Time to buy my 2 post lift

Challenger guy finally got in touch with me. He gave me a reason why it took so long and I believe him so . . .

I'm down between 2 lifts. I am only going for certified American made lifts, I am willing to pay the difference.
Mowhawk was just to much to pay however :)

Challenger CL10

and

Rotary SPO10

 
The Rotary looks nice and if they call you back, I'd go with them. It sounds like they care enough to help you if you need it.
 
Maybe address the fundamentals first, are you undeniably sure your concrete is what you're contractor says it is?

Yeah, well I am putting my faith in my contractors. Both the concrete and the general contractor are some of the best around. I am not versed in this stuff so I have to trust them, and I do.

The Rotary looks nice and if they call you back, I'd go with them. It sounds like they care enough to help you if you need it.
Challenger has been very responsive now as well. He had an issue, explained it well as to why it took him so long. I'm not one to hold things against people if I feel they are being straight with me.

Both of these are local businesses and not Rotary/Challenger directly. So small companies that represent the larger ones. I'm fine with that, I live in the sticks.
 
You can't go wrong with either one.

You just need to know & understand the Rotary Pad designs, The base model will come with Flip Style pad design which gives you 3 different heights, Then you have Round Pads that screw up & down for finer adjustments, Then "Truck, Captured" style pads that are adjustable.

The Flip Style Pads work on a lot of vehicles, Except for some sports cars (Corvette) & some older trucks with wildly different frame elevations (Older Ford Rangers come to mind)
I've lifted Corvette's with my Flip Pads, But had to use Hockey Pucks to clear the rockers (It's much easier to use my Challenger 2-post for Vette's)

The Round Pads have the lowest minimum height, Fine tunable & you can get Stackable Inserts. I would negotiate for the Inserts to be included in the lift purchase as Rotary accessories are Expensive!!

I would only consider the Truck Pads if you only plan to lift Trucks/SUV's, Though they do work on most "Pinch Weld" lift point Cars & Small SUV's.


The Challenger comes with 2-Stage Screw Adjustable Pads & Stackable Inserts, Be aware of the Roll Pin in the lift arms that keeps the pad base still so you can adjust it. There's a notch in the pad base to clear the roll pin, My apprentice likes to stack the pad/Inserts over the roll pin & press it out of the arm while lifting a vehicle. So far I've been able to press the pin/s back into place.

Rotary's "Double S" Columns are VERY ridged & I trust it more lifting heavier trucks.

Challenger uses Aluminum Equalization Cable Pulleys, Like them better than Rotary's Plastic Pulleys....Though I haven't had any issues with them.

Both will require periodic Anchor Bolt retorquing & Equalization Cable Adjustment.....The Locks need to sound off in unison as you raise a vehicle, Adjustments will become less frequent as the cables get broke-in.

It would be difficult for me to choose between my Rotary & my Challenger, Thankfully I don't need to.
CvORFdN.jpg
 
Sigh, I'm making this hard on myself.

Anyone have experience with Worth or Nussbaum lifts? Both supposedly made in America, certified and both are a good bit cheaper than the others.
 
This video pretty much lines up with my opinions of Worth Lifts, I've never seen one that was ALI certified either.

It's sad too because Worth Equipment was founded right here in Fort Worth Texas, I've known welders that have worked there & according to them Quality Control is non existent & the working environment was dangerous & dirty.

 
This video pretty much lines up with my opinions of Worth Lifts, I've never seen one that was ALI certified either.

It's sad too because Worth Equipment was founded right here in Fort Worth Texas, I've known welders that have worked there & according to them Quality Control is non existent & the working environment was dangerous & dirty.


Sad. Sounds like the owner of Worth just doesn't care either.
 
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten......Words to live by when buying a lift.
So I had contacted Worth at the same time I posted the question in this thread. Suffice to say when I got the email proposal I knew immediately I was not going to go with them. It was not an email from what I would consider a professional company and they dropped from my list right then and there.

Nussbaum was a different experience. The salesman called me back within 2 hours of me calling the company. He stayed on the phone with me for almost 50 minutes. Granted we talked lifts only half that but still. Apparently Nussbaum makes the Carvana system in the big silos they have. I realize friendliness is a sales technique but I still appreciate it.

Pluses for Nussbaum are they are close (250 miles), a slight bit cheaper and made in America. They do appear to be a German company but supposedly they source almost everything here in the USA.
 
