My thoughts, bendpak air bottle for lock release

[jcar302]

My thoughts, bendpak air bottle for lock release UPDATE

So for Christmas this year I asked for the bendpak air bottle kit that is supposed to let you use the hydraulic cylinder to put the car down.

https://www.bendpak.com/Air-Bottle-5215306-BendPak.pdf

It does NOT look like a pipe bomb anymore, which is a good thing. (original pics essentially showed a pipe bomb with valves)

The directions are total **** and confusing, they assume you are a lift expert.
There is no way in hell it would fit under my ramp, and even if it did the new fitting if you need the air port would be under a ramp.

I installed it on the outside bracket of the post that has the motor.

Does not come with any hose you need, outside is 1/4, forgot the inside size, but it's not standard. I had to call to ask what to do and they call you back later, seriously I was working on it at the time and they tell you, you'll get a call within 24 hours?

What the directions also fail to tell you is that you must remove the air line from the hydraulic cylinder that goes back to the tank and that's where you get your pressure from. It just assumes you know

You also must be able to put the lift all the way up to fill the bottle enough to lower the car.

If you put the lift down and it gets caught on a lock (something that happens pretty often with mine), you will have wasted too much air and it won't be enough to get the lift all the way down.

Then you need to connect the air compressor to get the car down. And be prepared to have the **** scared out of you (multiple times) when the pressure relief valve opens.

Unless i'm doing something wrong, this is just a flawed product with bad directions.

Oh, and the first one I got (from summit, but shipped by bendpak) was beat to hell, it comes in a box barely long enough to fit and the relief valve was destroyed in shipping. Seriously, how much would it have cost for a box 1 inch longer?

I'm going to mess with it one more time this weekend, if it doesn't work right it's going back.

UPDATE. SEE MY LAST POST

 

[Partsguy57]

........

 

[jcar302]

Yeah, the concept I think is a good idea.
But the execution not so much.
It's funny, as the lift goes up the bottom portion seems to barely move the needle, then about half way or so, then it really starts to build pressure quickly.

It may not help that my lift is a hd7p, which goes really high. I'm 6'1 and I can walk under it by 6-8 inches. But I called before I purchased and asked if that would make a difference.

How quickly does the little compressor get to the point where it's enough to put the lift down? What size compressor is it?

 

[Partsguy57]

Yeah, the concept I think is a good idea.
But the execution not so much.
It's funny, as the lift goes up the bottom portion seems to barely move the needle, then about half way or so, then it really starts to build pressure quickly.

It may not help that my lift is a hd7p, which goes really high. I'm 6'1 and I can walk under it by 6-8 inches. But I called before I purchased and asked if that would make a difference.

How quickly does the little compressor get to the point where it's enough to put the lift down? What size compressor is it?

I'm sorry I deleted as I boogered my first post up so bad.... thinking about it now , I will have to look when I get home. I believe it is a very small compressor for a homeowner to mount on wall for emergency use kinda like the 12volt for emergency or trail use. Works the same just plugs into the wall 110 instead of 12 volt. I'll take a pic as I had it mounted I'm my race trailer plugged into the generator for filling a portable air tank I kept trackside when kart racing. I'll take a pic and post for you. It works well and only takes a few seconds to come up to pressure.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[wssix99]

Unless i'm doing something wrong, this is just a flawed product with bad directions.

The BendPak rep I talked to on the phone told me not to get these because the pressure drains out over time and they don't end up being handy for home use. (I assume then, they would be more for shops that are constantly putting them up and down all day.)

 

[PoorOwner]

Just spend $200 on a nitrogen bottle and a regulator instead.
But you could have spent $200 on a pancake compressor too.

 

[jcar302]

The BendPak rep I talked to on the phone told me not to get these because the pressure drains out over time and they don't end up being handy for home use. (I assume then, they would be more for shops that are constantly putting them up and down all day.)

They should get their act together then. The rep that called me back knew for sure I was in my garage and it was home use.
And #4 on their bullet points on the directions pages says:

- Leak-proof fittings and valves. Bottle can remain charged for up to 24 months

I'm not opposed to another method at this point, but whatever it is, i'd like it to be simple, slimmed down enough that it can be mounted to the post, fairly quick to fill, quiet and not in my way on the floor.

 

[NitroShark]

I have one. My install experience was not the same as the OP. One thing i remember was the hose is 6mm and it's very important to be sure your install is leak free. Mine stays charge at least 1 month.


Thread I posted couple years ago.
.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=353939




.

 

[jcar302]

My cables underneath are at angles, no way in hell it was fitting under there.

When the tech guy called me back, he told me to use 1/4. I know 1/4 and 6mm is close but how close I don't know.

Regardless, the piece I used to go from the storage tank to the valve is the old piece I took off from the cylinder to the pump.
It doesn't lose pressure, it's just not enough to go all the way down.
If if I fill the tank manually to right before the relief blows, it still doesn't reach low enough to get to where the locks are free.

