tdkkart
Well-known member
Ordered my lift on Monday from http://www.derekweaver.com/rodders-garage/4-post-lifts/pro-park-9-plus-certified/, there were a couple items(transmission jack and oil drain bucket)on backorder so shipment was delayed a couple days with my permission so that my entire order could be shipped together. Arrived at the dock the following Monday.
Against my nature I hired a local installer, but in the end I'm glad I did. He picked up the lift at the shipping company on his trailer. These things are HEAVY. The shipping company's fork lift would not pick up the package, which was only the lift, the other items were packaged separately. They ended up partially disassembling the package to get it on the trailer. He said he'd never had this happen when picking up a 9000lb lift.
Lift, installer and helper arrived at 8am. This installer does service and installs on all brands of lifts and other auto service equipment in this area and has been in the business for a long time, however it is important to note that he does not do sales, you order from whoever you want, he picks up and installs. He is listed on Bendpak's website as a certified installer, and says he installs 3-4 lifts every week from all the major manufacturers, Bendpak, Rotary, Challenger, Direct etc, although he had never installed the PP9+. They arrived with all the equipment he needed to install the lift. Hoist on the truck, dollies and blocking to help move the ramps etc around, set up a table to lay out all their tools, laser levels etc. They came well prepared.
The install went very well and quickly. All the parts were there, and he noted that he had spent some time the night before looking over the manual since he had not installed this model before, so they were able to move right along. He did mention that the manual was much better than most.
4-1/2 hours later the lift was installed, leveled, tested and they were packed and ready to go.
So what do I think?? I think I'm thrilled. I've wanted a lift for a LONG time. Now I have one, and it's great. Did the first oil change on it this morning, and will be starting on a clutch change in my '96 F150 tomorrow.
What do I think of the PP9+??
Maybe it's better said by the reaction of the installer and his helper. Remember, he does not sell any lifts, only installs and services, so he sees them all and can rattle off the features he likes and doesn't like on all of them. He said you definitely get what you pay for when you buy a lift, and he said some of them are pretty scary.
From the time they started unloading the lift they were commenting about how they liked the various parts and comparing to other brands.
Some items they mentioned:
Columns are thicker/heavier/sturdier than most, and cables are inside the columns rather than outside.
Front and rear crossbeams are heavy "I" beams rather than square tube that most are.
Adjustable lock ladders, which he noted as very important in his opinion. These allow the lift to be leveled while it's on the locks/stops as well as when it's on the cables. This allows you set the vehicle down level on the safety stops rather than hanging on the cables while working. Non-adjustable stops on a sloped floor are a real issue.
Good quality hydraulic unit. I forget the name on it, but he said they have alot less problems with these than others.
Safety lock linkages on the front and rear cross members are all concealed under covers rather than out in the open where they often get damaged.
The lock actuator rod on this one is one piece while others are 2 or more pieces with threaded couplers joining the pieces. The threaded connections often come loose keeping you from unlocking the locks.
Heavier cables than some. He noted that while he rarely sees broken or damaged cables, heavier cables do not need as many adjustments as they stretch less than the smaller ones, which is especially a problem on 4 post lifts since all the cables are different lengths and all stretch differently.
Something was said about the cables/cylinder and keeping them from twisting, but I didn't catch it all and keeping forgetting to look.
Sliding blocks in the columns larger and better material than he sees in alot of lifts. Said he sees alot of problems with worn blocks on some lifts.
Numerous times he mentioned that he thought the PP9 was a very good value for the money compared to others.
So, I feel pretty good about my purchase, and have no doubts I made a good choice.
I'm also glad I hired the installer. Could I have done it myself?? Yes, most definitely, I would rate the difficulty of the assembly at about a a 5 for and experienced garage dweller, and if you have plenty of able bodied friends to do the heavy work there's no reason you can't do this yourself. But sitting back and watching someone do it was kinda nice for a change.
First oil change:
For the people who doubted Direct Lift's were certified:
Against my nature I hired a local installer, but in the end I'm glad I did. He picked up the lift at the shipping company on his trailer. These things are HEAVY. The shipping company's fork lift would not pick up the package, which was only the lift, the other items were packaged separately. They ended up partially disassembling the package to get it on the trailer. He said he'd never had this happen when picking up a 9000lb lift.
Lift, installer and helper arrived at 8am. This installer does service and installs on all brands of lifts and other auto service equipment in this area and has been in the business for a long time, however it is important to note that he does not do sales, you order from whoever you want, he picks up and installs. He is listed on Bendpak's website as a certified installer, and says he installs 3-4 lifts every week from all the major manufacturers, Bendpak, Rotary, Challenger, Direct etc, although he had never installed the PP9+. They arrived with all the equipment he needed to install the lift. Hoist on the truck, dollies and blocking to help move the ramps etc around, set up a table to lay out all their tools, laser levels etc. They came well prepared.
The install went very well and quickly. All the parts were there, and he noted that he had spent some time the night before looking over the manual since he had not installed this model before, so they were able to move right along. He did mention that the manual was much better than most.
4-1/2 hours later the lift was installed, leveled, tested and they were packed and ready to go.
So what do I think?? I think I'm thrilled. I've wanted a lift for a LONG time. Now I have one, and it's great. Did the first oil change on it this morning, and will be starting on a clutch change in my '96 F150 tomorrow.
What do I think of the PP9+??
Maybe it's better said by the reaction of the installer and his helper. Remember, he does not sell any lifts, only installs and services, so he sees them all and can rattle off the features he likes and doesn't like on all of them. He said you definitely get what you pay for when you buy a lift, and he said some of them are pretty scary.
From the time they started unloading the lift they were commenting about how they liked the various parts and comparing to other brands.
Some items they mentioned:
Columns are thicker/heavier/sturdier than most, and cables are inside the columns rather than outside.
Front and rear crossbeams are heavy "I" beams rather than square tube that most are.
Adjustable lock ladders, which he noted as very important in his opinion. These allow the lift to be leveled while it's on the locks/stops as well as when it's on the cables. This allows you set the vehicle down level on the safety stops rather than hanging on the cables while working. Non-adjustable stops on a sloped floor are a real issue.
Good quality hydraulic unit. I forget the name on it, but he said they have alot less problems with these than others.
Safety lock linkages on the front and rear cross members are all concealed under covers rather than out in the open where they often get damaged.
The lock actuator rod on this one is one piece while others are 2 or more pieces with threaded couplers joining the pieces. The threaded connections often come loose keeping you from unlocking the locks.
Heavier cables than some. He noted that while he rarely sees broken or damaged cables, heavier cables do not need as many adjustments as they stretch less than the smaller ones, which is especially a problem on 4 post lifts since all the cables are different lengths and all stretch differently.
Something was said about the cables/cylinder and keeping them from twisting, but I didn't catch it all and keeping forgetting to look.
Sliding blocks in the columns larger and better material than he sees in alot of lifts. Said he sees alot of problems with worn blocks on some lifts.
Numerous times he mentioned that he thought the PP9 was a very good value for the money compared to others.
So, I feel pretty good about my purchase, and have no doubts I made a good choice.
I'm also glad I hired the installer. Could I have done it myself?? Yes, most definitely, I would rate the difficulty of the assembly at about a a 5 for and experienced garage dweller, and if you have plenty of able bodied friends to do the heavy work there's no reason you can't do this yourself. But sitting back and watching someone do it was kinda nice for a change.
First oil change:
For the people who doubted Direct Lift's were certified:
