Home Lift Suggestions

[Best4u2Bid]

Hello,

I'm considering buying a lift for my home garage. The ceiling height and concrete flooring in my garage can accommodate nearly every style. I'm pretty much set on getting a 10,000lb lift, but if you can convince me of reasons to look at other capacities, then I'm definitely here with open ears. I'm only interested in two-post lifts, but I'm not sure what other aspects to look at when picking out a specific model.

What are the concerns associated with purchasing a foreign lift?
What brands do you recommend for home use?
What are the pros/cons of buying a portable lift (is there a possibility of me knocking a portable lift over by physically tugging on components of a lifted vehicle)?
What kind of lift do you own and have you had any issues with it?

I'm particularly looking for a lift to use for side jobs. It won't be getting a lot of heavy use, maybe once or twice a week on average. I've been a mechanic all my life, but I've never had to purchase my own lift so I'm a relative newbie when it comes to the technical specifications. My main goal is to properly assess the cost effectiveness of different brands and models. I don't want to spend extra money on qualities that aren't necessary.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[AbitNutz]

It's an agonizing decision.

 

[DARK AGE 53]

When looking for a lift I had looked at the two post lift but decided on a four post instead, here's a place near you that you might want to check out www.aresco.org .

 

[BoostAddiction]

Value: Rotary, Cost no object: Mohawk

I have a 7000 lb Rotary which I bought after seeing one at a friends shop. Same model as all the local Porsche & Audi shops have as well.

Mine is 6 years old now, has been in use every day holding up a project car or two, and has never had any problems.

 

[AbitNutz]

I have several cars that are worth...well a lot and my lawn tractor. That ***** costs as much as the 356 I'm trying to put together. The notion of putting a 50+G car on a $10.00 lift just makes me feel stupid. A Mohawk is $5,700...doing the math makes this a no brainer in that it hurts my brain trying to make the decision.

I saw a vid where they compared a Mohawk vs a Rotary.

 

[DARK AGE 53]

The notion of putting a 50+G car on a $10.00 lift just makes me feel stupid.

I'm kinda confused here, you did see he said a 10,000 lb. lift not a $10 lift didn't you?

 

[racerbob4]

We are in the same market for a lift and I kind of like the Challenger cable lift.

 

[AbitNutz]

I'm kinda confused here, you did see he said a 10,000 lb. lift not a $10 lift didn't you?

Naw, musta said it wrong. I can't put a $50,000+ on a $10 dollar lift. A bit of exaggeration there.

 

[Best4u2Bid]

what do you think of the xpr10 bendpak?

 

[Joetomass]

Mohawk would be number 1 rotary 2 challenger 3 stay away fro
Bendpak unless you like china metal and crappy build lift I have a 12k Mohawk 2 post 10 years old never had to do a thing to it just bought 19 k mohawk 4 post also have an older challenger 7k and these are in a shop were there being used every day all day

 

[rmadursk]

I have one of these (10K). http://whipindustries.com/Specs9_10_11k.htm
I haven't had any $50K cars on it but I have had $50K dually diesel, extended cab, long bed pickup trucks on it. It would laugh at the $50K car

It will pick up everything from my 79 Midget to the big pickups. Worst things to pick up are Jeeps, really short wheelbase. I probably use it 2-3 days/week on average. It is just for hobby work.

I installed it myself about 6 years ago and other than some minor adjustments and grease it has been worry free. Paid just under $2K for it (picket it up myself in MD). Not sure what it would cost now.

You can spend more, but if it just for occasional use I would spend mine elsewhere.

Ron

 

[pattenp]

We are in the same market for a lift and I kind of like the Challenger cable lift.

I have a Challenger lift. What do you mean by cable lift? Mine has a cable but it's for keeping the lift arms level to each other. The actual lifting is done by hydraulic rams.

 

[DiscoBerry]

At my old job they had inground rotary 10k lift and they were awesome and never failed us. My new job we have a brand called forward which i belive is the same as rotary they are 9k symetric lifts with a-symetric arms and will lift every thing except a crew cab long bed dually 3500 and we have never broke one of them

 

[chickenhauler]

what do you think of the xpr10 bendpak?

