Bendpak HD-9 purchase: the good, the bad and the ugly of it all

Ok guys, many of you were a big help to me so I want to do my part and give back by giving my personal story on this HD-9 adventure.


Major complaint/problem: Power runway end beam windows were not positioned correctly. Minor complaint would be the instructions could be better. First I'll start with the assembly, then the transportation of it. Ok, here goes:

End of the power runway that had the single pulley's did not go all the way down onto end beam so holes did not line up to even put the bolts in. Also due to this, the single pulleys would not turn as the window openings were not aligned properly causing them to bind up. A "BFH" straightened out the end of the runway which helped but a grinder was also needed to remove two humps in the top of the end beam where the runway sits on. Looks like it swelled up from the welding process. Once these "repairs" were done, the runway sat down properly allowing the pulley's to turn freely.

Now for the worst part. The other end of the power runway with the double pulleys was so far out of alignment that before even putting the runway into place, the pulleys would not turn more than 2 inches! This is something that should have been very evident when those pulleys were installed by Bend Pak. It was however left go for the customer to deal with. The fix was to grind about 1/8 inch of metal from the window opening so the pulleys could turn. This only solved part of the problem. Once the runway was set into place on the end beam, those window openings did not align and were off by more than 3/16" as well as the bolt holes being way off. Using the "BGH" again and grinding ALOT of metal out of the window slots was needed to fix this. Needless to say, I was not happy having to do any of this. Poor quality control for sure. Maybe this is where the made in China part comes into play???

Next, the non power side runway needed to have a hole on each side drilled out as well. The holes were off by about 1/8" not allowing the bolt to go through.

Lastly, I feel the instructions could have been better. Some things were just too vague for a first time installer. And the tool list in the manual, I could add about 20 more tools to that list!!!

Now that this 2 day hellish assembly nightmare is over, I am pleased with the way it operates and the overall feel of it. It's rugged and I feel it is safe. As long as the cylinder, pump and motor are of good quality, it should last for a long time. (knock on wood)

As for putting it together in 4-5 hours? Wasn't happening for me. I did work mainly alone so that didn't help the speed process but this was a JOB! Day one I worked on it from 10:30AM to 6 PM. Day 2, I worked from about 10 AM until I finally raised the lift under it's own power at about 4:30 PM. I still want to fine tune the locks/cables but that' today's job.


Now for the "getting the lift home" part! Just about everything that could have gone wrong did! First, I ordered this from Northern tool and specifically asked if it could be shipped with Conway trucking as there is a terminal less than 2 miles from me. They said SURE, no problem! Because of this, I requested it be shipped to that location. Well, there sure was a problem. A few days later, Bend pak sends me an e-mail letting me know the lift was shipped by Yellow trucking! Uh oh! BIG RED FLAG TIME!

First thing I did was go to Conway trucking and explain the situtation. Thinking they wouldn't be too happy about having a competitor dropping something off at their place for me, I checked with them and they were more than happy to help me. (so they said!) EVen offered to allow me to unpack it on the dock to load it into 2 pickup trucks and also offered to help load
it if needed. Took my phone number and asked if it was ok for them to sign for it. (which I agreed to)

A few days later, Conway trucking calls me telling me that there is a truck here with the lift and they cannot accept it! WHAT??? I even got the manager on the phone and he said they would not accept it for liability reasons. Afraid I'd sue if it got damaged. Bull! They just realized they weren't going to get any $$$'s out of the deal. I offered to sign a paper or
similar to release them of any responsiblity but they outright refused.

Conway is the biggest part of the problem here. If they would not have acted like they would help me, I could have made other arrangments ahead of time. I should go find the jerk I spoke to in person that day and have a serious "discussion" with him!

So now I have a trucker waiting for me to somehow get this damn thing off of his truck! (and he's not waiting much longer!) I frantically get on the phone to find a rollback to go winch it off and bring it to my house. HA! Try getting one of them to help you in a hurry. The first one said he was busy working on a car and couldn't do it. (note, he's 5 minutes away from this place and only 2 miles to deliver it) I then try location #2 which is also 5 minutes away. He says there are 2 other tow jobs he promised that he still had to do so wouldn't help me. Location #3: This persons garage is also only 5 minutes away from the trucker also but unfortunetly, he was out on a call and couldn't get back for an hour! I should also point out that I had gotten estimates from location #1 and #2 so both of them knew I might be needing help with this project soon.

