c-5 storage
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
I really like the Bend Pak HD-9 I bought 2-1/2 years ago. It is definitely the defining accessory of the garage and has allowed me to not only do things I would have otherwise tried without a lift, but has made living in a cold climate with three cars easier (warmer winter morning starts!). The HD-9 is available in both 110V and 220V but I opted for the 220V version for faster travel upwards, although I doubt it makes a lot of difference to the residential owner.
I looked at American-made (if that was discernable) lifts. My list was, among others, All-American Lifts, Revolution (Rotary) and Backyard Buddy. Bend Pak seemed the logical choice although, you need to have a small compressed air supply to run the lock release system which I already had so it was not an issue.
My ceiling is 10 feet high and I park one C5 under and one C5 on the lift.
I had some custom Race Ramps fabbed up for easier drive-on and off of my lowered C5.
Here are my lift's dimensions.
Here are a couple of threads I posted on my Bend Pak HD-9 installation.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g....php?t=1468748
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g....php?t=1470876
I will only speak to the two types / brands of 4-post lift I am most familiar with - the AutoLifters which a friend of mine owned (AL now out of business but being produced by former AL employees - same design as the BYB) and the Bend Pak HD-9 I currently own. I spent many a weekend under the AutoLifters (7K lb. cap.) over a few years and have owned my HD-9 (9K lb. cap.) for less than a year.
The AL uses the fully boxed post section with collar-style crossbeam ends while the BP has a C-channel post design with internal runners that slide on ladder locks suspended from the top caps.
There seems to be a perception that the C-channels can spread under load, but that's not how these lifts work. There is virtually no side load on the posts and certainly nothing to splay the channels apart during raising or lowering. Basically, they are cable and pulley systems with crossbeam and column supports to manage the transmitted loads. What's important is that the members remain stationary (rigid) and no one corner binds - or lets loose - during the lifting or lowering process, destabilizing the equilibrium enough to allow one of the posts to tip too far.
The posts can actually tilt in/out a certain amount without destabilizing the lift and toppling it. I've seen this happen twice in person - once on the AL lift when one of the manual lever-actuated locks didn't engage while lowering and the other the first time I actuated my BP and one of the cables was still too loose. Both times, the tilt in the post was completely recoverable because the lift was not allowed to travel beyond one lock level. Remember that the entire mechanism is tied together with a tensioned cable system and tends to want to stay tied together rather than spread out.
I have noticed that neither design has more tendency for the corner attachments to decouple from the post or allow post tilt. Both designs are quite secure. What I have noted are the differences in lock designs which is the reason I went with my BP. The BP has a double lock system - the first is a pneumatically-actuated, "normally-closed" set of ladder locks. These are the primaries and the only way for these to allow the lift to lower is to keep one's hand on the release button and hydraulic release continuously and simultaneously until the lowest lock is passed.
The secondary, "slack-cable" set of locks are purely for safety. Should a cable break or go slack for any reason, that corner lock will release and automatically lock into the next detent, not allowing that corner to drop uncontrolled. This was the failure suffered recently by an AL lift with pictures posted here.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1419373
I'll qualify that link by saying that could have been prevented with proper maintenance and replacement of a faulty pulley setup that the manufacturer warned of. But it does illustrate that, ultimately, it's up to the owner/operator to safely install, maintain and operate his lift.
Also, high quality components and construction are vital when weighing the issues of cost and safety. My Bend Pak is made in America with solid engineering backed by decades of commercial lift design and construction, high-strength, high-quality components and great workmanship, including beautiful welds. The cost was comparable to it's competitors too.
I spent a lot of time researching lifts before ordering mine and I still believe I'd make the same choice today that I did when I chose the BP. Others have their own thoughts and opinions - and requirements. As I mentioned above, my decision was between the All American, the Revolution (Rotary), the Backyard Buddy and Bend Pak. Cost was not the primary factor, safety was. Check all the certification and testing that a manufacturer does on it's lifts - that alone is a very educational process.
Whatever your choice is, have a healthy respect for the potentially dangerous piece of heavy equipment that a lift is. Safety should be foremost on your mind always when working around a lift. That behavior alone should keep it a safe and fun piece of equipment to own.
My buddy's AutoLifters. Note the collar-style beam ends.