After a LOT of research and bouncing around from scissor lifts, to portables, and the slew of 2 posts I finally made my mind up and ordered my Bendpak XPR-10A this week

 

[SteveU]

Hello,

I'm considering buying a lift for my home garage. The ceiling height and concrete flooring in my garage can accommodate nearly every style. I'm pretty much set on getting a 10,000lb lift, but if you can convince me of reasons to look at other capacities, then I'm definitely here with open ears. I'm only interested in two-post lifts, but I'm not sure what other aspects to look at when picking out a specific model.

What are the concerns associated with purchasing a foreign lift?
What brands do you recommend for home use?
What are the pros/cons of buying a portable lift (is there a possibility of me knocking a portable lift over by physically tugging on components of a lifted vehicle)?
What kind of lift do you own and have you had any issues with it?

I'm particularly looking for a lift to use for side jobs. It won't be getting a lot of heavy use, maybe once or twice a week on average. I've been a mechanic all my life, but I've never had to purchase my own lift so I'm a relative newbie when it comes to the technical specifications. My main goal is to properly assess the cost effectiveness of different brands and models. I don't want to spend extra money on qualities that aren't necessary.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

"What are the concerns associated with purchasing a foreign lift?"

They are not built as sturdy which may or may not be a problem depending on what you are lifting. As I wanted a lift capable of doing anything I would ever work on & only wanted to buy once I had narrowed it down to either Mohawk or Rotary. Parts availability and ability to get it repaired/serviced would be a concern for an off brand lift.

"What brands do you recommend for home use?"

I was going to go with either Mohawk or Rotary and after seeing how the two compared and reading everything I could find both here & on another forum decided on the Mohawk. I heard from a shop owner who had used a Mohawk in a commercial garage for 25+ yrs & over that time it cost him 250 in repairs. Considering my usage is similar to yours, my grand kids will be using it long after I'm gone.

"What are the pros/cons of buying a portable lift (is there a possibility of me knocking a portable lift over by physically tugging on components of a lifted vehicle)?"

I prefer the fixed lift bolted to the floor if you have the room. Something like the Maxjax would be great if you couldn't leave it set up all the time. Concerns with the portable lifts would be remembering to bolt them down properly each time & the physical size of the arms might not allow you to hit the lifting points.

"What kind of lift do you own and have you had any issues with it?"

I bought a Mohawk System 1 in 2008 and am completely happy with it. I did a lot of research before buying & was planning on using for my own vehicles & helping a few buddies out not anything commercial. Every so often you have to raise it all the way to the top to equalize the arms but that is no problem & can be done with a vehicle on it or not. Very heavy duty & solid, have had up to 1T diesel dually on it & no wobble or concerns it wasn't going to hold it up. Go to Mohawk's website, they have comparisons of the different lifts footprints, steel thickness, cylinder size, etc. I also like the fact that they are made in the USA, I like to support American jobs when I can.

 

[JSK]

Mohawk would be number 1 rotary 2 challenger 3 stay away fro
Bendpak unless you like china metal and crappy build lift I have a 12k Mohawk 2 post 10 years old never had to do a thing to it just bought 19 k mohawk 4 post also have an older challenger 7k and these are in a shop were there being used every day all day

Kind of mean spirited but I guess everyone has a right to speak their opinion. I do question however how anyone could reason why Rotary’s two-post would be better than BendPak’s. Here...

http://www.astudyinliftdesign.com/two-post-lift-comparison.html​

And although Mohawk columns are indeed heavy, I question why the lift would be better. Here...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70488​

JSK

 

[Shadowdog500]

Unfortunately the poor economy has forced a lot of car dealerships to close. The quality lifts at those dealerships do get sold for cheap when they have the auction to clear out the building. Check out the locar auction scene on auctionzip.com and go to govdeals.net To see what the local, state, and feds are trying to get rid of.

I would reccomend getting a used quality ALI certified lift over any $10 import lift.

My Mohawk came out of a Saturn Dealership last year. I hear rotary lifts can be had for a grand at the right auction. Mohawks will fetch 2 to 3 grand.

Chris

 

[Marty256]

Try and locate a swap meet or trade show in your area. Go and look at all the lifts displayed and make your decision based on the fit and quality of the item not on the price. I bought a Revolution Lift, made by Rotary Lifts, over a Back Yard Buddy Lift that was considerably more expensive yet of lesser quality than the Revolution lift.