That was it, I was out of options. I called the trucker back and told him to take it back to his dock in Allentown, Pa which is 55 miles from me and I'd figure a way to come get it the next day.

Next day was a scramble to find a rental truck. Thought I'd rent a 16' cube van (moving van) but when I called the trucking company, they said it would not work as they are not "loading dock height". Being almost 14' long, they could not pick this up from and end to set it in a truck, it had to be slid in. So my last remaining option was to find a "dock height" truck.

I finally did. Bad thing is it was 24' not including the front of the truck! (a 2006 Chevy 6500 series) LOL I never drove a big truck like this but kept my optimism and looked upon it as a "road trip adventure". (It was fun and I didn't even put a scratch on it!) lol

It ended up costing me just over $200 dollars to get this lift home with rental cost and refilling the Mamoth beast! It got 7 miles to the gallon! Cost me $58 dollars in gas to go 121 miles!

Looking back now, the road trip was a blast but the overall experience was 3 days of torture. I'm so sore and stiff right now I could barely get up this morning.

Would I do all this again. NO! Not that I should ever have to but if I ever did need another lift, next time I would look into having it delivered and installed!

Would I recommend a Bend Pak? Yes. Just be prepared to do some "work" not mentioned in the book!

In closing, I'd like to thank all that offered me advice and the owners of this forum for giving guys like us a place to help each other.

If anyone reading this in the future has any questions, I'll be happy to do my best to answer them.


Ok, here's some pics: (click links for larger pics)



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4898.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4903.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4909.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4915.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4916.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4919.jpg



http://www.348-409.com/lift/100_4921.jpg

When i assembled my HD-9ST a few years ago, everything fit perfect.No grinding or modifing.

Hey bobs4092,

Thanks for sharing.

Question: how high is the ceiling above your finished floor? It looks like a pretty tight fit.

I would contact Jeff Kritzer - VP of Sales and Marketing at Bendpak and let him know about the problems you encountered with the lift. He seems like a good guy and would be more than interested in any issues with his products.

Mordi

tony vlx

Your bend pak was likely American built if you bought it a few years ago. But--not now...

And guys, for those of you that say you don't care if its built in china...really ???... you should rethink that. Our country will not be the same if we all continue on this path......

Look at dog food, toys, etc.. do you really think they care at all about how a car lift is built ???

I bought my life a little over a year ago, and every part of it fit like a custom fitted glove. It didn't take me more than 5 hours from start to finish. I did have one issue getting the large nut onto the cylinder, but that was resolved quickly once I got a good impact wrench. I will agree that the instructions do leave something to be desired, but overall, they were good enough to know how to put the lift together. Sorry to hear that you had to do some grinding, drilling, and fitting. If you need to do any paint touch up, I found that the Ford engine blue is just about as good a match as you could find.

Jaguar Fan: Ceiling is 9 ft above garage door and goes up to 13.5 ft at the peak. I had my blue truck all the way up with room to spare. When we built this garage, we sized it so it could fit my largest vehicle on the lift. Looks like we got it right.

32roadster: I fully agree. We are on a downward slide for sure. I try not to think about it too much as it hurts my brain. I cannot find anything marked China on this lift. That's not to say it's not from there, they just aren't openly sharing that info. (or on their website) It does seem like good quality though and all welds look perfect to me.

Junkman: God must have been sitting there helping you get this together in 5 hours. LOL Mine came with the nut already on the cylinder so there was no need to remove it. Mine also came with a spray can of Bend pak blue for touch ups. It didn't however come with the rubber insulator that goes behind the motor! Had to improvise and slip in some rubber strips of my own.


I was over at the Bend pak website yesterday and looked at the testimonials & reviews section. LOL First, only fully positive comments were posted but I did get a kick out of the one guy saying he put his together in 2 hours! I don't think so pal, not on your best day!

Well, tomorrow I change oil on 4 of my cars so I'll put it to the test.


Bob

Congratulations on the purchase and install.

I too just bought a 4 post lift, the Rotary Revolution XLT model.

I think that the hardest part of dealing with these things is actually getting the lift delivered. Truckers only want to deal with commercial deliveries. I wanted to work everything out before I placed the order, and finally worked something out at work to have it delivered there, and then trucked it from there to my house.

