I'd like to update. I did some of my own research. And talked to a company in Texas that was the original manufacturer of all the parts for these lifts. All the parts are still available for the lift except the lift arms, carriages and uprights.
I did make a deal and purchased the lift. I'm very happy with the purchase. After talking to parts supplier, the dealership that has it and the seller I felt very comfortable with it.
Apparently American built a phenomenal lift. In my area, the post office garages, several bus garages and many many dealerships have them and still in service. I think the reason you don't hear about them is the fact they were so well built they didn't fail a lot. This particular lift was purchased new by a Dodge dealer in Canton Ohio. They closed up 2 years after it was put in. It sat dormant for 8 years then the dealership was purchased by the dealer who has it now. It's been in service here for a few years. They had to put an 18k alignment rack so this one had to be removed and since they have no where to store it they decided to allow the installer to sell it for them.
I have shared pics back and forth with Diesel Dan and it has a lot of similarities to a worth. Being the factories were only a few miles apart, I think there is more to the story then what's being told. The carriages, lift arms, gussets, all very very similar. This lift has 3.5" cylinders, heavy duty chains and a great size. Drive through width is 118" and the drive through height is 14'.
And in case anyone asks, yes I did price a new worth. A new 10k worth is 3550 shipped, BUT a 12k to compare apples to apples is close to 4500. Most would have spent the extra coin, but since I may only use this lift 6-12 times a year, I saved the money to put towards my lighting fixtures or radiant floor.
