Atlas/Greg Smith 9KBP Install and Impressions

[bad94sup]

Well, after a few week of preparation in the garage, I finally got a chance to power up my 9000# 2post from Greg Smith last night. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up from the Newark, DE location with the help of the friend and save on shipping and tax. The staff there was helpful and is great at getting things done.

Now on to the lift - I couldn't find many (at all) reviews directly related to this lift which I took as a good thing. Since so many are sold of this model, I figured no complaints was a good thing. The initial packaging was very sturdy and well braced. After unwrapping, I did notice a few scrapes and scratches, but nothing too major. Not sure if there were caused by me moving them around or not, but like I said nothing major either way. The columns themselves seem sturdy and the baseplates seem straight and level. Spacing, placing, and drilling for the anchors is straightforward with the correct drill and bit. I used a Makita rotary hammar and bosch 3/4" SDS bit from Lowes. The anchors were all torqued with my Craftsman click-type torque wrench - this isn't the greatest tool, heh. I'll be ordering a SO techwrench when funds allow or when I find on CL.

One quick note is that the instruction manual does leave a little to be desired, especially regarding the wiring and cable adjustment. Once I got the baseplates placed and anchored, I installed the cables and for the life of me can't seem to get them to equal, tight tension. Once powering up and moving this became more obvious as they are about 1.5" from each other. I'll be calling them for tips today. All in all, I'm happy it's working without having to modify anything yet, which is great for such an inexpensive lift.

Some additional general observations -

Pros:
Nice packaging/bracing

Sturdy columns, nice and straight baseplates, chain design seems sturdy

No leaks, cylinder, baseplate, or pump issues

Relatively easy setup for a first timer (read: lift newb) like me.

PRICE!

Cons:
Instructions leave some to be desired (no wiring diagram, no adjustment methods for cables, no information on setting up arm locking pins)

In my experience, having difficulty getting the arms to lift completely evenly - this will likely be corrected once I figure out how to get the cables adjusted finally.

The dual point release system is a bit of a PITA - would really prefer a single point like they have on the other models, but hey not a huge deal.

Overall

I have yet to lift a car with it since I'm not 100% done with adjustments yet, but it's certainly a killer lift for the money. If you're lucky enough to live close to a GS dealer, the price without shipping is awesome. I'll be giving them a call today for help with the cables. I picked mine up on ebay for 1445.


Picture attached below - don't mind the messy garage with tools all over, lol. I was happy enough to get it done at 9:30 last night. The next step will be doing the high lift conversion and changing to a Liftmaster 3800. I already have the opener, but I'm waiting for the garage door place to come out for the track conversion, which won't be until the first week of August due to parts availability. Bummer.

 

[bad94sup]

Attached -

 

[GTO]

Nice lift.
Good Luck

 

[bad94sup]

Nice lift.
Good Luck

Thanks, looking forward to when I get "really" use it when I move those door tracks around.

 

[bad94sup]

Got her up and running and had the wife's car up in the air for a quick oil change yesterday. Still trying to get the lift to go up evenly - need to place a call to the GS guys. It looks like one of my cables is ~2" longer than the other, not sure if that's normal. The motor side arm shoots up about 1.5" before the other side starts moving. I've played with the adjustments to almost every damn near combination trying to get them to leave the ground at the same time but no such luck. Anyway, once you set the arms down on the safety locks, they are damn near even so it's workable for now.

 

[tnadanzig]

Thanks for the write up. I am interested in the lift. Have you gotten the arms to lift evenly.

 

[brownbagg]

from the sounds of the instruction it sound like a bendpak clone,on my bendpak the end of the cable is treaded, by tighting up the nut its adjust the rise of the arm.

 

[bad94sup]

Thanks for the write up. I am interested in the lift. Have you gotten the arms to lift evenly.

You're very welcome, hope it was helpful. I'd been out of town on business for most of last week so haven't played with it. Also it's been 100+ here the last few days so I've been less than motivated, LOL. I'll update when I play with it early this week.

from the sounds of the instruction it sound like a bendpak clone,on my bendpak the end of the cable is treaded, by tighting up the nut its adjust the rise of the arm.

I got the same impression as I was originally looking at the Bendpak which is VERY similar in dimensions and design. I do need to ask Greg Smith (hopefully remember to call tomorrow) why the cables are slightly different legnths.

