2 post lifts, I'm gonna pull the trigger...

I have been wanting one for a while but always made excuses on why I needed the money on other projects etc.

So, now I am going to buy one. But, there are tons of them out there now.
I can't afford a new Rotary but, I don't want a Chinese lift that is going to crap out or fall on me either. I have been watching Craigslist etc for used, but some of those are as expensive as a new one and I really don't want someone else's junk either.

I have been looking at the Challenger lifts. Anyone have any experience with them? Good , bad or indifferent.....

I'm one of those guys that researches stuff to death before I actually buy. So help a brother out.

Thanks

Root

 

We have challenger lifts at the car dealership I work at. they are about 4 years old and we havent had any problems with them at all. Personally I really like them.

 

From the look of your avatar, why would you need a lift? Just throw a tall jack stand under that thing while it is still in the air! LOL
I would like to see more or hear more about your ride if that is it! Very cool!

 

Thanks Coolbreeze. It's just an old beater that I built for the 1st Hamb drags. It comes out about once a year, if I have time.

I'm getting too old and fat to lay on the floor.

 

I used Challengers at the garage I used to work at...never had a problem and they were serviced once a year or so...the cables tightened and fluid seals checked and so on. The only issue I ever had was setting up some longer extended cab pickups and suvs. Once again, sometimes hairy but never a problem!
Look around, you may find a company that does installs along with take outs. A friend of mine does it locally and usually has some really good deals on take outs from closed dealerships and garages.

 

Well, post up with what you buy and how it works out for you. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

I work at a Ford factory where we make f-250 - f 550 pickups. we use mostly challenger and they will lift a crew cab dually diesel long bed! i would get one of these if in your budget

 

I bought a 4 post and really happy with it..Here is what they have for 2 posts..http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Vehicle_2_Post_Lifts_s/37.htm

 

I've got a Eagle lift at my home shop and we have two Bend Packs at work ( plus 4 center post ). Happy with all of them except for the off-set asymetrical one. If you have the height in your shop I would really consider the two post with the lower cables, then vehicle height won't be an issue. Anything is better than a creeper.

 

WOuld you store a car on a 2 post or is that just asking for trouble? I want a 4 post in my garage bad so I can fit some more shtuff but I'm sort of ignorant to the whole deal.

 

I got a direct lift pro 9f from greg smith eguipment and have been very happy with it. have lifted full size trucks to 57 4 door cars to model A's and Vettes ... never a problem with any of them

 

I was looking for an American made lift when I bought mine, I bought an American made Ben Pearson 9,000 lb lift because everything I read indicates that they are made in Pine Bluff AR.

They sell an import for aboug 1/2 the $$...

I love that thing, I use it for all kinds of stuff, not just working under.

I am just plain spoiled now. Just today I was cussing myself for not using it to mount my inner fenders and grille.

 

With the internet it is easy to find a nice used american 2 post lift for around $1000 just about any time. I have two of the "greg smith" style 4 post lift chinese lifts I use strictly for storage and a rotary asymetrical 2 post for actual work. Found it on ebay like new for $1200 and I see them all the time. I wouldnt bother with a chinese made lift that you are going to be using for actual work.

 

Root, search on our sister site www.garage journal.com if you havent already. Used my pals that comes from a dist in North Dakota, really solid.

 

It's no more asking for trouble, than working under one!!!!........Raise it up, set down on the safety catches / stops, and park another under it...........I've done it with mine, and have not squashed anything............I forget the brand name on mine just now, but it's a 9,000 pounder, from a now defunct Canadian company.............Assymetrical 2 post lift, synchronizing cables run over the top, ( my lift bay is vaulted, and my walls stick built, w/ 10 ft. studs).

 

ck with car dealers on closing, i have seen them dam near give them away! some times they want them gone before the bank takes the building.

 

My dad and I put a Challenger up in our barn in the spring. It came out of a closed Dodge dealership. It went up without much trouble and it works great. It's amazing how much easier everything is now.

 

BENCO.....
the only way to go.

 

i leave stuff on my 2 post, i figure if i'll work under it i can leave it up

i set my rotary lift up less than a year ago, only problem i have is trying to figure out why i didn't set one up 12 years ago when i bought my house....

it will change your life. period.

