Anybody (besides Jay Leno) have a Bend Pak lift?

Woody wrote: When you get to a certain age (and that age can be much younger than you might expect), even swapping tires or doing a brake job on jackstands can take your back out for a couple of days. Just getting the car another foot higher would help.

Amen, brother Woody!!! Seriously, this is so true. I got to a point where it became such a pain (literally) to jack a car up and work on the floor, that I decided that I either needed to build a garage with a high ceiling and put a lift in it, or stop working on cars. A friend of mine has the same Bend Pak lift as I do. He has an 8' ceiling, and works on the underside of his car using a sit down creeper. He can also move the lift out into his driveway so he can fully raise it and work standing up. If you can do the same, I think a 4 post lift would be a better value than a scissor lift. Ideally, I'd like to have both, but that ain't happening any time soon, as I have a kitchen to remodel.

A post lift isn't an option for me. I can fit (carefully) two small cars in that particular garage bay. I would lose that ability with a post lift. Yes, I know that I could stack my cars with a lift, but I really don't want to do that.

I'm not sure you could stack two Miatas in a garage with an 8' ceiling. They're 48" tall. This would require some very, very accurate placement.

Okay, I can see the advantage for doing brake or suspension work. I'm going to start paying attention to how high I lift cars when I'm working on them at the shop out of curiosity.

I have 10.5' high ceilings.

Keith wrote: I'm not sure you could stack two Miatas in a garage with an 8' ceiling. They're 48" tall. This would require some very, very accurate placement.

...or a pair of lowering kits.

Lower what, the windshield? A lowered suspension isn't going to do much for the car up in the air.

For convenience, flexibility and minimal loss of floor space, I prefer a 2 post lift. I'm kind of partial to the Rotary vs. the Bend-Pak. I've seen more failed hydraulic systems (ie. leaky seals, etc.) in the Bend-Pak than any other brand so that's kind of put me off on them.

My garage ceiling is 110" high, so, theoretically, it's too short for a 2 post lift, but it's also unfinished so I plan to simply "poke" the tops of the 2 post above the rafters and connect them there.

When I installed my new garage door, I made sure to get one that ran as close as possible to flush with the rafters to give me the most clearance even when the garage door is rolled up so I don't have to worry about fighting with the car "up on the lift" when I'm opening and closing my garage door.

Of course, I've had plans to install the lift for the last 2 and a half years, but every time I get ready to do it, something gets in the way...

Keith wrote: Lower what, the windshield? A lowered suspension isn't going to do much for the car up in the air.

I thought we were talking about driving one under the other...??? If it was lowered, it wouldn't be 48" tall, so driving one under the other would be more realistic in an 8' building. Are you just pulling my chain?

Bryce

ASEDeals.com has the new Dannmar MaxJax listed for $2172 w/ free shipping:

http://www.asedeals.com/two-post-lifts-MaxJax.html

Unfortunately, the lifting height at 45" is just too low for me. I want to be able to pull my wife's Subaru in when I've got a Z car on the lift and at 3'9", it's just not enough.

Keith wrote: Lower what, the windshield? A lowered suspension isn't going to do much for the car up in the air.

It will if the lift is a four post.

Sure, and then you have the thickness of the lift as well as the height of the car to deal with. So you're already in trouble.

I don't care how much you lower the cars or what kind of lift you use, you're not going to stack two Miatas in a garage with an 8' ceiling without some disassembly.

I missed this thread, I guess that's what happens when you don't check every message board every day.

I finally installed my BendPak P6:

Here's more info: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/drilling-in-concrete-how/8524/page1/

noisycricket wrote: Also, never ever ever drop a car on it all the way down. They have no power at zero height. Fortunately (for me) they learned that lesson before I started my employment there.

I have a Bend-Pak MD-6XP lift and it has no trouble lifting any car I've put on it from zero-height - including a 2+ ton M-B 300SD. I would suspect something is wrong.

I have a little more than 8' in my garage... about 9', I guess... and I can get my cars high enough to make brake and suspension work MUCH easier and less of a pain in the back than working with jack stands. It will also get a car high enough to drop the trans in a MINI (btdt) and works fine for oil changes as well. I have a 8 gal service garage-type oil jug - I just inserted the funnel directly into the neck of the jug rather than using the included extension pipes.

That said, I would trade it for a Max Jax in a heart beat. All of the benefits of a 2-post over a scissor lift w/o the scissor-lift draw backs (limited center access and a bit a space hog when stored).

In reply to 2MG:

Wow you just pulled up an almost 3 y.o. post.

This seems to be common lately.

I've had both styles and currently own this http://www.rotarylift.com/templateProduct.aspx?id=718

It's a midrise 10k pad lift similar to the P-6b you have listed. I sold 6xp style lift because I didn't really care for it. I like the pad style much better.

I also have a two post Challenger lift to install, but my ceilings are too low, so I plan to add an addition the my shop.

ahh I see we had a Canoe

Woody wrote: When you get to a certain age (and that age can be much younger than you might expect), even swapping tires or doing a brake job on jackstands can take your back out for a couple of days. Just getting the car another foot higher would help.

I'm 33. I would have scoffed at this post in 2009, but it's true.

To keep the zombie thread going- It's absolutely true. I'm 32 and damn if I ain't sore after doing my winter/summer/winter swaps. Do two-three cars at once and i'm shot for a day or two.

I saw the title of this thread and said, "Hmm, this subject may be of interest to me." Then I discovered that I created it three years ago. Sometimes, I appreciate canoes.

Still no lift, though...

Keith wrote: I don't care how much you lower the cars or what kind of lift you use, you're not going to stack two Miatas in a garage with an 8' ceiling without some disassembly.

This sounds like a challenge that at least one person on this forum should have tried by now...