I haven't given up on it yet, I do hope it works because no compressor would be great.
But I also wonder if my lift is too high for the capacity of the tank.

 

[Partsguy57]

My cables underneath are at angles, no way in hell it was fitting under there.

When the tech guy called me back, he told me to use 1/4. I know 1/4 and 6mm is close but how close I don't know.

Regardless, the piece I used to go from the storage tank to the valve is the old piece I took off from the cylinder to the pump.
It doesn't lose pressure, it's just not enough to go all the way down.
If if I fill the tank manually to right before the relief blows, it still doesn't reach low enough to get to where the locks are free.

I haven't given up on it yet, I do hope it works because no compressor would be great.
But I also wonder if my lift is too high for the capacity of the tank.

Here you go... this is the homeowners version of the 12 volt emergency/ trail pump etc.. ( this is 110) plugged it in a minute to see how long to pump up. Less then ten seconds. I bought years ago have no idea if they still make,but I would think someone would. Works great for releasing the latches. I need to make a bracket to hang on the lift but my wife doesn't drive her mg much so I don't have to raise much.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[jcar302]

I have one. My install experience was not the same as the OP. One thing i remember was the hose is 6mm and it's very important to be sure your install is leak free.

So on your advice, I went through the system.
Turns out as I put the lift down and the hose flexed (flexible conduit with air and hydraulic hose in it) it leaked at the first T. Replaced it.
Bought some different hose, 6mm which is a hair smaller than the 1/4. I believe the actual size is 15/64. The inside diameter fit tighter on the tank's compression fittings.
My button also bleeds a little air too depending on how you depress it. So i'll have to replace it.

Then after about half a dozen tests, I could hear the rear T leaking, so I changed that one and the front one.


So a good portion of my problems were on my end.
Bendpak shouldn't take the grunt of my failures, but it would help if the employees knew about their own products.

 

[Flail]

Just a thought..... Does anyone make electric solenoids to replace the air solenoids for the releases? That way you could eliminate the need for compressed air all together.

 

[glentre]

Air required every time you want to use your lift??? What was Bendpac thinking when they came up with this brilliant idea. This is the only reason I did not buy Bendpac for my two lifts. Nice lift otherwise.

Glen

 

[PoorOwner]

Air required every time you want to use your lift??? What was Bendpac thinking when they came up with this brilliant idea. This is the only reason I did not buy Bendpac for my two lifts. Nice lift otherwise.

Glen

It is not uncommon to use air solenoid to release the locks on lifts. Electric would be preferred though.


My lift has manual lever and linkages to release the spring loaded locks, and I have to move with the lift as it lowers while maintaining pulling at the hydraulic relief lever at the same time. There are Pros and cons of each method.

 

[GaragePilot]

Pendpak shows it on the site but after I tried to buy it with my new lift install, they said it's discontinued due to reliability.

How are the users here liking it 3 years later?

 

[wssix99]

I researched this once and recall finding that it leaked slowly over time and was only a usefull option for shops that constantly had the lift going up and down. For a hoby installation where the lift sits for long periods of time, it didn't seem practical.

I purchased this tank from Jegs and it is perfect for the lifts. I can fill it up with a tire inflator and hardly ever refill it. https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/810...MIso-Hn8vG9gIVAW1vBB39eAlCEAQYAiABEgLjq_D_BwE

With a quick connector, I just move it around from lift-to-lift.

 

[GaragePilot]

I researched this once and recall finding that it leaked slowly over time and was only a usefull option for shops that constantly had the lift going up and down. For a hoby installation where the lift sits for long periods of time, it didn't seem practical.

I purchased this tank from Jegs and it is perfect for the lifts. I can fill it up with a tire inflator and hardly ever refill it. https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/810...MIso-Hn8vG9gIVAW1vBB39eAlCEAQYAiABEgLjq_D_BwE

With a quick connector, I just move it around from lift-to-lift.

Not a bad option. I had bought a 1 gallon fortress from harbor fright that is ultra quite. I figured I can use it for airing tires as well and will put a small rack to hold it on the wall.

 

[wssix99]

I also thought about a small compressor and mounting it but figured the maintenance (water draining, etc.) would be a pain.

 

[matt_i]

Seems like a perfect app for one of those M12 air compressors (aka tire fillers) and a schraeder valve.

I don't know how many psi its capable of, the air cylinders might need to be upsized to use 40psi-ish (car & light truck tire pressure)

If things are tight a bicycle single piston pump would do the job, slowly, but that pressure pot doesn't look very large.

 

[Cryptic1911]

They sent us one to test years ago before they released them and we ended up sending it back. It just wasn't usable in a home shop situation. It's best to just have a compressor of some sort to air up the locks when needed