I am 70 yrs. old and paid 2000.00 for the same lift that you are showing and it was the best thing I ever bought. I love it and would be unable to do my own mechanic work and I am restoring a 1972 c-10 chevy. I put it up by myself and at 70 anyone can do it.
Bud. When is the last time you checked the torque on those bolts? Those seem awfully high out of the top of the base plate. I bought a Chinese lift and went to install it and discovered I didn’t have enough concrete and had to cut and re-pour 8 inches of fresh concrete. After a LOT of research I decided to go with expoxy resin and threaded Rod for strength. I ask because it seems like a LOT of threads are past your nuts and according to most manufacturers anything over an inch with a mechanical fastener is a failure. Might want to check on your nuts and bolts.
A lot of people forget to bring the lip down after engaging the safety locks. 🤔 Thereby causing the weight of the vehicle to be held by the actual piston itself causing those seals to prematurely leak 💯 I'm not saying that that's what happened in this case. But when you do have these cheaper lifts you have to make sure that after you slide your safety locks in you then push your down button on your Lyft to release the pressure thereby causing the weight of the vehicle to be held mechanically the versus hydraulically
As a hoist tech my biggest recommendation is with floor plate models remove the plate clean & dry the area because rust and salt will eat the cables up and you can inspect the hose.
I am glad you put this video out I'm currently waiting for a Chinese 9 Thousand lift clear floor to arrive and I intend to install it myself Thank you from Canada
The cylinders in these lifts are single acting, i.e fluid pumped in below the piston extends the cylinder raising the lift. Lowering is a combination of gravity and valving once the locks are released. The upper cylinder is expected to run dry, just a smear of oil for lubrication, no oil introduced in operation. To leak out of the top seals, fluid has to get past the piston and it's seals, then start to fill the upper cylinder. It will eventually be pressurised in the upper cylinder during raising and virtually hydrolock it, but with enough pressure in the lower cylinder, it will blow the upper seal. While the presence of a slow leak around the upper seal is not a major issue in itself, the fact that sufficient oil is getting into the upper cylinder indicates that the cylinder either needs a major overhaul or replacement.
I worked in Hydraulics and it is not uncommon for cheap cylinders to be welded up and a follow up hone to remove warpage and any debris that forms on the weld sites to be skipped. It gets them past warranty but the seals die early every time.
Mine started leaking, I took the glands off, the seal sizes were actually labeled, 40-70-7.3, I looked them up, a place called 123bearings had all kinds of them, Ordered them and costed me about $28.00 after shipping. Easy to do.
You can adjust the drain back to decrease the speed that it lowers. Its the little jam nut with the hex bolt on the side of the motor/reservoir assembly.
I bought a 4.5 tonne clearfloor 2 post lift from Launch. It was only AUD 3200 plus install at my home workshop. It gets serviced and checked every year and has given me no problems. Best money I have ever spent! Launch lifts are pretty good quality from my experience.
Pull seals, measure, match online, buy replace $65/side. Hone out until its through the wall... I would have laughed that guy off the phone. End of the day Surplus Center could have had you 2 new cyl for less than that. But yes I agree for a hobby guy good lift. My Atlas 10k is going strong after 10+ years, with zero repairs.
I discarded the Chinese bolts and went with some longer heavy duty bolts from the start. I also had my shop floor poured to twelve inches in the area I was to install the lift. An ounce of prevention ... Good luck. Mine is still doing great!
I bought an American lift made in China 10-15 years ago and it is awesome. Corvettes, trucks , trailers ,big trucks and it’s it still going and paid 1195.00 at the time . Delivery was to a commercial address and we had a back hoe to receive it from the flat bed trailer
In my shop, I won't ever work under a lift that's not certified. These lifts are ok for home use but make sure you engage the safeties. Also make sure the lift is installed properly with enough concrete on the floor. As far as those who say it works fine etc. good for you. As far as warranty goes, if it falls and kills you I don't think the warranty will cover that. My lifts are Mohawk.
I don't have a pro shop, but I stay pretty busy in my home shop. I would not send my young son to work underneath a Chinese lift. A friend of mine has a generic Chinese two post, and compared to my Mohawk System IA, his is a toy. It's almost funny how much -crappier- lighter _everything_ on his lift is. Most of us retired guys use our lifts a lot more than we would have guessed, and I'd much rather be working on a project car than repairing a cheapie lift.
Thank you it really seems to be helpful to alot of folks, hopefully I can make more helpful videos like this. If you have any suggestions feel free to pitch what you'd like to see!
I've got an Aplus scissor lift for my home garage. I love it. 2 years, no issues. It's Chinese made but, they gave a full 2 year warranty on all parts.
I bought a atlas 9000lb through Greg Smith 4yrs ago. I don't use it in a commercial setting but have used it on my chevy 2500 hd crew cab many times and on my wife's dodge journey and have had no problems at all. Several of my neighbors have come over to borrow time on the lift and have enjoyed not having to crawl around on the floor.
Liability ! wot if there's a personal injury? are You going to pay the piper, Stan...this ol' mechanic sure wouldn't leave hisself wide open for a multi million $$ lawsuit...shhiitt happens,eh?
@@redrocket5183 nonsense. If you have taken care of your equipment, including following the manufacturers guidelines for maintenance, there's no basis for a lawsuit if your friend in injured in your shop. You *are* responsible for injuries if you _know_ of a dangerous condition, or _should_ have known of one but did not take reasonable care to make your property safe. If you're afraid of lawsuits, you can insist on a signed waiver, but that still does not remove your responsibility to exercise ordinary care to keep the property reasonably safe.
Sweet looking shop. I just built my shop last year 30x50 with 14' walls. I was wondering what size your shop is. I just put a Champion 9500lb lift in mine. Mine is an overhead model. Looks like you have plenty of head room and I think the overhead model is way nice to have a clear floor to roll stuff over. Especially when you are putting non running stuff on and off the lift. My lift also has the manual lock releases on each post which is a little annoying but I'm also just using it at home for personal use. It's a great tool to have. Even used mine with straps on the the arms to pull the bed off my 65 C10. Can't wait to find more uses for it! By the way. Most of the "brand name" lifts including my Champion are also made in China. Nothing wrong with made in China, the biggest thing is quality control. Probably not the same consistency you'd get with more reputable stuff.