Did you find that you had to touch up a few places, due to scratches from transport?

I also think that the time they give to assemble the lifts is overly optimistic, unless one rushes to get it done. I'd much rather take my time and get it right the first time.

Sorry about your problem with the ramps not properly lining up with the yolks. The clearances there are close, and it doesn't take much for there to be a problem there.

Enjoy the lift!

Ray

Mine wasn't really scratched. A few scuffs but they didn't even go down to the metal. Guess I was lucky in that anyway.

Sure, it would be nice to buy American all the time but some of y'all act like American made means BEST QUALITY. Not even close! There is a reason the American consumer buys foreign products. It's not just the country it was made in but also the QUALITY of the product and the VALUE they get for their dollar.

Perfect example is the US Auto Industry. Absolutely horrible quality. And guess who gets the blame. The worker. That's not true either. Mercedes, Toyota, etc, ALL have plants here in the US. So.....are you buying American made? Technically yes but that is NOT an American product.

So then where does quality (reputation) start? With the management and the actual company putting forth the product. There is a reason companies like Greg Smith (selling American owned, Chinese made lifts) are still in business selling after almost 30 years.

Do your due diligence and research on the lift BEFORE you buy and you will quickly see that there are 3 different consumers that buy lifts and the lift companies know that and target accordingly.

1. Those that ONLY buy US made no matter what.
2. Those that buy whatever is the cheapest regardless of quality.
3. Those that research the product and if it happens to be assembled in China, so be it as long as it is a good product with the quality to go along and a company that will stand behind the product and not be gone in the months after the purchase.

Which one are you?

I bought a greg smith lift. I live 5 miles from a greg smith store, so I just rented a trailer from Sunbelt ($42 for 4 hours), took about 1 hour to unload the lift using an engine hoist.

Then 4 hours to assemble (slow mostly due to poor instructions) I mostly did the work myself, with help from the wife during the two man tasks.

I could probably unload and assemble the same lift in one hour, if I had 3 guys to help me.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, my lift went together easily, just took a while to figure the instructions out.

LVDell said:

Do your due diligence and research on the lift BEFORE you buy and you will quickly see that there are 3 different consumers that buy lifts and the lift companies know that and target accordingly.

1. Those that ONLY buy US made no matter what.
2. Those that buy whatever is the cheapest regardless of quality.
3. Those that research the product and if it happens to be assembled in China, so be it as long as it is a good product with the quality to go along and a company that will stand behind the product and not be gone in the months after the purchase.

Which one are you?

Click to expand...

I would hazard a guess that #1 is around 15%, #2 is around 55-60% with #3 making up the difference in both lifts and other tools/purchases.

bobs4092 - Sorry to hear of your issues just getting the thing delivered. When I ordered mine, I was told that it would be delivered on a flat bed and that it wouldn't be leaving CA until the flatbed was filled with orders (which really only took about a day or two to complete). I also had not specified a carrier and only specified a shipping address (my buddy's warehouse). He signed for it and was later able to lift it from one end, with extended forks, and actually drove the forklift outside of their building and placed the load on my rented trailer out in the parking lot. BTW, I too had found that typical warehouses only want to load onto a dock height truck.

Sorry to hear of things not aligning as they should. Mine fit together like a glove. I didn't drill or grind a single thing. The directions were okay but I mostly used the one page that had a drawing of how everything goes together. Also, my cables were not marked clearly enough to see the A, B, C, D markings but I could read the lengths on each tag just fine so that's what we went by. As far as assembly goes, it took four of us working together about 3-4 hours for everything. We were taking our time though and even took a lunch break in there. I'm sure I could put it together again in half that time. Anyway, the time to build it didn't bother me as it was a learning experience and this is just something that you don't want to rush anyway.

Do call BendPak and let them know of the issues you encountered. I've never heard of others having to grind anything before. Call them and give them the opportunity to address this with you.

Did you get the 220 pump? Also, did you get the casters or are you going to permanently mount it? I'm not sure what I'm doing to mine yet. I haven't moved it since I installed it and am actually able to leave the ramps on too. I'm just going to modify my roof trusses to get a little more room for the "greenhouse" portion of my cars, as I just need about another 2' to max out the lift height anyway (my ceilings are 10').

