Symmetrical 2-post lift question

[Handyandy23]

As someone who uses them everyday to the limits, I gladly payed the rotary price vs the bendpack

That's great for someone that uses them every day, but if OP is using this as a hobby lift it's apples to oranges. Also curious if you've also used a Bendpak? If not how do you know it wouldn't do just as good of a job? There seem to be quite a few happy Bendpak owners in here as well.

 

[lakeroadster]

That's great for someone that uses them every day, but if OP is using this as a hobby lift it's apples to oranges. Also curious if you've also used a Bendpak? If not how do you know it wouldn't do just as good of a job? There seem to be quite a few happy Bendpak owners in here as well.

Probably because there are no threads on this site bashing the quality and customer service of Rotary lifts... but there are a lot of threads bashing BendPalk.

Hobbies, Apples and Oranges... so you are ok with what exactly? You are selecting a device to lift and hold 10,000 lbs over your head. It's kind of like picking a doctor or a pilot. When your life is on the line.. select the very best.

 

[zkdiesel]

That's great for someone that uses them every day, but if OP is using this as a hobby lift it's apples to oranges. Also curious if you've also used a Bendpak? If not how do you know it wouldn't do just as good of a job? There seem to be quite a few happy Bendpak owners in here as well.

Yes I’ve used a bendpak in shop setting and Dad owns one for a storage lift. I also owned a foreward, have since bought three rotarys. Dislike majorly about the end pack is arm/adaptor style and that 10000 lb two post columns are way oversized, take up to much space in the bay, where a rotary is proportional. I also regularly abuse my pair of 18k twin posts rotarys I work off of everyday at work and never had a hiccup, unlike some friends with bendpacks in commercial applications......

 

[85camaroman]

Ive been a technician for almost 14 years, worked in multiple shops and had countless different types of lifts at my disposal. IMO I HATE a asymetrical lift! Believe me they do have their place in a shop, and do have their place to lift certain types of cars easier.... but for a general use, can do anything type of lift ill take a regular symmetrical lift all day everyday!

And for brands, again been through the ringer with them all. In my shop im working now we have 4 different brands of 2 post lifts. The BEST lift to own is a Rotary. if I were you id get a 10k Rotary symmetrical with the 3 stage flip pads! I had 2 lifts at home, the one being a Bendpak 10k asymmetrical, and I took it down and sold it. there was nooo room to open a door with that lift, my Rotary symmetrical had a pile more door clearance. I have an older (late 90's) 9k Rotary symmetrical at home and its my absolute favorite.

 

[tff]

IMO I HATE a asymetrical lift! Believe me they do have their place in a shop, and do have their place to lift certain types of cars easier.... but for a general use, can do anything type of lift ill take a regular symmetrical lift all day everyday!

I'm a newbie to lifts, researching them, plan on building a garage for hobby work... curious why you prefer symmetrical over assymetrical? Thanks.

 

[85camaroman]

I think they fit in tighter bay configurations better, they will handle larger vehicles more balanced and in an odd OCD way they are more aesthetically pleasing to my eye.

 

[haptiq]

Rotary 9k symmetric at work has been worked to death for 20 years and its still doing it. Ive lifted 1 ton trucks and work vans with it, sometimes you have to support front and back with twist jacks to keep the wobble to a minimum. The trick is to watch the top of the lift post versus a reference point on the ceiling. If the center of gravity is off by more than a few hundred pounds the posts will flex forward or back and show you what you need to do. I have never exceeded the 9k limit but I've been close and the Rotary makes me feel good compared to our Hoffmann 10k. Challenger 10k versymmetric at home lifts Duramax and Cummins 4 doors just fine but the door isn't always easy to get out of.

Summary: with a 6k budget, call Rotary and talk to someone. They have the lift you want for less than that delivered and you will love it.