What is the ballpark price point on these things?
I've got quotes that run from 5k all the way past 12k. Most have been in the mid 7k installed. Prices have shot up in the last 2 years.

I'm only getting quotes on ALI certified ones so that adds to the cost
 
This video pretty much lines up with my opinions of Worth Lifts, I've never seen one that was ALI certified either.

It's sad too because Worth Equipment was founded right here in Fort Worth Texas, I've known welders that have worked there & according to them Quality Control is non existent & the working environment was dangerous & dirty.


Holy sh**! At ~6:55 the torch cut openings are just embarrassing. But the arms are SKETCH! I might feel safe under a Tercel, but nothing heavier.

He really ate their lunch and documented a LOT of flaws.

Back in '09 my Bendpak at least came well packaged in a custom skid, and pretty sure my arms are 3/8" wt
 
@BeerCan the vid @clinebarger posted....the guy does a follow-up with his final purchase: a TLS 12K. I will say, it looks sweet. And seeing it I remembered that's how my BP shipped back in '09: a custom-welded angle iron structure.

I couldn't quite make out if the TLS has triple telescoping arms front and rear, but I think so. That is sooooo nice, I wish my BP had triples for the rear. It makes working with today's crew cabs and/or long beds mo betta



Also the guy says he dumped off his Worth for less than 1/2 of what he paid. I also recall he said he paid by check over the phone. Too bad he didn't pay with a credit card, I'd be disputing that charge
 
@BeerCan the vid @clinebarger posted....the guy does a follow-up with his final purchase: a TLS 12K. I will say, it looks sweet. And seeing it I remembered that's how my BP shipped back in '09: a custom-welded angle iron structure.

I couldn't quite make out if the TLS has triple telescoping arms front and rear, but I think so. That is sooooo nice, I wish my BP had triples for the rear. It makes working with today's crew cabs and/or long beds mo betta



Also the guy says he dumped off his Worth for less than 1/2 of what he paid. I also recall he said he paid by check over the phone. Too bad he didn't pay with a credit card, I'd be disputing that charge

Yeah I started looking at the tls. Just when I had the list narrowed down :)

Riddle me this guys

Nussbaum said if I want a 12k lift concrete needs to be at least 9"
Challenger said 4" is fine

That's a pretty big disparity and it makes me wonder for the record I had 6" poured
 
Yeah I started looking at the tls. Just when I had the list narrowed down :)

Riddle me this guys

Nussbaum said if I want a 12k lift concrete needs to be at least 9"
Challenger said 4" is fine

That's a pretty big disparity and it makes me wonder for the record I had 6" poured

That's a new one to me, 6" of 4000 psi concrete (continuous pour) is usually more than enough for a 12K# 2 post, If you have to pour piers into an existing slab.....10-12" is the norm. Though I'm not an engineer.

My 2-post lifts just so happens to sit on top of the beam that's in center of my slab which is 36" thick, If you have a Monolithic type slab with Beams & you can sit the lift on top of one......It should be more than 9". Stem-Wall type slabs which I'm not all that familiar with don't usually have cast/poured in beams in the center.

My shop is on a grade but solid bedrock/limestone is right under the top soil.....They were jack hammering for 2 days to get the beams dug. The city inspector said it was total overkill. My concrete guy is tenacious like that......After 4 years with NO control joints I have one small hair line crack about 2 feet in length.

BYYR2MP.jpg
 
I'm also no engineer but 9" seems excessive for a 12k lift
I don't understand why this is an issue. If the manufacturer recommends 9" of concrete, then use 9". I'd get clarification, but they make the lift and know the loads related to the components they provide. That's why they have engineers (who most likely reviewed the compression and tension requirements of the concrete they are recommending) and insurance requirements by the people who cover the company when they make mistakes.

I would clarify with the company and follow their directions to the letter. Safety first, mission always
 
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we have a rotary 9k at my dads. it sits on 4" of concrete with wire. have lifted 3/4 tons with winch bumpers and a crossover tool box. it doesn't especially like it, but it does it and have zero cracking around the feet. the feet on the 9k are very large and distribute the load over a large area. just from a compression stand point, it only takes a few square inches of concrete to support the lift and 9k lbs. assuming 3k psi concrete. most batch plants will supply concrete that will hit close 4k psi at 28 days on 3k psi pour.
 
Also per my link in Post #16 it would appear TLS makes Coats-branded lifts. I didn't see any at 12k but I was skimmimg quickly

Point being if you like TLS, something with Coats painted on it might give you more options/pricing/dealers/availability
 
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