I’m curious to know how far those anchor bolts are in concret, typically they come with 5 1/4” anchors and between the base thickness and the nut it looks like 2 1/2-3 “ is sticking out of the floor. Don’t feel like that’s enough into the concrete imo
To "resolve" the issue of having to walk to the non-control side to unlock the safety pin mechanism, I simply tied a chord/rope to the dog ear, uncoiled it to the control side with plenty of extra length. Thus when that side needs released I simply pull the rope. No need to walk to the other side. 3 yrs ago bought mine, same as yours except labeling. Mine is branded "Mayflower" from China. That has to be an oxymoron somehow. The unit has performed beyond my expectation for $1250.
7:00 My hoist was sold in 1996, made in Wichita KS and only now has the seal failed. Mine is 7000 LB capacity and only 1 cylinder. Your repairs: They probably made new pistons and used standard seals. I am doing my own fix.
Interesting. If they have a low profile version that would be a good upgrade from my HF scissor lift. I tried to buy an American version of that lift and it was nothing but problems. I sent it back. HF was cheaper and no problems. I hate buying from China but they're hard to beat sometimes. Especially when you're saving 50%-75%.
I have same lift with different name. Bought in 20018. No issues, ever. Paid about $1600, but don't see them at that price any more. Had shipped to trucking/cargo terminal in nearest big city. Installed myself.
The salt water destroys steel. Working in a mold shop, we recieve steel mold bases and steel inserts that are either wrapped in foam, then packaging tape, or in the case of the mold bases, 1200 lbs easy they are sprayed with an oil product then wrapped with layer upon layer of plastic wrap, and those little packets that say Do Not Digest. The cost is a third of having it local, especially keeping the cost down.
Looks nice. I've been eyeballing those Maxx jak mid rise ones. Obviously it's a mid rise but the advantage to that is I believe you can basically get it shipped right to your garage and set it up maybe just with one or two guys and no forklift etc. Also pretty nice if you don't have ceilings that can accommodate a true two post.
I had looked at those about the time I bought this Chinese one and at the time the price difference was about 3x higher for the Maxx jak. So I passed. Now I'd have to look and see just what is what. To compare
@@limpnoodlelifestyle5552 yea they're really pricey new, like +$3200 new. Idt it's worth that honestly. But the other day....I actually found a brand new one for sale for $1000...I kind of clicked on it to see if it was real and it did actually seem legitimate. If I had the space etc I'd for sure pay a grand for one
So if anybody gets one they should purge the hydraulic oil from the system and replace it with fresh hydraulic oil to make certain there is no moisture in it and save the cost and inconvenience of having the hydraulic cylinders worked on.
I've been on the lookout for one of these for a long time (since I divorced the ex and she kept the house situation) .. Doing my best to keep the lift under $2.5K buck .. good video, thanks for the info on the seals ..
My pal has a (peak) branded version of a chinese lift in the uk. 4t capacity. 240v with a standard plug. 8 years old and still really good. The only thing i dont really like is the cups and the adapters. But we convert his to multi step screw outs
So I couldn't help but notice how much bolt you have left sticking out of the floor. Was it a long bolt or did you not go down far enough? Should be like 4"-5" drill depth.
I noticed this as well, very obvious wanted to make sure not to post the same thing. Glad someone else noticed this, I doubt the anchors are longer than 6" so what we see is pretty alarming. I'm surprised more people didn't mention this, I'm also amazed what those anchors are capable of tolerating. They and the concrete must have a very large safety factor. This gives me quite a bit of confidence in installing my own used professional lift where I have lots of challenges like unlevel, cracked concrete where I need to cut and key in new thicker concrete pads for the lift on a budget.
@The Replacement for Displacement I had the same issue with small dips in the concrete. I bought steel shims to use instead of the nylon, some needed a 1/4" of shim, I wasn't comfortable stacking that many of the plastic ones.
@@Random-bm7ho Yeah I agree, plastic creeps without any load on it let alone 1000's of psi on them. I will make shims like you said out of SS. I shouldn't need a lot since I need to replace and beef up the section of concrete where posts sit. Thanks for the heads up though.
I bought one seven years ago on eBay $1599 free shipping. The best thing I ever bought! free shipping is not fast shipping. It took two months to go from California to Florida. Installed it in my garage by myself and less than two days I restored a 75 Corvette with it service my daily driver now there’s a 67 Pontiac Lemans that is on that lift.
good hoist other than the safety locks are a pain to use, oh and the seals failed and cylinders rusted while submerged in oil over 3 years? that sucks. so far about 4 years of heavy hobby use on my atlas hoist which is supposed to be good chinesium (who knows?) has been flawless. as has my brothers who has been running his for 5+ years. they were about $2500 at that time but we did get the extra wide extra tall 10,000lb hoist so it will accommodate the car trailer and opening doors on bigger vehicles for people with bigger bellies...
I have a similar lift here in the UK it cost me £1300 shipped to my home address. Mine is about 4yrs old now still going strong . Very pleased with it , it lifts anything i would ever want to work on ! The only thing i wasn’t aware of was the concrete floor is recommended to be 10” reinforced concrete which i never had so i had to sink some i-beams in the ground , its way over the top and probably way stronger than concrete…….
My lift (and others I've read literature in) claim a 4" floor is enough. I'd much rather have a lot more than that. I made my floor way too deep where mine is going in. Now I just have to decide how long of anchor bolts I'll use (concrete is much deeper. Made my concrete guy upset with me when it was coming over the top of his wading boots!)
Great point on the floors. Most home garages are around 4 - 5 inches thick with no rebar and poorly packed soil underneath judging from the number of cracked garage floors I have seen. Check the local home construction codes in effect when your house was built if it is attached to the house. Maybe drill a test hole or two to see how thick the slab actually is where you want the lift. Most vehicles are pretty heavy at the engine end and that puts a lot of side torque on the base plate and those mounting anchor bolts. It's your liability if it ever fails so get a pro to install it.
Thanks for the video! So I have a couple places where I live that have all types of cylinder parts. Usually about 50.00 does it on most cylinders I have done. I just did a couple hay baler cylinders a couple years ago cost me 25.00. So 800.00? That dude saw you coming from a mile away! 😱
make sure you have good concrete. My lift broke the concrete and dropped a truck seconds after I got out from under it to get a tool. nearly killed me.
