BendPak BL-3500 or BL-5000 lift experience

[stateofidleness]

Gents,
Facing some maintenance stuff that would be much easier with a lift, and I've been wanting one forever! Was really sold on a 4-post so I could use it as storage as well be able to walk under it (I'm fairly tall, so hunching over a lot kills me).

Came across this one: Bendpak BL3500 Quickjack BL 3500 | eBay

Anyone have experience with this lift? I like the portability of it and the clearance is still quite good (will be able to use this for the 914 also!)

How do you guys that have lifts at home handle the shipping/delivery? This one has free shipping, but you have to ship it to an "industrial area", and I don't have access to a forklift. The whole shipping/delivery thing has been the only thing stopping me at this point.

[rfuerst911sc]

Bendpak is a good brand but I would not buy the one in your link. It doesn't look like it lifts very high and only 3500 lb. rating. If you are going to purchase this type of lift I would look for a scissor lift that lifts 48 " . I purchased a used Ammco scissor lift for $700.00 and it's built very well it weighs aprox. 1000 pounds. With any car on the highest setting I can easily sit on a mechanics chair and work comfortably. Many sports cars will NOT clear these lifts if they are sitting on the floor, so either you make some ramps or recess into the floor. Check out your local Craigslist there usually are some decent finds from either private sellers needing cash or a business that is downsizing or closing.

[coreseller]

Greg Smith Equipment has a location in Austin, TX 90 minutes from San Antonio. I purchased their Atlas TD6MR 6000 lb. scissor lift;

Atlas® TD6MR Portable Scissor Lift

The showroom location I purchased it from was 2 hours away from me, brought it home on a flatbed trailer then recessed it into the floor.

Here is a link to the project written up on another forum, how I got it home and off of the trailer without a forklift or any type of heavy equipment (other members posted their methods also) is also described with photos:

Group Purchase on Atlas Scissor Lift - Rennlist Discussion Forums

[thstone]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Bendpak is a good brand but I would not buy the one in your link. It doesn't look like it lifts very high and only 3500 lb. rating. If you are going to purchase this type of lift I would look for a scissor lift that lifts 48 ".

^^^ What he said ^^^

I have found that the car needs to be >40" off the ground so I can get under the car to work comfortably (meaning at least sit up straight without hitting your head) and so I can sit while working on the brakes/suspension and not have to bend over while seated.
The Atlas scissor lift is a very good brand and should work fine. The only concern is that at $1500 it is within a few hundred dollars of a four-post lift which has a lot more utility (if you have the head room).

Whomever you buy the lift from should be able to hook you up with shippers who can get the lift to your house. If they won't help arrange that, then find another seller. In my case, I paid $250 to have my four-post lift professionally installed which included the transfer from the freight truck to a flat bed which could fit down my residential driveway.

[cas951]

[QUOTE=stateofidleness;411707]Gents,
Facing some maintenance stuff that would be much easier with a lift, and I've been wanting one forever! Was really sold on a 4-post so I could use it as storage as well be able to walk under it (I'm fairly tall, so hunching over a lot kills me).

Came across this one: Bendpak BL3500 Quickjack BL 3500 | eBay
QUOTE]
Thanks for posting this. For me this is exactly what I've been looking for. I went to BendPack website and saw this version. BL-5000 QuickJack- Portable Car Lift- Racetrack jack- Ranger . 5,000 capacity and has 22" lift depending on pad you use. They did not list the price. Right now I use a ramp when I work on my Box. I like the portability of this model and easy storage when not in use.

I have no clue on how they handle shipping.

[mreimler]

I have one of these MaxJax lifts and it's the best tool purchase I have ever made. They are available from multiple sources and prices.
FREE SHIPPING — Dannmar MaxJax Portable Auto Lift — 2-Post System, Mid-Rise, Model# 120050/Maxjax | Two-Post Lifts| Northern Tool + Equipment

[stateofidleness]

The physics on that 2-post Max Jack have me baffled.. i don't see how they work without being anchored. Just looks... sketchy... although I'm sure they work great and smarter people than me engineered it!

Something about a stable 4-post gives me the warm fuzzies... I know.. sounds dumb, but it could be used for storage of a vehicle too!

[Davev]

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

The physics on that 2-post Max Jack have me baffled.. i don't see how they work without being anchored. Just looks... sketchy... although I'm sure they work great and smarter people than me engineered it!

Something about a stable 4-post gives me the warm fuzzies... I know.. sounds dumb, but it could be used for storage of a vehicle too!

I'm pretty sure the Max Jack is anchored. The idea is to be able to unbolt the anchor studs and easily move a post to open up space.