Help me pick a 2-post lift.

[Quijote]

I did some research a while back and was pretty convinced that when the time came, I would buy a Bendpak XPR-10A for our new detached garage. Now, I am starting to wonder if it's the best choice.

I plan on using this lift very sparingly (maybe once a month) for routine maintenance on my cars (Mini=2600lbs, AWD sportscar=3600lbs, and SUV=6000lbs). I might eventually get comfortable enough doing more involved work in the sportscar, but hopefully I won't have to.

Attached is a simplified layout of the garage I will start building in May. The plan is to only garage one car (sports car) there, since we have a 2-car attached garage for the other two cars. The structure will be used to store kids stuff (power wheels, bikes, sports stuff, etc) along the sides and tools at the back in the workshop area.

But there may be a time where I may own a 4th car, so I want to keep the garage as a usable 2-car garage. Because there is not THAT much room behind the lift, I rather have an asymmetric lift that has more of the car overhanging towards the car side rather than the workshop side. That will leave plenty of room on the engine bay side of the cars.

Back to my initial point. I like the XPR-10A, but given that I only have 10' walls and scissor trusses over the lift area, I will still need to fit the posts between the trusses on the Bendpak. That's ok. I planned for it since I had height restrictions from the town. But I came across the Rotary SPOA10 and I am wondering if that's a better lift and still a bit shorter.

I also like the Mohawk A7's short height, but don't like the 7000lb limit or the price.

What do you guys think? Should I just go with the Bendpak given my limited expected use and save the ~$1200?

 

[Quijote]

I hate to answer my own question, but after finding this:

http://www.mytoolguy.com/Comparison BendPak XPR-10AC vs Rotary SPOA10.htm

...I think I may just get the Bendpak.

 

[koster88]

I have 2 of the XPR-10A's. and I LOVE them/so do the guys who work for me. I just bought them about 3 months ago. If I could do it again, I'd get the exact same lifts. The Support at BendPak is GREAT (Jeff, one of the CEOs is part of this forum, and I've had the pleasure of having dinner with him. GREAT GUY).

 

[tonyvlx]

Had my Bendpak XPR-10 installed a few weeks ago. love it so far.Having owned a Bendpak 4 post in the past, there was no other manufacture id even concider.

 

[Quijote]

I will probably stick with Bendpak then. Thanks.

 

[racerock]

Couple pieces of advice:

1. You are likely to use it more than you think. A lift has other useds - like a quick way to set up two tables in your garage...
2. Whatever you get, make sure it is certified and has single side release. A couple friends saved a few bucks and it is not worth it. Heck, just pulling a motor or trans, or even a simple brake job - the car is up/down up - frequent changes of height - releasing the other side makes for an unsafe situation...
3. WHy are you putting the lift smack in the middle? Does not make sense to me...
4. I would build the garage about 4 feet wider and get an 18' door

Now for your comparison.
1. Remember, more steel does not necessarily mean a better design.
2. See the lift pads on the Rotary - they are quick flip and make for extremely easy adjustment on different vechicles and they are part of the arms. Making for a very secure arm interface to your vehicle. Many cars are lifted at the pinch welds and those arms make for a very safe lift point.

I have a Rotary and really like it. I think I saw that same comparison years ago when deciding.

I went for the Rotary sort of by opportunity, but was looking for one. One of the reason is support. They are used in many, many shops across the country and are in many garages. If there were problems with them, insurance companies would force them to change to another brand...

I have been VERY happy with it.

 

[budl]

I've decided to go with Atlas. Greg Smith has a dealership within 60 mi. of me and they stock parts. By looking at the specs avilable on line you can tell that the same lift is sold under many brand names. Couldn't see what makes the Bendpak worth 30% more than the Atlas. My vehicles only weigh +- 3000 lb so I think the Atlas BP-9000 will probably work fine for me. I have personally seen most of the avilable different brands in use in professsional shops.

Bud

 

[DiscoBerry]

Both shops i worked at had the rotary a symetrics and they were great the biggest thing we had on them was ford e350 wheelchair taxi vans probably around 10k lbs and it was no issue.

 

[osu69]

I've had my XPR10A for three years. Set it up myself and use it two-three times monthly.
Zero problems and I'm quite happy with it. If any of your cars have low ground clearance, you'll need a set of Race Ramps.

