BendPak Blog

PLT-6S Installation Photos and Operation Videos

February 15th, 2012

Thinking about ordering a PLT-6S Parking Lift from BendPak , but wondering exactly what goes into the installation? We took a ride out with our installation crew down the 101 Freeway a few miles to capture exactly what to expect from a home garage PLT-6S Installation. Check out the official BendPak Flickr page to see for yourself.

The PLT-6S is a tilt-type parking lift with a surprisingly small footprint. This allows parking lot owners and garage gurus alike to take maximum advantage of their available space. This isn’t a work-lift though–if you’re interested in doing a lot of maintenance on your own vehicle, you may want to consider one of our HD-Series four-post car lifts .

However if you just want to convert your two-car into a three-car, you’re really not going to find a better solution.

The adjustable tilt-up design of the top platform gives the user a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the angle of the raised vehicle. For instance, if your garage ceiling comes down lower or has a beam in the way, it’s no trouble to keep the top vehicle nose down in order to avoid interference. Additionally, this allows taller vehicles to still be parked below without increasing the overall size of the parking lift.

The best part is that the PLT-6S keeps your vehicles completely secure with a parking well that uses the car’s own weight to secure the front wheels. And of course, the industrial-strength locking mechanism ensures that everything stays right where you left it.

Check out the PLT-6S product page for more information. You should also watch the videos below to see this parking lift in action.

Deck the Car Lift…

December 23rd, 2011

From your friends at BendPak / Ranger, have a happy and safe holiday season. Click the image above to download your own BendPak holiday background !

We’ll be celebrating with our families, so our offices are closed Monday, December 26th in addition to the weekend. However, you can still leave us messages via general voicemail box or e-mail. We’ll be back to answer them on Tuesday, December 27th.

Car Warriors Returns on SpeedTV

November 18th, 2011

You can stop holding your breath– Car Warriors is returning for Season 2 on SpeedTV . The best part? Not only do the lucky contestants get compete on insane dream automotive projects, they also get to work on BendPak / Ranger equipment. That’s right: when you tune in this coming February you’ll see the garage set decked out in none other than BendPak’s finest car lifts and Ranger advanced tire changers .

But hey, 2012 is still a ways off. So to tide you over until then, check out these exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the Car Warriors set on the official BendPak / Ranger Flickr Page .

BendPak Car Lifts and Automotive Equipment at AAPEX ’11

November 3rd, 2011

We're back at AAPEX / SEMA with a huge selection of brand new automotive innovations and long-standing brand favorites. We'd love for you to come by and take a peek, but if you aren't in Las Vegas this week, you can check out all the goodies right here. New pictures will be posted over the next three days, so make sure to check back often!

Click an image below to be taken to that day's photo set on the Official BendPak Flickr Page .

Monday, October 31 - Pre-Show:

Tuesday, November 1 - Day 1:

Wednesday, November 2 - Day 2:

Thursday, November 3 - Day 3:

BendPak Will Hold Prices Steady Until Mid-2012

September 26th, 2011

At a time when industry wide inflation is hovering around 10%, popular car lift and garage equipment manufacturer BendPak-Ranger announced today to its global dealers and consumers that they will not raise their prices through mid-2012.

The company credits manufacturing efficiencies with easing the rise in raw materials and manufacturing costs. The company’s capabilities and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes at the new 480,000 sq-ft facility allows for leaner and more efficient manufacturing, the ability to forge improved cost-saving relationships with suppliers, as well as increased control over how they conduct their global business.

“We made a promise early this year that we would not let global inflation woes force us to raise prices. We feel for our customers who are having a tough time in this economy. It’s our way of giving back and thanking them for their years of loyalty,” said Jeff Kritzer, BendPak Sr. Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “Our plan is to continue growing in a way that is smart and cost-effective, which should enable us to supply the world market with unrivaled equipment at a consistent, reliable price.”

BendPak continues to develop strategies that grow their business. “While most industry brands continue to raise prices due to lower margins and declining market share, we need to support our dealers and customers across the globe through these tough economic times. We’ve been fortunate with market share and growth both still thriving here,” says company President Don Henthorn.