 

[Perryk]

I have one of these (10K). http://whipindustries.com/Specs9_10_11k.htm
I haven't had any $50K cars on it but I have had $50K dually diesel, extended cab, long bed pickup trucks on it. It would laugh at the $50K car

It will pick up everything from my 79 Midget to the big pickups. Worst things to pick up are Jeeps, really short wheelbase. I probably use it 2-3 days/week on average. It is just for hobby work.

I installed it myself about 6 years ago and other than some minor adjustments and grease it has been worry free. Paid just under $2K for it (picket it up myself in MD). Not sure what it would cost now.

You can spend more, but if it just for occasional use I would spend mine elsewhere.

Ron

The consensus is that Whips lifts are in the non ALI certified "if you lift anything heavy its going to fail and kill you" category. I bought my Whip WAS10 after looking at Bendpak, Direct, Forward, Rotary, Challenger, Mohawk. So far so good. Well built, good powerunit, and great service. Mine was slightly damaged in shipping and I called for some parts and they showed up 2 day later.

Can't ask for more than that and so far I have eluded death by my non ALI certified lift.

 

[Joetomass]

I bought a bendpak 4 post lift 4 months ago from the first day to the the last day nothing but problems. Couldnt lift what it says it could and have you ever see the metal on a bendpak???? I wouldn't put my life on the line to save a few bucks thats why i sent it back and bought a mohawk. buy USA built quality.
Search my post on here (bendpak 14k problems) and you will see for yourself

 

[brownbagg]

what you got to do is go buy the most expensive lift out there, forget if you cant afford it, that doesnt matter. like somebody said, putting a 50 g car on a 10 dollar lift.

is this lift going be better than the others, no, not at all. but it give you bragging right that you have the best and that you are paying for someone retirement plan here in America, that will bring home more on retirement than you ever made. By god son, you got think about america first. Must be made in america to support our labor unions.

so go ahead and mortgage the house, take the kids college fund, raffle the wife off on weekends, and go buy you some american steel. Only way you are going be able to sleep at night.

all the other studies, test and consumer reviews, dont matter. Its american steel, the highest you can pay, even if you can pay, buy it anyway

 

[overdriv]

There are several "lift" threads on this board and a lot of good information and a lot of opinions. You really need to take a look at the different lifts and compare for yourself.

Go here and check this out.

Then go to some car dealers and/or repair shops and see what they use.

I have a Bendpak XPR-10 CX two post extra 2' extension. It is a very well built lift. I have a close friend that has a Rotary 9000# lift that he uses in a service shop that goes up and down at least 10 times a day and has for the last 10-12 years with no problems. I can tell you the XPR-10 is built much beefier and the welds are every bit as well made as his rotary. That's not my opinion, I've seen both and that is fact.

Point being, regardless what anyone says if that rotary 9000# 12 year old lift can survive an oil change service shop the Bendpak XPR-10 can do it easily too.

Consider a Bendpak and save yourself some money. The company that owns Rotary also builds and sells many other brands not made in the USA. Read between the lines and go look at the ones you are considering.

My first choice would be a Mohawk, because it is built so heavy and is without a doubt USA made. If it must be USA made then take your chance that the Rotary is 100% USA made and get one, they are very good lifts. I try to buy american when ever I can and I commend anyone that does. But, if you want to save about $1000.00 buy the Bendpak and enjoy it for a long time.

I researched these lifts till I was about to go blind. This is the way I see it. Your mileage may vary.

 

[JSK]

I bought a bendpak 4 post lift 4 months ago from the first day to the the last day nothing but problems. Couldnt lift what it says it could and have you ever see the metal on a bendpak???? I wouldn't put my life on the line to save a few bucks thats why i sent it back and bought a mohawk. buy USA built quality.
Search my post on here (bendpak 14k problems) and you will see for yourself

Joe,

At BendPak we go out of our way to please customers – just like we did with you. Our equipment is every bit as good as any brand on the market and we have almost a million satisfied customers around the globe that would agree. And yes, I do hope readers take time to read your story. I trust they would see our point of view and realize that opinions from a solitary person are just that – opinions, and fiction at that. I’m not sure why you seem to have a vendetta against BendPak especially after we removed your lift and gave you 100% of your money back. This of course only after you were given the opportunity to replace it with one our truck models for pennies on the dollar.