I got a used 12,000 pound version that a guy bought new to use for his trucks. His big f250 crew cab was raised up high and the lift started to twist and the tracks popped out. That is why he sold it to me for $500. I had to get the tracks back in place, and made some new brackets to hold the top half to the bottom half that was bent. The rams leaked a bit and eventually I just had to add more fluid, but overall its awesome to have a lift, worked for years without one, and the time and ease of work makes it like why didn't I get one a long time ago? At 12k rated, I never put anything over 5k on it and no problems.
I can buy a tuxedo for $3,500 and have it delivered to my work for under $200 I'd rather pay the extra money and know that I have a unit that can be fixed quickly off the shelf and is warrantied
Hey brother. I just purchased the same lift. I got the pillars stood up and squared to my chalk lines and the next step in the instructions was too "manually lift the two side carriages to an equal height from the floor...." I also watched the company video and the dude just grabbed the yellow carriage at each pillar and lifted it up about a foot so he could route the cables and attach the hydraulic hose between the pillars. Looked easy. But my carriages will not budge--I'm a good sized guy and I reefed all in with everything I have--nothing. I was like WTF? I looked around for a release lever or something but don't see anything. Was just wondering--do you remember this step and did you have any issues manually raising those yellow carriages a foot or so?
@@GenoRiley-v4y it's been a long time now but I believe we just picked them right up. They do have a loop cable to pull for unlock but thay should have no effect on it going up
I contacted a local Lift dealer and they have used lifts available sometimes. I got a challenger 10,000 lbs. lift professionally installed for under $2,000. I bet my 10 year old used Challenger is better than a new low quality import.
Love mine. Horribly slow when going down with no load on it. The last foot, after truck tires hit the ground takes soooooo long. But that’s the only complaint I have
Where can I find cylinder seal kits for these I have a friend that has the L2900 model it's a 9000 pound lift but I have been trying to reach the company in Texas that is one the listed address. I have called sent numerous emails no luck.
this is why you dont buy crap ahahahaha, I used to install lifts, bend pak is crap, stick with rotary or challenger. svi international makes aftermarket parts to repair them if the manufacturer docent. rotary puts on classes and sells the lifts used in classes at a discount. just because it can lift it does not mean its rated for it, also 10k lift does not mean a 10K vehicle. its the vehicle plus the lift arms and carriage. hope this helps guys. you can find decent deals in parts flyers that you find in the local Napa parts stores.
I just bought this lift and installed it in my shop. I have had it for a week and already had to do some welding on it. The arms are super sloppy on mine. My f350 was sketchy when i lifted it. I got up about 3 feet and my ass started puckering. Do you have any issues with the posts pullibg inward lifitng heavier vehicles
Got a 10k lb lift and a company came and installed.. once they left the next day the lift is super shaky on the way down.. tried to bleed the lines and no luck. Any suggestions???
I noticed a lot of treads above the anchor nuts you may have thin concrete depending on the length of the anchor. Also most chinese lifts are not third party tested your putting your life at risk getting under a vehicle I wouldn't put anything over 5000 lbs on it.
The reason WHY it only costs $50 to ship internationally is because ALL the postal services across the world are signed to a receivers cost treaty. The money for post goes to the sending service and the receiver assumes the cost for honouring the delivery. This works for most deliveries where volume and tyoe is similar internationally. What them Chiyanese been doing in the last decade is making it super cheap, subsidising it within China to get to the ship or plane and then, in the case of 'Murica, USPS has to complete the delivery for no money.
Nice shop! The first thing I noticed was your left & right lift sides are not adjusted evenly as the locks are not hitting at the same time; should be one solid click as it goes up. If you did have a failure as it was going up and only one lock was engaged the result would be disastrous. Most of the big name brand lifts are also made in China. The biggest differences are much better customer support and more standardized readily available service parts. Also, just because it goes up does not mean it is safe to lift. Those bigger trucks, especially diesels, are very heavy on the front end, and with a 10,000 lb. lift your limited to 2,500 lbs. per arm, not just 10,000 lbs. overall. Most people don't put big trucks on anything less than a 12k lift. In this situation more is better. Finally, the biggest concern with 2 post lifts is making sure you have an adequate concrete foundation. Some lift manufacturers say all you need is 4" of 3,500 psi concrete. While that might be fine on a four post lift, the lift installers that do this for a living strongly recommend 12" of reinforced concrete for 2 post lifts. It all boils down to what is your life or the lives of your workers worth...
damn $150 for shopping from China.. meanwhile I'm in nyc Brooklyn and Walmart trying to charge me $200 to ship for a PS5 from Walmart in nj that's right next to the holland tunnel (30-45 minute drive), and you can't pick it up. 🤦♂️ I know this has nothing to do with this video, but hearing the shipping cost made me think about it
I got one of these lifts the overhead the arms are week I picked up a dodge 1 ton and the arms stretched around the pins and ended dropping the truck I took it out and put in a Atlas I am very happy with it
i have this lift its out side and the cylinders rusted too . i just made a extention for a cylinder hone did it my self two times . first time got seals from the lift seller on e bay thay sent them for free . second time person could not speek english so i found a seal on ebay . lift is ok im happy with it i spray it with fluid film to keep rust away
Agreed. Shouldn't be so much bolt sticking up, but, if the anchors are holding torque, they are good. I'd be curious if he checks anchor torque. I check my anchor bolt torque at least 2-3 times a year.
Mines about 5 years old never had an issue might cost about $1800 delivered to location about 500 mile away in South Australia. The only issue I ran into on picking it up was ran in to the weight measure boys, like DOT in the US. They proceeded to give me the riot act, telling me what straps and how it had to be tied down with printed pictures. Must cost me about $250 in new straps. All said and done they were pleased how it was done. When we drove away said to my mate, you realize what they had us hook the straps on the side of the trailer was 3/4 inch water pipe. This would not off held a quarter of the weight of this lift. Well Pleased with it as DUI person.
for anyone out there i was told to get a liftgate truck delivery would cost a fair bit extra to my house. the guy at greg smith equipment who sold me my atlas hoist told me it would ship to a local freight terminal for zero extra charge. they then found me one within 10-15 mile of my house. freight terminal called me and i went up with my car trailer in within a day or 2 and they loaded it for me. might be something to ask about/consider. otherwise id have had to take off work to be home for delivery as well as pay for liftgate.