“We’ve held prices where they are since third quarter 2010 and will continue to hold prices firm for at least six more months. This should help our dealers grow their business and ease the financial crunch that many end-users are strapped with right now. We feel their pain and are taking a stand to give back to our customers, many of whom have supported us for over three decades,” said Henthorn.

One Truly Awesome Garage Made Better With a BendPak Car Lift

August 2nd, 2011

It’s been a fairly quiet summer at BendPak as we gear up for some big announcements in fall. However, if you have been snooping around the site recently, you may have noticed we added a special section for all of our fellow garage fanatics out there. You know who you are.

AwesomeGarages.com is alive and kicking with new pictures being added approximately once a month for your viewing / drooling pleasure. But just recently we were able to drive out to a new customer’s home where he installed a BendPak in-ground SP-7X car lift in his newly completed garagemahal.

With the SP-7X, this garage is truly one of the best thought-out man caves we’ve ever had the honor to witness. We couldn’t resist taking a quick video and putting it together for all to see. We think you’ll agree it’s a plain fantastic garage design.

And if you are a fan of Garage Journal (and if you like garages and tools, you really should be) you can see the owner’s incredible photo documentary of all the hard work and design that went into his garage. It’s got freakin’ LASERS and a glow-in-the-dark floor for Pete’s sake! Check out the Garage Journal thread for yourself .

That’s it for now. If you have an awesome garage and want to show it off on BendPak’s AwesomeGarages.com , go ahead and send your pictures to contact@bendpak.com . If you’re not too far away, we may just want to feature your garage in a video of its own.

Legacy by Petty – See the Unveiling at Petty’s Upcoming Spring Fling Car Show

May 12th, 2011

UPDATE:For everyone who has been dying to see the amazing Legacy by Petty Dodge Challenger, now might be your chance. AllPar.com announced yesterday that Petty’s Garage will be launching the tribute Challenger at 10:30 AM on May 28, 2011. Click the flyer for full details.

What a way to pay tribute to the King, Richard Petty! Petty’s Garage built a commemorative custom Challenger back in December, 2010, as a way to honor the champ. But as an extra kicker, the body features small murals that celebrate key moments in Petty’s career. In essence, the car tells the story of Petty’s professional life, beginning with Petty’s NASCAR Rookie of the Year career start, through his record-setting 200 wins, the seven NASCAR Championships and finally to his more recent work spreading car lift safety awareness. The car has been officially dubbed Legacy by Petty , and it’s a one-of-a-kind Dodge Challenger the likes that will never be seen again.

So what makes this build so unique? Longtime BendPak friends Drop-Top Customs offered their talents to do what they do best—they transformed the classic Dodge Challenger into a fully functional convertible. It turns out that this is the very first convertible to roll out of Petty’s Garage, Richard Petty’s own speed shop for high-performance vehicles.

The base coat on Legacy by Petty is the same trademark Petty Blue color that “The King” made famous on his number ‘43 Superbird. But it’s Petty’s incredible story told by the airbrushed graphics that draws the fans. For that sacred work, airbrush artist Mickey Harris was called on to cover the vehicle with wonderfully detailed images of Petty’s career highlights, including his lap 106 crash in the ’88 Daytona 500 and his Medal of Freedom. Petty is the first motorsports athlete ever to be honored with America’s highest civilian award.

Every rendering was airbrushed freehand by Harris while Petty and an audience looked on during an open-house presentation at Petty’s Garage in Level Cross, North Carolina last November.

Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) president R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman is the car’s owner, planned the customization build to celebrate Petty’s long-standing relationship with the institute. Petty and his son, fellow NASCAR legend Kyle Petty, are the hosts of Lifting It Right , an informational DVD produced and distributed by ALI that focuses on car lift safety.

“Automotive lift safety is not just for the service professional,” said Petty at the event, “It’s important in the hobby and collector market too.”