 

[Jvvmusme]

Mr Quijote
Have you considered a Maxjax ?
Yours truly
Sancho

 

[fflintstone]

+2 on BendPak.

 

[GShelton]

Another vote for Bendpak. I love mine.

 

[Tripp2012]

I sold Bendpak's for about 12 years and I'm not their biggest fan, but they are decent. You stated that you could not see any reason to spend 30% more on the Bendpak. But look at it like this all lifts are made of two things for the most part steel structure and Hydraulics. Where did Atlas cut cost to save you money the steel or the hydraulics? Remember you are going to be standing under 6K lbs at times. You don’t want something that’s going to fold up like a cheap umbrella. Also looking at the vehicles you plan to lift I wouldn’t go asymmetric you will be adding a lot of strain to the rear arms when lifting the SUV. Basically if you look a 10K lift and break it down each arm is rated to 2500 lbs. So you may lift a truck that weighs 6K but if all the weight is in the rear due to loaded bed whatever you can over load the rear arms quick. Also whatever you decide make sure it’s ETL/ALI certified ask for the papers on this. It’s an expensive third party certification and most cheap lifts are not. On the plus side for Bendpak most of their 2 post line are ETL/ALI certified another reason they cost a little more. If I were to buy something tomorrow I would look to Challenger Lifts and Rotary would be second.

 

[Quijote]

Couple pieces of advice:

1. You are likely to use it more than you think. A lift has other useds - like a quick way to set up two tables in your garage...
2. Whatever you get, make sure it is certified and has single side release. A couple friends saved a few bucks and it is not worth it. Heck, just pulling a motor or trans, or even a simple brake job - the car is up/down up - frequent changes of height - releasing the other side makes for an unsafe situation...
3. WHy are you putting the lift smack in the middle? Does not make sense to me...
4. I would build the garage about 4 feet wider and get an 18' door

Now for your comparison.
1. Remember, more steel does not necessarily mean a better design.
2. See the lift pads on the Rotary - they are quick flip and make for extremely easy adjustment on different vechicles and they are part of the arms. Making for a very secure arm interface to your vehicle. Many cars are lifted at the pinch welds and those arms make for a very safe lift point.

I have a Rotary and really like it. I think I saw that same comparison years ago when deciding.

I went for the Rotary sort of by opportunity, but was looking for one. One of the reason is support. They are used in many, many shops across the country and are in many garages. If there were problems with them, insurance companies would force them to change to another brand...

I have been VERY happy with it.

I cannot grow the garage any more. I already had to spend $3K in fees/plans and three public hearings just to get the garage I got. Not an option.

It will be in the middle so I can use the u-shaped perimeter of the workshop area for shelves/workbenches/tools. I also want to very comfortably go around the lift.

Thanks for your input on the Rotary, I will look into it a bit more.

 

[Quijote]

I sold Bendpak's for about 12 years and I'm not their biggest fan, but they are decent. You stated that you could not see any reason to spend 30% more on the Bendpak. But look at it like this all lifts are made of two things for the most part steel structure and Hydraulics. Where did Atlas cut cost to save you money the steel or the hydraulics? Remember you are going to be standing under 6K lbs at times. You don’t want something that’s going to fold up like a cheap umbrella. Also looking at the vehicles you plan to lift I wouldn’t go asymmetric you will be adding a lot of strain to the rear arms when lifting the SUV. Basically if you look a 10K lift and break it down each arm is rated to 2500 lbs. So you may lift a truck that weighs 6K but if all the weight is in the rear due to loaded bed whatever you can over load the rear arms quick. Also whatever you decide make sure it’s ETL/ALI certified ask for the papers on this. It’s an expensive third party certification and most cheap lifts are not. On the plus side for Bendpak most of their 2 post line are ETL/ALI certified another reason they cost a little more. If I were to buy something tomorrow I would look to Challenger Lifts and Rotary would be second.

Just want to point out that it was username "budl" that decided to go with the Atlas lift, not me.

I remain undecided but leaning towards the Bendpak. Purchase will likely take place after 4th of July.

