm but can't remember. Did you have your lift ship to your house and did you installed it yourself. I'm still trying to decide on this or the bendpak. I think I would want some to install but not sure who can do it in central Pa. And cost? Any more feedback on yours?

Thanks
Charlie

“DIRECT LIFT’S” A “Certified Nightmare” so far!
I read postings on how good they were supposed to be, so I bought one recently (4 post pro pack 9 plus) and had hidden damage from shipping which gouged and scraped it all up (on the bottom where the main runway is) and Greg Smith equipment so far has advised that when it leaves their store, its mine and not their responsibility (even tho I paid for them to ship it, they choose the shipping, and they haven’t answered the question of if they check the bottom of the 2500 package at their warehouse before it leaves), They first advised me for two weeks that they were filing a claim with the shipping company and waiting for a response, only to then tell me that it was my problem to file a claim. There are stickers on the box to call immediately if you see damage, but if you cant see it unless you unpack it...............?? But I did call them immediately at the loading dock and advised it had some scratches i could see (not real bad where i COULD see) and advised there was a loose bolt that had fallen out of the packaging.........Greg Smith Equipment assured me to unpack it and if there was a problem to contact them! When I finally got it all unpacked and flipped the runway over it was scraped and gouged from one end to the other with mild dents.
So after two weeks of doing the foot work of getting prices for powder coating, or a suitable textured paint (like the tech recommended), and waiting for a response, I get an email from Greg Smith Equipment saying to call and file it myself and now give the shipping co. a price of replacing the runner (I refused the touch up spray paint since it wouldn’t hold up and you would need many, many cans)
Then I find that the wheels have holes too small for the bolts and you have to spend hours re-drilling out the oblong holes, and the bolts have to be put in just right so as not to bind up the wheels. Then the control motor/unit can only be put on one end (not two like they say) the safety release lever is hit by the ramp (if you choose the end with the ramps) and you have to cut/notch out the ramp to be able to use the safety lever to lower your car, and/or not risk the ramp weight moving it for you if you reverse the configuration. It also looks like it will have to be anchored, seems it is way too wobbly to feel safe by putting 6 or 7 thousand pds above my head. Especially by designers who cant get the bolts and holes right, or safety catch clearance, and seem to know about it but dont care!?
Greg Smith equipment advises that the manufacturer is aware of the problems but havent fixed it yet, I wrote the manufacturer and they wouldn’t reply!!! Why would you sell something you have to modify but not tell anyone or fix????
So after 2 weeks and now having to start over, I call again due to my being a bit irritated at this point, to only get to speak with Greg Smith himself (which at first I thought was kind of an honor) who was irritated by me sending an email to his staff indicating that many of my friends looking to buy lifts were disappointed, concerned and wouldn’t buy one unless all the issues were resolved on it. He perceived it as that I was spreading rumors and he was not so professional as he told me to call back and they would hold my hand as I filled out the claim forms………? He also advised for me to just pack it up and ship it back…………(Let me just unbolt it all and find a bog box) I wont go into the rest of it, but it wasn’t a professional response like I thought it would be. I went back and reread my emails I sent to see if I had sent something vulgar or out right rude threatening some sort of massive attack on his company but didn’t find the issue, nor did others.
More icing on the cake, is when I went to use the pro jack 4500, the jack wouldn’t pump up, fortunately the tech at Greg Smith sent me a replacement (have yet to try it).
Anyone buying a "Direct Lift" might want to ask some questions or beware, wish I had gone another route!
I have pictures (and some interesting emails) if anyone needs them to see what they may be getting into! Or feel free to stop by my shop with my nice restored car is sitting on the gouged and scraped up new lift! A few mods and parts and it seems to work fine now, just don’t look at it in the light! Good thing we car guys can modify and make things work!

