Want to buy a 2 post lift for EB E350 diesel
- Thread starter teehee
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mgmetalworks
Explorer
I have a Bendpak lift in my shop. I'd buy one again, it's been a good lift. I would step up to the 15,000lbs lift next time though. I think one of the most important factors to consider is your floor. You need the right concrete and the right thickness to be safe. Otherwise, you'll need to pour proper footings.
Couple things about the Bendpak... It is a Chinese made lift so I inspected the crap out of it when I got it. Found some errors in the tower weldment but they replaced it right away, no problem. I smoothed some rough edges where the hydraulic hoses run and replaced the most of the hardware with grade 8 fasteners. I think it is a great lift now. I couldn't justify the extra expense for the Rotary lift.
Couple things about the Bendpak... It is a Chinese made lift so I inspected the crap out of it when I got it. Found some errors in the tower weldment but they replaced it right away, no problem. I smoothed some rough edges where the hydraulic hoses run and replaced the most of the hardware with grade 8 fasteners. I think it is a great lift now. I couldn't justify the extra expense for the Rotary lift.
villageidiot327
Explorer
in the shop I'm in now, every thing is old school in ground, its ok.
in my old shop (used to own/run a landrover shop) we had bendpack 4 post lifts and a mix of rotary and another brand that escapes me (red in color, had an indian on em)
for the money, the bend pack is the way to go. i don't mind the cables/air lock being overhead, because unless you trench the floor to put it flush, the little bump is RIGHT where the transmission jack usually goes. i also prefer the ones that are not mounted parallel to each other as the posts are in the way of fully opening a door, and if a vehicle is on the lift, and you wanna crawl under the dash or what have you, the door can't be opened far enough.
ETA: the red colored lift was a "mohawk" brand, pretty nice, inherited them when we bought out another shop.
IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
For a full size van, with all the traditional "expo" mods, a 10k lift is pushing it for capacity.
Id go 12k minimum
As mentioned, you need to make certain you have the floor to support it.
Also double and triple check your overhead height restrictions.
A 2-post with a clear-floor, that elevates a full size to a height you can walk under, is normally 14-15 feet tall.
Id go 12k minimum
As mentioned, you need to make certain you have the floor to support it.
Also double and triple check your overhead height restrictions.
A 2-post with a clear-floor, that elevates a full size to a height you can walk under, is normally 14-15 feet tall.
thethePete
Explorer
Go with a 12-14K hoist, minimum. 10K is barely enough to lift the truck stock, and a 14K will have enough headroom that it will feel solid when in the air. I work on this stuff every day and even my 14K hoist feels a little dodgy with a CCLB F350 up in the air. I trust it, and I work under it, but it rocks enough doing any heavy work that I use the 4-post with center jacks for front end work, or anything more than oil changes and tire rotations.
Bendpak is good, Rotary is best. Don't cheap out. You're not lifting a 2800lb Miata with it. I've been around hoist failures and it's not a fun experience.
To be perfectly honest, the best/safest way to lift a vehicle that big is a 4-post with center jacks. Again, go with a 14-15K, so your rear center jack will have enough capacity to lift the rear of the truck.
Bendpak is good, Rotary is best. Don't cheap out. You're not lifting a 2800lb Miata with it. I've been around hoist failures and it's not a fun experience.
To be perfectly honest, the best/safest way to lift a vehicle that big is a 4-post with center jacks. Again, go with a 14-15K, so your rear center jack will have enough capacity to lift the rear of the truck.
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
When we built our current shop we bought a flatbed trailer worth of equipment from Greg Smith, and installed the lifts ourselves (having a forklift handy makes this a much more bearable task). In our experience there is not a huge difference in quality between different brands, but there is a big difference in markup.
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/2-Post-Lift/Overhead-2-Post-Lifts
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/2-Post-Lift/Overhead-2-Post-Lifts
thethePete
Explorer
Having worked on at least 6 different brands of hoists in various load ranges professionally, I politely but strongly disagree. Installation is a big factor, but there's a huge difference between a Challenger "10k" hoist, and a Rotary 10k hoist. Bendpak is about the only "cheap" brand I would recommend. Arm design also plays a factor, how many stages they have, etc. But not all hoists are created equal. Not by a long shot.
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Well maybe we've just been lucky then. What we have certainly meets our needs.
thethePete
Explorer
It more than likely does, but especially when lifting a vehicle that weighs as much as an EB E350 with a diesel in it, I would err on the side of caution. Again, I've seen vehicles fall off hoists. It's not a fun experience. Also why I'm stronlgy recommending a 4 post.
