Challenger Lifts VLE10 — the CL-series lock release, on a 10,000 lb Versymmetric two-post

There is one line in Challenger's own feature list for the VLE10 that tells you more than the rest of the page combined: the jacketed, pulley-less single-point mechanical lock release was once exclusive to the CL series and is now standard here. That is a manufacturer saying, in writing, that a mechanism from its higher line has moved down into this one. Pulley-less means there is no cable-and-pulley run to stretch, fray or seize, and jacketed means the linkage is protected from the brake dust, salt and swarf that live on a workshop floor. It is the part of a two-post lift a technician touches every single cycle, and it is the part that most often gets cheap.

Around it sits a 10,000 lbs two-post with Challenger's Versymmetric® arm set, which is the other reason to look at this lift.

Versymmetric: symmetric and asymmetric in the same bay

Most shops end up owning the wrong lift for half their work. An asymmetric lift gives good door clearance on cars and is awkward with a long van; a symmetric one carries a heavy van beautifully and swings a car door into a column. The VLE10's 3-stage Versymmetric® front arms and 2-stage rear arms are specified to cover both patterns from one installation — Challenger's phrasing is a wide arm sweep for asymmetric and symmetric lifting in the same service bay.

The numbers behind that are the arm reaches. Front arms travel from 22.3125" to 39.375"; rear arms from 38.375" to 55.375". The front arm collapsing to 22.3125" is what lets you get in tight on a short-overhang car, and the rear extending to 55.375" is what reaches the back lift points of something long. Screw pads adjust from 4.25" to 6.75", so a great deal of the height difference between vehicles is taken up by the pad itself rather than by a stack of adapters.

Will It Fit?

Checking the ceiling, the bay and the concrete before ordering is the buyer's responsibility, and on a two-post lift the concrete is not a formality — the entire load path runs through the anchors at the base of two columns.

• Ceiling height required: 12' for the standard lift, 14' for the extended-height version.
• Overall height: 143.875" standard, 167.875" extended.
• Floor to overhead switch: 137" standard, 161" extended — this is what a tall roof actually meets.
• Overall width: 131.625".
• Between columns: 110.25".
• Rise height: 74.75" (74-3/4") with the screw pads at their highest position; maximum rise under the arms 71".
• Weight: 1,750 lbs.
• Power: 2HP motor, 208v/230v, single-phase, 60Hz.
• Speed of rise: 44 seconds.

Two figures on this page that our sources dispute

We would rather flag these than let you plan around them.

Drive-through clearance. The listing copy this page replaces stated 8' 9". Challenger's specification block for the VLE10 gives drive-through clearance as 98.375". Those are not the same measurement, and the difference is large enough to matter if you are threading a wide vehicle between the columns. We have not picked one. If drive-through width is decisive for your bay, ask us and we will get it confirmed by the manufacturer in writing before you order.

The "11.875" standard height" bullet. The feature list further down this page quotes a standard height of 11.875" alongside a 12' ceiling requirement, while the specification block gives an overall height of 143.875". Those cannot all be inches. Plan against the 143.875" overall height and the 12' ceiling requirement, and treat the bullet as a unit that has gone astray somewhere upstream — it is on our list to have corrected at source.

The rest of what you touch

The overhead shut-off is padded, so a roof, aerial or roof bar that comes up higher than the technician expected meets rubber rather than steel. Screw pads are double telescoping with a rubber foot pad, which puts a compliant surface against the vehicle's lift point. Rubber door guards on the columns take the impact when someone opens a door harder than they meant to. Arm restraints and arm pins are plated to resist rust — a small thing until you have tried to pull a seized arm pin on a lift that lives near a salted road. The finish is a premium powder coat.

An extended-height configuration is available and changes the overall height to 167.875", the floor-to-overhead switch to 161" and the ceiling requirement to 14'. That is the option for a building with room to use it, and it is worth deciding before you order rather than after.

Perfect For

• The mixed general-repair shop that lifts cars in the morning and a van in the afternoon.
• A single-lift workshop that cannot afford to own the wrong configuration.
• Tall buildings where the extended-height version turns spare headroom into working clearance.
• Serious home and club workshops with a 12' ceiling and an engineered slab.

What's in the Box

A complete VLE10 two-post lift: two columns, the overhead assembly with its padded shut-off, 3-stage Versymmetric® front arms and 2-stage rear arms, double telescoping screw pads with rubber foot pads, the jacketed pulley-less single-point mechanical lock release, plated arm restraints and pins, and rubber door guards, in premium powder coat.

The extended-height configuration is a specification choice rather than a box you open later. Anchors, truck adapters and any other accessory should be confirmed with us in writing before you order.

Specifications

Certification — what our data does and does not say

We will be straight about this one. The product data we hold for the VLE10 does not record a third-party lift safety listing, and we are not going to imply one it does not claim. Some other lifts in our range do carry that documentation and their pages say so explicitly.

The distinction is worth understanding rather than glossing over. A third-party safety listing is an independent body testing and certifying a lift design against a published standard; it is not the same thing as a manufacturer's own quality claim, and some insurers, fleet policies, municipal contracts and local jurisdictions require the independent listing by name. If any of those apply to your site, ask us before you order and we will establish the current documentation position for this exact model in writing. If none of them apply, this is not a reason to discount the lift — but you should know which question you are answering.

Shipping and delivery

Freight only, within the lower 48 states, quoted live at checkout for the address you enter so the figure reflects today's rates.

At 1,750 lbs across crated columns and an overhead assembly, this needs a forklift or equivalent at the delivery point — or you can elect to collect the shipment from the carrier's terminal instead. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee. Warehouse pickup is available on this product.

Inspect the freight before you sign. Walk the crates with the driver present and note any damage or shortage on the bill of lading before signing. Signing clean records that the shipment arrived intact and makes a later claim substantially harder.

Warranty

The VLE10 is covered under Challenger's published warranty terms; our claims process is at mechanicsuperstore.com/pages/warranty-claims. No warranty duration is stated in the data we hold for this model, so we have not printed one — ask and we will confirm the current term in writing before you commit.

If something fails, stop using the lift and contact us before any part is removed or opened. A component that has already been dismantled is much harder to have accepted as a claim, and photographs of the fault exactly as you found it are the most useful evidence you can provide.