17 lock positions, every 4 in. up a 100 in. post

Most four-post lifts give you a handful of parking heights and you learn to live with them. The BendPak HD-9EWT publishes 17 locking positions spaced every 4 in. (102 mm), which changes what the lift is good for. Storing a car under a low garage ceiling and servicing one at working height are different heights, and so is holding a vehicle just clear of the floor while you roll a jack underneath. A ladder with 17 rungs means you set the height the job wants instead of the height the lift offers, and on a storage lift the top position is rarely the useful one.

Around that sits a 9,000 lbs. capacity four-post lift built extra-wide and extra-tall: posts 100 in. (2,537 mm) high, 107 in. (2,716 mm) between them, and a maximum lifting height of 87 in. (2,208 mm).

Runways that adjust, on a lift that is genuinely wide

Extra-wide is a claim worth testing, and here it survives in two independent ways. The distance between the posts is 107 in. (2,716 mm) — the figure that decides whether a wide truck's mirrors clear the columns on the way in. Separately, the runways adjust: width between them runs 35.75 in. to 42.0 in. (1,068 mm maximum), with the centreline moving 57.75 in. to 64 in. (1,626 mm). That range lets one lift take a narrow sports car one day and a wide off-road truck the next without tyres hanging off the edges. Each runway is 19 in. (482 mm) wide and 182.25 in. (4,629 mm) long, with a rail kit for optional accessories.

Check this width before you plan the bay

Published figures for the runway width differ, and the gap between them is wide enough to change a bay layout: 117 in. is published both as an overall width and as a runway width. Each figure below is attributed to the source that states it.

117 in. is the width of the whole lift, posts included; a single runway is 19 in. wide. Plan your bay against 117 in. (2,970 mm) and your vehicle against the adjustable runway spacing above, and if the distinction matters to your layout, ask us to confirm the figures in writing before you order.

Will It Fit?

• Overhead. Post height 100 in. (2,537 mm). Maximum rise is 82.165 in. (2,087 mm) and maximum lifting height 87 in. (2,208 mm), so a vehicle on the top lock needs its own height on top of that. Measure your ceiling, not just the lift.
• Footprint. Overall width 117 in. (2,970 mm), outside length 198 in. (5,028 mm), overall length 224.50 in. (5,703 mm).
• Drive-through. 93.25 in. (2,371 mm) between the posts.
• Getting on. Minimum runway height is 4.75 in. (121 mm), and the approach ramps are removable — taken off, they add drive-under clearance; longer ramps are available for low ground-clearance vehicles.
• Power. 220 VAC, 60 Hz, 1 Ph. BendPak notes that special voltages are available on request.

Bay dimensions, ceiling height and the electrical supply are the buyer's responsibility to confirm before ordering. This is a freestanding lift rather than an anchored one, but our record still states no concrete thickness or strength requirement for it, and a four-post lift concentrates its whole load into four base plates. Do not assume an existing slab is adequate; the installation manual linked on this page gives the requirement and we will confirm it in writing if you ask.

The wheelbase table nobody reads until it bites

A four-post lift's rated capacity assumes the load is spread across a long enough wheelbase. This model publishes the derating, and it is worth checking before you buy for a specific vehicle: full 9,000 lbs. needs a minimum wheelbase of 115 in. (2,921 mm); at three-quarters of rated capacity the minimum falls to 95 in. (2,413 mm); at a quarter of capacity, 80 in. (2,032 mm). Front and rear axle limits are 4,500 lbs. each. A short, heavy vehicle is the case that catches people out, because the total weight looks comfortable while the wheelbase does not.

What holds it up, and what catches it if something lets go

A single hydraulic cylinder under the runway does the lifting, with cables, safety locks and sheaves fully enclosed in the structure — out of the weather and out of reach of chemicals. The lock ladders are adjustable, which matters over years: a lift that has settled slightly can be brought back to level at the locks rather than shimmed. Oversized self-lubricating cable rollers remove a maintenance item, and internal anti-sway slider blocks keep the carriage from wandering under an uneven load.

The secondary system is the one to understand. Independent backup slack-cable safety latches engage if a cable goes slack — the failure mode where a runway would otherwise drop at one corner while the others stay put. Release is by push-button pneumatic control, disengaging the locks together rather than one at a time.

Perfect For

• Storage and parking, where the 17 lock heights let you use every inch of a specific ceiling.
• Shops working on wide vehicles — off-road trucks, duallies, anything that would rub a narrow lift's columns.
• Service and inspection work, with 87 in. of maximum lifting height for undercarriage access.
• Detailing and long-term vehicle keeping, where a freestanding lift can be positioned without anchoring into a floor you would rather not drill.

What's in the Box

From this product's own feature list only: the four-post structure with matte-finish runways and their accessory rail kit, the electric-hydraulic power unit with a customisable mounting location, the single under-runway cylinder, fully enclosed cables, locks and sheaves, internal anti-sway slider blocks, adjustable safety locks and lock ladders, independent backup slack-cable safety latches, the push-button pneumatic release, and removable approach ramps. Listed as available but not included: longer approach ramps for low-ground-clearance vehicles, and the accessories the rail kit accepts.

Specifications

Certification, stated honestly

No third-party safety listing is claimed anywhere in this product's data, and we will not write one onto the page to make it look better. Read that as a statement of what we hold rather than as a finding that none exists. The distinction to be clear about is between a manufacturer's own declaration that a design meets a standard and an independent laboratory listing a named model against the North American lift safety standard. Some insurers, some fleet policies and some local jurisdictions accept only the second. If you are in one of those situations, find out precisely what evidence is required, then ask us — we will take the question to the manufacturer and give you the answer in writing before you commit.

Shipping and Delivery

Freight only, to the lower 48 states, at a shipping weight around 1,828 lbs. and with runways 182.25 in. long, so this arrives on a trailer and needs real equipment to come off it. Arrange a forklift, a dock or enough machinery before delivery is scheduled; failing that, take terminal pickup with a vehicle that can carry long, heavy crates. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout with the freight.

Inspect it before you sign. Check for punctures, crushed corners and banding that has shifted, and write anything you find on the bill of lading while the driver is present. A clean signature is your statement that everything arrived undamaged, and it is difficult to undo later. Photograph the load on the tailgate before it comes off.

Warranty and Service

BendPak's full warranty document is linked on this page and governs the terms; our record does not restate a period for this model and we will not paraphrase one. Whatever it says, two things apply. Do not disassemble a component before you file a claim, because a stripped part is normally treated as a modified part and the claim ends there. And keep the manual with the lift along with the in-service date and a note of where the power unit was mounted — on a lift with a customisable power unit location, that detail saves an argument later.