I was interested in a Bendpak lift myself. And I am also not so sure..
*sigh*
Scott
I was interested in a Bendpak lift myself. And I am also not so sure..
*sigh*
Scott
Well, the good news is they're taking care of this for me. They've been responsive and attentive. They haven't ignored me or refused to stand behind their warranty.
Not sure what's going on with their welding. I assumed it was all being done in China, but the wording of the email that I got from the VP now has me thinking that its all getting done here in the US. If that's the case, then there's a welder that probably shouldn't have a job and the QA/QC guy as well...
Ok, time to wrap this up. Got my third (!!) lift deck installed yesterday. All the welds are properly done, I inspected them before installation.
Lift is working perfectly now.
Bendpak did give me an older RJ-45 bridge jack, which was nice. It sits over one inch lower than the newer RBJ-4500 bridge jack that I bought. So they really F'ed that up, as I had to put 2*12's down to get my M3 up high enough to drive over the RBJ4500 while it cleared the RJ-45 just fine.
Oh well, so in the end, I'm happy with the lift and can't really complain about Bendpak's response. They were on the issue and took care of it promptly, paying my installer so no additional out of pocket for me.
Can you post pics of the differences between the 45 and the 4500? I'm really curious to know which I have.
Sorry to hear that it was a bit of a PITA to get this sorted out, but thumbs up to Bendpak to making it right.
In reply to codrus :
They basically look the same. Only difference is the stack height. RJ-45 sits at least 1.25" lower than the RBJ-4500
docwyte said:In reply to codrus :
They basically look the same. Only difference is the stack height. RJ-45 sits at least 1.25" lower than the RBJ-4500
Thicker metal? Scissors don't fold down as far?
In reply to codrus :
Nothing you can really look at and go "Hey! That's different!" What I was told directly from Bendpak is they had to "Beef Up" the bridge jack to get it to pass ALI certification.
In looking at it is seems like they mounted the ram differently so the it won't scissor down quite as far as the older RJ 45. Unfortunately its not something that can be changed, it is what it is. Hence 2*12's down on my deck and me looking at road clearance heights very carefully before I make my next "fun" car purchase.
I'd really like to get rid of the 2*12's but whatever I buy needs to have close to, or over 5" of road clearance for that to happen.
Doc.
Could one extend the end plate that the cam rollers bolt to to drop the jack? You have to make sure the load capacity was there but it should be able to drop the whole jack tray down. HOWEVER you'd also have to look at the ground clearance with the lift down the tray might hit ground and lift up. so you wouldn't be able to drive over the jack when loading a car.
In reply to 44Dwarf :
Jack is as far down as it can go. With the lift all the way down there's hardly any room between the bridge jack and the garage floor.
Been using the lift a bit and the cables have stretched some. I notice this because I have it up on the very top lock to clear my SUV. When it won't lock on one corner on the top lock, I have to adjust it.
So far I've had to adjust the left rear post twice now and the right rear post once. I noticed that when the installer put it all together, the right rear post cable is all the way tight. IE, I can't tighten it anymore, whereas all the other post cables are barely on.
So I called up the install company and asked them to come out and rebalance the lift, specifically so all the cables are put more in the middle of their adjustment range. That way if I have to adjust them in the future, I can.
That's happening today.
Gotta say, I do enjoy having two bridge jacks. It does make wheels off work really, really easy. I do wish I had two of the older bridge jacks, the difference in height between my new one and my "old" one is pretty huge.
Docwyte
I too like the specifications for the Bendpak HD 7W and would like to buy one. I have had several conversations with a salesperson at Bendpak and he was unaware of this thread herein. So, I sent him the link. I just want confirmation that what I buy will have the benefit of your experiences. He won't answer my calls now and won't call me back. Would you mid sharing the name of your contact at Bendpak?
In reply to AutoLegends :
I didn't buy the lift directly from Bendpak. I used ASEDEALS.COM to buy it. They were responsive but I dealt with Bendpak directly for the warranty issues.
My installer came back and installed a spacer on that one tower that had the cable maxed out. Now I have space to adjust it again, which is good, because I had to again. Hopefully all the cable stretch is over with now and no more adjustments are needed.
In reply to AutoLegends :
Just my opinion, but if the BP contact won't reply to your calls and is blowing you off, that's not a good way to start a business relationship.
I don't think BendPak sells directly to individuals -- when I talked to them about buying my lift, they referred me to Garage Equipment Supply (https://www.gesusa.com).
We had a BendPak HD9W installed at work, replacing a 70's era Bradbury.
No issues so far, but it sure feels light duty all over the place. It's got all the stickers, and meets all the ULI ratings, but it just seems light.
We have the two trolley jacks (yay!), but my lowered C10 can't drive frontwards onto the lift (boo!). Kids have caught their own engine tray splash shields on the jacks. When the lift is fully lowered, the jacks are lifted off the guide rails, which don't always settle back on the guide rails when you raise the hoist.
I'm sure it's fine, I just expected more.
Once upon a time I worked for distributors selling lifts to business customers. we handled Bendpak, Challenger, & Rotary including Rotary's Chinese lifts under a different name that I've forgotten. Rotary's warranty service was the gold standard, minimum issues, immediate service. Challenger was good but their installers could be a problem. When I sold a Bendpak I crossed my fingers & hoped everything went well.
Update on the HD9W at my work (high school shop) - the maintenance guys came through recently because one (or more?) cables that run through the lift were routed wrong (from the factory), and were busing sawing themselves through a couple of bolts. One of the lifts at another school was moments away from scary. They re-routed the cables on mine (mine doesn't see as much use - my student experience portfolio isn't merely oil changes and tires).
They also flipped the trolley jacks around, as the (3rd party) installer set them up with the pedals (switches?) to the inside (which makes sense), but then the air line went though the scissors (doesn't make sense).
Still feels really light duty compared to the 70's Bradbury it replaced.
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