Id even put a bar at the top as well. wouldnt be hard to fab up and you could even paint it blue. I have a Rotary lift with a bar at the top and lifting a vehicle 5-6' off the ground can make em wanna lean in .Not a big deal tho. My Rotary even leaks some when its up a few days.If the cylinders fail just get another set off the net. Itwould have been easier. Bang for the buck and limited use id call it a win.Nice lift
About a year ago, I built my shop at my house. A 26X35X12 steel building. I looked into one of these and almost pulled the trigger. Happened upon a 1 1/2 year old Rotary 10K two post asymmetrical lift for 2500 bucks by chance. Paid a guy a few hundred to set it up. The Chinesium quality concerned me so I'm glad I held back.
They aren't 1.5k anymore... like 3k now. The rams leak because the shafts are usually not hard chromed, just raw steel. So when you get a bit of oxidation, they damage the seals. Keep the shafts well-lubed and you should be ok.
That's what happens when you're cheap. I wouldn't compromise on quality. If you're gonna be in it for roughly 2.5K-3K, spend another 1K and get the better quality. It will pay dividends in the future. The chinese are the masters of junk and deception. Don't trust them.
For that money you can buy a Tuxedo lift with a warranty add another thousand or 1500 and you can get a Bendpak I'd rather spend the extra money for peace of mind and easy maintenance off the shelf
I work under a lift 5 days a week and done so for the last 36 years. You wouldn't catch me under a Chinese lift. Faulty chinese products killed my 26 year old son. If it fails who's going to stand behind the damage and injury?
@@freddaniali Bendpak lifts are made in China. Challenger and Rotary still make US-made lifts (although their cheaper lifts are Chinese). Mohawk lifts are 100% made in USA. I would not send my son underneath a Chinese lift, not even if it carried a Bendpak label. They might be better than the worst Chinese lifts, but they are nowhere near Rotary or Mohawk quality.
With this particular lift it has a cable cover that goes on the floor. Just just set everything up in place and that cover gave me a reference as to how far apart they would be.
You balance cables are out Adjust the opposite side the the one that hits the lock last on the balance cable turn it till the latches hit at the same time
Funny thing is most people don't realize that harbor freight tools have warranties and a lot of their hand tools are lifetime! And as far as the lift find me one big name company that doesn't have most of their parts for anything they make built in China or Taiwan or various other countries hell Harley davidson even sources most of their parts from all over the world they are just assembled in America same with Ford Chevrolet and dodge and not all of them are even assembled in America so if you ask me big name or bargain Chinese lift it's 6 of one half dozen of the other
Hi, I just bought the same lift, and now looking for videos about it. And here I am. The lift is still in China somewhere though. Ty for the information on your lift. Well ty bud and take care. :) Do you know if anyone have a infovid of how to set it up?
I don't know of any info video. It's been awhile and my info probably wouldn't be very helpful as my memory is terrible lol but I recall it did come with instructions and the setup was not very difficult. Even without the instructions it's not too much trouble to figure out
If you can, try and adjust your locking bars. I could here that one is out of adjustment. the locks on both sides should clonk simultaneously, what happens is when you have a car on the hoist and you bring the hoist in to its locks the car is sitting lopsided and this could damage the hoist or *could* even damage a cars chassis. (i am not saying you have to do it!!! but i would) plus it could lead to other implications!
Ho ok, yes that makes sense, the company that use to service my ones always use to adjust them so one clicked about .25 seconds after the other, I never did ask but now I know, thank you 🙂
I bought a 9000 lb lift from Greg Smith Equipment out of Indianapolis many years ago now. It's identical looking to this one. Never have had a complaint or any repair on it. Paid around 1800 shipped. Best thing I ever bought.
I am 70 yrs. old and paid 2000.00 for the same lift that you are showing and it was the best thing I ever bought. I love it and would be unable to do my own mechanic work and I am restoring a 1972 c-10 chevy. I put it up by myself and at 70 anyone can do it.
Thanks Barry
You're awesome Barry thanks buddy
Bud. When is the last time you checked the torque on those bolts? Those seem awfully high out of the top of the base plate. I bought a Chinese lift and went to install it and discovered I didn’t have enough concrete and had to cut and re-pour 8 inches of fresh concrete. After a LOT of research I decided to go with expoxy resin and threaded Rod for strength. I ask because it seems like a LOT of threads are past your nuts and according to most manufacturers anything over an inch with a mechanical fastener is a failure. Might want to check on your nuts and bolts.
Barry, maybe you could post some videos of your progress!
Congrats on the lift Barry i want to be just like you If god allows me to !
A lot of people forget to bring the lip down after engaging the safety locks. 🤔 Thereby causing the weight of the vehicle to be held by the actual piston itself causing those seals to prematurely leak 💯 I'm not saying that that's what happened in this case. But when you do have these cheaper lifts you have to make sure that after you slide your safety locks in you then push your down button on your Lyft to release the pressure thereby causing the weight of the vehicle to be held mechanically the versus hydraulically
As a hoist tech my biggest recommendation is with floor plate models remove the plate clean & dry the area because rust and salt will eat the cables up and you can inspect the hose.
I am glad you put this video out I'm currently waiting for a Chinese 9 Thousand lift clear floor to arrive and I intend to install it myself Thank you from Canada
The cylinders in these lifts are single acting, i.e fluid pumped in below the piston extends the cylinder raising the lift. Lowering is a combination of gravity and valving once the locks are released. The upper cylinder is expected to run dry, just a smear of oil for lubrication, no oil introduced in operation. To leak out of the top seals, fluid has to get past the piston and it's seals, then start to fill the upper cylinder. It will eventually be pressurised in the upper cylinder during raising and virtually hydrolock it, but with enough pressure in the lower cylinder, it will blow the upper seal. While the presence of a slow leak around the upper seal is not a major issue in itself, the fact that sufficient oil is getting into the upper cylinder indicates that the cylinder either needs a major overhaul or replacement.
I worked in Hydraulics and it is not uncommon for cheap cylinders to be welded up and a follow up hone to remove warpage and any debris that forms on the weld sites to be skipped. It gets them past warranty but the seals die early every time.
