10k ALI lift options

[MackMan]

I know this topic gets discussed to death, but I guess we all have a little different needs/expectations, and things do change over time.

I built a new 50x40 about a year and a half ago, but have been waiting to sell a previous off-site garage to finish the new one.. and that's under contract now so starting to look at what I need to finish up. A lift is very high on my list.

I previously had a 9K floorplate Eagle that was fine, but not great, but gave me some things to look for and not when getting a new lift.

I work on everything from my 59 MGA race car, to a crew cab 1500 pickup. I have 2 vehicles around 6,000lb so a 10k seems like reasonable margin of safety and I definitely want ALI certified this time around. I'd really like US made, though that's not an absolute requirement.

So far I've somewhat seriously considered Bendpak, Rotary and Challenger.

My current front runner is the Challenger CL10AV3, US made, ALI, lets me mount the posts much wider than the Rotary

Also in the Challenger's favor is the local dealer has been very responsive and helpful, while I don't have any quotes or response from Rotary yet. Bendpak was responsive, but wouldn't give me a quote on installation until I was ready to move forward, and I've also read a lot of people seem to say Bendpak has gone downhill, though not much detail on that.

So I guess the questions are
1) Any reason to NOT get the Challenger mentioned? Any buyers remorse, or concerns?
2) This lift is $6,900 (not incl tax and installation), the Rotary SP010 is about the same... Are there any other comparable lifts in this price range I should look at? There seem to be a baffling number of brands and models.

 

[zmotorsports]

The Challenger is a good lift. Their Versalift is a symmetrical/asymmetrical configured 2-post lift, which is very similar to the sister lift that I have, the Ammco 2-N-1 10k pound lift. I've had mine for about 14 or so years now and it has been an excellent lift. I have two coworkers that have the Challenger Versalift and they have had no issues either. For my usage working on everything from front wheel drive cars to full-size pickup trucks, I like having the options with the 3-stage telescoping arms.

That being said, I don't think you could go wrong with the Rotary either.

 

[MackMan]

The Challenger is a good lift. Their Versalift is a symmetrical/asymmetrical configured 2-post lift, which is very similar to the sister lift that I have, the Ammco 2-N-1 10k pound lift. I've had mine for about 14 or so years now and it has been an excellent lift. I have two coworkers that have the Challenger Versalift and they have had no issues either. For my usage working on everything from front wheel drive cars to full-size pickup trucks, I like having the options with the 3-stage telescoping arms.

That being said, I don't think you could go wrong with the Rotary either.

Yeah, I know Rotary has a great reputation. Main reason for Challenger preference at the moment is extra drive through width, and communicative dealer

 

[zmotorsports]

Yeah, I know Rotary has a great reputation. Main reason for Challenger preference at the moment is extra drive through width, and communicative dealer

That was one of the things I liked about my Ammco as well was the extra couple of inches of drive through width compared to some others on the market. I also looked closely at the mounting plate size and went with the largest I could find. Some have mounting bases barely larger than the columns dimensions.

Overall rise height is another important factor, especially if you are on the tall side. I'm 6'2" and my son is 6'5" so that was important.

 

[jpaw]

I have the Challenger CL10AV3 and it is great. I really enjoy having the lift controls and safety release on both posts, it makes setting the hoist that much easier. Also with the 3 stage arms it takes a lot of guess work out of getting the vehicle perfectly located on the lift.
As an auto tech I have experience with a lot of different lifts. My first choice was a Rotary but I had a Challenger CL10V3 at work and had grown to really appreciate the 3 stage arms. I came across a good deal on a used Challenger and the rest is history.

 

[MackMan]

I have the Challenger CL10AV3 and it is great. I really enjoy having the lift controls and safety release on both posts, it makes setting the hoist that much easier. Also with the 3 stage arms it takes a lot of guess work out of getting the vehicle perfectly located on the lift.
As an auto tech I have experience with a lot of different lifts. My first choice was a Rotary but I had a Challenger CL10V3 at work and had grown to really appreciate the 3 stage arms. I came across a good deal on a used Challenger and the rest is history.

Are the lift controls on both arms normal, or do you have the pendant controls?

 

[jpaw]

The CL10AV3 has the pendant controls on both sides as the hydraulic unit is mounted high on the post. The CL10V3 has normal controls on one side as do most lifts.
Some of the more inexpensive lifts you have to release the safety on both sides manually rather than one one central location by the controls.

 

[txvwnut]

Have you looked at Mowhawk? They do not list the pricing on their website so you can pretty much bet they are more expensive that the Challenger but they are well built lifts.

 

[zkdiesel]

A rotary spo with 3 stage arms is the best lift

I have 2 spo12 in this config and the cl10v3

The rotary is the best and preferred work on unit

What’s the problem with drive through? I work on mainly trucks and never have an issues with drive through width. Trailer fits through it backwards, as well as class 8 trucks. The smaller footprint with good capability makes the rotary win in my opinion. Mirrors are not an issues with late model Superduty/dodge/gm 1 tons

 

[leadfoot415]

I also second zkdiesel's opinion of a rotary. SPO10 with the 3 stage arms and flip up "adapters" is my choice for general lighter duty auto repair; if you are doing more trucks or full frame vehicles that aren't lowered, the truck adapter model is good, or step up to the spo12.

