Need to Pick and Order a Lift

[James_Douglas]

Well,

I am down to the wire and I need to move on a lift. I have looked over Bend Pac, Back Yard Buddy, and Advantage.

My constraints are that I have a VERY narrow and long garage. I need the posts to be as far outboard as I can get it. Think, next to the walls.

BB will custom make the width for me for $400 to better fit the space. For Bend Pac to fit the width I have to go with a much more expansive lift to get the width. Advantage has one that is about 3 inches narrower than want, but it would work out.

The interesting thing is that the BB is a couple of thousand more than the Advantage.

I would like anyone who has any thoughts or experience with Advantage to please comment. Also, in the event that you would like to email me directly, you can email me at [email protected] and it will route to me. I run my own mail servers so I can kill email addresses if it gets picked up off a website such as this so I can post it without worrying about it!

Anyone with some strong feelings about any of the three lifts can email me there and those email will get trashed after I read them.

Thanks folks, James.

 

[PoorOwner]

You actually mean you need a lift that is wide enough to take the space up.
I would sweat it with 3” difference. That’s a thumb width on each side.

 

[mgbbob]

I just ordered an Advantage lift. I know they are at Mecum so there are good discounts available.

 

[bradysdad]

I just ordered an Advantage lift. I know they are at Mecum so there are good discounts available.

You will love the Advantage. I just set up my 9000# with my 14 year old son, in about 4 hours. Great quality, design and customer service.

Enjoy!!

 

[Bamafan]

I sent you an email about my new lift. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[pbon]

Is the ceiling high? If so get a lift you can walk under when raised so you can access the length of your shop. Bendpak is certified and offers narrow and wide as well as tall and long, but costs more than cheap lifts. If working on cars is an interest rather than storage, look at the width between runners for access underneath. While some lifts are cheaper than others, consider maintenance and repairs—will parts be available down the road on a cheap lift with a one-time production run or a cheap lift that uses whatever the cheapest parts are at the time for each production run?

 

[tjm129]

Have a look at American Custom Lifts. I got a M1-6.5 single post and love it. I have a similar set up to you with a tandem garage and workshop off the main garage. The single post is up against the wall, and with a car up in the air I still have good access below to the rest of the garage.

TJ

 

[James_Douglas]

Thanks TK, I sent them an email for more information. I also emailed Tony at Advantage some questions and he keeps pestering me to call him. I really hate that when someone will not sit down and answer questions I email to them. I am not an idiot and can of course call, it just bugs me when business's don't want to answer technical questions in writing.

James.

 

[c39er]

I think you should probably call Tony and not try to play the e-mail game back and forth.
Sometimes we have to play it their way to get what we need.

 

[PoorOwner]

He is probably just trying to give you a discount..

 

[Duker]

I just had a Bendpak lift installed and was very impressed with the lift and their customer service. Jeff aka user "JSK" is a Bendpak employee and a member here. PM him directly if you have questions.

 

[bradysdad]

Thanks TK, I sent them an email for more information. I also emailed Tony at Advantage some questions and he keeps pestering me to call him. I really hate that when someone will not sit down and answer questions I email to them. I am not an idiot and can of course call, it just bugs me when business's don't want to answer technical questions in writing.

James.

Tony is an older, non-tech dude that likes selling the old fashioned way. He isn’t a fan of txt and email unless he has to. On top of that, I know they were at Mecum Indy this past week. They are good folks with a good product. Just have a little patience.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[mgbbob]

I told him Thursday I was in to order a lift at the show discount. He said with sales at the show and travel on Sunday/Monday he would call me on Tuesday to go over details. I know he said Thursday they had sold 10 lifts so the guys were busy up there. I would give him a call. A agree that phone to phone is the way to go.

 

[brownbagg]

if you get a bendpak, make sure you order some extra hoses, its a ***** to get a car down, when the hoses blow, and they will

 

[c39er]

brownbagg... you sure are constantly beating the bagg on bendpak.
We know you you had a lot of issue's with them on your HD 14.
Maybe give it a break for a month or so...

 

[James_Douglas]

Hi All,

Working toward making a decision on a lift. I have an nice spread sheet with all the critical dimensions for my garage and what options cost and delivery.

I am not in a big all fire hurry to order. Given my VERY tight space requirements the exact dimensions down to the how far the post plates stick out and where the motor mounts are critical for not ending up with a >$5K pile of junk.

That is why I want everything in writing. A severe case of measure once and cut once.

One thing I am finding interesting is how caviler the suppliers are on the subject of delivery. They just assume that everyone has a trailer or a friend or a local that can "just pick it up at the freight dock"...

Pend Pac so far is the only one of the three (Advantage, Back Yard Buddy, Bend Pac) that has provided me with a shipping option to and onto my driveway. In fact they said for an extra $200 above that shipping cost, which they are developing, they would set it up. So far the others are only interested in sending it to a shipping dock and then it is my problem.

