The front cross bar is missing, and that is the entire point
On a conventional four-post lift a steel bar runs between the two front columns. It is structurally convenient and it is directly in the way of the job these lifts are most often bought for: alignment work means walking in and out from under the front of the vehicle, repeatedly, with a head unit or a tablet in your hands, and on a closed-front lift you duck under that bar every single time.
The HDSO14P is built without it. The front is open, you walk straight out, and front-end adjustment stops being a contortion — which is why the columns are engineered to carry 14,000 lbs. (6,350 kg) without the bar tying them together.
Levelling the front on a floor that is not level
Removing the front cross bar puts more of the levelling burden on the columns, which is where the patented adjustable front outrigger tubes come in. Their pitch is infinitely adjustable, so the front of the lift can be trimmed for an uneven slab or a load sitting heavier at one corner. An alignment lift that is not level produces numbers you cannot trust.
Two figures for the sheave axles, and we will not pick one for you
The cable sheaves and their axles are the wear system that decides how long this lift stays smooth, and our own page gives their axle diameter twice, differently.
| Source |
Sheave axle diameter |
| The product description currently on this page |
2.25" diameter sheave axles |
| This model's own feature list, also on this page |
1-3/8" sheave axles |
Those are not the same axle, and we cannot resolve it from the data we hold, so both are shown with their source named rather than one being quietly chosen. If axle diameter matters to you — for a service part, a rebuild or a comparison against another lift — ask us to confirm it in writing before you order. The sheave itself is not in dispute: 10.5" in diameter, dual-hub, running inside the runways and cross tubes, and a larger sheave means a gentler bend radius and a longer-lived cable.
Cable capacity, stated as a ratio
Each lift is supplied with four 1/2” diameter, 6 x 25 stainless steel lifting cables, each rated at 14,400 lbs. Together they come to more than 411% of what the whole lift is rated to raise.
Understand that rather than admire it. It does not mean the lift will hold four times its rating — the rating is set by the structure, the locks and the hydraulics, not by the rope. It means the cables sit nowhere near their working limit in normal use, which is what you want from a component that fails by fatigue over years rather than by overload on one afternoon.
Will It Fit?
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Floor length. 244.5" (6,210 mm) overall, or 215.5" without the approach ramps — and those ramps are deliberately long so low ground-clearance vehicles load, so do not plan on trimming the difference.
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Floor width and ceiling. Wider and taller at the front: 143.25” wide with 103.25" columns, against 130” and 92” at the rear. Your ceiling must clear the vehicle at a maximum lifting height of 77.5".
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Getting past it. Drive-thru clearance 98"; width between the columns 123” front and 120" rear.
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Power. 220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph, at 45 dB. Full runway dimensions are in the table below.
Our record does not state a required concrete thickness or strength; that is in the installation manual linked on this page and we will confirm it in writing on request. Checking ceiling, slab specification and electrical supply before delivery is the buyer's responsibility — a four-post lift is bolted down, and the anchors are only as good as what they are anchored into.
The wheelbase table, which is the spec most buyers skip
A four-post capacity rating assumes the load is spread along the runways. Something heavy and short concentrates its weight between fewer support points, so the lift derates:
| Usable capacity |
Minimum wheelbase |
| Full rated capacity |
140" (3,556 mm) |
| 75% capacity |
120" (3,048 mm) |
| 50% capacity |
100" (2,540 mm) |
| 25% capacity |
80" (2,032 mm) |
Read it backwards: if your heaviest vehicle is short, the row your wheelbase lands on governs you, not the headline. The per-axle limit is 7,000 lbs. (3,175 kg) front and rear.
Locks, descent and the failure cases
Spring-loaded safety locks engage continuously as the lift rises, in each column, enclosed so there are fewer pinch points. One push-button drops all four at once — releasing them singly under load is how a runway ends up cocked — and fifteen locking positions with adjustable lock stops let the runways be levelled precisely. Two independent failure paths are covered: a flow restrictor in the single under-runway cylinder, so a burst hose gives a controlled descent, and a secondary lock system acting as a slack-cable device if a cable ever goes.