 

[bad94sup]

Called GS this morning and talked to one of the guys in the DE location where I purchased. I explained my situation and everything I had done, but they didn't have any other suggestions for me since most of the guys on site there are not really techs. They offered to open a 'case' file with their headquarters to help me out. Hopefully I'll hear back within a day or two.

 

[pattenp]

I have a two post Challenger lift and the cables level the lifting arms. I would think that would be the same for any two post lift that uses cables. The cables have threaded ends that you adjust to get the arms to raise evenly. If my memory serves me on my lift one of the cables is longer than the other but that's because one cable was marked for the left side and the other for the right side. Could you have your cables backwards?

Correction - Memory did fail me. I just dug out my installation manual and the cables are both the same length so being backwards is probably not the problem.

 

[bad94sup]

I have a two post Challenger lift and the cables level the lifting arms. I would think that would be the same for any two post lift that uses cables. The cables have threaded ends that you adjust to get the arms to raise evenly. If my memory serves me on my lift one of the cables is longer than the other but that's because one cable was marked for the left side and the other for the right side. Could you have your cables backwards?

Correction - Memory did fail me. I just dug out my installation manual and the cables are both the same length so being backwards is probably not the problem.

Thanks for checking your manual - sounds like it's basically the same type of setup. I too was hoping there was a reason for the variation in length. I have already tried different combinations of cable adjustments on both sides trying to get them to lift equally with no success. Because one is longer than the other, I can't quite seem to get the tension equal on both sides - one nut is run all the way to the top while the other is in the middle.

I did get a response from GSE saying I should try bleeding the system overnight by attaching a bungee cord to the release lever for a 24 hour period. It's doubtful this will work in my case, but I'll give it a try tonight.

 

[reb162]

Any luck yet? I'm thinking of buying one but would like to know that cistomer service is good.

 

[bad94sup]

Any luck yet? I'm thinking of buying one but would like to know that cistomer service is good.

Just got off with their customer service line again. I've tried their suggestion to bleed the lines by holding down the level overnight, but no dice. Within 24 hours I'm expecting a call from their corporate tech center. Hoping it's something stupid.

 

[bad94sup]

With some more tweaking (about an hours worth) I was able to get the arms about 1/2 Inch apart while lifting which is damn close. The safety locks click about a quarter second apart, so seems like I'm good to go now.

 

[dabuickman1]

Andrew, glad to hear its better. So what did kind of tweaks made a difference? And let us know what the ''tech'' guy says. Rob

 

[bad94sup]

The original manual says to keep the cables tight to about a 1/2" of play on both. Keeping both cables completely tight while keeping the arms synchronized just couldn't happen in my case. I went from side to side tightening in small increments until the one nut was run all the way out. I think that's about as much "give" as it has now. I did get a call from tech while I was in a meeting and I called back again and left a message. Haven't heard back yet, so I'll probably follow up again just to see if they have any other information.

 

[rburke65]

Its a good thing you are not on a Greg Smith operating table!!! It's been 2 weeks and you still have yet to hear from their tech people? WOW........

 

[bad94sup]

Its a good thing you are not on a Greg Smith operating table!!! It's been 2 weeks and you still have yet to hear from their tech people? WOW........

Well to be fair I did miss one of their calls while I was in a meeting. When I called back the gentleman who called me was out and I left a message with his secretary. I will be calling back to follow up.

 

[bad94sup]

Another update - got the high lift door conversion done on Friday by Precision door in West Chester, PA. Turned out great and the 2 guys knocked it out very quickly. I'll get some pictures up soon.

Next up in installing my Liftmaster 3800.

 

[bad94sup]

More progress - installed new outlet for the LM 3800 as well as ran the wires (through drywall) for the controller and safety sensors. I got the cable tension monitor and power lock mounted, so should be finished completely in the next few nights.

 

[mlyonsdc]

Any updates on this?

I am considering this lift it is on sale right now and I am considering it over the Dannmar and Bendpak which is over twice the costs ($1495, $2699 $3445). Is the Bendpak over twice the lift? I know I am giving up an ALI cert along with a few inches of inside column width.

 

[tonyciambrone]

What in the world is with all the thread revivals lately? OP last posted once in 2015... If you can find this thread surely you could find other threads that have been started about which two post lift to buy...

 

[mlyonsdc]

Really, you dont think I would have done that?

 

[Handyandy23]

Not sure why anyone would have issue with an older thread being bumped . . . most message boards prefer discussions stay in existing threads, as opposed to a 'new' thread on two post lifts every week.