Bottom line, no matter what tale you continue to spin, your business caters to fleet clients with large trucks. Your websites confirm...http://tomassiansauto.com/ and http://www.tlcautotruck.com/fleet-services. You originally inquired about our 18K model but realized the wheelbase was too short for your needs so you opted for our 14K super long model. Heavy, short wheelbase vehicles on super-long extended runways will cause deflection or bending – especially if (even on rare occasions) the capacity is overloaded and minimum wheelbase specifications are overlooked.

You say in your thread….“I ordered a 19k Mohawk 4 post the runways are mad of two 8" I beams.” - just like you should have purchased from BendPak originally Joe - a super-duty lift. You replaced our 14,000 pound lift with a 19,000 pound capacity lift – not what I would call a fair fight. If you would have given us the opportunity to replace your lift with one of our super-duty lifts, it would be lifting anything in your shop with ease. Because of your stubbornness and refusal to cooperate with BendPak, you paid thousands more than you would have had to and you’re stuck using an antiquated chain lift with a door-shearing overhead beam.

But really, a more interesting web page that has more humor than a Sunday paper is this one….http://tomassiansauto.com/ “The most common cause of check engine light is a loose gasp cap”…..LMAO

Jeff
BendPak

 

[cwlo]

While it is pretty clear Bendpak uses more steel than Rotary, is it in places where it matters? Not sure. Furthermore, how about fit and finish? If you look at the toothed lift arm retainer, the Rotary is obviously finer, more teeth, higher quality. The Rotary has a two piece column, which the article implies is not as good as a one piece column. I'm not sure I agree here either. A two piece gives you more flexibility in configuration, and installation. It also has little to do with the strength of the lift since the arms never go above the 2nd piece of the column. Bottom line, either lift will be more than enough for a home setting, and the savings on a Bendpak is pretty enticing for a home shop that doesn't need the extensive support network of Rotary. Finally, a tin can 356 would be a feather on most any lift. I've restored a number of them, and the bigger issue would be how well the lift can fit that car, since its so small by todays standards.

Chris

 

[JSK]

what do you think of the xpr10 bendpak?

Best4u2Bid,

Purchase any BendPak XPR-10 model and I will offer you this. If your new BendPak lift is not every bit as good or better as any other two-post lift you are considering, and you are not 100% happy with your purchase, service or support, BendPak will give you 100% of your money back plus 10%. We will also cover the cost of money paid for install and teardown should you wish to have the lift removed and replaced with another brand.

Jeff Kritzer
BendPak

 

[Joetomass]

Hey jeff
maybe your customer service is good and Garys also but your companys *****, it too me 2 months to try and get a problem fixed then your company is so cheap you cant get people to service your products because they told me you don't pay them enough.LMAO then you sent me 2 new bent runways that sat in my shop for 3 weeks before you could get someone out and when you finally got someone to put them in they laughed at how bad they bent with a Chevy Astro van on it. HA HA
So if you want a good product DONT buy Bendpak. Just look at there name it says it all
Just go out to you local shops and dealers and look to see if you see a bendpak in there shops.

 

[jdub63]

Best4u2Bid,

Purchase any BendPak XPR-10 model and I will offer you this. If your new BendPak lift is not every bit as good or better as any other two-post lift you are considering, and you are not 100% happy with your purchase, service or support, BendPak will give you 100% of your money back plus 10%. We will also cover the cost of money paid for install and teardown should you wish to have the lift removed and replaced with another brand.

Jeff Kritzer
BendPak

That sounds like an excellent offer.... I've had zero problems with my Bendpak HD-9.

 

[saabman]

I have a HD-9 and a XPR-9F. I am extremely happy with the quality of the products and the customer service from Bendpak. My XPR-9F came without any shims. I contacted Bendpak and they overnighted a large number of shims to me at no charge.

I am a hobbiest and I looked long and hard before purchase of each lift and I considered many of the brands that are mentioned in this thread. In the end, the best value came from Bendpak. I have no fear working under either lift. I have a RJ-45 rolling jack that makes suspension work practical on the 4 post.