Mine started leaking, I took the glands off, the seal sizes were actually labeled, 40-70-7.3, I looked them up, a place called 123bearings had all kinds of them, Ordered them and costed me about $28.00 after shipping. Easy to do.
You can adjust the drain back to decrease the speed that it lowers. Its the little jam nut with the hex bolt on the side of the motor/reservoir assembly.
Excellent, informed evaluation. In short, you get what you pay for. Not for professional use, but for a hobbiest, it's good enough. Thank you
Correct !!!
I bought a 4.5 tonne clearfloor 2 post lift from Launch. It was only AUD 3200 plus install at my home workshop. It gets serviced and checked every year and has given me no problems. Best money I have ever spent! Launch lifts are pretty good quality from my experience.
Pull seals, measure, match online, buy replace $65/side. Hone out until its through the wall... I would have laughed that guy off the phone. End of the day Surplus Center could have had you 2 new cyl for less than that. But yes I agree for a hobby guy good lift. My Atlas 10k is going strong after 10+ years, with zero repairs.
Good info . I always wondered about life expectancy and parts .
I too am a tight arse. so Im going to look at a 2nd hand Chinese lift tomorrow. Hoping to get it for a good price. Cheers Bro really helpful info.
I'm not in the market for a lift, but your review was very informative.
I discarded the Chinese bolts and went with some longer heavy duty bolts from the start. I also had my shop floor poured to twelve inches in the area I was to install the lift. An ounce of prevention ... Good luck. Mine is still doing great!
I bought an American lift made in China 10-15 years ago and it is awesome. Corvettes, trucks , trailers ,big trucks and it’s it still going and paid 1195.00 at the time . Delivery was to a commercial address and we had a back hoe to receive it from the flat bed trailer
I know this is 2 years old now, but a huge portion of the "name brand " very expensive equipment is also made in China.
How do you only have 271 followers? Awesome video.
I appreciate it! I'm glad this video is interesting to so many people
In my shop, I won't ever work under a lift that's not certified. These lifts are ok for home use but make sure you engage the safeties. Also make sure the lift is installed properly with enough concrete on the floor. As far as those who say it works fine etc. good for you. As far as warranty goes, if it falls and kills you I don't think the warranty will cover that. My lifts are Mohawk.
I don't have a pro shop, but I stay pretty busy in my home shop. I would not send my young son to work underneath a Chinese lift. A friend of mine has a generic Chinese two post, and compared to my Mohawk System IA, his is a toy. It's almost funny how much -crappier- lighter _everything_ on his lift is. Most of us retired guys use our lifts a lot more than we would have guessed, and I'd much rather be working on a project car than repairing a cheapie lift.
I`m not in the market for one, but I liked this review & found it interesting, so nice work bud. 👍
Thank you it really seems to be helpful to alot of folks, hopefully I can make more helpful videos like this. If you have any suggestions feel free to pitch what you'd like to see!
@@limpnoodlelifestyle5552 😊
I've got an Aplus scissor lift for my home garage. I love it. 2 years, no issues. It's Chinese made but, they gave a full 2 year warranty on all parts.
I bought a atlas 9000lb through Greg Smith 4yrs ago. I don't use it in a commercial setting but have used it on my chevy 2500 hd crew cab many times and on my wife's dodge journey and have had no problems at all. Several of my neighbors have come over to borrow time on the lift and have enjoyed not having to crawl around on the floor.
Liability ! wot if there's a personal injury? are You going to pay the piper, Stan...this ol' mechanic sure wouldn't leave hisself wide open for a multi million $$ lawsuit...shhiitt happens,eh?
@@redrocket5183 nonsense. If you have taken care of your equipment, including following the manufacturers guidelines for maintenance, there's no basis for a lawsuit if your friend in injured in your shop. You *are* responsible for injuries if you _know_ of a dangerous condition, or _should_ have known of one but did not take reasonable care to make your property safe.
If you're afraid of lawsuits, you can insist on a signed waiver, but that still does not remove your responsibility to exercise ordinary care to keep the property reasonably safe.
Sweet looking shop. I just built my shop last year 30x50 with 14' walls. I was wondering what size your shop is. I just put a Champion 9500lb lift in mine. Mine is an overhead model. Looks like you have plenty of head room and I think the overhead model is way nice to have a clear floor to roll stuff over. Especially when you are putting non running stuff on and off the lift. My lift also has the manual lock releases on each post which is a little annoying but I'm also just using it at home for personal use. It's a great tool to have. Even used mine with straps on the the arms to pull the bed off my 65 C10. Can't wait to find more uses for it!
By the way. Most of the "brand name" lifts including my Champion are also made in China. Nothing wrong with made in China, the biggest thing is quality control. Probably not the same consistency you'd get with more reputable stuff.
3:33 woooah, those anchors are protruding so much! Are you sure they are sunk down enough in the concrete?
I’m curious to know how far those anchor bolts are in concret, typically they come with 5 1/4” anchors and between the base thickness and the nut it looks like 2 1/2-3 “ is sticking out of the floor. Don’t feel like that’s enough into the concrete imo
Those anchor bolts are not embedded and the size in incorrect.
To "resolve" the issue of having to walk to the non-control side to unlock the safety pin mechanism, I simply tied a chord/rope to the dog ear, uncoiled it to the control side with plenty of extra length. Thus when that side needs released I simply pull the rope. No need to walk to the other side. 3 yrs ago bought mine, same as yours except labeling. Mine is branded "Mayflower" from China. That has to be an oxymoron somehow. The unit has performed beyond my expectation for $1250.
7:00 My hoist was sold in 1996, made in Wichita KS and only now has the seal failed. Mine is 7000 LB capacity and only 1 cylinder. Your repairs: They probably made new pistons and used standard seals. I am doing my own fix.
Interesting. If they have a low profile version that would be a good upgrade from my HF scissor lift. I tried to buy an American version of that lift and it was nothing but problems. I sent it back. HF was cheaper and no problems. I hate buying from China but they're hard to beat sometimes. Especially when you're saving 50%-75%.
It sounds like you hate paying 4 times the price for the crappy US version
I have same lift with different name. Bought in 20018. No issues, ever. Paid about $1600, but don't see them at that price any more. Had shipped to trucking/cargo terminal in nearest big city. Installed myself.