 

[MackMan]

The CL10AV3 has the pendant controls on both sides as the hydraulic unit is mounted high on the post. The CL10V3 has normal controls on one side as do most lifts.
Some of the more inexpensive lifts you have to release the safety on both sides manually rather than one one central location by the controls.

Well CL10AV3 is what my quote is, but dealer said $640 to add the pendant controls.
Yes, my previous lift had the lock cable on each column which was kind of annoying. Not a huge deal but would be nice.

Have you looked at Mowhawk? They do not list the pricing on their website so you can pretty much bet they are more expensive that the Challenger but they are well built lifts.

Yeah, Mohawk is about twice as expensive.. Quote I got in 2023 was $14,000 not including delivery or installation. I'd love a Mohawk but can't justify that price. The $8k for Challenger is quite a stretch already.

I also second zkdiesel's opinion of a rotary. SPO10 with the 3 stage arms and flip up "adapters" is my choice for general lighter duty auto repair; if you are doing more trucks or full frame vehicles that aren't lowered, the truck adapter model is good, or step up to the spo12.

Rotary has been very high on my list. None of their dealers have gotten back to me though.
It also seems like the SPO10 is a standard symmetric lift? And I thought only had 2 piece rear arms.

 

[ericm]

At a lower price point than the Challenger there's also the Forward I10 and the similar Weaver Wpro10. Both are verisymetric but I think they have two piece rear arms not three.

 

[gizardlizard]

DO NOT skimp on the three stage rear arms if you plan on lifting lots of different vehicles. I did and regret it BIGTIME.

 

[ericm]

DO NOT skimp on the three stage rear arms if you plan on lifting lots of different vehicles. I did and regret it BIGTIME.

Thanks! What specifically about the two stage arms is a problem?

I'm also lift shopping and will be lifting everything from Corvettes and Miatas to 3/4 ton diesel trucks.

 

[afazz]

I have a Challenger CL10V3 and I am very happy with it. I use it to lift my fleet of slammed 1990s Volkswagens and my 2012 Silverado 2500HD crew cab long bed tow rig (6.0l gas) and it works great all around. The Bendpak XPR10AS at my old shop worked well but was visibly lower quality (fittings, welds, hardware, cables) than the Challenger.

I purchased it before Rotary released the "All Vehicle" arms on their SPOA10 (now SPOA10AV), but with this new upgrade they are both great choices. I'm all for "overbuilt" products, but the size of the Mohawk columns (huge) coupled with the hydraulic-only equalization (mixed reviews) and symmetric-only design (asymmetric is discontinued) turned me toward Rotary/Challenger and ultimately Challenger.

 

[gizardlizard]

Thanks! What specifically about the two stage arms is a problem?

I'm also lift shopping and will be lifting everything from Corvettes and Miatas to 3/4 ton diesel trucks.

With wide body trucks, it can be tough to hit the rears where they need to be because the arms are so long. With my Sequoia, I have a decent margin, but with my crewmax Tundra I need to be almost spot with centering or one side will be way long. The long rears are great for lifting cars assymetrically but not so much for wide body crew cab pickups.

 

[dante2]

At a lower price point than the Challenger there's also the Forward I10 and the similar Weaver Wpro10. Both are verisymetric but I think they have two piece rear arms not three.

Unless they changed in the last few years my Forward I10 came with 2 stage rear and 3 stage front.

 

[MackMan]

At a lower price point than the Challenger there's also the Forward I10 and the similar Weaver Wpro10. Both are verisymetric but I think they have two piece rear arms not three.

Yeah, Challenger also has the VLE10 that's competitive with the Forward price wise. This gets into the import vs US, and "premium" vs "economy" grade stuff.
Not that the Forward/VLE are cheap, or low quality, I'm sure both would be just fine for my personal hobby use, but I'm looking at it as a 20-30yr+ investment and I know myself well enough to know if I give up some features, or US made to save a little money now, I may 2nd guess it for the rest of my life. A 2-post lift is sort of the "crown jewel" of garage equipment for me, and probably the single largest non-structural expenditure I'll make, so I'm trying to get it right the first time, not just from a functional standpoint, but also my own psychology (which sometimes can be the harder part!)

 

[Shadowdog500]

DO NOT skimp on the three stage rear arms if you plan on lifting lots of different vehicles. I did and regret it BIGTIME.

+1 on three stage arms if it is an option!

I have a Mohawk System 1. It can lift anything but it only comes with regular 2 stage arms.

For smaller cars like my 53 Willy’s Jeep or my wife’s Honda the vehicle has to be at or near the perfect spot for the lift pads to be set properly with the lift arms fully retracted. The Willy’s only has one spot that works and sometimes Ive had to use pump up wheel dolly’s to move the vehicle a few inches to that one spot. Three stage arms that retract more would do away with this problem.