About 10 years ago I bought a two post lift from Autolifters. I understand that they are out of business but some employees bought the company and they continue to produce lifts. The phone purchase was a pleasure and I was informed of everything up front. A truck arrived with the lift and I unloaded it with my Bobcat and its pallet forks. Everything was perfect on the lift and it even included a can of touch up paint. I have used it for 10 or so years without doing anything but routine lubrication. Autolifters was an American company that made their lifts here in America. They were put out of business by cheap import lifts. True, mine cost a little more than the imports cost today, but it has been worth every cent.

Hey guys,

I contacted Bend Pak through their website a few days ago just to let them know of the defects I found with mine so they could check any others they have going out and I got a call today from them.

They offered me one of their sliding jacks for $500 for my inconvenience but since I'm only a hobbiest and $500 is a bit too much to spend in my life right now, I declined their offer so they are sending me a free floor jack instead. That sure is nice of them!

I certainly didn't expect such a generous gesture. They obviously care about their customers.

BTW, the lift is working GREAT! I did 5 oil changes on it already!


Bob

Bob,

Glad to hear that all is OK and sorry for not writing sooner.

I hope you like the floor jack. We’re purposely sending you the aluminum racing jack. Should be easier to get off the truck.

We do care about customer service and look at situations like this as an opportunity to shine.

Sorry about the holes not lining up. Many BP owners have not experienced this problem as their lifts did not have the added support straps welded to their cross tubes. The straps are 1/4" thick and added to the top and bottom of the cross tubes for added strength. Our engineers obviously miscalculated the differences resulting in the miscues.

The straps although not necessary for structural safety, were added to reduce “bowing” under full load. Our HD-9 series lift is now being sold as an alignment lift overseas (model HD-9A) and is equipped with turn plates and rear slip plates. It is crucial to exceed normal material yield parameters on alignment lifts due their application. Runways and cross tubes must remain as close to perfect level as possible under full load.

Good to hear that you’re using the lift and enjoying it. I’m sure you’ll be the envy of your neighborhood.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Jeff Kritzer
SR. VP.
BendPak Inc.

Dayum, all those manufacturing related problems with that Bendpak...No way would I get underneath that thing and trust it.
Bendpak must have had to cut their entire QC department due to Backyard Buddy eating away at their market share.

I would have called Bendpak and had them pick up that ****.

Thank you Jeff! I appreciate the reply.

I'm loving this lift and believe me, everyone that drives by IS looking in!

Being able to work on my own 7 antiques alot easier is awesome but in addition, I am able to help out my family with their cars too. I changed my daughters oil yesterday saving her money already. (Dad's labor is free)

I used to say my welder was my favorite tool but I have to change that now to my 4 post lift!

To anyone that can afford to buy one and has the room, I strongly recommend getting one ASAP. I only wish I could have gotten one many years ago. The quality of your work (restorations in my case) will greatly improve.

Oh yeh, don't let my nightmarish story throw you off, I have naturally bad luck and probably got the one and only that had the defects. LOL


Ovilla: just noticed your question. I did go with the 220 pump. Won't be getting the casters as my garage was built specifically for this lift to go in one spot. I may move it about 6 inches to one side yet but then, that's where it will stay. I wasn't sure about bolting it down but so far, it feels just fine unbolted. I have radiant tubes in the floor so may just leave it as is. (remember my luck? I'd for sure hit a tube if I tried!)

I've already built one jack platform for the front that will slide in the inner tracks and will be making another for the rear. Once I add 4 small jacks, I'll be all set for almost any job I need to do. I could have bought these but I like fabricating my own things when I can.


If I can be of any help to anyone buying one of these, just give me a shout!



Bob

Bob - You're going to find a million uses for your lift. I've already had friends use it to check out rattles and look for leaks. One buddy was able to fix his exhaust without having to take it in to the shop. My neighbor wants to park his John Deer tractor on it so he can sharpen the blades without going through the hassel of having to remove the whole cutting assembly (actually a great idea). I've only had mine about a month now and am up to about a dozen oil changes and two brake jobs so far. Also, I agree, I wish I would have got it years ago.

To everyone researching lifts right now. I researched lifts for a couple of years and was absolutely obsessed with getting the right one. I was ready to purchase and decided to check them ALL out again to see what was new. Remember there are advancements in everything all the time (heck, even lawn mowers are getting more advanced each year). I ended up changing my mind and going with a BendPak HD-9-B. To me it's simply the biggest bang for the buck when you consider that you're getting a certified lift with redundant safety locks (which is hard to argue with) and from a company that's got a long history in the lift business.

