Another lift discussion thread...

[Ries]

Hi guys I’m finally nearing the point to purchase a lift for the garage and have it installed.

I’ve got a local installer/distributor that has quoted me the lift I’ve been looking at, BendPak XPR-10AXLS with the extended height and low-pro arms. However he also quoted me a Forward Lift DP10A lift with extended height. He has the Forward Lift in stock but has to order the BendPak.

From what I can tell it seems that the Forward Lift specs fall right in-line with the BendPak.

Does anyone have experience with either of these? The two extremes I deal with our these cars... lowered ‘09 Audi TTS and a ‘05 Ford Expedition. I also have a couple of heavy full size cars.

I don’t want to crouch down under the cars hence the extended height feature.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[Disney]

Both are made in China, so I don't reccon it matters which communist made lift will crush your melon. The specs on those don't make sense to me either. You're after extra height, but you aren't getting that with either one of those. You'll be able to lift something with a tall roof, but it won't go up any higher. I can lift my Yukon all the way to the top locks on my Rotary, and walk underneath it. If you're much over 6' then you'll want a lift with even more rise capacity.

AT ANY RATE. I'd be looking Challenger, Rotary, Mohawk. Something made in the USA.

 

[Ries]

So my understanding was the the extra height would allow my truck to be lifted to the full potential of the max height.

So what lift do you have that works well for you? You mentioned a Rotary, but what model?

 

[Disney]

I have the SPOA9. The extra height does not mean extra lift. You have to look at the specs of all the different lifts to understand how high they will actually lift a vehicle. While mine is an older 9K lift, i've not put anything on it that it wouldn't lift or made me worry while it was up. SOme people have some "issues" with assymetrical arms, but I haven't SEEN any problems with them, just people get "concerned". In my old shop at work we have maybe 10 Challengers, all Assym arms and none ever had a single problem.

 

[Cairo94507]

All I can say is I have a BendPak mid-rise scissor lift in my garage floor and I love it. In my last house I had a 4-post BendPak and loved it. I have never had any issues and the BendPak team has been absolutely great to deal with. They actually installed both of my lifts as they are about 6 hours away. I was lucky to have them that close and willing to do the install. I just had a car on my lift about 2 hours ago and it makes doing anything, even detailing and waxing, easier. No, I do not work for BendPak.

 

[Ries]

I realize extended height doesn’t equate to extra lift capacity. However my understanding was that without it I would not be able to lift taller vehicles to the full advertised height of the lift.

 

[UTCiv]

The specs on those don't make sense to me either. You're after extra height, but you aren't getting that with either one of those. You'll be able to lift something with a tall roof, but it won't go up any higher. I can lift my Yukon all the way to the top locks on my Rotary, and walk underneath it. If you're much over 6' then you'll want a lift with even more rise capacity.

Incorrect. I have the XPR-10AS with the extra height, and low profile arms for lifting tall things to about 5' 10' clear to the bottom of the arms. The XPR-10AXLS has the extended cylinders with an extra 6" of lift getting the bottom of the arms to 6'4". But that is to the bottom of the arms, the arms have offsets, screw plates, any jack pad adapters or other items you may use to get the lift closer to the vehicle prior to raising the arms.

I am 6' and can't quite walk under the bottom of my arms without paying attention when in the upper position without a little bit of a duck, and even on the least amount of adjustment with the low profile arms make almost any car easy to walk under standing upright, Usually when working, I'm at 1 or 2 clicks from the top so I can reach things.

I've worked under a few different lifts over the years, and IMO the Forwards felt a little smoother and not as "over built". The BendPaks feel over built and a little less smooth. No real complaints in 10 years with either other than a bit of fussing with the BendPak to get the cables stretched and the clicks in harmony. The Forward lifts I used had individual releases but once released no holding the lever, opposite on the BendPaks it looks like the newer lifts are all/mostly single hold levers.

One other item is that the hole for the pads in the low profile arms is very large and has no bottom lip. On some lifts, I would run the arm out under the car with no pad and set the jack pad (BMW E36) on the arm face if the car was really low to help not have to use a ramp or other intermediate lift action. On my LP Bendpak I have not tried it due to this, but I haven't needed to with the LP arms.

I got a smoking deal on mine when I got it, otherwise I would probably like to have the extra lift just so I could keep everything well above my head when sweeping or mopping, but I'm really not complaining.




He is 6'3"



Pardon the in progress barn pics the lift took priority over insulation and other finishes I'm still getting to.

