Bendpak 4 post column top caps.

[Mister68]

Just wondering if anyone else besides me has had concerns regarding the fit of the column top caps on their Bendpak 4 post hoists. I'm referring to flatness of the plate and complete coverage of the column itself. I have tried to adjust mine to ensure good even coverage of the column for proper load distribution but it seems to be a compromise at best. An extra 1/4" of material would have helped.

 

[davidlee]

No concern here. I'm happy with mine. No problems.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Have you contacted Bendpak?

 

[shopnut]

On one of my plates, one of the two little angles was welded on a bit crooked, skewing the entire plate like yours looks. Before the M6 screws were tightened down all the way, I "persuaded" the cap a bit with a rubber mallet and then locked it down. I didn't feel comfortable without complete coverage over the column edges.

The same guy probably welded ours - mine was produced last month.

 

[Mister68]

There isn't a lot of consistency on how the angles are welded on mine either. I'm going to let Bendpak know about my concern, I just wanted to throw out the question to see if my situation was unique. In my case slightly larger caps would have prevented this issue.

 

[shopnut]

I'm going to let Bendpak know about my concern

Please report back with the answer you get from BendPak. Thanks.

 

[alberto]

Is it just me, or do quality issues (usually little stuff) seem to be increasing with Benpak lifts? My perception is that I read more and more of them here and elsewhere. Could be I'm just paying more attention than in the past?

 

[holdover]

I have 2 bendpacs and although I do not have an issue with the caps, they do fit sorta half assed. They could of welded location pieces at the corners to make them fit better.

 

[drag7461]

No problems here. Just had the 10k lift installed today and works fine. The date of manufacture is today's date!

 

[Mister68]

I have sent a note to Bendpak with my concerns so I'll see what they have to say. Maybe I'm being too picky but attention to detail goes a long way with me especially when I'm standing underneath it. Don't take this as Bendpak bashing thread. My HD9ST has worked great since it was installed and I'm considering getting a second one.

 

[Junkman]

Mine have never been perfectly square with the posts, but they haven't failed in the past 5 years, and I use mine on a regular basis. Please let us know the response you get. Personally, I am very satisfied with my lift.

 

[rburke65]

We here at GJ seem to always hear of these little things on the Bendpak lifts. I don't know if it's because of a lack oh quality or if it's because they sell so many? Seems to be a lack of quality control on the little things that upsets so many ones.

 

[Mister68]

I figured I'd post an update. I contacted my dealer a couple of weeks ago. They responded saying they'll pass my concerns on to Jeff at Bendpak. I hope to hear from him when he returns from vacation but so far nothing as yet. In the mean time I`ve got an idea for an improved cap design but we`ll see how this plays out first.

 

[dirttracker18]

I figured I'd post an update. I contacted my dealer a couple of weeks ago. They responded saying they'll pass my concerns on to Jeff at Bendpak. I hope to hear from him when he returns from vacation but so far nothing as yet. In the mean time I`ve got an idea for an improved cap design but we`ll see how this plays out first.

FYI

Jeff is a member here and can be contacted via PM as well. One of the benefits of being a member and owning a Bendpak is having access to Jeff

 

[Mister68]

I never did hear back from anyone at Bendpak so I proceeded with my on improved post cap.







I increased the cap size by a 1/2 inch in length & width. The milled area is 1/8 inch deep in 3/4 inch thick plate. Holes were drilled to the same size and position as the original caps. The brackets are 1 inch angle 2 inches long, 1/8 inch thick. Grade 8 bolts with stover lock nuts.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Wow maybe bendpak should contract you for their caps. I'm impressed, kudos to you sir.

Sorry to hear about their CS, seems to be a passive concern of most companies.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

All 4 of my posts seem to have the same lip. They all look the same.

 

[geologist]

I never did hear back from anyone at Bendpak so I proceeded with my on improved post cap.

Well, I know who I won't be buying from.

 

[jomobco]

FYI

Jeff is a member here and can be contacted via PM as well. One of the benefits of being a member and owning a Bendpak is having access to Jeff

I've noticed either by coincidence or not that his appearance depends upon the subject. Asking questions about the caster kit and why the wheels are different on the same kit at different times and what you might get if you order today - absent. Asking why the add-on air/filter kit to the 4 post lifts has poor mounts and has changed in design without updates to the website to inform - absent. Want to know where to find a dealer - present. IMO answering the tough questions is what counts. It's a decent product but the hype is greater than the product IMO. This post is a clear example of how to cut corners too much to save money without impacting performance but diminishing the value of a brand - slowly. All the while increasing your margin by going offshore. It's a slow slide I've seen many times.

 

[tdkkart]

The caps on my DirectLift are all uniform with generous overhang on all 4 sides:

 

[James E]

I never did hear back from anyone at Bendpak so I proceeded with my on improved post cap.







I increased the cap size by a 1/2 inch in length & width. The milled area is 1/8 inch deep in 3/4 inch thick plate. Holes were drilled to the same size and position as the original caps. The brackets are 1 inch angle 2 inches long, 1/8 inch thick. Grade 8 bolts with stover lock nuts.