Guys, isn't it interesting that we never hear from any other company on these boards except for BendPak? I bet they all know by now that there's all of these folks in one central spot totally confused about which product to buy. If I had a company and knew that I had a group of folks simply needing more info on my products, I would take time to make sure I checked out the site at least once a week. I know I'm a Bendpak fan so I may be biased but what I'm relating to here is simply facts. Has anyone ever heard from any other company representative on this board?

I'm number 3. BUT, before CHINA, these lifts where too expensive for hobby guys to afford. If you have one and are complaining you are talkin' out of both sides: you want made in America but don't want to pay the high labour costs, benefits, etc. You want cheap but think it should be made to exact tolerances by people making $2.00 an hour!! It Can't be both ways... America is running downhill due to company owners wanting to get rich, buyers wanting it cheaper and everyone not wanting to think about it "because it hurts their brains".

Not sure if you had read my post from several years ago, but I did a write up on the Bend Pak HD-9's I bought too.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636&highlight=bend+pak

For a few reasons I was never able to install the 2nd lift right away, but eventually did in December 2006. I posted about that one on a car forum.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22425.0.html

The 1st one has been up since February of 2005 & has never given me any trouble. Installing it was slow going, but relatively trouble free. The 2nd one went much faster, but I encountered a snag with the cables & where they route inside the cross support. I'll ressurrect my thread & add to it so others can read it.

I like my lifts & would recommend them as well.

Old Moparz said:

Not sure if you had read my post from several years ago, but I did a write up on the Bend Pak HD-9's I bought too.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636&highlight=bend+pak

For a few reasons I was never able to install the 2nd lift right away, but eventually did in December 2006. I posted about that one on a car forum.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22425.0.html

The 1st one has been up since February of 2005 & has never given me any trouble. Installing it was slow going, but relatively trouble free. The 2nd one went much faster, but I encountered a snag with the cables & where they route inside the cross support. I'll ressurrect my thread & add to it so others can read it.

I like my lifts & would recommend them as well.

Click to expand...

Pics look great... nice open garage. I can see you have a lot of use for those types of lifts.

Did BendPak replace your cables? Or did you have to purchase them...

I have never had a lift and have always made repairs the hard way. I am considering a 4-post lift for the following reasons:

1. Storage of two Mustangs
2. Restoration of one of the Mustang.
3.. Service of personal SUV's and Pick-up.
4. The ceiling is only 10' high.

Based on your experience, would a Bend-Pak HD-9 be a good solution? I am looking for a good, safe, reliable lift that will not see daily use, but last 25 years. I had done some research awhile ago and had planned to purchase the Bend PaK unit last December, but unfortunately decided to wait for spring. At the time the base lift was $2400, and now the going price seems to be $2800. Evidently this is related to the increased cost of steel, but my wife is not sypathetic.

Finally, it would seem practical to have the ability to lift the vehicle off the ramps for brake, suspension work, etc. The Bend Pak rolling jacks seem to run about $1280 each. Greg Smith Lifts offer a similar jack for approximately $500, but they have not confirmed compatibility with the Bend Pak. Does anyone else have a cost effective solution for this?

Thanks....................

Number one -as per my post above - I'm still going for a Bendpak, but the HD9-XTW (xtra tall & wide). It's going to hold your stangs and SUV and pickup, it's going to LAST (it's a commercial grade, not a 'hobby' grade lift) and (IMHO) $2800 spreead over the time you'll have it is very little for a lot of gain.
As for the Rolling Jacks - yes they are EXPENSIVE....why not just get the Jack Tray (x-member) and then just use a bottle jack/jack stands? You could even get an air-bottle jack for easy lifting, no pumping for a couple hun.

Old Moparz said:

Not sure if you had read my post from several years ago, but I did a write up on the Bend Pak HD-9's I bought too.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636&highlight=bend+pak

For a few reasons I was never able to install the 2nd lift right away, but eventually did in December 2006. I posted about that one on a car forum.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22425.0.html

The 1st one has been up since February of 2005 & has never given me any trouble. Installing it was slow going, but relatively trouble free. The 2nd one went much faster, but I encountered a snag with the cables & where they route inside the cross support. I'll ressurrect my thread & add to it so others can read it.

