Challenger lifts

[millsjq]

I have been searching for a 2 post lift, I am somewhat limited in that I have 12" of clearance for the posts I only have 11' 5" between the posts do to some floor joists. I would prefer to have a clear floor and I saw that the challanger CL9 can support a 11" 2" clearance which would work great for me. I have searched the archives and have only found one comment on challenger, I realize that they are imported which does concern me. However, thaty are ALI certified that makes me a little more assured. Although I will on be using a lift periodically I do not want to put myself at risk due to a questionable product. Does anyone have experience and or opinions on Challanger?

Jack

 

[PxTx]

If the Challenger fits yor dimentions, I think you'll be happy. There are plenty of these lifts in commercial use, i would not be afraid of it. The fact is, I'm not aware of any lift currently on the market which I'm uncomfortable with.

Cars falling off lifts because of inferior materials or workmanship is an internet "urban legend". I have not seen one case where a lift failed from materials/workmanship being used in it's intended application, which resulted in damadge to a vehicle or person. I have heard plenty of stories about a guy from the next town over, in last years paper...but I've never been able to validate those.

If you are comfortable with the price, I say go for it!

 

[NSXSOON]

I have a Challanger Versimetric lift and am very pleased with it. Mine is 3 years old now and has had zero problems. They may have changed but mine was made in the US. Every Wal Mart and Sam's auto center uses theses lifts in there facilities and they do there homework before committing to major capital investments.
I've owned Gilbarco and Rotory lifts in a business I owned in New York and find the Challanger every bit as good or better than those.

Pictures of my lift here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1948

 

[JD in DFW]

I have a Challanger Versimetric lift and am very pleased with it. Mine is 3 years old now and has had zero problems. They may have changed but mine was made in the US. Every Wal Mart and Sam's auto center uses theses lifts in there facilities and they do there homework before committing to major capital investments.
I've owned Gilbarco and Rotory lifts in a business I owned in New York and find the Challanger every bit as good or better than those.

Pictures of my lift here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1948

Actually Challenger did have a fatality accident with arm weld failure on one of their import lifts this year in the NW. If you do a search of OSHA lift fatalities you'll find the full report. Some of their lifts are solid like the one mentioned above...but the import lifts on the market today are a total **** shoot when it comes to quality, material makeup and safety features...when and if they work. I know for me and those working or visiting in my garage I want a lift that I would have no issues or reservations with someone under the car in the air.
As for Challenger in Wal-mart/Sam's,they are in a handful of stores, Rotary is their primary supplier for the most part. They also are in most of the major auto repair national franchises across the country like Goodyear, Sears and other large auto repair companies.
I guess it goes back to the old adage...you get what you pay for. If saving a few hundred bucks is worth it to you then it's the right lift for you.
Call or go by a few of the major car dealerships in your area and ask Serv. Managers what lifts they have or the brands they like the best and that will also give you some insight with regard to lifts...these guys are under them day in and day out.

Good luck with the lift search...

 

[PxTx]

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/FACE/stateface/ca/03ca010.html

Not that I'm lazy, but this is all I could find. It seems the fatality involved a lift from 1964. The Cause of the accident was an arm which slipped from its original position, not due to a failure in a weld. You must be referencing a different accident. If you find the link, I would love to read about it.

 

[Aahz]

Do a search on "Challenger Lift" here on the forum. All the documentation about their accident is posted. (There was quite a lively discussion about it back in January or February).

Basically, there are only three main Lift companies left in the U.S. that get their products certified to ALI/ ETL standards. (There's one more in Canada...). Virtually every other "manufacturer" is importing their products from China (even the Korean imports are made in China now).

Challenger, Rotary & Mohawk are all made here...but I'm not going to guarantee that every component for each lift is made here....

Challenger has a few liines that are Chinese imports, but with the exception of their major accident, I haven't heard of any other major problems. All in all, it's a decent lift.

 

[PxTx]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5546&highlight=challenger

It seems like the links are broken, but this may be what you were referring to. Since I could't read myself, is the argument that the design of the arm is flawed and all these lifts are subject tot he same failure, or is it that this one arm had a poor weld? I would think the latter would not have been preventable with an ALI cert.

Also, which Korean lift are you refering to now being made in China? I've recently mentioned Powerrex lifts, and their SL10000 OH being made in Korea.

