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Old 11-08-2018, 06:38 PM
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Default Low ceiling lift recommendations (126")

Looking for a two post lift. Would prefer asymmetrical, but symmetrical would also work. Minimum capacity of 7,000 lb. but would prefer 10,000 lb. Mostly 911's and Miatas but would also be useful to put the rest of my family's cars on and they go up to 6,500.

Biggest limit is - I've got 126" (10' 6") of clearance.

I've found the following that will fit:
Bendpak GP7LC
Atlas 9KBP
Bendpak XPR-9S
Challenger CLFP9
Revolution RTP9

Any opinions on the above? Any others I should add to the list?
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Old 11-08-2018, 08:25 PM
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gp7lc has big top bar which will even further limit how high you can lift the car...

i have an xps9 and love it. get the low profile lift arms though...
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Old 11-08-2018, 08:55 PM
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A few of us have Bendpaks. The lower clearance arms are worth the $$. I have a clear floor but I think you'll be happy with the low height versions once you figure out how to work around the hump.

If you want to drop some $$ check out a Mohawk a7. Hydraulic lines you can put wherever you want. I grew up working with them and really like the setup. I didnt want to spend the $$ though.
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Old 11-09-2018, 07:54 AM
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Nice looking garage. Thanks for the advice on the low profile adapters.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mlytle View Post
gp7lc has big top bar which will even further limit how high you can lift the car...

i have an xps9 and love it. get the low profile lift arms though...
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White/Green '91 SSM Miata #01
Green '96 911 (993) Carrera #409
Blue '09 911 (997.2) Carrera S Cab
Black '15 Yukon XL w/ '98 Trailex (Tow Vehicle)
Burnt Orange '75 FJ40
Yellow '19 718 Boxster (wife regretfully sold it to fit 2nd grandchild on the way...)
Black '83 911SC Targa (regrettably sold when the second car seat didn't fit)
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Old 11-09-2018, 07:55 AM
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Thanks for the pointer to Mohawk. Certainly looks the nicest of everything I've seen. Price isn't listed on the website so perhaps it is a case of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it". I'll call and ask anyway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmartin View Post
A few of us have Bendpaks. The lower clearance arms are worth the $$. I have a clear floor but I think you'll be happy with the low height versions once you figure out how to work around the hump.

If you want to drop some $$ check out a Mohawk a7. Hydraulic lines you can put wherever you want. I grew up working with them and really like the setup. I didnt want to spend the $$ though.
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White/Green '91 SSM Miata #01
Green '96 911 (993) Carrera #409
Blue '09 911 (997.2) Carrera S Cab
Black '15 Yukon XL w/ '98 Trailex (Tow Vehicle)
Burnt Orange '75 FJ40
Yellow '19 718 Boxster (wife regretfully sold it to fit 2nd grandchild on the way...)
Black '83 911SC Targa (regrettably sold when the second car seat didn't fit)
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Old 11-09-2018, 08:26 AM
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I have the Bendpak GP7LC. It fits in my garage quite nicely in a bay with 11 foot ceilings. Arms will work symmetric or asymmetric. 7000lb capacity is not an issue as the biggest vehicle I have, F-250, won't fit in the garage. One of the reasons I picked it was because its narrow compared to most of the others. I have a 3 bay garage with a 2 bay door and a single bay door. The lift is in the single and does not extend into the 2nd bay at all. Its centered on the single bay door. I'll post a couple pics when I figure out how...
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Old 11-09-2018, 08:30 AM
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IMO Based on working with and on a couple, Mohawk is pure overkill in residential use and you pay for that in both $ and ease of use. On the + side they use a hydro based non cable equalizer system that frees you up from cables and fixed location crossovers. OTOH the units are bulky, more in the way and harder to work with and around than machines that are only designed and built to work well.

With a 10'6' height to work with you want to cross off any of the units that have overhead cross overs. Look at the lift arm and contact pad height more than anything if you plan to work on modern sedans.

random ramblings from a a non expert that trained as a ALI lift inspector but did not bother to finish the certs due to the silly roadblocks set up and the non requirement to do so legally.
In non com use any certified brand of lift will work and last. Last time I looked Bend-pak was still producing a good product for the $ and the no name / re-brand lifts were still being made from an ever changing list of parts suppliers. a year or so goes by and the same name "Titam" or Atlast" brand life has different rams in it. That aspect gives me pause considering that route. Over time you might need to replace a ram seal or the like and just might be SOL. It is not the big chunks of steel and cables that go bad it is the seals, hoses, release valves and electric bits that cause issue. Cheap "fail on" type relays can stick in the On condition and ram your car or truck through the ceiling and bust the truck and trusses. It happens, I have seen it. Challenger has this issue right now on some of their lifts.
This brings me to the one real important. You must be able to shut the lift off in an overrun condition. Be sure to have an elec disconnect in arms reach of the controls side of the lift. Not just somewhere in the room and not the breaker in the service panel. Right there, right next to the power/control pack.
Almost all lift accidents are operator caused. We humans are by far the weak link in automotive lift failures. Lifts don't break we get sloppy and load them up wrong.
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Last edited by Vicegrip; 11-09-2018 at 08:35 AM.
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Old 11-09-2018, 08:42 AM
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Good point about the overload...
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Old 11-09-2018, 09:02 AM
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..and remember automotive lifts are certified for lifting cars and trucks only. Other use such as picking a tool box out of a truck is off label and ill advised. Letting your son go under said heavy ass tool box is not bright ether.

This is the lift I had in the old shop with 10' 6" ceiling. In the new shop there is both lower ceiling and a beam in the way. The builder could have run the joists 90 deg from this and beam would be between the bays gaining me another foot of clearance but I was not there at the time. Will add a stand alone shop when the desire hits. In the meantime I can lift all my stuff enough to service if not full stroke.
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“Those that can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” Voltaire.

"There is grandeur in this view of life...." Darwin.

The mountains are calling and I must go.

“The earth has music for those who listen”
Shakespeare.

You Matter.
(Until you multiply yourself times the speed of light squared. Then you Energy)

“We’ve got lots of theories, we just don’t have the evidence’.

Last edited by Vicegrip; 11-09-2018 at 09:11 AM.
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Old 11-10-2018, 04:51 PM
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Thanks for the advice offered here although I won't be encouraging my daughters to take selfies underneath suspended toolboxes...

I think I have narrowed the choice to the Mohawk System I and the Bendpak XPR-9S. If the Bendpak is good enough for Vicegrip, its good enough for me, but the Mohawk is still appealing (even at 2x the price).

Mohawk referred me to a dealer in Orange VA - NovaEquip who also installs. Bendpak seems to be sold by a number of online places but I'm not sure who installs around here.

I do have an overhead chain hoist to unload, so there is a possibility I could install the Bendpak myself but I am told that the Mohawk columns are close to 1000 lbs. each so I'll defer to a dealer to handle the logistics of getting that one off the truck... I am confident that the install charge is smaller than the structural engineering fee to determine if the beam I have overhead can take that load. My hoist is good to a ton but I am unsure of the beam it is anchored to... And if my wife gets wind of any of this she will insist I let the dealer handle the install.

Any recommendations on dealers / installers for these two brands who service McLean VA?
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White/Green '91 SSM Miata #01
Green '96 911 (993) Carrera #409
Blue '09 911 (997.2) Carrera S Cab
Black '15 Yukon XL w/ '98 Trailex (Tow Vehicle)
Burnt Orange '75 FJ40
Yellow '19 718 Boxster (wife regretfully sold it to fit 2nd grandchild on the way...)
Black '83 911SC Targa (regrettably sold when the second car seat didn't fit)
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