Perfect For
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Alignment bays — the open front is the whole reason this model exists, and the runways take a rail kit for alignment accessories.
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General service shops handling everything from small cars to full-size trucks on the same lift.
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Fleet and municipal workshops where vehicles are heavy, varied and in and out all day.
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Storage and stacking, using the multiple lock heights for variable-height parking.
What's in the Box
From this model's own feature list: the four-post structure with extended runways and longer approach ramps, four stainless steel lifting cables, the single under-runway hydraulic cylinder with its flow restrictor, dual-hub cable sheaves, the electric-hydraulic power system, spring-loaded multi-position safety locks with adjustable lock stops, backup slack-cable latches, push-button pneumatic release, internal anti-sway slider blocks, base plates measuring 12” x 10”, and the rail kit built into the runways.
Not included: drive-thru ramps, drip trays, the roll-back kit, the rolling bridge airline kit, and the 7,000 lbs. capacity rolling bridge jacks — the jacks are what let you do wheel and brake service without moving the car, so decide at order time.
Specifications
| Capacity |
Figure |
| Lifting capacity |
14,000 lbs. (6,350 kg) |
| Maximum capacity, front axle |
7,000 lbs. (3,175 kg) |
| Maximum capacity, rear axle |
7,000 lbs. (3,175 kg) |
| Shipping weight |
3,238 lbs. (1,468.7 kg) |
| Shipping dimensions |
221" x 22" x 35" (5,613 mm x 558 mm x 889 mm) |
| Rise and structure |
Figure |
| Minimum runway height |
7.75" (197 mm) |
| Maximum rise |
70" (1,778 mm) |
| Maximum lifting height |
77.5" (1,969 mm) |
| Lifting time |
60 Seconds |
| Overall width, front / rear |
143.25” (3,639 mm) / 130” (3,302 mm) |
| Outside length |
215.5" (5,474 mm) |
| Overall length |
244.5" (6,210 mm) |
| Height of columns, front / rear |
103.25" (2,622 mm) / 92” (2,337 mm) |
| Width between columns, front / rear |
123” (3,124 mm) / 120" (3,048 mm) |
| Drive-thru clearance |
98" (2,489 mm) |
| Runways, locking and power |
Figure |
| Runway width |
20" (508 mm) |
| Length of runways |
197.5" (5,017 mm) |
| Width between runways |
42" (1,067 mm) |
| Runway centreline |
65" (1,651 mm) |
| Outside edge of runways |
85" (2,159 mm) |
| Locking positions |
Fifteen |
| Lock spacing |
Every 4" (102 mm) |
| Motor |
220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph |
| Noise |
45 dB |
Certification, and what it does and does not cover
Our record states that this lift is CE approved and certified, meeting or exceeding the standards prescribed by European Standard EN 1493. That is what we hold, and it is worth having.
Be precise about what it means, though. A European conformity marking is in large part a manufacturer's declaration against European directives. It is a different document from an independent North American lift safety listing, in which an outside body examines the design and lists the product, and it does not substitute for one. Insurers and some code officials ask specifically for that second kind, and our record does not hold one — a statement about our paperwork, not a verdict on the machine. If it is a condition of your cover, ask us before you order.
Shipping and delivery
Freight only, to the lower 48 states, priced live at checkout for your own address — which is why no shipping figure appears on this page.
Delivery is kerbside. Arrange unloading first: a forklift and an operator on site, or collection from the freight terminal, which for a crate this size is often the easier route. Warehouse pickup is available for this brand from our BendPak locations, and a residential address carries a residential fee. Inspect the shipment before you sign and write any damage onto the bill of lading at the time — a clean signature makes a later claim very hard to win.
Warranty
The manufacturer's warranty document is linked on this page; read the term and the exclusions there rather than any summary of them. Whatever the terms, never dismantle a component you intend to claim on — photograph the fault, leave it assembled and contact us first. A stripped part is the usual reason a sound claim is refused.
