Lift for low cars

[Junior]

In the market for a new lift. Looking for something that will work well for low vehicles but can still handle light trucks. 2 post, clear floor 10k lbs capacity range. I see a lot of manufacturers offer a bi-symmetrical lifts now. I've never used one. Thoughts? What do you have and like? I had mohawk's for the last 20 years, exploring other brands. Not going to get full time shop usage. Looking for the best bang for the buck but not anything that isn't ALI certified.

What do you have that you like and can easily get sports cars on (a problem for my asymmetrical mohawk without blocks of wood to drive on)

[zach]

I Have Bendpak and Rotary in my shop. Depends on what you want to spend. .  I think the xpr10a-LP might be what you want. Or the Rotary Trio which is around $1,000 more. . You can check them out on their websites. Hope this helps.

[Junior]

That bendpak seems pretty nice, looks like it will do what I need. The only one I found that is lower is the tudedo/ideal TP10KAC-DX with 1/2 inch more clearance at the pad. Both are ALI certified. The bendpak is the better brand name for a few hundred more, probably worth it.

Thoughts on screw up pads? They are an option on both lifts, I've never had a lift with them, just drop in adapters.

[zach]

I just have the drop in adapters. . I wish I had the screw up/ adjustable pads. . If you have a car where the plastic side skirt/Lip is lower than the body seam you need to lift against , then you will be clad to have the screw pads . . I would not put a tuxedo in my shop. . Id rather have Atlas lift if you need cheap. . . Spend a little more now will save you A lot more later. . . My Bendpak is definitely worth its money. Its great how I can lift either symmetrically or asymmetrically depending on what vehicle I'm lifting. I picked the Bendpak over the Challenger and have no regrets. hth

[Junior]

So I ended up getting the Bendpak XPR-10AS-LP with screw up pads. Overall I like it. For others that are looking at this there are a few things about it that I don't really like and should be noted. The worst is the height of the first lock. If you want to get a car only a foot or so off the ground you can't do it with the car on the locks. The first lock puts the car like three feet in the air. This means that engine pull that takes all day and has the car up and down a dozen times isn't on the locks when its low. I also I like to put a car up a foot or so when doing engine work on a low car to save the back not on this thing and low cars were my primary driver to get this lift. Or a timing belt on a transverse engine where you need to be above and below all the time. A stool and and the lift up 18" is perfect, can't do it on this machine though, it won't be on the locks. That being said when I just did that a few days ago the lift didn't budge even though it was off the locks for a few hours, but that isn't recommended usage.

A few other things that should be noted, the effort you need to release the lock lever is impressive. My installer said it would wear in after a while but if you're on this lift all day your hand will hurt where you press on the lock release. You have to put body weight into it. I'm going to contact bendpak about that one, doesn't seem right, but it's all installed right.

Lowering speed is SsssssLOW, I mean really slow, especially when the weight of the car isn't on it, that last few inches could take 15 seconds, which seems like a lifetime when you're watching the water boil

The arms could be longer. We installed in the wide position so it probably wouldn't be an issue in the narrow setup. Getting some vehicles with full frames and therefore inboard lifting points is difficult, you have to jockey the car around to get it to reach. I haven't had one the didn't work yet but I can see this being a problem with some trucks.

None of those these things are a problem with the Mohawks but the bendpak is much lower and I really like the single side safety release. Plus the bendpak was way cheaper.