I like my lifts & would recommend them as well.

Click to expand...

revlover said:

Pics look great... nice open garage. I can see you have a lot of use for those types of lifts.

Did BendPak replace your cables? Or did you have to purchase them...

Click to expand...

I ran into the same problem, and at first, the tech at Bend Pak had no idea as to why I was having a problem. He then talked with another tech, and it was that tech that had also had a customer run into the same problem. The problem is caused when the inside bolt that holds the runway to the cross beam gets over the top of the cable. I have since advised people that ask me about installing the Bend Pak lifts that they shouldn't install the runway bolts until they have tension on the cables. Once there is tension on the cables, you can install the bolts without any interference. In my case, the Bend Pak representative (tech) sent me a replacement cable. I am very particular about examining the cables on a regular basis. If I were to find even one strand in a cable that had broken, I would immediately replace the cable Even though Bend Pak has never address the lubrication of the cables, I have sprayed all my cables with CRC Chain & Wire Rope Dry Lubricant. It will put a protective coating on the cable that will protect it from rusting, and it also lubricates the cables internally, so they will last longer. I buy it one can at a time from Graingers. I see it as cheap insurance.

potatohill said:

I have never had a lift and have always made repairs the hard way. I am considering a 4-post lift for the following reasons:

1. Storage of two Mustangs
2. Restoration of one of the Mustang.
3.. Service of personal SUV's and Pick-up.
4. The ceiling is only 10' high.

Based on your experience, would a Bend-Pak HD-9 be a good solution? I am looking for a good, safe, reliable lift that will not see daily use, but last 25 years. I had done some research awhile ago and had planned to purchase the Bend PaK unit last December, but unfortunately decided to wait for spring. At the time the base lift was $2400, and now the going price seems to be $2800. Evidently this is related to the increased cost of steel, but my wife is not sypathetic.

Finally, it would seem practical to have the ability to lift the vehicle off the ramps for brake, suspension work, etc. The Bend Pak rolling jacks seem to run about $1280 each. Greg Smith Lifts offer a similar jack for approximately $500, but they have not confirmed compatibility with the Bend Pak. Does anyone else have a cost effective solution for this?

Thanks....................

Click to expand...

I now have the Bend Pak rolling jack RJ-45 and love it. I didn't love the price, so prior to ordering the Bend Pak rolling jack, I had ordered a Greg Smith Direct Lift Pro Jack 4500. I had ordered the air hydraulic unit for $795, and when I attempted to install it on my lift, it didn't fit. I also considered modifying it, but couldn't see how I could get it to work properly with the Bend Pak. Now that I have the Bend Pak, I realize that I would have had to totally remake the mounting system to accomplish this. I don't think that it would be worth the hassle to save the difference. It would be like trying to make a Ford fender fit a Chevrolet. You might be able to do it, but would it be worth the effort?????
I will caution you that you should remove the lift pads when you are not using the lift. Last week, in my haste to get ready for Carlisle, I drove my car onto the lift, and it wasn't centered properly. When the tire came in contact with the sharp corner of the lifting pad, it was sliced open like cutting a tomato. It isn't the fault of the lift, and I accept full responsibility. Now, I will remember to remove the lifting pads and pull the lifting arms in fully when I am finished using the rolling jack.

Junkman said:

I now have the Bend Pak rolling jack RJ-45 and love it. I didn't love the price, so prior to ordering the Bend Pak rolling jack, I had ordered a Greg Smith Direct Lift Pro Jack 4500. I had ordered the air hydraulic unit for $795, and when I attempted to install it on my lift, it didn't fit. I also considered modifying it, but couldn't see how I could get it to work properly with the Bend Pak. Now that I have the Bend Pak, I realize that I would have had to totally remake the mounting system to accomplish this. I don't think that it would be worth the hassle to save the difference. It would be like trying to make a Ford fender fit a Chevrolet. You might be able to do it, but would it be worth the effort?????
I will caution you that you should remove the lift pads when you are not using the lift. Last week, in my haste to get ready for Carlisle, I drove my car onto the lift, and it wasn't centered properly. When the tire came in contact with the sharp corner of the lifting pad, it was sliced open like cutting a tomato. It isn't the fault of the lift, and I accept full responsibility. Now, I will remember to remove the lifting pads and pull the lifting arms in fully when I am finished using the rolling jack.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback and sorry to hear about the tire. Re-making the mounting system also involves taking some "risk" as the vehicle is still supported "above". Like many things, the cheapest solution is not always the best. I am convinced to get a lift, now I need to warm-up to the accessories.