The salt water destroys steel. Working in a mold shop, we recieve steel mold bases and steel inserts that are either wrapped in foam, then packaging tape, or in the case of the mold bases, 1200 lbs easy they are sprayed with an oil product then wrapped with layer upon layer of plastic wrap, and those little packets that say Do Not Digest. The cost is a third of having it local, especially keeping the cost down.
Looks nice. I've been eyeballing those Maxx jak mid rise ones. Obviously it's a mid rise but the advantage to that is I believe you can basically get it shipped right to your garage and set it up maybe just with one or two guys and no forklift etc. Also pretty nice if you don't have ceilings that can accommodate a true two post.
I had looked at those about the time I bought this Chinese one and at the time the price difference was about 3x higher for the Maxx jak. So I passed. Now I'd have to look and see just what is what. To compare
@@limpnoodlelifestyle5552 yea they're really pricey new, like +$3200 new. Idt it's worth that honestly. But the other day....I actually found a brand new one for sale for $1000...I kind of clicked on it to see if it was real and it did actually seem legitimate. If I had the space etc I'd for sure pay a grand for one
@@rustyshackelford7651 a brand new MaxJax for $1k?
@@rustyshackelford7651 tell me more, Rusty
@@DIYAUTOCAR whatchya wanna know?
So if anybody gets one they should purge the hydraulic oil from the system and replace it with fresh hydraulic oil to make certain there is no moisture in it and save the cost and inconvenience of having the hydraulic cylinders worked on.
Get a 4 post with a sliding jack and you’ll forget that two post
I've been on the lookout for one of these for a long time (since I divorced the ex and she kept the house situation) .. Doing my best to keep the lift under $2.5K buck .. good video, thanks for the info on the seals ..
My pal has a (peak) branded version of a chinese lift in the uk. 4t capacity. 240v with a standard plug. 8 years old and still really good. The only thing i dont really like is the cups and the adapters. But we convert his to multi step screw outs
So I couldn't help but notice how much bolt you have left sticking out of the floor. Was it a long bolt or did you not go down far enough? Should be like 4"-5" drill depth.
I noticed this as well, very obvious wanted to make sure not to post the same thing. Glad someone else noticed this, I doubt the anchors are longer than 6" so what we see is pretty alarming. I'm surprised more people didn't mention this, I'm also amazed what those anchors are capable of tolerating. They and the concrete must have a very large safety factor. This gives me quite a bit of confidence in installing my own used professional lift where I have lots of challenges like unlevel, cracked concrete where I need to cut and key in new thicker concrete pads for the lift on a budget.
@The Replacement for Displacement I had the same issue with small dips in the concrete. I bought steel shims to use instead of the nylon, some needed a 1/4" of shim, I wasn't comfortable stacking that many of the plastic ones.
@@Random-bm7ho Yeah I agree, plastic creeps without any load on it let alone 1000's of psi on them. I will make shims like you said out of SS. I shouldn't need a lot since I need to replace and beef up the section of concrete where posts sit. Thanks for the heads up though.
I bought one seven years ago on eBay $1599 free shipping. The best thing I ever bought! free shipping is not fast shipping. It took two months to go from California to Florida. Installed it in my garage by myself and less than two days I restored a 75 Corvette with it service my daily driver now there’s a 67 Pontiac Lemans that is on that lift.
good hoist other than the safety locks are a pain to use, oh and the seals failed and cylinders rusted while submerged in oil over 3 years? that sucks. so far about 4 years of heavy hobby use on my atlas hoist which is supposed to be good chinesium (who knows?) has been flawless. as has my brothers who has been running his for 5+ years. they were about $2500 at that time but we did get the extra wide extra tall 10,000lb hoist so it will accommodate the car trailer and opening doors on bigger vehicles for people with bigger bellies...
You spent 800 to fix a 2k lift but those name brand lifts start at 5k and up. Your still doing good.
I have a similar lift here in the UK it cost me £1300 shipped to my home address. Mine is about 4yrs old now still going strong . Very pleased with it , it lifts anything i would ever want to work on ! The only thing i wasn’t aware of was the concrete floor is recommended to be 10” reinforced concrete which i never had so i had to sink some i-beams in the ground , its way over the top and probably way stronger than concrete…….
Where did you buy the lift from and how much does it lift thank you.
My lift (and others I've read literature in) claim a 4" floor is enough.
I'd much rather have a lot more than that. I made my floor way too deep where mine is going in.
Now I just have to decide how long of anchor bolts I'll use (concrete is much deeper. Made my concrete guy upset with me when it was coming over the top of his wading boots!)
That's some good info, because I haven't even considered that.
Great point on the floors. Most home garages are around 4 - 5 inches thick with no rebar and poorly packed soil underneath judging from the number of cracked garage floors I have seen. Check the local home construction codes in effect when your house was built if it is attached to the house. Maybe drill a test hole or two to see how thick the slab actually is where you want the lift. Most vehicles are pretty heavy at the engine end and that puts a lot of side torque on the base plate and those mounting anchor bolts. It's your liability if it ever fails so get a pro to install it.
Thanks for the video! So I have a couple places where I live that have all types of cylinder parts. Usually about 50.00 does it on most cylinders I have done. I just did a couple hay baler cylinders a couple years ago cost me 25.00. So 800.00? That dude saw you coming from a mile away! 😱
make sure you have good concrete. My lift broke the concrete and dropped a truck seconds after I got out from under it to get a tool. nearly killed me.
Look at the Aplus the double bend colum is what sold me makes it much stronger than the L1000
I got a used 12,000 pound version that a guy bought new to use for his trucks. His big f250 crew cab was raised up high and the lift started to twist and the tracks popped out. That is why he sold it to me for $500. I had to get the tracks back in place, and made some new brackets to hold the top half to the bottom half that was bent. The rams leaked a bit and eventually I just had to add more fluid, but overall its awesome to have a lift, worked for years without one, and the time and ease of work makes it like why didn't I get one a long time ago? At 12k rated, I never put anything over 5k on it and no problems.
