Quantcast
Jump to content

Lift for low cars


Recommended Posts

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)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By nptrb

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By carmcapriotto
      On this Episode of Business by the Numbers, Hunt reflects on his time at the STX conference in Nashville, sharing stories about the connections made and lessons learned from industry experts.
      • Economic News Breakdown: We get into the latest economic updates that dropped last Wednesday. Hunt breaks down what these changes in numbers might mean for your wallet and business this year, especially when it comes to interest rates.
      • Tax Talk and Government Spending: Hunt explains the proposed wealth tax and what the latest federal budget might mean for us. There’s a lot of talk about balancing the budget without raising taxes too much, and we'll explore what that could look like.
      • Capital Gains and Your Money: We take a closer look at potential hikes in capital gains taxes and how these could affect your investments and long-term financial planning.
      • Understanding the Numbers: Inflation, GDP... these terms get thrown around a lot. We’ll unpack what they really mean for the economy and for us as workers and business owners.
      Thanks to our partners, NAPA TRACS and Promotive
      Did you know that NAPA TRACS has onsite training plus six days a week support?
      It all starts when a local representative meets with you to learn about your business and how you run it.  After all, it's your shop, so it's your choice.
      Let us prove to you that Tracs is the single best shop management system in the business.  Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at NAPATRACS.com
      It’s time to hire a superstar for your business; what a grind you have in front of you. Great news, you don’t have to go it alone. Introducing Promotive, a full-service staffing solution for your shop. Promotive has over 40 years of recruiting and automotive experience. If you need qualified technicians and service advisors and want to offload the heavy lifting, visit www.gopromotive.com.
       
      Paar Melis and Associates – Accountants Specializing in Automotive Repair
      Visit us Online: www.paarmelis.com
      Email Hunt: [email protected]
      Get a copy of my Book: Download Here
      Aftermarket Radio Network
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Auto Care Customer service is the backbone of any successful auto repair shop. Tom Petty discusses the critical role of clear, effective communication with customers. And guess what? It all starts with your internal team and company culture. Tom Petty, Petty Motorworks, Waretown, NJ Show Notes
      Watch Full Video TST Seminars: https://www.tstseminars.org/ NAPA Auto Care Gold status (00:01:24) Tom Petty discusses NAPA AutoCare Gold status and its significance. Technical training and progression (00:03:13) Tom Petty's technical training and progression through the years. Family business and technical training (00:04:22) Tom Petty's decision to start a family business and his involvement in technical training. Engaging technicians and setting shop culture (00:05:44) Discussion on setting the culture for a shop and engaging technicians in training. Apprenticeship and mentoring (00:08:13) Tom Petty's approach to apprenticeship and mentoring young technicians. Automotive vocational education (00:11:10) Discussion on the need for a specialized automotive charter program in vocational education. Challenges in the automotive industry (00:13:03) Challenges faced by young technicians in the automotive industry and the need for development and support. Starting wage and labor margin (00:14:36) Discussion on starting wage for technicians and the importance of labor margin for business sustainability. Post-education career advice (00:15:31) Tom Petty's advice for students coming out of a two-year automotive program regarding starting wage expectations. Structured Raises (00:15:37) Discussion about implementing structured raises for technicians to prevent wage suppression. Setting Technician Wages (00:19:06) Discussion on the importance of setting technician wages based on experience and productivity. Communication and Customer Service (00:23:53) Importance of effective communication, especially through digital inspections, and its impact on customer service. Training Alliance (00:28:00) Formation of an independent training alliance to improve technical training in the local area of New Jersey. Kidney Donation (00:30:44) Tom Petty's kidney donation. Life Post-Surgery (00:33:14) Tom Petty shares his experiences after kidney surgery and discusses the minimal impact on his daily life. Avoiding NSAIDs (00:33:53) The importance of avoiding certain pain medications for kidney health, with a cautionary example. Recovery and Kidney Function (00:34:31) Insights into the recovery period after kidney surgery and the remarkable adaptability of the kidney.
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Auto Care Learn more about NAPA Auto Care and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care Connect with the Podcast: -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Join Our Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976 -Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Visit the Website: https://remarkableresults.biz/ -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections  
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Can Marketing "Even Out" The Workload?
      Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
      Show Notes
      We often hear people say their marketing should “even out the workload,” but can it do that? There are peaks and valleys throughout the year. That’s just life. It’s hard to market to make a specific time busy Marketing lifts the peaks and the valleys, but it can easily lift the peaks higher and the valleys not quite as much SCHEDULING can even out the workload, or fill in the slow times Scheduling long-time clients for the slow times Scheduling the next visit like a dentist does Can you do time specific campaigns?  State fair campaign Back-to-school campaign Pre-trip inspections before summer and the holidays  
      How To Get In Touch
       
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
      Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)
      Canva - Mood Boards  
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
       


  • Similar Tagged Content

  • Our Sponsors

×
×
  • Create New...