My name is Greg Smith and I am the owner of Greg Smith Equipment Sales.
Mr. Jeff Gaddie recently bought a Direct Lift ProPark 9 Plus from our company.
Mr. Gaddie has reported that there was freight damage to his lift and Greg Smith Equipment has made every effort to help Mr. Gaddie resolve this unfortunate situation. I spoke to Mr. Gaddie yesterday and he told me that unless we resolved this situation to his satisfaction, he would start "bad mouthing" our company and the Direct Lift product. He listed his numerous credentials as a contributing writer to many magazines and that his influence and expert knowledge in the "car field" would prevent us from selling many of our Direct Lift products. I offered to take the lift back and give him a full refund. We have sold over 50,000 four post Direct Lifts in the last 10 years to 49,999 satisfied customers.
The lift is certified.
The observations and comments made by Mr. Gaddie in his post are not correct. The power unit can be mounted on a column positioned at the left front or the right rear of the lift. I have never had a customer complain about the bolt holes for the wheels. You do not need to cut or notch any metal to assemble the Direct Lift ProPark 9 Plus. The lift does not need to be anchored. The lift is third party certified...enough said. There is a pictorial assembly guide on the Greg Smith web site. www.gslift.com
Mr. Gaddie has posted other derogatory comments on related web sites.
As the owner of this company, I am disappointed that all of our efforts to resolve the freight damage to Mr. Gaddie's lift have not resulted in positive solution. Our company explains thoroughly on our web site about our freight policy. We are still working hard to resolve Mr. Gaddie's freight issues.
We have many emails that confirm how we tried to help Mr. Gaddie with the freight damage claim and also emails that contain Mr. Gaddie’s veiled threats that if this situation is not resolved, he will start the “bad mouthing”. When we offered to send Mr. Gaddie the factory paint (authentic ROTARY paint) to fix the scratches.....he told us that was not good enough and wanted us to pay $250 for special paint and $200 for his labor to "touch up" his lift. We then told Mr. Gaddie that we would ship him a new runway (freight prepaid). That proposed resolution was also not acceptable.
Greg Smith and his company have tried to resolve this freight damage issue in a professional manner. I have offered to give Mr. Gaddie a full refund if he was that dissatisfied with his purchase.
However, when Mr. Gaddie starts "blogging" about the shortcomings and faulty workmanship of the Direct Lift ProPark 9, he is inaccurate. Once again, the lift is third party certified. If any the members would like to discuss this issue with me, please free to call. At 60 years old, I still love working 60 hours per week.
Mr. Gaddie, please consider this an open letter to you, so that all the members can view how we respond to our customer’s issues. The ball is now in your court. What do you want us to do to resolve a situation that will certainly escalate unless we discuss this (openly)….like “professional gentlemen”….and come to a mutually satisfactory resolution. Thanks for reading this. Greg

Wow, I had a good laugh out of that post from Greg Smith, and it further gives me insight to his true nature. It really would be funny if not so sad. Ironically, I haven’t lied, and in our phone conversation, and my background is exactly as I told him. When I was getting such a bashing from Mr Smith, I switched on the recorder on my phone, he was not threatened or given any ultimatum, nor did he offer any FULL refund, or ANY new parts with any shipping paid, but we (my friends and I) especially like the part where I advised him I was not starting or threatening any rumors (having multiple friends who were going to buy that are now concerned isnt a rumor) and wasn’t going to go posting it everywhere, to which you in a loud tone of voice state “I don’t care if you put all over the internet that Greg Smith is an A$$hol…” So per your request, there it is!
The only resolution offered to me by email was “Spray paint” and be happy or spray paint and “Greg Smith Equip” would file a claim (have the email). The price given to them for painting and labor of damage were at Greg Smith Equipments request (have that email too)
While the lift is certified for safety on capacity ratings, obviously that doesn’t cover flaws or other problems to make it work.
A full refund sounds good to me Mr Smith, is that a offer finally?? but not at more of my expense…….you can come and get it!!!!
I was offered by Greg Smith for me to send it back to him, ( I believe that’s the part of the recording where he says in such a nice tone “Why don’t you just send it back to us”) he offered no refund, no shipping to do so, and by some posts I found on other sites, I would be stuck with a shipping bill “Again” and no lift or anything! Here are links to some pics (down at end of post) of some of the issues, you can see where I have notched the ramp some (per the tech’s instructions at Greg Smith Equipment) but needs a little more taken out to be safe, and the wheels I didn’t want to take a part again due to the pain of getting them together, but you can maybe see how close the bolts are to the wheel circular disk that spins and how careful you must be so it doesn’t bind up (this was after several hours of re-drilling the oblong holes to make them work with the bolts and such (I guess I could have bought smaller bolts since the tech at Greg Smith Equip advised he has had several complaints on it).

Here is a post on another site where the customer service at Greg Smith Equipment has been a problem, I have found several but these jeep guys are a good one to start with
http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/f11/bad...winches-30251/

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Dear Mr. Gaddie,
We will send our representative to pick up the ProPark 9 Plus during normal business hours the week of November 30th...if that time frame will be satisfactory to Mr. Gaddie...and we can both agree on a day that week which is good for both of us. Would it be more convenient for you to disassemble the lift...or would you want us to do that for you?
We will issue full credit for the lift and the freight costs to ship the lift to Kentucky.
We have been in business for almost 30 years and this is the first time that we have had to perform such a task.
Once again, the lift is ALI/ETL certified. We have sold thousands of these lifts. The lifts are made in a factory owned by the Dover Corporation...parent company of Rotary....and the lift was "freight damaged"...something that Greg Smith Equipment has no control over.
After thirty years of business and several million dollars of equipment sold, we are sure to have a customer or two that are not 100% satisfied. We sell excellent equipment at a very competitive price. We work with all our customers to help resolve issues...but in a few cases....the best solution is to dissolve the business and customer relationship as professionally as possible.
Mr. Gaddie, as evidenced by his negative postings and bashing of the Direct Lift Product and Greg Smith personally, does not want to be a Direct Lift or Greg Smith customer. Hopefully, by the first week of December, we will be able to accommodate him.