 

[Quijote]

Mr Quijote
Have you considered a Maxjax ?
Yours truly
Sancho

I did for a while, but as I mentioned, I may be lifting a 6000lb SUV and I rather have a margin on the rating. Again, this is not my primary garage, but rather an auxiliary one, so I don't mind the permanent posts and welcome the higher load rating.

 

[gnxtc2]

If you are going to lift SUVs, get the XPR-10. With a symmetrical lift, you can face the vehicle in either direction. If you choose a asymmetrical lift; wth the layout you have and possible future work to your sportscar (ie: pull a motor), you don't have enough room to manuever a cherry picker. Now if you a symmetrical, you can back the car into the garage and have plenty of room.

BTW: I have the XPR-10.

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[Chuckie63]

OK you guys have sparked my interest. I'm doing a new 28x 34 with 11 1/2 ft ceiling height this May. What is the difference from Asymmetrical & Symmetrical lifts. Also I do know I will be lifting my 2005 Dodge 3500 quad cab up and it's around 7k??? cause of the diesel. So will the Bendpak XPR 10 work for me? I will need to know so that if this is the lift that will give me years of service I'll need to know the footprint for anchoring so I can either preinstall the anchor bolts or avoid certain areas of the floor to drill for them later cause of the tubes for a radiant heated floor.Thx

 

[pattenp]

View this....

Also do not attempt to preinstall anchor bolts. Anchors should be installed with columns in place.

OK you guys have sparked my interest. I'm doing a new 28x 34 with 11 1/2 ft ceiling height this May. What is the difference from Asymmetrical & Symmetrical lifts. Also I do know I will be lifting my 2005 Dodge 3500 quad cab up and it's around 7k??? cause of the diesel. So will the Bendpak XPR 10 work for me? I will need to know so that if this is the lift that will give me years of service I'll need to know the footprint for anchoring so I can either preinstall the anchor bolts or avoid certain areas of the floor to drill for them later cause of the tubes for a radiant heated floor.Thx

 

[Quijote]

OK you guys have sparked my interest. I'm doing a new 28x 34 with 11 1/2 ft ceiling height this May. What is the difference from Asymmetrical & Symmetrical lifts. Also I do know I will be lifting my 2005 Dodge 3500 quad cab up and it's around 7k??? cause of the diesel. So will the Bendpak XPR 10 work for me? I will need to know so that if this is the lift that will give me years of service I'll need to know the footprint for anchoring so I can either preinstall the anchor bolts or avoid certain areas of the floor to drill for them later cause of the tubes for a radiant heated floor.Thx

Symmetric means the posts face each other straight on and the arms are equal length. As a result, the center of mass of the vehicle should be along the imaginary line between the two posts. In many cases, though, this means that it is hard to open the front doors of a car because the posts are in the way.

On an asymmetric lift, the post location does not change, but they are rotated to aim a little further back on the car. This allows the center of mass to be moved further back.

See page 37 on this PDF

http://www.bendpak.com/XPR-10 Manual 5900043 REV G 11-30-2011.pdf


Now, if you read posts in this forum you will hear a lot of confusing comments as to the merits of either, in particular with regard to safety, etc.

I'll use this opportunity to offer my view on lifts. Perhaps it will help others.

My view, as a mechanical design engineer (one who has no professional experience on lifts), is that the rotation of the posts is for one reason only:

The posts have a "U"-shaped cross-section. This cross section is stiffest (resists bending) best when the load is line with is central/symmetrical line (as shown on the above PDF p.37).

So the reason for rotation has nothing to do with the floor or how the post is attached to it. It has only to do with preventing the post itself from bending. What prevents the posts from coming off the ground is the anchor bolts. In either lift setup, you have a load that is not directly over the post. As a result the load (vehicle) applies a moment on the base trying to tip it over. The anchor bolts act to prevent it from tipping over.

 

[Chuckie63]

What height ceiling do you need for the XPR 10 and why does it have a c or cx after it?

 

[Tripp2012]

Symmetric means the posts face each other straight on and the arms are equal length. As a result, the center of mass of the vehicle should be along the imaginary line between the two posts. In many cases, though, this means that it is hard to open the front doors of a car because the posts are in the way.