I can buy a tuxedo for $3,500 and have it delivered to my work for under $200 I'd rather pay the extra money and know that I have a unit that can be fixed quickly off the shelf and is warrantied
Hey brother. I just purchased the same lift. I got the pillars stood up and squared to my chalk lines and the next step in the instructions was too "manually lift the two side carriages to an equal height from the floor...." I also watched the company video and the dude just grabbed the yellow carriage at each pillar and lifted it up about a foot so he could route the cables and attach the hydraulic hose between the pillars. Looked easy. But my carriages will not budge--I'm a good sized guy and I reefed all in with everything I have--nothing. I was like WTF? I looked around for a release lever or something but don't see anything. Was just wondering--do you remember this step and did you have any issues manually raising those yellow carriages a foot or so?
@@GenoRiley-v4y it's been a long time now but I believe we just picked them right up. They do have a loop cable to pull for unlock but thay should have no effect on it going up
I contacted a local Lift dealer and they have used lifts available sometimes. I got a challenger 10,000 lbs. lift professionally installed for under $2,000. I bet my 10 year old used Challenger is better than a new low quality import.
Daaaang! I'll have to look into that locally here in the future because that is an amazing price
Love mine. Horribly slow when going down with no load on it. The last foot, after truck tires hit the ground takes soooooo long. But that’s the only complaint I have
I can't believe those anchor bolts are in correctly, that's a LOT of exposed threads!
Where can I find cylinder seal kits for these I have a friend that has the L2900 model it's a 9000 pound lift but I have been trying to reach the company in Texas that is one the listed address. I have called sent numerous emails no luck.
this is why you dont buy crap ahahahaha, I used to install lifts, bend pak is crap, stick with rotary or challenger. svi international makes aftermarket parts to repair them if the manufacturer docent. rotary puts on classes and sells the lifts used in classes at a discount. just because it can lift it does not mean its rated for it, also 10k lift does not mean a 10K vehicle. its the vehicle plus the lift arms and carriage. hope this helps guys. you can find decent deals in parts flyers that you find in the local Napa parts stores.
For $7k, they can make it nice too. Like an iPhone. It’s built like a precision tool. But it’s $1,000. They’re the Harbor Tools of lifts.
I just bought this lift and installed it in my shop. I have had it for a week and already had to do some welding on it. The arms are super sloppy on mine. My f350 was sketchy when i lifted it. I got up about 3 feet and my ass started puckering. Do you have any issues with the posts pullibg inward lifitng heavier vehicles
Got a 10k lb lift and a company came and installed.. once they left the next day the lift is super shaky on the way down.. tried to bleed the lines and no luck. Any suggestions???
I noticed a lot of treads above the anchor nuts you may have thin concrete depending on the length of the anchor. Also most chinese lifts are not third party tested your putting your life at risk getting under a vehicle I wouldn't put anything over 5000 lbs on it.
The reason WHY it only costs $50 to ship internationally is because ALL the postal services across the world are signed to a receivers cost treaty. The money for post goes to the sending service and the receiver assumes the cost for honouring the delivery. This works for most deliveries where volume and tyoe is similar internationally. What them Chiyanese been doing in the last decade is making it super cheap, subsidising it within China to get to the ship or plane and then, in the case of 'Murica, USPS has to complete the delivery for no money.
Had those cylinders been mine I would have looked in to getting the bores Nikasil finished.
Nice shop! The first thing I noticed was your left & right lift sides are not adjusted evenly as the locks are not hitting at the same time; should be one solid click as it goes up. If you did have a failure as it was going up and only one lock was engaged the result would be disastrous.
Most of the big name brand lifts are also made in China. The biggest differences are much better customer support and more standardized readily available service parts. Also, just because it goes up does not mean it is safe to lift. Those bigger trucks, especially diesels, are very heavy on the front end, and with a 10,000 lb. lift your limited to 2,500 lbs. per arm, not just 10,000 lbs. overall. Most people don't put big trucks on anything less than a 12k lift. In this situation more is better.
Finally, the biggest concern with 2 post lifts is making sure you have an adequate concrete foundation. Some lift manufacturers say all you need is 4" of 3,500 psi concrete. While that might be fine on a four post lift, the lift installers that do this for a living strongly recommend 12" of reinforced concrete for 2 post lifts. It all boils down to what is your life or the lives of your workers worth...
damn $150 for shopping from China..
meanwhile I'm in nyc Brooklyn and Walmart trying to charge me $200 to ship for a PS5 from Walmart in nj that's right next to the holland tunnel (30-45 minute drive), and you can't pick it up. 🤦♂️
I know this has nothing to do with this video, but hearing the shipping cost made me think about it
I got one of these lifts the overhead the arms are week I picked up a dodge 1 ton and the arms stretched around the pins and ended dropping the truck I took it out and put in a Atlas I am very happy with it
A 1 ton is too heavy for a 10k lift.
@@leesegura1260 Why? It weighs way less than 10K lbs
Diesel is to heavy for front arms . I love mine
i have this lift its out side and the cylinders rusted too . i just made a extention for a cylinder hone did it my self two times . first time got seals from the lift seller on e bay thay sent them for free . second time person could not speek english so i found a seal on ebay . lift is ok im happy with it i spray it with fluid film to keep rust away
Costco also sell home lifts. $2,200
Special order?
I have installed more than 70 rotary lifts and have never had a structural ptoblem
Rotory installer from Michigan here. 👋
Why is there so much thread showing on your anchor bolts? That is worrisome.
Agreed. Shouldn't be so much bolt sticking up, but, if the anchors are holding torque, they are good. I'd be curious if he checks anchor torque. I check my anchor bolt torque at least 2-3 times a year.
I lifted a F350 with a long wheel base dump bed (heavy Duty) And she didn't evan grunt.
Mines about 5 years old never had an issue might cost about $1800 delivered to location about 500 mile away in South Australia. The only issue I ran into on picking it up was ran in to the weight measure boys, like DOT in the US. They proceeded to give me the riot act, telling me what straps and how it had to be tied down with printed pictures. Must cost me about $250 in new straps. All said and done they were pleased how it was done. When we drove away said to my mate, you realize what they had us hook the straps on the side of the trailer was 3/4 inch water pipe. This would not off held a quarter of the weight of this lift. Well Pleased with it as DUI person.
for anyone out there i was told to get a liftgate truck delivery would cost a fair bit extra to my house. the guy at greg smith equipment who sold me my atlas hoist told me it would ship to a local freight terminal for zero extra charge. they then found me one within 10-15 mile of my house. freight terminal called me and i went up with my car trailer in within a day or 2 and they loaded it for me. might be something to ask about/consider. otherwise id have had to take off work to be home for delivery as well as pay for liftgate.
