Bendpak HD-9/HD-12 Lift Question

[Flatmotor]

Is the HD-9 or the HD-12 4-post lifts ALI certified? I couldn't find them listed on the Bendpak site or the ALI site. Bill

 

[JSK]

Hey Flatmotor.

HD-9ST / HD-9 models are listed.

HD-12 models are being replaced by 14K models in August.

ALI mistakenly removed HD-9 models from thier site when they added the new HD-14 Series.

Notified them two weeks ago and still not listed on their site.

I think they do offsite web work.

XPR two-post lifts have also undergone testing but are still not listed on the ALI site.

Jeff
BendPak

 

[Flatmotor]

Thanks Jeff, One other question, is there a publication available that is vehicle specific that would help you decide what weight rating lift a person needs? I will be lifting up to f-350 and E-350 vehicles. Thanks again, Bill

 

[jcs_in_ky]

Jeff, Does that mean that if you order an XPR series lift now it will have the ALI certification sticker on it or is it still pending?
John

 

[JSK]

Flatmotor - shoot me an email - [email protected]
I'll email you over some info that may help.

jcs - Pending - The XPR lifts were tested in 2006 and we are still waiting for the green light from Intertek/ETL. So for now they will not come with the ETL label.

Why does it take so long? ETL has only two inspectors that work with ALI lift companies. All 20 or so of us lift companies (each with multiple dozen lifts) were forced to re-certify many lift models at the end of 2007 because of the standards revision. Tons of physical testing performed (two ETL guys living on the road) and mounds of paperwork. Do the math and you'll see why BendPak and many other lift companies are screaming ****** murder right now.

We tested our HD four-post truck lifts in 2005 and they are still not done with the %$#%!! report.

But I would be able to send you the listing letter once received to back up the ETL claim.

 

[Old Relic]

Jeff, What is going to be the difference in price of the new HD-14 lifts?
Do they plan a sale on HD-12 lift? I just know they will cost less.

 

[JSK]

Old Relic,

The HD-14 series lifts will be in full production by mid to late August.

Price will be around $400.00'ish more.

Added increase is due to increased material weight of the lift and the rise of steel in the last 12-months.

Hard to say where this instability in steel is going. It's getting ridiculous.

When we end one model making room for another, the "old" models often become sought after by our dealers so discounting is not something we have considered.

Jeff
BendPak

 

[wjhpc]

Just purchased and installed a HD9 ST. Bolt holes and pulleys did not align. My installer was the local Bendpak warranty guy and he was as surprised as I was. we called Bendpak and they said they would send out a retrofit kit with new pulleys and they said that considerable grinding of bolt holes etc would still be required to make it all fit. MY comment was why the Hell didn't you send with the lift so that we would not lose another 3 days waiting for the kit? We ended up doing some plasm,a cutting to make it all fit. I then called Bendpak and their head of sales first said "I have never heard of that" and when reminded of the retrofit kit they had on hand, he said "I thought we had that all fixed." I asked for an engineer's certification that these holes and mods did not compromise safety or structural integrity and he said "no problem." to date, no engineer's letter, just some statement from their sales department not to worry. Too bad, because it is a great lift, but Bendpak has not treated me in an honest, forthright fashion.

 

[PurdueSD]

Just purchased and installed a HD9 ST. Bolt holes and pulleys did not align. My installer was the local Bendpak warranty guy and he was as surprised as I was. we called Bendpak and they said they would send out a retrofit kit with new pulleys and they said that considerable grinding of bolt holes etc would still be required to make it all fit. MY comment was why the Hell didn't you send with the lift so that we would not lose another 3 days waiting for the kit? We ended up doing some plasm,a cutting to make it all fit. I then called Bendpak and their head of sales first said "I have never heard of that" and when reminded of the retrofit kit they had on hand, he said "I thought we had that all fixed." I asked for an engineer's certification that these holes and mods did not compromise safety or structural integrity and he said "no problem." to date, no engineer's letter, just some statement from their sales department not to worry. Too bad, because it is a great lift, but Bendpak has not treated me in an honest, forthright fashion.

Wow !!!

Thank makes me kind of nervous. I have been considering purchasing HD9 in the future. May need to do some more digging now...

 

[JSK]

Re: Bendpak HD-9 purchase: the good, the bad and the ugly of it all

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear wjhpc,

Below was posted earlier regaring the same issue. Correcitons have been made. Sounds like we delivered previous model. Shoot me an email - [email protected]


***************

We do care about customer service and look at situations like this as an opportunity to shine.

Sorry about the holes not lining up. Many BP owners have not experienced this problem as their lifts did not have the added support straps welded to their cross tubes. The straps are 1/4" thick and added to the top and bottom of the cross tubes for added strength. Our engineers obviously miscalculated the differences resulting in the miscues.

The straps although not necessary for structural safety, were added to reduce “bowing” under full load. Our HD-9 series lift is now being sold as an alignment lift overseas (model HD-9A) and is equipped with turn plates and rear slip plates. It is crucial to exceed normal material yield parameters on alignment lifts due their application. Runways and cross tubes must remain as close to perfect level as possible under full load.


Jeff Kritzer
SR. VP.
BendPak Inc.