 

[Ries]

Oh nice. Thanks for the response, UTCiv.

So I guess at the end of the day... would you go Bendpak or ForwardLift?

 

[UTCiv]

Oh nice. Thanks for the response, UTCiv.

So I guess at the end of the day... would you go Bendpak or ForwardLift?

I looked at the DP10A (was this what was quoted? I couldn't find the DB10A) and it looks like it says, and I'm unsure if it matches your needs:

Maximum rise 76 -1/4" (1937mm) w/5" extension

While the BendPak says:

Rise
A - Rise: 75" (1,905 mm)
B - Rise + Pad Only: 79.75" (2,026 mm)
C - Rise + Pad + 63 mm Adapter: 82.75" (2,102 mm)

I'd confirm the dimension to the bottom of the arms is apples to apples with each, it looks like the Forward Pro lift has (75-3/4″ Rise | 80-3/4″ (With 5″ adapter extensions)) which is in line with the BendPak you had listed, but the Forward Pro lift is the higher model from the DP10A. That is if you want/need the extra rise.

Outside of that, I think both will serve you well. Can you confirm on the dimensions and specs for each?

 

[Jking24]

Extra height lifts are for things like work vans with extended tops like FedEx and curriers use any pick up or suv full or midsized will go on any standard lift and go to full height with no problem. Also why does everyone think they need a 10k lift when the heaviest thing they own is not even 6k. The bigger lift is going to have bigger thicker arms witch will make getting that audi on it a pain. And for what it's worth i work under a forward lift everyday and have no problems with it. I'm not personally a fan of the design but it does the job as intended

 

[Ries]

Sorry UTCiv I mean DP10A... I need to go edit that post.

Jking24... the capacity concern is more along CG. Those ratings are typically distributed evenly to each arm. So if you had a 6k lift that’s 1500 per arm. The one end of my truck wouldn’t be able to exceed 3000. I’m pretty sure my truck is quite front heavy. So I’m playing it cautiously and will have extra capacity for peace of mind.

 

[infinkc]

tough decision. I have the XPR-10AS-168. When i bought it i wasnt aware of the AX version that gives you the extra 6". But for me i am only 5-7' so clear the AS. I did buy the one with the 168 height extensions since i do lift a Tundra that has a roof rack on top. I didnt want any clearance issues.

The only thing i was told about the lift when i purchased was the difference between the low profile arms and the standard ones. The description is a tad misleading as they but have the same pad clearance! The only difference is the low profile ones have a rectangle shape to help clear some car rocker panels better, but the downside is the arms are shorter so they may not reach some larger vehicles. So i went with the standard arms. my smallest car is a s2000. so a big range also.

I just went with bendpak as they have been around, it was between bendpak and rotary for me. went with the bendpak cause it did what i needed and was cheaper than the rotary equivalent.

only complaint is the bendpak doesnt come with the cradle pads for truck frames, so factor that into the price.

 

[UTCiv]

Sorry UTCiv I mean DP10A... I need to go edit that post.

Jking24... the capacity concern is more along CG. Those ratings are typically distributed evenly to each arm. So if you had a 6k lift that’s 1500 per arm. The one end of my truck wouldn’t be able to exceed 3000. I’m pretty sure my truck is quite front heavy. So I’m playing it cautiously and will have extra capacity for peace of mind.

Ok, would confirm that it has not just the extended height, but also the extended cylinders. It looks like there is an HR version but I had to go to another site to see it (not at Forward's page) and it has listed the individual release feature (one release on each side, but once released it will not engage until you raise it back up so you don't have to hold it open while lowering, and it will catch the first time just a foot off the floor, my Bendpak won't engage the first stopping point until about 2').

I can't speak to the capacity issue if you think 10k is overkill or not. We have trailers, large duellies, work trucks, box trucks and the occasional heavy equipment that go up on the lift, I've not worked on many lighter duty lifts or "sports car specific", low or medium rise lifts, but I've been under Forward, BendPak, Atlas, Rotary, Danmar, and Challenger, just more time with (and installed) the Forward and BendPak in our own barns, the others were in shops I helped out on projects.

Sorry, I guess price, color, and the small things (locking style, minimum arm height) make little differences I don't have a definitive answer. Neither have really given us any problems.

 

[Ries]

Here is a quick comparison. I had a tech spec sheet that the installer provided me that was not on the ForwardLift website.