That looks really pretty but you probably just voided your warranty.

I was surprised by the ugliness of my post caps, too. They look like they were cut by monkeys using Harbor Freight squares. When I installed mine, I was very careful to align them so that there was full contact between the end of the post and the cap all around.

On the flip side, the aesthetics of this part are irrelevant to its function and as long as the cap is installed correctly, its ugliness is rarely noticed and its ability to hold the weight is not compromised.

 

[Mister68]

I came up with an improvement which made sense to me but it appears DirectLift is already there. I feel my pieces are far better quality than what was supplied. Before I made my own I tried to align mine to give full even contact with the column but no luck. Had there been full contact there'd have been no issue.
Did I void my warranty? I don't know I haven't asked.

I'd rather have this:

than this:

 

[G car]

direct lift made in U.S.?

 

[James E]

I came up with an improvement which made sense to me but it appears DirectLift is already there. I feel my pieces are far better quality than what was supplied. Before I made my own I tried to align mine to give full even contact with the column but no luck. Had there been full contact there'd have been no issue.
Did I void my warranty? I don't know I haven't asked.

I'd rather have this:

than this:

Please note my smiley. Warranty or not, I'd rather have your post caps than mine, any day.

 

[Mister68]

Hey James I did see your smiley. With all the other BP related posts I've seen where others have made their own improvements and changes, it made my concern regarding warranty pretty low.

 

[holdover]

I would take issue with bendpac if they said your cap was inferior to their POS cap. All it would have taken is a few pieces of angle inside to position the cap. look at tdkkart's post with the Directlift cap, especially the even overhang and the size of their positioning bolts, that is the way it should look, sure the BP caps work, but which would you trust more? it is in the details, me thinks I'll work on new caps for my HD-9 and my HD-14, always thought they looked a bit shoddy.

 

[beltfeed]

I never did hear back from anyone at Bendpak so I proceeded with my on improved post cap.







I increased the cap size by a 1/2 inch in length & width. The milled area is 1/8 inch deep in 3/4 inch thick plate. Holes were drilled to the same size and position as the original caps. The brackets are 1 inch angle 2 inches long, 1/8 inch thick. Grade 8 bolts with stover lock nuts.

I had two caps that lined up bad on my HD9. I reworked them to fix them. I also had received one bent safety ladder when I bought my lift, along with incorrect hyd fittings. I contacted Bendpak and they shipped a replacement safety ladder. I purchased different hyd fittings to fix that end of things. The safety ladder was shipped with nothing supporting the length. Should have had a 2 X 4 strapped to it. Anyway it came in bent up more then the first one. I contacted them again and sent photos of the bent replacement. They said they would send another. Well 5 months have passed and I have not heard a word. I gave up on Bendpak and took my original one back out of the lift and straightened it at a friends tool shop in a large press. I don't think there will be another Bendpak purchase in my future.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

I had two caps that lined up bad on my HD9. I reworked them to fix them. I also had received one bent safety ladder when I bought my lift, along with incorrect hyd fittings. I contacted Bendpak and they shipped a replacement safety ladder. I purchased different hyd fittings to fix that end of things. The safety ladder was shipped with nothing supporting the length. Should have had a 2 X 4 strapped to it. Anyway it came in bent up more then the first one. I contacted them again and sent photos of the bent replacement. They said they would send another. Well 5 months have passed and I have not heard a word. I gave up on Bendpak and took my original one back out of the lift and straightened it at a friends tool shop in a large press. I don't think there will be another Bendpak purchase in my future.

Sounds like yet another company will go by the wayside resting on a reputation that was form many years ago and doesn't care what tomorrow will bring.

 

[tdkkart]

direct lift made in U.S.?

NO.
My Pro Park 9 is ALI certified and very nice quality.
We've all seen off-shore products that are obviously "Chinese-ish" quality wise. This lift is not.

http://www.directlift.com/Four-Post-Lift-Pro-Park-9-PLUS-P55C9.aspx

http://www.derekweaver.com/rodders-garage/4-post-lifts/direct-lift-pro-park-9-plus-certified/

 

[G car]

Was going to order BendPak not anymore looking at Revolution or Direct

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

BendPak had a good reputation but it doesn't sound like it's deserved anymore. I, too, was seriously considering BendPak but they aren't on my top spot anymore. I should be buying in about a year so some decisions will need to be made.

 

[JSK]

I’ll do my best to address all and instead of multi-quoting I will just create one long synopsis. I only became aware of this thread today. Sorry for not responding earlier but I’ve been away for pretty much the past two months. Shanghai, Beijing, London, Brussels, Paris, Scottsdale, Salt Lake and finally Las Vegas – some fun, mostly business.

Remember, Garage Journal is just one of at least 20 major car forums I attend to and sometimes hard to juggle all - especially if a particular thread does not stay on a front page for long. I will investigate further and find out who dropped the ball because I had not received any communication regarding this matter. Maybe the person here at BendPak was unsure what to do because of the unusual/non-typical request. Nonetheless, I will have a group meeting.