Based on the information that you and others have shared, I think I can unload the shipment at home with the use of my Dad's backhoe. I should be able to slide it most of the way out, reposition the straps to the middle of the load and place it in front of the garage. If not, I can go the car trailer route.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

e-tek said:

Number one -as per my post above - I'm still going for a Bendpak, but the HD9-XTW (xtra tall & wide). It's going to hold your stangs and SUV and pickup, it's going to LAST (it's a commercial grade, not a 'hobby' grade lift) and (IMHO) $2800 spreead over the time you'll have it is very little for a lot of gain.
As for the Rolling Jacks - yes they are EXPENSIVE....why not just get the Jack Tray (x-member) and then just use a bottle jack/jack stands? You could even get an air-bottle jack for easy lifting, no pumping for a couple hun.

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Thanks for the thoughts on BendPak. After reading some other threads I checked out AlphaOmegaeq.com and their pricing is a little more favorable. I am still thinking about the jack options. Your suggestion would certainly work. As with anything, including car projects, it is hard not to have "scope creep".

Love the Galaxie! It shouldn't be long before the 390 will be roaring to life as summer arrives.

I have the BendPak HD-9-B with the RJ-45 rolling air jack and let me just say that the rolling air jack may be a bit expensive but it makes the the whole process of working on your cars so enjoyable. I just finished putting in new rotors and pads on the rear of my Honda Odessey (about an hour ago) and using the RJ-45 was downright enjoyable. I had the van on the lift and then on the air jack in less than 5 minutes. The nice thing about the RJ-45 is that it also has a built in mechanical lock so there's no need to then place jack stands under the car. Simply jack up the car and lower it onto whichever mechanical lock you need to give you the clearance you need. To lower your car, you then raise the air jack high enough to allow you to move the mechanical locking lever to one side as you lower the air jack all the way down.

Anyway, I'm sure a bottle jack would work just as well, but like anything else, once you start using air tools/equipment (and a car lift), it's hard to go back to doing things the manual way. Plus, this way you save all of your strength for all the rusted out bolts you still have to loosen. Tonight, all four screws that hold the rotors on were frozen and had to be drilled out (Lucky me!).

Just a quick note for everyone still pondering a four post lift purchase. One thing I told my wife (and which convinced her that we NEEDED a lift) was simply taking the car in for a couple of things here and there and saving the receipts, which you can then show her later on (as you say that you could have gotten the parts cheaper and then done it yourself on your own lift). Wives do freak out about the inital big dollar purchases but if you can show them how you'll be saving money in the long run, then they'll come around.

Seriously, if you have 2-3 cars (or more) that routinely need brake jobs, oil changes, and ****** service, you could easily justify getting a lift. Heck with the fees that dealers charge, a lift would easily pay for itself in a year or two. Also, once you do get it, make sure you use it to do work on her folks car. That'll seal it too.

My wife has yet to complain about my BendPak. Just the other day she was talking to her brother on the phone, who was coming up to visit us, and I heard her telling him not to worry since we had an AutoZone nearby and that he could get his oil and filter there so that I could change his oil.

I would have loved to get the jack but couldn't justify the cost. Now if that price was for a pair, I'd have to reconsider.

Using a pair of those jacks to lift all 4 wheels would be really cool.

I've decided to fabricate 2 jacking plates and possibly use bottle jacks or scissor jacks with mine.


As for the lift, being the type that does all my own work short of inspections and alignments, not having to do exhaust, shocks & oil changes laying on the ground anymore is justification enough for me. Best thing I EVER bought! (but I still love my welder too )

I even bought a transmission jack but haven't used it yet. R & R'ing a transmission should be a joy now.


Bob

anyone have contact email info/# for Jeff Kritzer @ bend Pak. thanks

tigbencher said:

anyone have contact email info/# for Jeff Kritzer @ bend Pak. thanks

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Actually just go back to page one and send a PM to the post by JSK..he does answer his messages. Or try [email protected]