Challenger CL12A-1: the taller-column build of the 12K adjustable two-post

The suffix is the specification. The CL12A-1 is the same 12,000 lbs adjustable lift as the standard CL12A with more column under the beam, which raises its overall height to 14' 2″ or 14' 8″ and pushes the minimum ceiling requirement to 15' 3″. If your building has the roof and your vehicles have the height, that extra column is the difference between getting a tall van off the ground and getting it all the way up.

Everything below the beam is unchanged: 3-stage front and rear arms, three width builds, premium telescoping footpads and the Stack Adapter Kit (P/N 10315) as standard equipment.

One height figure to confirm up front

The marketing paragraph that has been running here says the CL12A-1 stands 1″ taller than the CL12A. The published specification reads differently: it puts the CL12A-1's overall column height at 170″ or 176″ against the standard CL12A's shorter build, a difference measured in feet rather than in a single inch. The pattern across the family — CL12A, CL12A-1, CL12A-2 — reads as a ladder in one-foot steps, which is consistent with the 1-foot and 2-foot column extensions Challenger lists for this lift.

Both readings are set out here as published. If the exact height difference matters to your installation, ask us and we will confirm it against Challenger's current factory drawing before you order. What we can say without hesitation is the figure that actually governs your bay: the minimum ceiling requirement for this model is 15' 3″.

Column height is not the number that decides what you can lift

Buyers reach for overall height when they should be reading floor to overhead switch, which on this build is 13' 8″ or 14' 2″. That is the height at which a tall vehicle contacts the padded shut-off and the lift stops going up — so it, not the column, sets the roof line of what you can raise fully.

Work it out from the vehicle rather than from the lift. Take the roof height of the tallest thing you intend to service, add the rise you actually want under it, and check the result against the overhead switch figure. A high-roof van that stops six inches short of useful is the mistake this arithmetic prevents, and it is exactly why the taller build exists.

Wide vehicles, batteries and the footpad question

Electric vehicles have changed what a two-post has to reach. Battery packs occupy the floor of the car, lift points move outboard, and the sills are frequently wider apart than on the combustion cars the same shop was lifting five years ago. Challenger's answer on this lift is a combination: 3-stage front and rear arms with a wide reach range, premium telescoping footpads adjusting from 4.75″ to 6.625″, and the TFPK footpad kit for servicing electric and other wider vehicles.

The Stack Adapter Kit is standard on every one of these lifts, not an accessory you discover you needed. Arm reach runs from 27.5″ to 59″, which is what allows the same lift to pick up a small hatchback properly and still reach the frame on a long-wheelbase truck. Rise height is 84.75″ to the top of the pad, with 80″ of maximum rise under the arms.

Will It Fit?

These are the figures to hold a tape measure against. Confirming the building suits the lift is the customer's responsibility, and a column height cannot be changed once the anchors are in.

• Ceiling: 15' 3″ minimum, measured to the lowest thing over the bay rather than to the roof deck.
• Overall height: 14' 2″ or 14' 8″, recorded elsewhere in our data as 170″ or 176″.
• Overhead switch: 13' 8″ or 14' 2″ from the floor.
• Width: three builds at 142″, 148″ and 154″ overall — described in the feature list as adjustable from 11' 10″ to 12' 10″ — with about 10.5 ft between the columns and roughly 9.5 ft of drive-through.
• Power: 2HP, 208v–230v, 60Hz, single phase (1Ph). Have the circuit terminated before the columns go up.
• Floor: the slab specification in the installation manual is binding. All the load goes through two anchor patterns; never anchor over a crack, a patch or an expansion joint, and core the floor if its construction is unknown.

Still too tall, or not tall enough?

The family covers a range of buildings. Column extensions of 1-foot and 2-foot are offered, the CL12A-2 build is taller again, and at the other end a low-ceiling variant is available with a column height of 11' 11″ for shops that cannot take any of these. Send us your measured ceiling height and the tallest vehicle you plan to raise fully and we will tell you which one to buy.

Perfect For

• Shops servicing high-roof vans and box bodies that need to reach full rise, not partial rise.
• Workshops taking on electric vehicles, where the TFPK footpad kit and the arm reach range earn their keep.
• Fleet garages with a mixed intake up to 12,000 lbs and a building tall enough to exploit the extra column.
• Buyers upgrading from a light-duty two-post who have the roof height and have been living without it.

What's in the Box

• Two taller columns with the overhead beam and shut-off system
• 3-stage front and rear arms
• Premium telescoping footpads
• Stack Adapter Kit, P/N 10315, standard
• Powder coat finish, red, blue or black

You supply: anchors and slab work, the electrical circuit, the TFPK footpad kit if you need it, and any rolling jack or accessory. Ask us to quote them alongside the lift.

Specifications

Two clearances worth checking as well

Alongside the height figures above, the drive-through and inside-column dimensions are published two ways, half an inch apart at every width setting — one gives 103.5″, 109.5″ and 115.5″ through the carriages with 114.5″, 120.5″ and 126.5″ inside the columns; the other gives 104″, 110″ and 116″ with 115″, 121″ and 127″. One further figure puts minimum pad height at 5″, above the bottom of the footpad range above. None of these is large. All of them matter if you are within half an inch of a decision, so ask us to verify them before ordering rather than after.

Certification

This lift is recorded as ALI certified and that is the mark its data claims. Be clear on what it covers: the lift as submitted for testing. Not the slab, not the anchors, not the supply, not the installer. If your insurance, your lease or a fleet contract names a specific listing as a requirement, ask us for the current certificate covering this model and revision, and do that before you commit rather than at renewal time.

Shipping and delivery

Shipped as freight inside the lower 48 states, free of charge. You will need to unload it: a forklift, a loading dock, or an arrangement to collect from the carrier's terminal. Residential delivery is charged as a separate service with a residential fee attached.

Check the shipment before you put your name on anything. Walk the crated columns, the beam and the arms, count the pieces against the paperwork, and note any damage or shortage in the driver's presence. A clean signature is very hard to undo.

Warranty

The warranty terms that apply are published on our warranty claims page and we will confirm them in writing before purchase on request. If a part fails, do not take it apart. Photograph it where it is, stop using the lift, and contact us first — a disassembled component cannot be inspected, and that is what turns a straightforward claim into a dispute.