Anyways, I have owned my Elite 9KBP lift for a little over a year now, and I only have good things to say about it so far. It's sturdy and robust, and overall has done what a lift is supposed to do with no issues or malfunctions. It has dual locking mechanisms (one on each post) that automatically lock in place, and it lifts my Silverado 1500 crew cab with no hesitation or heavy deflection of the arms, or anything that would make you think it's anywhere close to its limits.

You'll have lots of opinions on both sides of this, but really what it comes down to with the more expensive lifts like Bendpak, is you're buying the security blanket of a "certified" lift. And contrary to the beliefs of many, a non-certified lift doesn't mean you're working under an unsafe lift. If you read up on the ALI certification standards, they test lifts at 1.5x their max posted rating. So in this case, they'd be lifting 13,500 pounds on a 9,000 pound lift to ensure it's 'safety'. Meanwhile, a fully loaded half ton pickup weighs about 6,000 pounds. So unless you're planning on working on some very large vehicles, and/or you're the special kind of stupid that likes to try to lift something over the posted weight rating, it all just seems like extreme overkill to me. I don't need a lift tested at 13,500 pounds to safely lift my 6,000 pound truck a few times a year.

Don't get me wrong though, the certified lifts are likely a good investment in the right setting. If you have other people using your lift / it's in a shop, something certified is the way to go. And I'm sure the Bendpak has overall higher quality components that will last longer for those that use the lift several times a day. But for the average weekend warrior that will use the lift once in a while, and within its intended weight range, I think the 9KBP is a great lift for the money. ALI tries to scare everyone into thinking anything not certified by them will crush you, but the reality is they are a for-profit organization that has created a whole industry for themselves to make money from. The 9KBP has good reviews and ratings, and many others have been happy with them, so for a hobby lift I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[mlyonsdc]

THANKS for the review that is what I was looking for.

I called Greg Smith today and the one they listed for $1495 is without freight. They have 9 of them in stock and all of them are in California so freight to Ohio is $500 making it more expensive than the std 9KBP that is blue and yellow, I actually would have preferred the Black and grey but they are also only giving a 1 year warranty on them since it is a closeout.

So at this point I am going to wait we start on the drywall this weekend so I have some time before I will need a lift.

My only other concern with the 9KBP is the space between columns. I have a Buick Grand National which has long doors and I am concerned that the 8" difference between the Atlas and Dannmar is going to be significant for opening the doors. I found a buddy of mine posted in another old thread about his lift which is the Bendpak XRP that has the same distance between and the columns as the Dannmar, I sent him an email to see how tight it is with his Buick. I was also concerned about symmetrical vs asymmetrical but found a few good posts that made me feel better about having a symmetrical lift.

Still at $1895 the Atlas looks like a tough deal to beat even in blue and yellow lol!

 

[Handyandy23]

My only other concern with the 9KBP is the space between columns. I have a Buick Grand National which has long doors and I am concerned that the 8" difference between the Atlas and Dannmar is going to be significant for opening the doors. I found a buddy of mine posted in another old thread about his lift which is the Bendpak XRP that has the same distance between and the columns as the Dannmar, I sent him an email to see how tight it is with his Buick. I was also concerned about symmetrical vs asymmetrical but found a few good posts that made me feel better about having a symmetrical lift.

I have a Trans Am that I park in the lift which has long doors (probably similar to your GN). It's definitely not the easiest fit, but it's doable. The lift has soft rubber door stops so you can open your door and gently rest it against the rubber stop, at least. I'm not a very big guy by any means, but I could see it being more of an issue for someone that's larger.

The other thing that's probably obvious, but you want to take into account, is the width of the lift vs. the space you're putting it in and where the garage doors are. If you have a double-wide garage door you can pretty much go as wide as you want on a lift and not have any issues. For me with the 9KBP, I have the left post right up against the wall, and the right post is still probably a foot or more outboard of the other side of the single garage door. The result is that I have to drive into the garage on an angle to get in the middle of the lift. This is easy enough with smaller vehicles, but with something wider like my truck, it's nearly impossible to get it dead center between the posts.

So if you have a single wide garage door (8' or 9') then just be weary of how wide of a lift you're using, so you have the space to get the car in and out.

 

[mlyonsdc]

Thanks I think that is going to be the way I go then. Im not that large either so I dont think it will be much of an issue. I actually have the lift tucked in the back of the garage in the opposite direction so you will get on it by coming in from the original garage which gives me a ton of room to maneuver to get on the car.

Thanks for the feedback it was very useful.