 

i had trouble getting a low car on a 2 post lift actually had to make ramps like a 4 post would have next lift i bought was a 4 post

 

I have to jack mine up a little.

 

After looking for a long time for a decent used one, and pretty much giving up on finidng anything that didn't either leak like a sieve, or the seller wanted $100 less than a new one of the same brand, I stumbled on a 12,000# Rotary about 3 yrs old at a Ford dealership that went bankrupt for $1500.

I noticed all the Challengers are ALI certified, and thats something I'd look for in buying a lift if its made offshore as most of them are. From what I've seen, anything in a 9K lb lift that's in the $1600 - $1800 range usually isn't certified. The ones that are up around $2400 or so usually are certified.

As long as you have the headroom, I'd prefer the type with the tie bar across the top so it leaves the floor clear between the posts. Most mfgrs have both types, and on a 9000# lift with the top bar most of them run about 12 1/2 ft tall overall.

There's a company in TX that supposedly builds their lifts in the US. Have seen stuff on other forums from a couple guys who have them and say they're reasonable and real well built. http://www.worthequipment.com/

Unless I was buying a Bendpak or Rotary or other well known brand, I'd hesitate to buy something sight unseen. Probably would rather talk to someone in a garage who has one or more of a brand I was considering, and find out what they think of it as a user, rather than just looking at a brand new display model somewhere.

My 12K Rotary went cheaper than several other 9K Rotarys in the same dealership even though the 9K's were a few years older. A 12K with the top tie bar is about another foot taller than a 9K. I guess a lot of people don't have enough height for the 13 1/2 feet so there werent as many people interested in it. If you were to run across a dealership that's closing, most of them do have at least one of the 12K's for handling heavier trucks, so you might get a bargain. They're built a little heavier of course, but other than the height the size difference isn't noticable or anything that makes them take up much more space.

I wouldn't fool with anything a car dealer is trying to move at a firesale price before the bankruptcy people show up. Its a federal crime to dispose of assets like that, and when they haul him in and shake the truth outa his mangy ass, the next thing that happens is a federal marshal shows up at your door with a court order for you to return the lift to where you got it, and he won't be refunding your money. IIRC they can reclaim anything sold at a too-low price up to 6 months prior to a bankruptcy filing.

 

After you install it and you start using it you will find out that it'll take you a few days to quit bumping your head on things. The lift will give you the freedom to put the car at any height from way to far up to just right eye level. When you get a few pop-knots on your noggin you'll remember !!! >>>>.

 

I installed a Mohawk 2 post lift 20 or so years ago. Never any problems, has not had anything done to it.

 

I got a bend pac 10,000# asymetrical about 6 years ago been trouble free.I don't know how I got by without it . After watching it dance in an earthquake I bougth 2 tall jackstands and I use them all the time now.

 

I had a 390GTA Mustang fastback up on mine with a Shelby and 36 roadster underneath it about 6-8 years ago when we had the big earthquake and was afraid to go out in the garage to see how things looked. When I did stuff had fallen off of shelves, but everything was fine as far as the cars and lifts go. After that quake I feel pretty confident storing a car on it. I always rock the car I am lifting as it just comes off the ground to make sure it is stable before going the rest of the way up. I have 2 and four post lifts in my garage , and for most work I prefer the 2 post unit. Dave

 

This is the one I am looking at.
It's about $2800 plus install.
http://www.challengerlifts.com/E10.shtml

 

Maybe drive up on some 2x4`s or something less jacking I am getting lazy.......

 

I paid about $1800 for my Rotary used, and another couple hundred to have it installed. Just FYI.

Anyone know where Challenger lifts are made? It says they're out of Louisville KY, just wondering if they actually made there, or are they imported and distributed from there, so hard to tell these days.

 

I got a Rotary 2 post A-symmetrical 10k lb lift for under 2,000 used.. lots of shops are selling off there gear keep on craigslist and look into used equipment dealers
having an a-symmetrical lift makes life easier, it allows you to put the cars center of gravity farther back allowing you to open the doors while on the lift