BendPak HD-7500BLX: the capacity depends on the wheelbase, and BendPak publishes the numbers

Storage lifts get sold on one number. This one comes with four, and they are the reason to read the specification rather than the headline. The HD-7500BLX carries its full rating at a 135 in. / 3,429 mm wheelbase. Park something shorter and the safe load falls with it: at 115 in. / 2,921 mm the lift is rated to 75% of capacity, at 95 in. / 2,413 mm to 50%, and at 80 in. / 2,032 mm to just 25%. That is a published derating scale, not a caveat we invented, and almost nobody quotes it on a storage lift — which is awkward, because storage lifts are exactly what people put short vehicles, tenders and trailers on.

Read it the right way round and it is reassuring rather than alarming. A short wheelbase concentrates the load toward the middle of the runways instead of spreading it along them. The scale tells you where the limit actually sits for the thing you own, which is information you need and rarely get.

Will It Fit?

This is the tall, long version of the platform, built for boats and stacked vehicles, so the footprint is the first thing to check. Columns are 100 in. / 2,540 mm tall; add the vehicle below and whatever goes on top before comparing against your roof, because the stack is the constraint, not the lift. The footprint is 132 in. / 3,353 mm wide and 224.5 in. / 5,702 mm long including ramps. Between the columns you have 122 in. / 3,099 mm, about 10 ft, and drive-through clearance is 108.5 in. / 2,756 mm, about 9 ft. Runways sit at 5 in. / 127 mm fully lowered and rise to 82 in. / 2,083 mm, reaching a maximum lifting height of 85.75 in. / 2,178 mm in about 55 seconds. Power is 220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph.

Ceiling height, slab condition and the electrical circuit are yours to confirm before ordering. Our record does not state a required concrete thickness or strength for this model; it is in the installation manual linked on this page, and we will confirm it in writing on request. Do not guess it — a storage lift spends years loaded and stationary, which is the duty a slab either takes or does not.

Two runway figures to confirm before you order

Published figures for the outside edge of the runways differ, and both decide whether the lift clears a wall, so each is shown with the source it comes from.

Half an inch sounds like nothing until the runway edge is the thing that has to clear a door frame or a wall stud. If either figure is decisive for your bay, ask us to confirm it in writing before ordering. The same pattern appears on the overall length: the BendPak specification gives 224.5 in. and our catalogue record gives 224 in. Both are set out here so you can confirm whichever one your bay depends on.

Seventeen lock positions, and why the spacing is the useful number

Each column carries a lock ladder with seventeen positions spaced every 4 in. / 102 mm. On a service lift you use two of them. On a storage lift you use the one that puts the roof of the car below as close as possible to the underside of the runways without touching — because every inch you do not waste there is an inch of clearance for the vehicle on top. Coarse lock spacing costs you that clearance and there is no recovering it later.

The ladders are adjustable too, which is how four columns end up locking level on a slab that slopes. Locks engage automatically as the runways rise, and a push-button pneumatic release drops all four together.

Runway width is a decision you make once

The runways are 19 in. / 483 mm wide and 182.25 in. / 4,629 mm long, and they set either 46.5 in. / 1,181 mm or 66.5 in. / 1,689 mm apart, with centrelines at 68.5 in. / 1,740 mm or 88.5 in. / 2,248 mm. Narrow suits cars and keeps the whole assembly tighter against a wall; wide suits a trailer or a hull cradle and gives you somewhere to stand between the runways. Decide before installation, because the outside edge of the runways moves with it — which is why the two published figures above are worth confirming first.

Underneath, lifting runs on heavy-duty 3/8 in. aircraft cable over oversized self-lubricating rollers on rugged 1-1/4 in. roller axles, with anti-sway slider blocks inside each column and a single hydraulic cylinder under the runway. Cable bent around an undersized sheave fatigues from the inside where you cannot see it, and rollers that need greasing get forgotten — oversizing both is the whole maintenance argument.

Perfect For

• Boat and personal watercraft storage, keeping a hull up and out of standing water between seasons.
• Home garages doubling their parking, where stack height and roof clearance are the real design problem.
• Collector storage, where a car sits raised for months and lock spacing and slab strength matter more than lifting speed.
• Storage facilities and dealer overflow needing long runways.

What's in the Box

Four columns with internal anti-sway slider blocks and multi-position safety locks; the runways with their rail kit for accessories; the single hydraulic cylinder mounted under the runway; aircraft cable, oversized self-lubricating cable rollers and adjustable lock ladders; the electric-hydraulic power unit and the push-button pneumatic safety release, in a powder coat finish. Drip trays, jacks and caster kits are accessories and are not part of this order unless you add them.

Specifications

Certification, stated honestly

Our data for this model records no third-party safety listing. That is a fact about the records rather than a judgement on the lift, and it is worth stating rather than leaving implied. The distinction that matters is between a manufacturer declaring its own product compliant and an independent body assessing it against a published standard; insurers, fleet policies and some local authorities ask for the second by name, and a bullet point in a feature list is not that document. If your cover or your permit turns on it, ask us in writing and we will pursue documentation tied to this model from the manufacturer.

Shipping and delivery

Freight only, to the lower 48 states, priced live against your address at checkout — which is why no shipping figure is written into this page.

Delivery is to the kerb. Work out unloading before the truck is scheduled: a forklift on site with the reach for long crated runways, or terminal pickup, which many find easier for a lift this length. A residential address attracts a residential fee. Warehouse pickup can be arranged for this brand — call us to set it up. Check the shipment before signing and record damage on the bill of lading at delivery.

Warranty

The governing warranty document is linked on this page; read the term and its exclusions there rather than relying on a summary. Whatever it says, do not disassemble a component you intend to claim against. Photograph it as it sits and contact us first — a stripped part is the usual reason a legitimate claim fails.