On an asymmetric lift, the post location does not change, but they are rotated to aim a little further back on the car. This allows the center of mass to be moved further back.

See page 37 on this PDF

http://www.bendpak.com/XPR-10 Manual 5900043 REV G 11-30-2011.pdf

Now, if you read posts in this forum you will hear a lot of confusing comments as to the merits of either, in particular with regard to safety, etc.

I'll use this opportunity to offer my view on lifts. Perhaps it will help others.

My view, as a mechanical design engineer (one who has no professional experience on lifts), is that the rotation of the posts is for one reason only:

The posts have a "U"-shaped cross-section. This cross section is stiffest (resists bending) best when the load is line with is central/symmetrical line (as shown on the above PDF p.37).

So the reason for rotation has nothing to do with the floor or how the post is attached to it. It has only to do with preventing the post itself from bending. What prevents the posts from coming off the ground is the anchor bolts. In either lift setup, you have a load that is not directly over the post. As a result the load (vehicle) applies a moment on the base trying to tip it over. The anchor bolts act to prevent it from tipping over.

Not all Asymmetric lifts have rotated post. It is a design aspect of most but not all follow this design.

The main reason for the Asymmetric lift is plain and simple door clearance when getting in and out of the car. Which is fine for front drive cars where the center of gravity is more forward and loads the shorter front arms. However when you get into Trucks and SUV's it tends to overload the rear arms which can lead to rear arms being bent.

IMHO symmetric is the way to go it's more versatile for all around use. Yes you have to watch the doors when getting in and out but that's the only drawback I have found.

There is a third option out in the fast few years called versymmertric. It uses a 3 stage rear arm and gives you the option of lifting both ways depending on the vehicle you are working on.

 

[Quijote]

Not all Asymmetric lifts have rotated post. It is a design aspect of most but not all follow this design.

Sure. You can do whatever you want as a designer. If you choose to not rotate the posts, however, now you have to be sure the post is stiff enough in both directions.

I'm sure an overkill design like the Mohawk would have no trouble with that.

 

[Quijote]

What height ceiling do you need for the XPR 10 and why does it have a c or cx after it?

I believe the older models could be had as either narrow or wide. The current one, XPR-10A, can be set up as either.

Total height is on the document, but I believe it is around 145". It's just over 12'.

 

[Wangstang]

So how do the "Atlas" branded lifts fit into the quality and design compared to a Bendpak?

I'm starting to research now and don't plan to buy for another year or so. I work on everything from lowered corvette's to SUV's so I suspect I'll have to end up mini ramps to drive lower ride height cars onto as I don't know of any 2 post lifts that get extremely low. What's the mind hive here think?

Wes

 

[Tripp2012]

Atlas is a company that has made it through off shore copies of other peoples stuff. Also I don't think they are ETL/ALI certified so I would steer clear of them.

Companies that I know are ETL/ALI certified are Challenger, Bendpak, Rotary, and Wheeltronics. And all make a good safe lift with easy to find service.

The main thing to look for no matter what you buy is the ETL/ALI certification. I can't stress this enough.

If you're looking for a price point lift look into Challenger's E10 series they are certified off shore lifts. It brings the price down and Challenger stocks the parts for these in Kentucky should you need something.

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

OK you guys have sparked my interest. I'm doing a new 28x 34 with 11 1/2 ft ceiling height this May. What is the difference from Asymmetrical & Symmetrical lifts. Also I do know I will be lifting my 2005 Dodge 3500 quad cab up and it's around 7k??? cause of the diesel. So will the Bendpak XPR 10 work for me? I will need to know so that if this is the lift that will give me years of service I'll need to know the footprint for anchoring so I can either preinstall the anchor bolts or avoid certain areas of the floor to drill for them later cause of the tubes for a radiant heated floor.Thx

My old XPR10 needed 145" height, so I do not think an 11.5' ceiling will cut it for you....that's only 138"....

I have since moved and am building a new shop now, with 12'4" (148") clearance to the ceiling for that exact reason.

 

[wawa1]

xpr15c although at 170 inches tall u need just over 14 feet. mine is sitting beside the shop waiting for the hoist guys to install it.. the reason for such a large hoist is that I run a repair shop out of my shop on my acreage and work on welding trucks 12000 pounds when loaded