Sorry to hear that, I got my direct lift pro park 8 plus from Greg Smith and honestly, couldn't be happier. Great deal (under $2K shipped) great comunication, and in my opinion, a great lift. **** happens, sorry it happened to you.
One of my Bend Pak 4 post lifts came damaged from Garage Equipment Supply. Not nearly as bad as your issues, but none the less, it did not look new when received. After a couple phone calls, I got a brand new $500 ****** jack out of the deal. They made me happy. They stood behind what they sold. It was worth the extra money to buy a little better lift. Doug
My old Weaver 9K two post is a bull... the columns are 1/2" steel plate...lifts with heavy leaf chains not cables... over 20 years old and bulletproof... I'd put it up against any Chi-Com lift on the planet.
I have a 2-post Rotary bought used from a dealer at about 1/2 the price of a new one. Installed it myself in an afternoon. I see them in the Indy paper quite often-----repair shops or dealers going out of business. At least once a month in this economy. Look in the Yellow pages for a dealer and call them to see if they have any used/repossed ones. You can also find name brand 4-posts this way. All you need is a trailer to pick them up. Most dealers have checked them out before reselling them and you may get a guarentee.
Yes, definately look at BendPak. They are very reasonably priced and you will be able to get parts for them. Professional grade. Don't even consider buying one of the overpriced toys that they sell in the car mags and at car shows.
Paul, I have done a lot of research on 4 post lifts. For the money and warranty, I bought a Pro Park 8 Plus made by Direct Lift. It has a 5 year warranty on parts and a 2 year warranty on the pump and motor. It is made by the Dover Corp that has been in business 75 years. They also make the Rotary and Revolution lifts, just less price for Direct. I just couldn't justify the price on some other lifts that had less of a warranty and drip trays, casters that wasn't included. Check pricing! I bought mine from direct lift.com for $2,195.00 plus $154.47 shipping which was much less than the one you mentioned you were checking out. I haven't gotten my lift yet, but I have seen them in person. The lift has a dual locking system and levels out automatically on an uneven floor. (my floor is on a 2 inch pitch for drainage) I have seven 1960 Chevy's (see cars in profile) and I plan on using this lift as well as an extra parking place. Good, bad, or indifferent, I bought the Pro Park 8 Plus. Do your own research and pick the best one for you that meets within your budget and needs. Good luck! Tim sixtnut@comcast.net
I have a 4 post Bend Pak, had it for 6 years now. No problem other than safety release lines, which I replaced with copper lines. 2 of my cars are to low for jacks so it is nice to drive onto a lift and do what I have to do with ease. Back Yard Buddy would be my 1st choice however. changing wheel or brake work is no problem if you use a bridge and jack.
I just got finished installing my Eagle Equipment MTP-9A two post lift and I love it. It's made in China but the quality is pretty darn good and I'm not going to run it up and down 30 times a day. The instructions are a little lacking in detail but HAMBers won't have any trouble figuring out the missing gaps. IMO, a two post lift is best if you are going to do any work on your car. You can remove wheels, service brakes, drop transmissions, replace shocks, etc, etc. on a two post. On a four post, you are very limited in the service work you can do without doing more jacking and blocking up. For $1500 plus tax, you can't beat it. I'm tired of jackstands and creepers and I'm getting old enough that getting up and down really hurts the next day. www.eagleequip.com
rockable, how do you know the quality of your chinese lift is good as you've only just installed it? Come back in, say 30 years for an update. I tend to dislike 2-post lifts. Probably because I have fullsize cars which always seem to wobble on these kinda lifts no matter how sturdy designed or mounted they are. You always have to be on your guard and sometimes put large stands on both ends of the car when dealing with stubborn fasteners or when torque is required. When removing/mounting heavy things like rearaxles, trannies or engines you always have keep an eye on the car-balance. Then there's the annoying lift-post always being in the way when getting in or out of the car. Especially with 2-dr cars. You also usually can't park another car below the one on the lift because the wheels and suspension are relaxed and now hanging down. 4-post lifts are more secure just because of their design, although these 'park'-lifts isn't anything I would want to put my rides on. They also provide a lot of 'tool-space' on the runways.
I agree on the Chinese quality issue. No way to tell by looking at it, or in moderate use. As for your remark on 2 posts being unstable. I think you need to be educated on two post lifts. If you do them properly with a quality lift they are great and stable. But you never ever do anything heavy without stands. If you do then you are asking for a Darwin award. Two post lifts and four post lifts are different animals and for different purposes. They both have their place. You'll always see mostly four post in an exhaust shop and mostly two post in general mechanics.
+1 for back yard buddy had ours for 6 years now. Had to replace 1 cable. Their service dept was very helpful and sent the cable out next day. saved my father and I our lives several times I'm sure. Like it the most because it has large casters that make it easy to push around the shop even with a 2 tone Cadillac on it.
Plus one on his suggestion of checking with the muffler shop supplier. In this area we have one who usually has the good used units for sale at a right price.
They all have their advantages and disadvantages. I have a Bend-Pak 4 post out in my barn. with 12 foot walls, it's great for maintenance, ****** swaps, muffler work, etc. I can also park under it as well. You get what you pay for. the cheap ones you see at the show don't compare in quality and pure m***iveness. In my shop which has limited space, I bought a Bend-Pak scissor lift. It has a 6 foot lift. I love it. Drive on to it, no posts to trip over, when I paint cars, I get great coverage on the lower half. It's wide open underneath so I can drop a ******, do front/rear suspension work, etc. Ideally you need 2 lifts, one that the car can dangle it's suspension and a 4 post so you can have a car on all 4's when setting the suspension. Doug
Well, I have a buddy who has had four of them in two different shops for starters. In about 7 years, he's had no problems. The hardware, the fabrication, the powder painting, etc. was all pretty darned good. I didn't see one thing that made me say, this looks like ****. It went together as well as I could have hoped. All I needed was help from my strong, young sun in standing up the side posts and positioning them. I have sold hydraulic equipment for 30 years and the the stuff that came with it looked pretty darn good. I was impressed with the finish of the cylinder rods. They were like gl*** and that's a place where you can get a lot of leaks. I have NO leaks upon start up and that's a good sign. I lifted my Silverado up with not problems and it was very stable. All you have to do is make sure you've got the center of gravity close to the middle of the posts. Yeah, you have to be careful getting out of the vehicle but that's a small price to pay for easy, immediate access to all four wheels. Each to his own but a 4 post does not fit my idea of a good service lift. The two post does and this one will last me a long time, if my friends history is any indication.
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