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BendPak and Direct Lift Comparison
 In this head-to-head challenge, we take a closer look at the Direct-Lift Pro-Park 8 Plus. All BendPak four post lifts have a lifting capacity greater than the 8,000 lb. capacity of the Direct Lift Pro-Park 8 Plus, so we used a 9,000-lb. capacity HD-9XW car lift. To keep things fair, capacity is NOT included anywhere in the overall determination. Only factors like build-quality and engineering–traits that would be consistent throughout an entire series of lift products at every weight capacity are considered.
When deciding which lift to purchase, price is probably one of the bigger concerns on your mind. But if you take a good look at this new study, you might just discover that it’s a better idea to pay a little extra for a better lift, even if it gives you a bit more lifting power than you need. We have included the summary below, but you can download the complete Direct Lift vs. BendPak study here. BendPak HD-9 Series vs. Direct Lift ProPark 8 Series
- Most all BendPak components are considerably heavier than their Direct Lift ProPark-8 counterparts.
- The Direct Lift ProPark-8 Plus utilizes a "pulley" system (2 to 1 lifting) as opposed to a direct-pull set-up like BendPak's HD-9 Series models (1 to 1 lifting). BendPak's direct-pull design (shown below) allows the four independent cables to be attached directly to the cylinder pull-block. The four lifting cables on the Direct Lift pulley design (shown below) are attached to a single lone lifting cable that is tethered from the end of a cylinder pulley. The single cable carries the entire load during raising or lowering operations.
- The ProPark-8 Plus pulley system requires a larger diameter cylinder and higher working pressure because it takes twice as much hydraulic force as a direct pull setup (BendPak).
- BendPak's cable-block features anti-rotation outriggers that minimize rotation caused by cylinder movement and helps maintain perfect alignment of the lifting cables.
- BendPak cable sheaves are much larger diameter meaning your lifting cables will have a much longer life expectancy and have less chance for fatigue or failure.
- BendPak approach ramps have rollers on the bottom so your floors don't get scraped up every time the lift is lowered.
- BendPak cable sheaves are wider and have over 300% the bearing (bronze bushing) surface for prolonged service life.
- The BendPak lift has real skid-grit on the runways as opposed to diamond plate. Although diamond plate has a unique appearance, it does little for skid assurance when the runways are wet or oily.
- The BendPak lift has more locking positions.
- The Direct Lift ProPark-8 lifts have external mounted cross tube sheaves that are side loaded relative to the centerline of the cross tube. External mounted cross tube sheaves tend to put more strain and bending moment on the sheave axles. The sheaves are held in place by a single external shaft collar.
- The Direct Lift ProPark-8 cables are not neatly routed within the structure of the lift.
- BendPak lifts are equipped with a single push-button pneumatic lock system. Direct Lifts have clumsy, multi-rod, multi-adjustment, manually operated locks featuring a handle you need to hold down during the full decent. Remember – the lift is moving as you are holding the handle down to the floor.
- BendPak runways feature a separate welded on rail assembly (for the jacks and trays) that acts as a stiffener making it less likely that the runways will sag when loaded.
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Although we’d like to say that both candidates have their strong points, our comparison proves it’s a little more than one-sided. Let’s face it, the Direct Lift’s best selling point is price--and even there the discount is not worth what you’re losing. Price is what you pay for a product or service; cost is what you pay over the lifetime of the product. We’re proud to say that BendPak is not only the car lift global leader, but the support and service global leader as well. If you plan on getting the most out of your lift, please consider quality, service and support, company history, peace of mind, ease of doing business, overall product performance and safety before making your purchase. For an insider’s guide to buying a car lift, please have a look at the Top 10 Things You Need To Know Before Buying A Lift. At Babco, we're proud of our more than 20 year relationship with BendPak and studies like this prove that we made the right choice when choosing a car lift partner for the Canadian market.
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