I actually set up an inexpensive cross line laser in front of the lift to shoot a vertical line right down the center of the lift so I can nail the left and right every time and only need to roll small cars back and forth to get it to the sweet spot.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Yeah, Challenger also has the VLE10 that's competitive with the Forward price wise. This gets into the import vs US, and "premium" vs "economy" grade stuff.
Not that the Forward/VLE are cheap, or low quality, I'm sure both would be just fine for my personal hobby use, but I'm looking at it as a 20-30yr+ investment and I know myself well enough to know if I give up some features, or US made to save a little money now, I may 2nd guess it for the rest of my life. A 2-post lift is sort of the "crown jewel" of garage equipment for me, and probably the single largest non-structural expenditure I'll make, so I'm trying to get it right the first time, not just from a functional standpoint, but also my own psychology (which sometimes can be the harder part!)

I agree!

The two post lift is the crown jewel of the shop, and that a lift will be the biggest and most expensive non structural thing you will probably get for your shop. I did look at some of the economy non ALI lifts at first and my wife actually asked me in the Greg Smith showroom if I would feel comfortable standing under that lift! My answer was no! You will be the guy working under the lift for the rest of your life and your safety/comfort is worth the extra money on a lifetime purchase.

 

[MackMan]

I agree!

The two post lift is the crown jewel of the shop, and that a lift will be the biggest and most expensive non structural thing you will probably get for your shop. I did look at some of the economy non ALI lifts at first and my wife actually asked me in the Greg Smith showroom if I would feel comfortable standing under that lift! My answer was no! You will be the guy working under the lift for the rest of your life and your safety/comfort is worth the extra money on a lifetime purchase.

Yeah the ALI is a must, I know there are some decent quality non-ALI lifts, my previous Eagle was one, but I always wanted a better one, plus my kids are getting to be the age to start helping with projects.

 

[thecj3man]

I will jump into the conversation as well. I have had my Challenger CL10V3 since 2016 and it has been a fine piece of equipment. The 3 stage arms are very nice. I have everything from a 4 door long bed truck to a 80" wheelbase Jeep on it. My little Jeep (1950 CJ3A) is actually the hardest vehicle I have picked up. The short wheelbase makes it difficult. But for day to day cars and light trucks I love it.

The Challenger is a nice lift, I ended up buying a 14K 4 post Challenger several years after getting the 2 post.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I will jump into the conversation as well. I have had my Challenger CL10V3 since 2016 and it has been a fine piece of equipment. The 3 stage arms are very nice. I have everything from a 4 door long bed truck to a 80" wheelbase Jeep on it. My little Jeep (1950 CJ3A) is actually the hardest vehicle I have picked up. The short wheelbase makes it difficult. But for day to day cars and light trucks I love it.

The Challenger is a nice lift, I ended up buying a 14K 4 post Challenger several years after getting the 2 post.

Thanks for pointing out that your 1950 CJ3A is hard to pick up even with 3 stage arms. Now I don’t feel that bad about not having that option on my Mohawk lift. My 1953 CJ3B has to be in the exact perfect spot to pick it up with my 2 stage arms.

 

[dante2]

Thanks for pointing out that your 1950 CJ3A is hard to pick up even with 3 stage arms. Now I don’t feel that bad about not having that option on my Mohawk lift. My 1953 CJ3B has to be in the exact perfect spot to pick it up with my 2 stage arms.

I run into the same issue with my 94 wrangler. It's got to be centered between the posts exactly or you have to start over again.

 

[Pontiac787]

I’m in the selection process. My short list includes the Challenger CL10V3, SA10, and the Forward I10. Leaning towards one of the Challengers. Does anyone know the main differences between the CL10 and the SA10? The website lists the CL10 in the Pro line and the SA10 in the Standard line but it’s not clear to me what that means.

 

[zmotorsports]

I know there has been a lot of discussion about the Challenger and as I mentioned earlier I "had" the Ammco 10k 2-n-1 lift for about 14 years. However, I recently upgraded to a 12k pound lift and replaced my Ammco with a Bendpak 12APX model that is a stout and robust lift. Granted it is 2k pounds higher in capacity, but everything from the columns, baseplates, cylinders and arms are no comparison to my old 10k pound Ammco. Bendpak does make a 10k pound lift that is similar to this one, Bendpak 10APX, that has the triple telescoping arms that can lift vehicles in the symmetrical as well as asymmetrical configurations.

Not only is the Bendpak heavier duty, but the rise height is substantially more as well as the drive-through clearance making it much better for a wider range of vehicles. I've had everything from muscle cars, full size 3/4 ton trucks and large SUV's and mid-sized SUV's on it over the past several months and it has been a great upgrade from my old Ammco lift. Might be worth checking out a Bendpak 10APX if you haven't pulled the trigger yet. I also have a couple of videos on my YouTube channel of this lift, showing the arrival and setup and then a separate video with a review after I had used it for a little over a month and had about a dozen vehicles on it.

My old Ammco 10k pound lift.


New Bendpak 12APX 12k pound lift.