Are the anchors not out too far?
What is the crane over the cutlass
Anyway to pull the cylinders out after you buy it and get it in your shop to check for scoring/rust then?
Id even put a bar at the top as well. wouldnt be hard to fab up and you could even paint it blue. I have a Rotary lift with a bar at the top and lifting a vehicle 5-6' off the ground can make em wanna lean in .Not a big deal tho. My Rotary even leaks some when its up a few days.If the cylinders fail just get another set off the net. Itwould have been easier. Bang for the buck and limited use id call it a win.Nice lift
About a year ago, I built my shop at my house. A 26X35X12 steel building. I looked into one of these and almost pulled the trigger. Happened upon a 1 1/2 year old Rotary 10K two post asymmetrical lift for 2500 bucks by chance. Paid a guy a few hundred to set it up. The Chinesium quality concerned me so I'm glad I held back.
They aren't 1.5k anymore... like 3k now. The rams leak because the shafts are usually not hard chromed, just raw steel. So when you get a bit of oxidation, they damage the seals. Keep the shafts well-lubed and you should be ok.
That's what happens when you're cheap. I wouldn't compromise on quality. If you're gonna be in it for roughly 2.5K-3K, spend another 1K and get the better quality. It will pay dividends in the future.
The chinese are the masters of junk and deception. Don't trust them.
For that money you can buy a Tuxedo lift with a warranty add another thousand or 1500 and you can get a Bendpak
I'd rather spend the extra money for peace of mind and easy maintenance off the shelf
The seal issue is enough for me to pass on it.
My question is why can't you replace the hydraulic cylinders with another brand?
You probably can but it would have been more expensive to replace them then it would have been to repair
If they would standardize the size in those cylinders it would be perfect. Maybe a few years down the road they will.
I just put the same lift in my shop, hobby stuff, my machine rocks going up and coming down....not my first lift,,,kinda scary.....
I work under a lift 5 days a week and done so for the last 36 years. You wouldn't catch me under a Chinese lift. Faulty chinese products killed my 26 year old son. If it fails who's going to stand behind the damage and injury?
I totally agree! Bendpak all the way for me!
@@freddaniali Bendpak lifts are made in China. Challenger and Rotary still make US-made lifts (although their cheaper lifts are Chinese). Mohawk lifts are 100% made in USA. I would not send my son underneath a Chinese lift, not even if it carried a Bendpak label. They might be better than the worst Chinese lifts, but they are nowhere near Rotary or Mohawk quality.
@@vandalsgarage Thanks for the info! Being a Patriot, I guess I will look into a Rotary or a Mohawk when I am ready to buy one.
my 1600 amazon lift from 10 years ago is still the best tool ive ever owned
How did you know how far apart to have the columns? I’m actually pouring a footer
With this particular lift it has a cable cover that goes on the floor. Just just set everything up in place and that cover gave me a reference as to how far apart they would be.
Could you measure from your outside of each mount plate left to right ? Would be a big help if you could
I will if I remember to tomarrow
You balance cables are out
Adjust the opposite side the the one that hits the lock last on the balance cable turn it till the latches hit at the same time
Yes I know, we just haven't gotten around to adjusting them
This video presents some VERY good reasons NEVER to buy a Chinese vehicle lift! A used name brand lift, is a far better route to take!
I'm pretty sure you had air in your cylinders because you should have bled the air out of them. kind of like bleeding brakes. I could be wrong though.
Must have had some air if they were rusty so I can believe
Nope those lifts are self bleeding
You're assuming they weren't rusted from the factory. Why would you do that?
Im looking at the same one on ebay
Funny thing is most people don't realize that harbor freight tools have warranties and a lot of their hand tools are lifetime! And as far as the lift find me one big name company that doesn't have most of their parts for anything they make built in China or Taiwan or various other countries hell Harley davidson even sources most of their parts from all over the world they are just assembled in America same with Ford Chevrolet and dodge and not all of them are even assembled in America so if you ask me big name or bargain Chinese lift it's 6 of one half dozen of the other
Killer video man, thanks!
So you saying it works 😎
Thanks for sharing buddy!
"I'm cheap like you," Instant video like.
Hi, I just bought the same lift, and now looking for videos about it. And here I am. The lift is still in China somewhere though. Ty for the information on your lift. Well ty bud and take care. :) Do you know if anyone have a infovid of how to set it up?
I don't know of any info video. It's been awhile and my info probably wouldn't be very helpful as my memory is terrible lol but I recall it did come with instructions and the setup was not very difficult. Even without the instructions it's not too much trouble to figure out
I have the same thing. Bought 4 years ago. Came with good instructions.
Did you have a lift install video?
No I do not but I may get another in the future
I bought one and another one that is the "a plus lift" the a plus lift is wayyyyy better. The L1100 is good, no issues
Thanks for the reply !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you can, try and adjust your locking bars. I could here that one is out of adjustment. the locks on both sides should clonk simultaneously, what happens is when you have a car on the hoist and you bring the hoist in to its locks the car is sitting lopsided and this could damage the hoist or *could* even damage a cars chassis. (i am not saying you have to do it!!! but i would) plus it could lead to other implications!
Yes we are aware of that, when we moved shops it got out of adjustment and I haven't taken time to readjust.
Ho ok, yes that makes sense, the company that use to service my ones always use to adjust them so one clicked about .25 seconds after the other, I never did ask but now I know, thank you 🙂
No re think that as thier was a class action for defective hydrolic fluid u never know who rebranded it over seas and sent it back
I worked at rotary lift that makes car lifts for 23 years and the Chinese makes all their two post lifts so you’ll know that’s just a copy
Exactly what I needed to know.
I bought a 9000 lb lift from Greg Smith Equipment out of Indianapolis many years ago now. It's identical looking to this one. Never have had a complaint or any repair on it. Paid around 1800 shipped. Best thing I ever bought.
Awesome info! Thanks!
Your anchor bolts are failing there's too much thread showing.
So i see its not a Apost type makes geting in and out of the door hard