I use both lifts for winter storage.

 

[SteveU]

Here is a good comparison of 2 post lifts from a member here who owns both Bendpak & Mohawk 10K lifts.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19456&highlight=lift+comparison

 

[Perryk]

Here is a good comparison of 2 post lifts from a member here who owns both Bendpak & Mohawk 10K lifts.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19456&highlight=lift+comparison

Comparing a $2800 lift to a $6000 lift is pointless.

 

[Smoking Joe]

I have a Challenger lift. What do you mean by cable lift? Mine has a cable but it's for keeping the lift arms level to each other. The actual lifting is done by hydraulic rams.

That's a cable lift.

A Mohawk levels by hydraulics.

 

[Smoking Joe]

I will give you my perspective on a Mohawk, good and bad. I can't compare, because I didn't buy more than one. I will say that most of the pro's and con's were stated on various places on the internet. I have an 11' ceiling, which was the primary consideration for the lift, as I didn't want a floor plate to wrestle over, and I didn't want to run a cable above the ceiling. I bought a used A-7 which had been reconditioned by the Mohawk subsidiary in Miami and came with a warranty. It was installed professionally, and the guy showed up early and worked very diligently. The condition of the lift was okay. They didn't strip and re-lube the chain and the paint craftsmanship was very poor. Some of the decals would not even stick to the paint job, because it was so rough.

Pros:
1) The hydraulic lines that level the lift can be installed at any height, including below ground.
2) Very solid construction. They go big on all the parts.
3) leveling safety (wont let the car come down if one of the manual safeties don't release)
4) asymmetric design saves garage space
5) responsive installer comes and does maintenance in accordance with 1 year warranty within a day or two.
6) The lift height is high. 72" I think.
7) No floor plate.
8) Good support from Mohawk corporate on wiring questions.
Cons:
1) hydraulic leveling lines never get the car level going up. It's level on the locks, sort-of.
2) lift hops on the right side. (I'm told by the Mohawk Certified installer that the new seals haven't broken in yet). I've had it 10 months and used it 30-40 times.
3) one of the massive hydraulic cylinders has been leaking for months. I've had Mohawk look at it twice, and they say it's residual fluid from one of the lines that wasn't tight, which is clearly not the case. I'm going to have them come out again.
4) The lift will not level right now. I've bled the system half a dozen times, and it still is off by a lock each time I use it, which causes the level safety to go off each time I try and set the car on the locks. Very annoying. I have to play with the override and try and bump up one side to get it right. I've had the guy come out to address this twice and will have him come out again.

My thoughts on the negative aspects are this. 1) either the use of hydraulic lines is just not that precise and this is the way the lift is (which I have read of this elsewhere before buying)... or 2) the floor is not level enough to use the lift (which is possible, but very minor, and I would think it could be shimmed....or ...3) the service rep/installer is not capable of fixing it.

If I did it over, I probably would have bought an overhead rotary or even a bendpak instead, and routed the cable in the ceiling. I just can't justify the huge cost of the lift (even used) and have people look at me weird when I raise their car. I have to reassure them each time I use it. If they are ever able to get it working the way I expected it...maybe I would feel differently, but I read about others with this problem, so I'm not too hopeful. It is a solid lift. I know others that have some of the really big ones and haven't had any issues.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I will give you my perspective on a Mohawk, good and bad. I can't compare, because I didn't buy more than one. I will say that most of the pro's and con's were stated on various places on the internet. I have an 11' ceiling, which was the primary consideration for the lift, as I didn't want a floor plate to wrestle over, and I didn't want to run a cable above the ceiling. I bought a used A-7 which had been reconditioned by the Mohawk subsidiary in Miami and came with a warranty. It was installed professionally, and the guy showed up early and worked very diligently. The condition of the lift was okay. They didn't strip and re-lube the chain and the paint craftsmanship was very poor. Some of the decals would not even stick to the paint job, because it was so rough.