I have not read the forum rules, perhaps the moderator will chime in, if folks like after I get all the information from all three, I could post the numbers for people to see.

I asked all three to give me a few finial specifications, most if the motor can be mounted to the FRONT face of the post, as they will be up against the walls on the sides and/or if I can just mount it on the wall ahead of the post and just use longer hoses. I have also asked for any and all shipping options from just dropping it at a freight dock all the way to installing it in my garage.

I hope to have all the data by Friday and make a decision over the weekend.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

James

 

[James_Douglas]

if you get a bendpak, make sure you order some extra hoses, its a ***** to get a car down, when the hoses blow, and they will

Can you elaborate on exactly what and why hoses, I assume air, are blowing?

 

[c39er]

The hoses in most all the lifts are Chinese...they can fail.
They need to be routed properly with out strain as do all hoses.
The motor and pump assembly usually can be mounted at opposite ends of the lift.
You can download BP's installation instructions to view this info.
I think that yes you can mount the motor and pump on a wall..... just be careful with hose length etc,

 

[James_Douglas]

Well,

I have my XLS all filled out and will go over the benefit-cost issues with a bunch of my car buddies over lunch today and the wife over the weekend.

There is quite a difference in pricing. I cannot tell from the literature that there is an equivalent amount of difference in the quality of the units to account for the difference in costs. An Apples to Apples comparison is not easy with these lifts.

Only Bend Pac seems to acknowledge that home buys need some help to get the units to a residential garage. With Backyard Buddy they will ship to the front of your house, but one has to get it off the truck. Of course we all have fork lifts handy. Advantage ships to a freight dock and you are on your own from there, although Advantage did provide the suggestion to have a car flatbed hauler pick it up and then tilt is down and drop it in your driveway.

In my case the key specifications are how wide are the posts to fit the narrow space, can the motor be placed on the front of the drivers side post as on the side one could not fit or operate it, and can I walk under it without ducking.

The Backyard Buddy folks for $400 will widen the lift to 130 inches which would put the posts almost to the walls. That is a plus in the tight space. But, that comes at a cost of almost $4K more in total. Bend Pac is the narrowest which in my case is the least desirable post location in width, but they will deliver and set up. Advantage is a compromise in post location between the two and has wider decks at 24 inches which is not a bad thing as I age .

I guess I will have to decide which god I want to pray to and then make a choice.

James.

 

[rsanter]

Don’t forget the base plate configuration.
If the posts are 3” less width than the room. How much do the base plates stick out from thenposts

 

[pbon]

Why do you need such a wide lift? Why do you need the posts to be against the walls? 130 inches is fairly wide for a lift — a bendpak hd-9xw is 116” wide and will fit just about any non commercial mass production vehicle. It will also go up high enough that you can walk under it.

Brackets are made to relocate the motor assembly—that should not be an issue. Something can be adapted, though if you can’t do anything yourself you will have to find an installer with a little experience.

 

[James_Douglas]

Don’t forget the base plate configuration.
If the posts are 3” less width than the room. How much do the base plates stick out from thenposts

Included in it...

 

[James_Douglas]

Why do you need such a wide lift? Why do you need the posts to be against the walls? 130 inches is fairly wide for a lift — a bendpak hd-9xw is 116” wide and will fit just about any non commercial mass production vehicle. It will also go up high enough that you can walk under it.

Brackets are made to relocate the motor assembly—that should not be an issue. Something can be adapted, though if you can’t do anything yourself you will have to find an installer with a little experience.

If you walk around in the space, it becomes apparent that if the posts are narrower that it will be tough to get around. There is limited "walk way" space down the walls. I need the posts wide enough to clear the door opening as things wide will be driven through and under the lift to the rear of the garage and so having the posts as far out to the walls work better.

 

[PoorOwner]

You can hire a flat bed tow truck he can drop the whole package straight into your garage or driveway. I know a tow truck company he's in the concord area, not sure if that's close to you but he has reasonable rates and he is not afraid of turning down the job. (some trucks companies don't like to scratch up their deck)

 

[James_Douglas]

You can hire a flat bed tow truck he can drop the whole package straight into your garage or driveway. I know a tow truck company he's in the concord area, not sure if that's close to you but he has reasonable rates and he is not afraid of turning down the job. (some trucks companies don't like to scratch up their deck)

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. The town is Winters, CA north of Vacaville. I am heading up there next Tuesday to do some work on the house and water. I am going to talk to the local tow truck guys and see of they would do it if I go with someone other then Bend Pac.

James

 

[c39er]

Both of my lifts are super long , tall height and extra wide to fit my building spaces to be close to the building posts and walls.
This so I can drive and walk under the lifts sideways and normally. The posts are completely out of the way.
One a Rotary commercial the other a BP12,000 and a 14,000 lb. with dual jacks.