 

[ovilla]

wjhpc - Sorry to hear of the issues with your lift. I and many others have ordered HD-9 series lifts this year and have not encountered any issues. Having said that, the nice thing about buying a BendPak is that you're buying from a reputable company that does stand firmly behind their products. Do a search on this board and you'll find that when issues have come up with any of their lift product lines, BendPak has always taken care of their customers and has addressed issues to everyones satisfaction. This is something I've tried to point out to others considering buying a lift. It's this service after the sale is done that makes the biggest difference. I know it's a bummer not being able to set it up just yet but be patient and let them address it. I'm sure they'll take care of you.

PurdueSD - It's unfortunate that stuff does happen but I still wouldn't shy away from the BendPak HD9 series of lifts. This is a great product and is sold at a price that I think is quite reasonable when compared to other lifts. The certification, dual safety locks, and air locks are hard to beat and truly make this a really nice lift.

Finally, when I was doing my research for buying a lift I also did look to find where incidents occured and was curious as to how the company responded. Everyone should be curious as to how they'll take care of you after they've got your money, right? Anyway, in my research I found that BendPak stood behind their products and took care of their customers and that helped in my buying decision and made me even more comfortable when buying my HD-9-B.

 

[PurdueSD]

wjhpc -

PurdueSD - It's unfortunate that stuff does happen but I still wouldn't shy away from the BendPak HD9 series of lifts. This is a great product and is sold at a price that I think is quite reasonable when compared to other lifts. The certification, dual safety locks, and air locks are hard to beat and truly make this a really nice lift.

Finally, when I was doing my research for buying a lift I also did look to find where incidents occured and was curious as to how the company responded. Everyone should be curious as to how they'll take care of you after they've got your money, right? Anyway, in my research I found that BendPak stood behind their products and took care of their customers and that helped in my buying decision and made me even more comfortable when buying my HD-9-B.

That is exactly what has me worried. Taking a die grinder and bur bit ( let alone a plasma) to a piece of lifting equipment does not sound like an acceptable solution to the guys problem. You could potentially be talking about his life. I hope Bend Pak steps up and makes this right... To me that would be replacing parts that have fitment problems or mis-alignments.

I am not saying Bend Pak is good bad or average. But how they handle situations like these will speak for itself.

 

[Junkman]

The original post was made yesterday, and in about 4 hours, it was addressed by a Senior Vice President of Bend Pak on this site. I know how frustrating it can be to make a large purchase and then have to wait for replacement parts, however, that is the problem with anything that you purchase today. Large heavy parts need to be shipped from the manufacturer or there warehouse. I know first hand that when there is a problem with a Bend Pak lift, that they immediately ship a replacement part. I had a cable break a few strands because it was originally installed on the wrong side of a bolt. They sent me a replacement cable and sheave the same day that I called. UPS had it to me in 3 days and I replaced it. I only wish that the auto dealerships were as easy to deal with when a part under warranty failed on my Ford. It took over a week to get a replacement, and then 3 more days till they installed it. There is no doubt in my mind that Bend Pak will make every attempt to get the replacement parts to you as fast as possible, and make sure that you are totally satisfied with your purchase and their service.. Junk....

 

[revlover]

I have to agree with Junkman...

A Senior Vice President of a huge company being involved with avenues such as this is pretty awesome.

I would contact him... obviously he cares enough to respond to posts like these... I'm sure he'll take care of you.

I am not saying Bend Pak is good bad or average. But how they handle situations like these will speak for itself.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this issue, but from what I see, they're already going above and beyond normal manufacturer's protocol.

 

[wjhpc]

Well, I would not say that Bendpak has addressed the issue yet. I cut out the bolt and pulley holes so that all would fit, and i have asked for a stamped engineer's letter that this does not impair the integrity of the lift. Forget the delays, forget my time - just give me an engineer that says in writing that this cutting and grinding works. All i have so far is a short letter from sales - not quite what i am looking for. Maybe its the lawyer in me, but fair is fair. This will get resolved, one way or another.

 

[mhm993]

Only slightly off topic, my installer made an awful mess of my hd9 install---lost parts repeatedly, chewed up a cable by installing it wrong, etc. I must say that Brian at Bendpak has been nothing but helpful in addressing each of my requests. I give them a thumbs up under the circumstance.

 

[wjhpc]

I am happy to report the results of a conversation I had today with Jeff Kritzer, senior VP at BendPak. Jeff heard on this forum about the problems I had with misaligned bolt holes and contacted me to work this out. It turns out that BendPak beefed up these lifts with the addition of some additional steel. This caused the bolt holes to misalign - most were corrected in the factory, but a few (mine included) got shipped before new holes were drilled. Jeff has agreed to provide a BendPak letter certifying the continuing structural integrity of the lift and will reimburse my contractor for the extra installation time. Jeff also volunteered a very substantial discount on a Rolling Bridge Jack as a matter of customer relations which I promptly accepted! I could tell from the entire tenor of the conversation that BendPak was completely committed to customer satisfaction and support. This is exactly the kind of company that I like to do business with, and I now plan to purchase several additonal BendPak lifts for my garage in the next few months. I don't know of any other lift manufacturer who would have responded in such a forthright and honest manner. Add me to the BendPak fan list.

 

[e-tek]

I am happy to report the results of a conversation I had today with Jeff Kritzer, senior VP at BendPak. Add me to the BendPak fan list.

I'd also add you to the list of people I would NOT want to sell something to!!!