2 post BendPak install hints/tips?

[stevepsd]

Getting ready to install my BendPak XPR-10 2 post lift and just wondering if anyone can share any hints/tips on their install.

The one thing I am curious about is BendPak has you run the lift cables and hydraulic lines prior to standing up the posts. I have them run, but how in the heck are you supposed to keep the lift cables secured to the bracket inside the carriage? The end of the cable just basically sits in a slot with nothing to secure the end in place, nor any way to secure it. It will more than likely fall out when raising the columns. And of course the bracket is deep inside the carriage where I barely reach it from the access hole in the top of the carriage.

Oh yeah, the BendPak install instructions and drawings leave much to be desired.

 

[shockwave]

Do yourself a favor and have professional installed as if anything happens its best to be covered and the 100+saved is not worth a piece on mind imo

 

[stevepsd]

After seeing the supposed 'experts' put together my co-workers 4 post lift, there is no way I would pay someone to put up this lift, unless I was physically unable to do so. It is not that hard or complex.

I was just looking for pointers if there was a trick to keeping the ends of the cables secured in the lift carriage before the cables are tensioned.

 

[1950mercury]

Call the company

 

[fnieto]

I used zip temporarily secure the cables, but you could feed the cables after you stand up the columns. The other tip is review your layout pages, I had two different measurements on my instal guide. Crimp down the hydraulic line tabs (bottom first and up) after you stand up your columns for a nice finished look. I had mine up in 6-7 hours with the help of a friend + a fork lift. XPR-10A-LP

 

[ScD]

I just had the cables sticking out the top when I raised the columns. I made no attempt to tie them up. One cable came loose from the carriage but it wasn't very difficult to reach in and hook it back into place once the column was upright.

I was very careful with the layout on the floor and made sure the columns were plumb but when I put a car on the lift the arms on the left side arms were 3/4 of an inch lower than the right. I raised the lift without a car and extended the arms on both sides so they were touching in the middle. With the arms extended the left side pads were a full inch lower than the right.

To fix it I loosened all the column bolts and installed shims under the outside of the right column and under the inside of the left column. In other words I leaned the top of both columns slightly to the left. With shimming I was able to get the left and right pads perfectly level.

The book also said to hire an electrician but I wired mine myself. I ran 3/4 inch EMT conduit from the breaker box with 12 gauge wire and a 25 amp two pole breaker. I also ran a separate 120V circuit in the same conduit to an outlet on the back of the off side column. I used flex from a 4 square box on the top of the shop down to another box on top of the off side post. The power for the lift runs inside 1/2 inch EMT across the top of the lift and down to the power unit. It was a simple matter to connect one of the hot legs to the overhead micro switch.

 

[stevepsd]

ScD,

With regards to your lift arms being out of alignment....since your columns were plumb, did you check to make sure the distance between the columns was the same the entire length of the columns (not sure how that would be if both columns were plumb)? Was something else amiss with the lift, like the carriage or mis-matched lift arms? Curious.

I did notice my column baseplates are not completely flat, the outer flanges are up about 1/8" compared to the middle of the baseplate.

I am planning on running a separate 120v circuit for a duplex outlet mounted on the lift column along with a air line as well. I will also run flex from the ceiling junction box to the top of the lift and EMT down the post.

 

[stevepsd]

ScD,

Another question.... when did you put the cross-bar in place - before or after you secured the 2nd column to the floor? It seems that doing it this way would be prudent just in case something is off - the floor, column placement, a slightly out-of-tolerance part, etc.

Thanks.

 

[ScD]

I bolted the power side column down, shimmed it to get it plumb, then stood up the off side column. Before I drilled the concrete for the second column I loosely bolted on the upper cross bar. Once the bar was up I drilled the concrete under the second column and hammered in the bolts, shimmed the off side column plumb, and tightened all the bolts.

My concrete is level and my columns were plumb and parallel but the lift arm height was uneven and the car sat low on the left side.

The shims provided are .035" thick and I stacked two shims together to tilt the bottom of the bases .070 inch. I didn't measure the tops but I think they moved at least an inch. I feel it is more important to have the pads level than the columns perfectly plumb. The columns look perfect to the eye and are still parallel within 1/8 inch from top to bottom.

Here is another shot of the lift that shows the wiring and the duplex outlet on the off side post.

 

[ScD]

Also the rear lift arms aren't exactly the same on an asymmetrical lift. There is a left rear and a right rear arm. It doesn't tell you this in the instruction manual, and when you unpack them they look the same, but the lock teeth won't bolt on correctly if the arms are reversed.

The front arms are identical.

 

[Ign]

This is how the lines should look at the bottom. Was a HUGE issue for me. Maybe they've improved the instructions in this regard, or I'm just extra we Todd ed
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80438

 

[Ign]

Also IF your floor is not perfectly level I've never understood the obsession w getting the vehicle to lift perfectly level. Once you drop onto the safeties you're not going to be level as they are fixed points. The only way to remedy this would be to lift the entire column straight up, slide in a fullsize spacer and drop it back down.

Now if you have to tip the column for plumb beware the easy route of just slipping in a few washers or small pcs of flat bar in one spot; in that case you create lots of gaps under the column unless you're installing a nicely tapered shim that ALSO matches the footprint of the base.

I think best case would to be ready w half-moon washers and shim right under the nuts by half-encircling (sure, it's a verb) the anchors. On one column I shimmed centered between 2 anchors a later realized each time I snug the nuts I'm just bending the ears of the baseplate closer to the concrete 'cause there's no support directly under those few nuts.

There's just so many variables w concrete. My vote is get it good, make sure you feel it's safe and use common sense, but striving for ABSOLUTE PERFECTION is idealistic at best. Mine lifts a little differently and clicks the safeties a little differently with each different vehicle. Mine's an XC drive-thru clearance so the longer arms almost surely influence vehicle level as they flex.