Pros:
1) The hydraulic lines that level the lift can be installed at any height, including below ground.
2) Very solid construction. They go big on all the parts.
3) leveling safety (wont let the car come down if one of the manual safeties don't release)
4) asymmetric design saves garage space
5) responsive installer comes and does maintenance in accordance with 1 year warranty within a day or two.
6) The lift height is high. 72" I think.
7) No floor plate.
8) Good support from Mohawk corporate on wiring questions.
Cons:
1) hydraulic leveling lines never get the car level going up. It's level on the locks, sort-of.
2) lift hops on the right side. (I'm told by the Mohawk Certified installer that the new seals haven't broken in yet). I've had it 10 months and used it 30-40 times.
3) one of the massive hydraulic cylinders has been leaking for months. I've had Mohawk look at it twice, and they say it's residual fluid from one of the lines that wasn't tight, which is clearly not the case. I'm going to have them come out again.
4) The lift will not level right now. I've bled the system half a dozen times, and it still is off by a lock each time I use it, which causes the level safety to go off each time I try and set the car on the locks. Very annoying. I have to play with the override and try and bump up one side to get it right. I've had the guy come out to address this twice and will have him come out again.

My thoughts on the negative aspects are this. 1) either the use of hydraulic lines is just not that precise and this is the way the lift is (which I have read of this elsewhere before buying)... or 2) the floor is not level enough to use the lift (which is possible, but very minor, and I would think it could be shimmed....or ...3) the service rep/installer is not capable of fixing it.

If I did it over, I probably would have bought an overhead rotary or even a bendpak instead, and routed the cable in the ceiling. I just can't justify the huge cost of the lift (even used) and have people look at me weird when I raise their car. I have to reassure them each time I use it. If they are ever able to get it working the way I expected it...maybe I would feel differently, but I read about others with this problem, so I'm not too hopeful. It is a solid lift. I know others that have some of the really big ones and haven't had any issues.

I haven't experienced any of the problems that you are having. I know others with a Mohawk lift that don't have those problems either. Something tells me that something is wrong with your particular lift and your local guy don't want to spend the time or money to fix it.

Chris

 

[jperaino]

I have a new BendPak HD9 and am very pleased with it. BendPak customer support is second to none. The only problem I have was with the air bottle. It won't hold air for more than 12 hours. Other than that, I would buy BendPak again. They have a great lift for the money.

 

[Piper]

I too have a mohawk 10000 lb lift, bought brand new by me, and installed by me. I don't have any of the problems listed above. I too question a) the install, b) the "level" of the floor. As the posts need to be put in plumb if plumb happens to be even a 1/4" higher or lower at the opposite post than the locks will lock as they should but the lift arms will be at different heights. There are ways to correct for this but my take home thought is "there's something funky with your mohawk".

I too considered the bendpak 4 post lift with castor kit. When it was determined that my 24x32 garage "had" to have a center support post (which meant that adding the mohawk post bolted to the floor wasn't going to be the only thing "there" (read wife wanted full open space but that couldn't happen for the span so now I could legitimately bolt something permanently to the floor..... ahem). The bendpak is a nice lift, but I just somehow felt safer with the mohawk. LIkely that's just me, but when you've got a 7000 pickup over your head, having a good feeling about the safety of the load above is what it's all about.

I once spoke to a guy at a show that told me not to worry about recycled steel as "steel is steel". He also said to not worry about a non-certified lift when you're a hobby car repair guy. He said that "industry" needs certified lifts, hobby guys don't. I asked him what the difference was between hobby gravity and industry gravity.. no answer... so from that point I decided, extra beef in the steel was a good thing. Overkill? maybe (underkill me.. hope so)

 

[SteveU]

Comparing a $2800 lift to a $6000 lift is pointless.

Maybe to you, but to someone in the market for one & given the fact that both these brands have been mentioned, who better to do a side by side comparison and list pro's, con's & general impressions than a man who owns and has used both?

I will give you my perspective on a Mohawk, good and bad. I can't compare, because I didn't buy more than one. I will say that most of the pro's and con's were stated on various places on the internet. I have an 11' ceiling, which was the primary consideration for the lift, as I didn't want a floor plate to wrestle over, and I didn't want to run a cable above the ceiling. I bought a used A-7 which had been reconditioned by the Mohawk subsidiary in Miami and came with a warranty. It was installed professionally, and the guy showed up early and worked very diligently. The condition of the lift was okay. They didn't strip and re-lube the chain and the paint craftsmanship was very poor. Some of the decals would not even stick to the paint job, because it was so rough.