To further cement the relationship between Legacy by Petty and the Automotive Lift Institute, the automobile also feature’s ALI’s website, www.autolift.org , beneath each door opening. The website is a resource for shop owners, technicians and the public to learn more about buying and using a vehicle lift safely, whether in a professional shop or at home. Legacy by Petty is currently making appearances across North America, honoring Petty’s career while helping to educate consumers about the importance of buying and using certified vehicle lifts correctly.

Legacy by Petty is the result of more than 11 months of design and development. Unlike many shops that outsource much of a build, Petty’s Garage does it all in-house, bringing in top professionals for specialized work when needed. Outside experts collaborating on Legacy by Petty’s build include Murray Pfaff for creative input and final design renderings, Drop-Top Customs for a fully functional convertible conversion, and Katzkin for a leather interior that matches The King’s crocodile skin boots.

For more information about ALI, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. For more information about Petty’s Garage, visit www.pettys-garage.com or call (336) 498-3745.

About ALI

Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. ALI’s mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service and use of automotive lifts. In 1947, ALI developed the first Commercial Standard covering vehicle lifts published by the National Bureau of Standards. Today ALI sponsors several national lift safety standards and offers a third-party certification program for automotive lifts. More information about lift standards and other ALI-sponsored safety activities, such as the lift Safety Training DVD Lifting It Right hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty, can be found on the Institute’s website, www.autolift.org .

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, We Give You Exhibit A

April 1st, 2011

Just yesterday we posted our response to growing concerns about the coming inflation, and we pledged to do whatever it takes to keep our costs low . Why? Because we love you guys, and we figured you could use a break.

But wouldn’t you know it? Moments after hitting the submit button on the post, we received a mailer from a pretty major re-seller that featured one of our lifts. Even after all these years, it’s still exciting to see BendPak equipment in print.

In this case however, we were mostly confused. Check out this limited-time ad from early 2010:

If you compare the three lifts, you can see that they all are in the same weight capacity category and they all do essentially the same thing. But somehow the BendPak car lift was merely dubbed “Good.” We can only assume this because we fight like hell to keep our costs down.

What. The. Heck.

So this is where we’re supposed to say, “We’re just as good as the other guys,” right? NO WAY. We’re better than just good and we can prove it.

See, we like to actually back up our claims of good / better / best. You know, instead of relying on some marketing hack (who knows more about fonts than say…engineering) to make assumptions based solely on price. It’s a little thing we like to call truth in advertising.

A little while back we did a toe-to-toe comparison of our lift up against Rotary’s flagship—the SPOA10, just like the one in the ad. We tore that sucker apart and photographed it side-by-side with our own XPR-series two-post car lift.

Spoiler-alert!It wasn’t even a close contest. The photographs speak for themselves, and we invite you to go over our evidence with a magnifying glass: Study in Lift Design Two Post Lift Comparison .

Make no mistake, Rotary Lift makes a quality product. But if Rotary is let’s say a Cadillac, this study proves that BendPak is an M1 Abrams Tank .

Now where does Forward Lift (Rotary’s bargain brand) fall into the mix? We can’t really comment, but Forward, like Rotary does fall beneath the Dover Corporation’s Vehicle Service Group , and for all we know, could be identical to the Rotary with just a different badge.

Incidentally, BendPak doesn’t have a bargain brand. We only serve up our best at the lowest price we can offer. End of story.

So how come a Rotary lift is so much more expensive?

Honestly, we have NO IDEA and can only speculate.

Maybe they caved to the rise in steel prices last summer. Maybe they simply have too many on their payroll. Maybe they are confident that higher prices will give customers the perception that they are a better value so they can keep higher margins. Perhaps they charge more to cover their warranty costs. But that shouldn’t be because their warranty covers only a fraction of BendPak’s warranty . Or just maybe, because they are a public company, they have to elevate profits to keep stockholders happy. Who can say for sure?

Just to be clear, we’ve got nothing bad to say about Rotary and we’ve got nothing against them. They are a fellow member of the Automotive Lift Institute so they obviously care about car lift safety, and they have plenty of satisfied customers.