I unpackaged a new HD-9 and took a look at the top caps. Here are the photos.

Cap installed. I didn’t feel the need to install all four because after an inspection all appeared to be similarly made. (Sorry for the dirty bolts. Didn't want to open the vacuum pack that contained the new hardware.)

The top cap bracket holes are slotted so it helps to loosen the bolts and position to suit.

With the mounting bolts installed it would be impossible for the top cap to collapse under load - crooked or not. There has never been a single incident or any issue related to a top cap failing or collapsing in any way. The load being placed on these top caps is very minimal based on the design load.

See here - pages from our design analysis report relating to column assy. As you can surmise by looking at the safety factors, the column and top cap in its current state is capable of supporting loads many times greater than the max capacity of the lift.

BendPak quality has never been better. All of our lift designs have improved over the last ten years (better designs, more steel, better manufacturing processes) with little increase in price. We continue to update designs and introduce new models to increase quality not to put more money in our pocket.

We sell a lot more lifts compared to most so issue frequency perception may be skewed. Purchase a new Buick and I guarantee you will start seeing them everywhere – or so it will seem. Attention has a lot to do with it.

Ask ten different people what they feel are quality deficiencies and you would likely get ten different answers. Top cap alignment is a new one but we will complete a full investigation and issue a multi-page ECO I’m sure.

For those of you in the market for a new lift that are considering looking else ware because of this thread I encourage you to investigate further. For any one thread introducing a quality concern, there will be hundreds if not thousands praising BendPak and from a mechanical design standpoint and lifecycle perspective there are a lot of very critical components that you should focus on as well.

BendPak values your business – myself especially. I can always be reached at [email protected]. Be aware that I receive well over 500 emails a day so if you do not get an immediate response back don’t hesitate to re-send. I will always go above and beyond to make sure you remain happy that you purchased the best.

In closing…
• We can make our top caps larger but we favor our streamline caps as opposed to muffin tops.
• BendPak still has an awesome reputation.
• Revolution and Direct are good products as well but not sure those companies will go out of their way to earn your business more than BendPak.
• We still have the best warranty in the business – will not be voided.

Jeff

 

[ebmiller88]

Thank you Jeff!

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Is the final verdict no over hang? It doesn't bother me since they all look the same on my lift. Just looks like a 1/4 over hang on them all.

As for quality....I have had my 4 poster for close to 10yrs. Never a problem. It's solid and works flawlessly. Not sure if the new stuff is as good as the old, but I would get another.

 

[Mister68]

Jeff,
No amount of adjustment of the caps on my hoist allowed me to get the alignment you demonstrated in the photos you provided. I had difficulty getting full coverage of the column and once the attaching bolts were tightened they distorted rectangular shape of the column itself (poor positioning of the brackets welded to the cap plate).
Upon removal it was evident that the caps did not make uniform contact with the column based on the marks left in the paint on the underside of the cap. The caps appear to be cut to size in a metal shear which probably contributes to some distortion of the flat surface. I would think uniform load distribution of the column cross section would be assumed as part of load design calculations for the column itself.
I would assume that with a 2250lb maximum load on a column with a design rating of 2729lbs (82.4%); the fit between these two components would be fairly important.

Thank you for taking the time to respond and providing the additional information.

 

[cspcrx]

Jeff thank you for your professional response. I am days away from ordering my md-6xp scissor lift. Makes me feel better to hear what you said. All of the reviews i have read support what you said, many more posative than negative. Look forward to getting my quality bendpak lift.

 

[typerr]

My read of the report Jeff posted (thanks Jeff) is that 2729# is the design load of the column not the design rating. The calculations for the column itself are not included in what Jeff posted that I could find. The calculation for the top plate shows a safety factor of 3.4 in bending and about 11 in bearing so clearly the plate has adequate capacity in this application even with some misalignment.

I love those custom made top plates but can also appreciate that Bendpak needs to spend money on the critical components and save money where they can to be able to sell their product competitively. Every manufacturer has to make those choices and its not always fair to single out and compare individual pieces.

As a practicing structural engineer, I like that Jeff was willing to post those calculations on an open forum for anyone to see.

Jeff,
No amount of adjustment of the caps on my hoist allowed me to get the alignment you demonstrated in the photos you provided. I had difficulty getting full coverage of the column and once the attaching bolts were tightened they distorted rectangular shape of the column itself (poor positioning of the brackets welded to the cap plate).
Upon removal it was evident that the caps did not make uniform contact with the column based on the marks left in the paint on the underside of the cap. The caps appear to be cut to size in a metal shear which probably contributes to some distortion of the flat surface. I would think uniform load distribution of the column cross section would be assumed as part of load design calculations for the column itself.
I would assume that with a 2250lb maximum load on a column with a design rating of 2729lbs (82.4%); the fit between these two components would be fairly important.

Thank you for taking the time to respond and providing the additional information.