Pros:
1) The hydraulic lines that level the lift can be installed at any height, including below ground.
2) Very solid construction. They go big on all the parts.
3) leveling safety (wont let the car come down if one of the manual safeties don't release)
4) asymmetric design saves garage space
5) responsive installer comes and does maintenance in accordance with 1 year warranty within a day or two.
6) The lift height is high. 72" I think.
7) No floor plate.
8) Good support from Mohawk corporate on wiring questions.
Cons:
1) hydraulic leveling lines never get the car level going up. It's level on the locks, sort-of.
2) lift hops on the right side. (I'm told by the Mohawk Certified installer that the new seals haven't broken in yet). I've had it 10 months and used it 30-40 times.
3) one of the massive hydraulic cylinders has been leaking for months. I've had Mohawk look at it twice, and they say it's residual fluid from one of the lines that wasn't tight, which is clearly not the case. I'm going to have them come out again.
4) The lift will not level right now. I've bled the system half a dozen times, and it still is off by a lock each time I use it, which causes the level safety to go off each time I try and set the car on the locks. Very annoying. I have to play with the override and try and bump up one side to get it right. I've had the guy come out to address this twice and will have him come out again.

Have you checked the fluid level in the reservoir & ran it all the way to the top & held the button down for 30 sec once it gets there? If you do this a few times & it is still not lifting evenly I would have the installer come out & take a look at it. No way should it be lifting so unevenly that it is a lock off.

"2) lift hops on the right side. (I'm told by the Mohawk Certified installer that the new seals haven't broken in yet). I've had it 10 months and used it 30-40 times."

When they first installed mine & run it up it did this until they got the air bled out of it, sounds like it still has some air in the system. Mine goes up smoothly with or without a vehicle on it.

 

[c39er]

I have several cars that are worth...well a lot and my lawn tractor. That ***** costs as much as the 356 I'm trying to put together. The notion of putting a 50+G car on a $10.00 lift just makes me feel stupid. A Mohawk is $5,700...doing the math makes this a no brainer in that it hurts my brain trying to make the decision.

I saw a vid where they compared a Mohawk vs a Rotary.

I have had a very, very pricey car on my HD14TL extended length and vehicles much heavier up on the RJ7 jacks. No failures and I don't worry about it. I am aware of the JT problem but he took care of his issue's. I also have (2) RJ7's on it. They do work well. BP does take care of the customer pretty well as shown in the past. I also have a 12,000LB Rotary and it is a better made but more expensive lift.
For any home use the BP will take the punishment.
Mohawks for home use are for the perfectionists/nervous Nellie,s and are overkill-IMO. Just my thoughts.

 

[pattenp]

That's a cable lift.

A Mohawk levels by hydraulics.

The 2 post Challenger is not a cable lift. The cable is only used for synchronization. There are two direct lift hydraulic rams. There are lifts that do use cables for the actual lifting. The Mohawk uses chain with hydraulics to lift. The cables in a Challenger lift do not serve in the same capacity as the chain does in a Mohawk.

 

[Joetomass]

I have the Mohawk 2 post and now just bought a 4 post and had a bendpak 4 post you can't compare a Mohawk to a bendpak mohawk is clearly in class by themselves. Rotary is good challenger is also a good lift . It comes down to 3 things when buying a lift:
1. Your Budget
2. Type of quality / safety you want.
3. Longevity
Consider these things and hopefully it helps you
If the price is cheap so is the lift it not rocket science

 

[sc105b]

I recently purchased an HD-14 and am almost finished installing it.

I have some minor issues that I'll need to discuss with them but nothing terrible.

I'll give my opinions in a separate thread soon from a Hobbyist/Auto Enthusiast perspective.

I can tell you in testing it picks up my Dodge Dually Quad Cab Cummins with ease.

I'm very confident that any minor issues I have with mine will be taken care of
with the same professionalism I have seen here on GJ in the past which is one of the reasons I chose Bendpak.

I wish I could afford one of those neat bridge jack but with a little one with special needs to support I'll have to figure out another way.