The channel and ladder setup on my HD-9. You can see the air-cylinder-enabled main lock and the spring/lever pulley secondary safety.
As always, this is JMHO. Good luck with your decision and be safe!
I looked at American-made (if that was discernable) lifts. My list was, among others, All-American Lifts, Revolution (Rotary) and Backyard Buddy. Bend Pak seemed the logical choice although, you need to have a small compressed air supply to run the lock release system which I already had so it was not an issue.
My ceiling is 10 feet high and I park one C5 under and one C5 on the lift.
I had some custom Race Ramps fabbed up for easier drive-on and off of my lowered C5.
Here are my lift's dimensions.
Here are a couple of threads I posted on my Bend Pak HD-9 installation.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g....php?t=1468748
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g....php?t=1470876
I will only speak to the two types / brands of 4-post lift I am most familiar with - the AutoLifters which a friend of mine owned (AL now out of business but being produced by former AL employees - same design as the BYB) and the Bend Pak HD-9 I currently own. I spent many a weekend under the AutoLifters (7K lb. cap.) over a few years and have owned my HD-9 (9K lb. cap.) for less than a year.
The AL uses the fully boxed post section with collar-style crossbeam ends while the BP has a C-channel post design with internal runners that slide on ladder locks suspended from the top caps.
There seems to be a perception that the C-channels can spread under load, but that's not how these lifts work. There is virtually no side load on the posts and certainly nothing to splay the channels apart during raising or lowering. Basically, they are cable and pulley systems with crossbeam and column supports to manage the transmitted loads. What's important is that the members remain stationary (rigid) and no one corner binds - or lets loose - during the lifting or lowering process, destabilizing the equilibrium enough to allow one of the posts to tip too far.
The posts can actually tilt in/out a certain amount without destabilizing the lift and toppling it. I've seen this happen twice in person - once on the AL lift when one of the manual lever-actuated locks didn't engage while lowering and the other the first time I actuated my BP and one of the cables was still too loose. Both times, the tilt in the post was completely recoverable because the lift was not allowed to travel beyond one lock level. Remember that the entire mechanism is tied together with a tensioned cable system and tends to want to stay tied together rather than spread out.
I have noticed that neither design has more tendency for the corner attachments to decouple from the post or allow post tilt. Both designs are quite secure. What I have noted are the differences in lock designs which is the reason I went with my BP. The BP has a double lock system - the first is a pneumatically-actuated, "normally-closed" set of ladder locks. These are the primaries and the only way for these to allow the lift to lower is to keep one's hand on the release button and hydraulic release continuously and simultaneously until the lowest lock is passed.
The secondary, "slack-cable" set of locks are purely for safety. Should a cable break or go slack for any reason, that corner lock will release and automatically lock into the next detent, not allowing that corner to drop uncontrolled. This was the failure suffered recently by an AL lift with pictures posted here.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1419373
I'll qualify that link by saying that could have been prevented with proper maintenance and replacement of a faulty pulley setup that the manufacturer warned of. But it does illustrate that, ultimately, it's up to the owner/operator to safely install, maintain and operate his lift.
Also, high quality components and construction are vital when weighing the issues of cost and safety. My Bend Pak is made in America with solid engineering backed by decades of commercial lift design and construction, high-strength, high-quality components and great workmanship, including beautiful welds. The cost was comparable to it's competitors too.
I spent a lot of time researching lifts before ordering mine and I still believe I'd make the same choice today that I did when I chose the BP. Others have their own thoughts and opinions - and requirements. As I mentioned above, my decision was between the All American, the Revolution (Rotary), the Backyard Buddy and Bend Pak. Cost was not the primary factor, safety was. Check all the certification and testing that a manufacturer does on it's lifts - that alone is a very educational process.
Whatever your choice is, have a healthy respect for the potentially dangerous piece of heavy equipment that a lift is. Safety should be foremost on your mind always when working around a lift. That behavior alone should keep it a safe and fun piece of equipment to own.
My buddy's AutoLifters. Note the collar-style beam ends.
The channel and ladder setup on my HD-9. You can see the air-cylinder-enabled main lock and the spring/lever pulley secondary safety.
As always, this is JMHO. Good luck with your decision and be safe!