Our point is this: to indicate that he who has the highest price must have the best product is frankly a little insulting to us, and more importantly, YOU.

Yeah, you guys who are working hard to stretch your dollars. It’s like this ad is saying, “How dare you expect a quality product at a good price.”

Don’t fall for it. Do your research and get the right lift for you, even if you don’t go with us. That’s what we’ve been saying all along .

But hey, if anyone is uncomfortable saving money while still getting the best, you’re welcome to give our dealers an extra $1,000. We’re sure they’d be very happy to offer the extra peace of mind.

Thanks for reading.

-The BendPak Team

Fighting Inflation and Keeping Costs Low

March 31st, 2011

Wednesday, the head of mega retailer Wal-Mart’s U.S. operations warned USA TODAY’S editorial board that the coming inflation is “going to be serious” and that he is seeing “cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate.”

On the manufacturing side, automotive equipment companies like BendPak Inc. have already been hit hard with a 20% spike in raw steel costs beginning in July, 2010. Despite this, BendPak Inc. was able to keep prices stable below the industry average with most products only seeing a price increase between 3% and 14%.

“BendPak’s commitment to the consumer has always been to keep quality high and costs reasonable. We saw the steel hikes coming and were able to make the necessary cuts to protect our customers from feeling the pinch,” said Jeff Kritzer, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BendPak Inc.

Still, industry experts say that consumer anxiety over the falling U.S. dollar could be a compounding factor in a potential double-dip recession. USA TODAY reported that inflation worries pushed the Consumer Confidence Index down by 8.6 points in March.

“What we don’t want to see is a self-fulfilling prophecy due to overreaction,” said Derek Taylor, BendPak’s Communications Director. “Social networks are exploding with the bad news but we are taking the cautiously optimistic approach.”

“BendPak is able to run a lot leaner than most people realize, mostly because we have complete control over our own factories,” said Jeff Kritzer. “We’re digging in our heels and holding the line on prices, and we can do it longer than anyone else.”

BendPak’s Photo Shoot With Bill Goldberg

March 2nd, 2011

In this industry, we get to work with the biggest names in entertainment who are also car guys like us. Most of the time they’re just customers who like BendPak so much they agree to say a word or two on our behalf. But in cases of the extreme automotive fan, we’re lucky enough to feature them in their very own BendPak car lift ad. This last Monday, we got the ball rolling on our newest addition. Our trip took us south to wrestler, actor and host Bill Goldberg’s impressive garage and automotive collection.

We saw a minimum of 12 bays on Mr. Goldberg’s property, and six of them contain a BendPak car lift . He’s got two BendPak 2-post car lifts , one BendPak 4-post car lift and three general purpose single-post parking lifts . That’s right, he’s got six of BendPak’s finest all at home. We like to have each ad be 100% unique to the personality, and Bill is a true connossoir. So what better way to make sure it’s going to howl Goldberg than to take the photos in the host’s very own Garage Mahal .

We’ve got a lot of work to do before the ad is ready for prime time, but until then we’ve got these behind-the-scenes photos of Bill’s bitchin’ set up.

In a couple of the photos you can see the car we’re featuring, Bill’s one-of-a-kind 1 970 Mustang Boss 429 “Lawman.” Actually it was one of two such automobiles that were sent to Vietnam to give the troops a taste of awesome Americana-Automobilia while they were so far from home. One of the two was crushed at sea by a shipping container. We’d hate to be the guy who had to explain that one.

Bill’s a huge supporter of US soldiers and vets, so it makes a lot of sense that he’d have a special affinity for this rare vehicle.

In the background, you can also peak out a ‘ 68 Plymouth GTX convertible . This is the car that started a life long car obsession in Bill. Currently, he’s in the middle of restoring it to drive up the coast with his family.

Big thanks to Bill Goldberg, Chris Zsarney and the guys from Zstudios and everyone who put in this crazy-fun 16 hour day.

Check out the set on the official BendPak Flickr page . And make sure to follow @Goldberg on Twitter! And maybe @BendPak , if you feel so inclined.