 

[Aahz]

The gist of the story on the Challenger import failure was that the arm welds failed (not one, ALL) and the vehicle came down on top of the owner (and hit his son). From what I remember, the lift was not properly loaded (1st issue), and the arms were not sufficient to support the overload. ALI / ETL requires that lifts not suffer a catastrophic failure up to a 3:1 safety margin (ie. 10K lift should not CATASTROPHICALLY fail when loaded at 30,000 lbs). Each arm on the lift is rated at 1/4 load capacity (ie. 2500 lbs each @ 1:1, 7500 lbs @ 3:1). Theoretically, the arms on the lift SHOULD have held, even though the lift was not properly loaded.
Challenger stepped up to the plate (after the fact) and de-rated all of the lifts they had in the field from 10K to 7K and then I lost track of the story. I am sure that there is an on-going lawsuit....

In regards to the Korean lift comment, I was not specifically talking about Powerrex.....I have had discussions with some importers recently that flat out told me, the Korean won is too high against the US $, so many Korean lift manufacturers are having their products built in China, even for their domestic market.

 

[Junkman]

The gist of the story on the Challenger import failure was that the arm welds failed (not one, ALL) and the vehicle came down on top of the owner (and hit his son). From what I remember, the lift was not properly loaded (1st issue), and the arms were not sufficient to support the overload. ALI / ETL requires that lifts not suffer a catastrophic failure up to a 3:1 safety margin (ie. 10K lift should not CATASTROPHICALLY fail when loaded at 30,000 lbs). Each arm on the lift is rated at 1/4 load capacity (ie. 2500 lbs each @ 1:1, 7500 lbs @ 3:1). Theoretically, the arms on the lift SHOULD have held, even though the lift was not properly loaded.
Challenger stepped up to the plate (after the fact) and de-rated all of the lifts they had in the field from 10K to 7K and then I lost track of the story. I am sure that there is an on-going lawsuit....

In regards to the Korean lift comment, I was not specifically talking about Powerrex.....I have had discussions with some importers recently that flat out told me, the Korean won is too high against the US $, so many Korean lift manufacturers are having their products built in China, even for their domestic market.

For the most part, the only thing that is being made anywhere other than China are babies..

 

[JD in DFW]

The gist of the story on the Challenger import failure was that the arm welds failed (not one, ALL) and the vehicle came down on top of the owner (and hit his son). From what I remember, the lift was not properly loaded (1st issue), and the arms were not sufficient to support the overload. ALI / ETL requires that lifts not suffer a catastrophic failure up to a 3:1 safety margin (ie. 10K lift should not CATASTROPHICALLY fail when loaded at 30,000 lbs). Each arm on the lift is rated at 1/4 load capacity (ie. 2500 lbs each @ 1:1, 7500 lbs @ 3:1). Theoretically, the arms on the lift SHOULD have held, even though the lift was not properly loaded.
Challenger stepped up to the plate (after the fact) and de-rated all of the lifts they had in the field from 10K to 7K and then I lost track of the story. I am sure that there is an on-going lawsuit....

In regards to the Korean lift comment, I was not specifically talking about Powerrex.....I have had discussions with some importers recently that flat out told me, the Korean won is too high against the US $, so many Korean lift manufacturers are having their products built in China, even for their domestic market.

Aahz is correct here as that is the incident I was referring to...sorry I should have provided more info and or links to the OSHA report I was referring to...thanks Aahz for pointing out the basic outline of the incident. From what I have been told by a number of people within the industry, the truck that was put on the lift had additional payload and maybe too much and then the very unfortunate accident happened. And yes Challenger did recall many of the lifts and had to send out lower capacity lowering valves for the power units as well as new arm assemblies for all lift out in the field...not a cheap endeavor for any lift company and Challenger is not the biggest by far. It did hurt their sales in the Professional automotive industry with many dealers and alot of independent shop owners...word spreads fast believe me.
Yes their are alot of rumors that get around about lifts and most shop equipment. The best thing to do when buying a piece of auto equipment that can cause serious injury or death if not of good quality and design is research...research and more research. These boards are a great service to all and can really aid in the process.

When looking for a lift think about this....is saving a few hundred dollars really worth it to me. Who will be standing under that lift?? You, other family members. How much do I value that car of mine 6 feet up in the air? When it all comes down to it for me....the extra money is worth the peace of mind and some security knowing that my lift is 3rd party tested and certified and was installed by a factory trained and insured professional.
As always to each his own. Some really great insight shared here...what a great resource!

Happy wrenching!

JD in DFW