You know this all could have been a simple solution, I have only posted the truth (be it negative or otherwise) and have all pictures, data, etc…. to support my statements, at no time did I demand money for the wheel issue, or ramp hitting the safety lever, I simply contacted the salesman and spoke to the tech at Greg Smith Equipment who acknowledge the problems and that they had been advising the manufacturer but they had not been corrected yet, and the solution to notch the ramp was the tech’s idea. I even contacted the manufacturer to advise that there were a few issues to be corrected (as I was not blaming Greg Smith Equipment for Direct Lift's problems) but they did not respond. It wasn’t until Greg Smith denied they existed that they became an issue.
If Mr Smith had been professional when speaking to me and simply stated that his Rep had been wrong in misleading me for weeks that she had filed a claim, and was waiting for a response, and wrong to have me get figures together to fix the damage, for her to submit on the claim, and that a simple “touch up” wasn’t going to fix the runway (as even the tech agreed), while irritated I would have fully accepted that employee’s sometime make mistakes and filed the claim myself with Greg Smith Equipments help. But despite my attempts to explain that to Mr Smith I only was bashed and treated otherwise. Even when offered proof of the ordeal I was met with disbelief and treated substandard. Maybe it’s a case of Mr Smith not having all the facts from his employee(s) prior to our conversation but the professional thing would be to listen first. As I have told Greg Smith Equipment before, correction of the wheel and ramp issue would be needed for my friends to have considered buying one and I think many others would like to install the lift without having to modify parts. I always thought it was a good thing to advise there is a problem and maybe Greg Smith Equipment would like to address it with the manufacturer.
Anyways, my position has not changed, and as I have stated before, I simply wanted and still want the damage repaired or replaced by whoever is the responsible party, be it the shipping company or whoever. I believe that is not too much to ask for.
Or you can have a rep come and take it apart and take it back, but you will understand that in light of Mr Greg’s previous posts of false statements about our conversation, I would need verification of funds being returned to my account, or a verifiable certified check prior to or at time of pick up.
Personally, since the lift is in and now anchored, it is very sturdy and functioning fairly well. I would say simply for Greg Smith to do the following: Tell the employee to not do that anymore to the customer, tell me that oooops! Sorry! she screwed up and the claim has to be filed by the purchaser, send a estimate of price on recommended repair or replacement of damaged part to the shipping company reference that pro number, and see if they will pay it now that "I" have filed the claim form. And maybe contact the manufacturer and advise them of the issues of the wheels and ramp/lever clearance so as to make sure the consumer has a good experience with the Direct Lift.
Whether I am (or was) a customer of Greg Smith Equipment has been or is determined by Mr Smith’s actions.

Dear Mr. Gaddie,
Thank you for "opening the door" to resolve this situation. Please call me next week at the office to work out the details that will hopefully result in satisfaction for all of us.
Unfortunately, 99% of any issues with our products are the result of freight "damage". We package and protect the products as best we can at the factory and also at our warehouse, but sometimes there is damage. We carry a "big stick" with the freight companies and will work with you to file a claim and to recover that claim. We are successful as long as the damage has been reported to the carrier. (as was the case with your lift)
I am sorry that our representative did not spell out clearly how the process was to be handled, but the freight carrier was notified immediately after you contacted our offices. "The ball was then dropped". That employee is now very well aware of how to handle future freight damage issues.

I have spoken with all the Greg Smith Equipment employees connected to this issue and also the management team at Direct Lift (Rotary). Everyone is aware of this situation (both freight damage and small engineering issues) and would like to resolve all issues as soon as possible. The freight company representative and his boss are also "in the loop".

Thanks,
Greg

Not sure about the “Opening the door” part as perhaps more of a “Pounding on the door that was slammed in my face”.
Regardless, If Greg Smith Equipment will forward the estimate and recommendation to the shipping company, reference the pro number/claim, then when they settle with me I can order the part(s) needed thru Gary (the nice and professional sales rep I originally dealt with).

Like sands through the hour-glass...so are the lifts of our lives....

Wow, I have been looking to purchase this very same lift. I have even spoken to Greg Smith and Direct lift over the phone about it. I was unaware that there are some possible manufacture issues, such as the ramp and release lever clearance. Neither company ever disclosed any possible problems. I will surely ask Direct lift about these issues before I decide to buy one. I will be following this closely before I decide to purchase this lift. You should not have to modify anything you buy. I hope Dover Corp. corrects these issues a.s.a.p. and then posts that the issues are corrected.

I agree! You shouldnt have to modify a NEW item. There are several distributers for the direct lift http://www.directlift.com and maybe someone has the answer. I am still waiting to see what the outcome will be with Greg Smith Equipment.
I sent questions to Direct Lift about the issues yet they didnt respond.

I had the direct lift pro park 7 and it worked very well for me. I used it primarily for storage and never had any problems. The only reason I sold it was I moved and didn't want to tear it down and move it 1300 miles.