Honestly I think the ForwardLift is shaping up nicely. It has the added benefit of their 3 spot arm feature allowing for a symmetric and asymmetric setup and at a slightly lower price than the BendPak.

 

[infinkc]

Here is a quick comparison. I had a tech spec sheet that the installer provided me that was not on the ForwardLift website.

Honestly I think the ForwardLift is shaping up nicely. It has the added benefit of their 3 spot arm feature allowing for a symmetric and asymmetric setup and at a slightly lower price than the BendPak.

i didnt see any spec for the overall height of the forwardlift? if less than the bendpak 157" then the added lift height does nothing for lifting an suv since it will touch the top if its a standard height.

 

[Ries]

i didnt see any spec for the overall height of the forwardlift? if less than the bendpak 157" then the added lift height does nothing for lifting an suv since it will touch the top if its a standard height.

Not sure where you got 157” from.

The BendPak model I’m looking at has a floor to switch height of 176”. The ForwardLift shows a floor to switch height of 160.75”. So the BendPak does have more room.

 

[infinkc]

Here is a quick comparison. I had a tech spec sheet that the installer provided me that was not on the ForwardLift website.

Honestly I think the ForwardLift is shaping up nicely. It has the added benefit of their 3 spot arm feature allowing for a symmetric and asymmetric setup and at a slightly lower price than the BendPak.

Not sure where you got 157” from.

The BendPak model I’m looking at has a floor to switch height of 176”. The ForwardLift shows a floor to switch height of 160.75”. So the BendPak does have more room.

forgot you mentioned the -181" version, yea you are correct.

whats the price difference between the 2 you are looking at?

also have you measured the cab height on the expedition from the frame rails? If both lifts are about 80" rise with the pad, the 160 should fit an expedition at full height.

I assume you have enough ceiling clearance for these, 181 is crazy tall.

 

[aggie113]

I have the exact some lift but with the extended side posts for tall vehicles (181 option). Can't speak to well about how it's working out as it's still on the trailer waiting for the garage to be finished. I did look at the Forward lift and decided I liked the features on the Bendpak more.

 

[Ries]

I’ve got a 18’ ceiling in my shop so I’m good for height.

 

[MattRMagnum]

How much of a cost difference is it between the standard and the extended height? I was height limited on my install (can only get most vehicles ~4' - 4'6" off the ground), but I bought a couple nice stools that roll smoothly, and I think I prefer sitting on a stool and looking upwards to standing under a car and working.


Also, it might not come up, but Bendpak sent me an agreement to sign that required me to go through arbitration if I had any issues with the lift. Seemingly I was the only person to ever hear of them doing this, but worth keeping in mind.

 

[Ries]

It’s really sounding like I should go with the ForwardLift based on everything I’m reading here.

 

[Plb]

Hi guys I’m finally nearing the point to purchase a lift for the garage and have it installed.

I’ve got a local installer/distributor that has quoted me the lift I’ve been looking at, BendPak XPR-10AXLS with the extended height and low-pro arms. However he also quoted me a Forward Lift DP10A lift with extended height. He has the Forward Lift in stock but has to order the BendPak.

From what I can tell it seems that the Forward Lift specs fall right in-line with the BendPak.

Does anyone have experience with either of these? The two extremes I deal with our these cars... lowered ‘09 Audi TTS and a ‘05 Ford Expedition. I also have a couple of heavy full size cars.

I don’t want to crouch down under the cars hence the extended height feature.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Forward does have a two post DP10A2 with HR cylinders. These cylinders give about 6” more rise from the ground.

 

[Exzion]

I have an XPR-10AXLS, I am ~6'2" and can easily walk under the lift arms without crashing into them. The one piece poles seem to be slightly nicer in my opinion than the multi piece construction that I have seen on some other lifts.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

Since this thread is almost 2 years old, I’m guessing the OP has made a decision by now.

 

[Larry Callahan]

I have an XPR-10AXLS, I am ~6'2" and can easily walk under the lift arms without crashing into them. The one piece poles seem to be slightly nicer in my opinion than the multi piece construction that I have seen on some other lifts.

I am about to pull the trigger on this same lift.

I am 6'3 and I am looking forward to the extra height. Everything still working well for you?

 

[brownbagg]

bendpak doesnt sell parts.

 

[Exzion]

I am about to pull the trigger on this same lift.

I am 6'3 and I am looking forward to the extra height. Everything still working well for you?

All good so far, the slide blocks recently started making some noise. Re-calibrating the cable tension and some fluid film fixed it right up.