 

[Married2Vette2000]

I've considered a low ceiling 4-post BendPak. They do more business than other brands and they're everywhere in the world, so more people are going to have comments overall, good or bad. Vast majority of stories are POSITIVE... it's the sign of good business. Especially for the price you're getting with BendPak it looks like a better lift. Anyone ever see this link from distributor who sells both? Interesting comparison of BendPak and Rotary. The pictures tell a story.

http://www.mytoolequipmentguy.com/bendpak-xpr-10-vs-rotary-spo10/

 

[lakeroadster]

Especially for the price you're getting with BendPak it looks like a better lift. Anyone ever see this link from distributor who sells both? Interesting comparison of BendPak and Rotary. The pictures tell a story.

http://www.mytoolequipmentguy.com/bendpak-xpr-10-vs-rotary-spo10/

That is a BendPak® engineering team distributed document. And the pictures tell a one sided misleading story.

..BendPak it looks like a better lift.

Looks better? Opinions vary. BendPak is bigger and heavier... that doesn't mean better. They are both rated to lift the same amount of weight.

The Rotary columns aren't simple square tubing construction. They are well engineered structural members and are patented (Double “S” shape). They are much stronger than simple square tubes. That's why the BendPak columns are bigger.

Here's the Rotary Report: http://www.automotiveequipmentinc.c...15/02/Rotary-SPOA10-vs-Bend-Pak-XPR10-ACX.pdf

 

[Married2Vette2000]

Hope I don't ruffle any feathers, just thought it might be helpful. Regardless of what lift, I haven't seen convincing evidence BendPak is bad or unsafe. If it came down to two equal choices and one was half the price, I'd wonder why the other is twice as much. ALL things being equal or close to the point it doesn't matter I'd have a hard time justifying the increase. Appreciate your input though... something to think about at least.

 

[lakeroadster]

Hope I don't ruffle any feathers, just thought it might be helpful. Regardless of what lift, I haven't seen convincing evidence BendPak is bad or unsafe. If it came down to two equal choices and one was half the price, I'd wonder why the other is twice as much. ALL things being equal or close to the point it doesn't matter I'd have a hard time justifying the increase. Appreciate your input though... something to think about at least.

No ruffled feathers. Knowledge is good.

For me it came down to an ALI certified lift that was engineered, manufactured and assembled in America. I called Rotary and their SPOA10 met all those requirements when I bought my lift in 2007.

I also couldn't find any data where people that owned / used Rotary lifts had any issues with their Rotary lift.

I've worked in fabrication/welding facilities my entire career. I felt I owed it to my fellow coworkers to back their play. That's also why I tend to post as much factual data as I can in these types of threads.

 

[xlntryde]

Your wise to think about that!

A few other things?
I have a BendPak XPR-10A-LP. Note this is the only ALI lift that has been mentioned in this thread. Decide how important this is to you. To me it's CRITICAL! BUT I found it added about $600 or so to the cost of the lift compared to non-certified lifts. What convinced me is the testing the lift goes thru to meet ALI spec's. You can watch videos on how they rate them and how they overload them during testing.

I also did NOT want anything on the ground between the columns. So I have the overhead bar with safety shut down on it.

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/two-post-lifts/xpr-10as-lp.aspx

Note it's 137"-145" wide. I also was concerned about door access. I also vote for asymmetrical installation.

This is with a Lincoln LS on it but you can see how much room you have on each side. Of course the downside is the lift will consume more of your shop the bigger it is. Note the angled columns for the asymmetrical install.

No need to worry about 2300 lb on a 2500 lb arm. They have a safety factor built in. I regularly put a Ford F-450-4 door W/4 Wheel Drive which is over 8500 lbs on my 10K lift. This is a BIG, LONG truck!

I have a tennis ball hung on a string in the exact center of the lift. When you drive in put the tennis ball dead center on your hood and now the vehicle is centered on the lift. Really made it quick to get a vehicle in there straight. Then the string/tennis ball is just put to the side of the lift for out of the way storage.

Mine is the LP version. LP = Low profile. What kind of stuff will you be working on? I am a high performance guy and any lowered car/truck will be a SOB to get in the air. I usually put some short 2" X 4"'s under the tires to raise the car up so I can swing the arms under it.

I have a 1957 Chev Pickup street rod that's so low I can't even do that! So I use a floor jack to raise each end up to position the arms. This is a truck that's so low I can't even get my head under the front bumper!

If your budget is $6K you can get any lift you want! Mine was about $3K delivered. Also note there have been several group purchases in the past on Garage Journal too.
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How has the lift been treating you?