Lifts for wider vehicles?

[JerseyJim]

I have been shopping for a four post lift. This has been an interesting process. Among other vehicles, I have a vintage truck with wide wheels and tires. With virtually any standard lift that I have looked at, the total width of the lift at the runways is about 75 inches. That leaves me with an inch and a half of tire hanging over the edge if I park it perfectly. Distance between posts is also tight when it comes to the mirrors.

Looking into this problem meant checking the specs on all the lifts very carefully. I mentioned in an earlier post that Pro Park 8S lifts have different dimensions on different websites. One person suggested that it was sloppy web authoring. But to be honest, I found the number of discrepancies a bit worrisome. The ETL listed lifts differed from the non-labeled version by at times relatively small amounts. But other differences were substantial. For example a 4 inch thick runway Vs. a 4.5 inch seems pretty substantial to me. Column height differing by an inch seems like more than just a measuring miscue. An inch and a half in overall length is strange as well.

I don't intend to store the wider truck on this lift. I'll only use it for maintenance on this particular vehicle. I know I could probably make do with these narrower lifts by being VERY careful. But I decided that I'm only going to do this once and I better get it right. I am looking at the BendPak HD-9-B. It's significantly more than the others. But the ability to adjust the total width of the runways was the deciding factor for me. Wanted to hear from anyone who has installed and used this lift. I'm particularly interested in how easy it is to adjust the movable runway.

People at BendPak were very helpful. Put me in touch with an outfit named Garage Equipment USA. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them? BendPak has a promotion going until March 31st. 5% off. If you're ordering this lift and other accessories, the savings can be worthwhile.

I would appreciate any help or comments anyone can provide.

Jim

 

[HIRISC]

I have this lift - it's awesome.. (BTW, the 'B' is an old/internal designation - it's just HD-9)

Plenty wide for your use. 82" outside to outside with the ramps set at their widest setting (44" in between).

There are four bolts (2 on each end) on the ramp that you can move (non hydraulic ram side). It's not that big of a deal to loosen those bolts and slide it over, but most guys just leave it wide.. ramps themselves are 19" wide, so there is plenty of tire space for even 'skinny' cars. BTW, you don't have to park exactly in the middle.

http://bendpak.com/products/automotive-lifts/four-post-lifts/hd-9.php

Mine - front view below:
You can see the right ramp moved over to the right - that is the 'wide' setting. The left ramp is stationary. I parked my Vette to the right below so I could get out without hitting the door on the wall

 

[JerseyJim]

I appreciate the response. I have two drastically different vehicles that I need to accommodate. A 63 pristine Econoline pickup with wide tires and wheels and my wife's 55 Hudson (that's right I did say Hudson) Metropolitan. Set wide enough to handle the trucks (outside width 78 inches) the Met wheels might fall through the center! Most of the time, I'll be parking my 64 Vette underneath my streetrodded 40 Ford pickup. I like the idea of having plenty of room for those fat fenders on the truck.

By the way... I have not been able to get a straight answer from BendPak. Their literature does not provide a measurement for the length of the ramps. It lists a length for the runway (174) and a total length for the runway and ramp (200). That would suggest a 26 inch long ramp. Very short considering that most ramps are 36 inches. It looks like they may be measuring the length with the lift up and the ramp folded down. But I would like to find out for sure how long the ramps themselves are.

Thanks,

Jim