GrandPrix GP-9LC Floorplate Two-Post Lift — 9,000 lb Capacity
The GP-9LC exists for one reason and it is a building, not a vehicle: at 109.5" (2,781 mm) overall it is short enough to go into a garage that will not take an overhead lift. There is no beam across the top, because the equalization runs through a plate on the floor instead — and that plate is only 1.25" (30 mm) tall, so a low car drives over it without scraping.
If your ceiling is the constraint on your bay, this is the layout that solves it, and it does so at a real 9,000 lbs (4,082 kg) of capacity rather than a hobby rating.
Floorplate versus overhead, said plainly
An overhead two-post lift carries its equalization in a beam above the vehicle. That beam is the tallest part of the machine, and it is why an overhead lift needs a tall building. A floorplate lift moves the same job to a shallow steel plate between the columns.
What you gain is height — nothing above the vehicle at all, so there is no beam to hit with a raised truck bed, a roof rack or a hoist, and the lift fits under a residential garage ceiling that an overhead model simply cannot. What you give up is the perfectly clear floor: there is a plate to step over and to sweep around, and a floor jack has to be lifted across it. On this lift the plate is 1.25" (30 mm) high, which is a low step, but it is not zero.
That is the whole decision. If you have the ceiling, an overhead lift is nicer to work around. If you do not, the floorplate design is what makes a two-post lift possible in your building at all.
Chain and cable, doing two different jobs
The GP-9LC lifts on heavy-duty, high-strength leaf chain, and it also carries heavy-duty 1/2" aircraft-quality equalizer cables on oversized cable sheaves. Those are not alternatives and it is worth understanding why both are listed.
The leaf chain is the lifting element: it takes the load from the hydraulic cylinder to the carriage. Leaf chain is made of stacked steel plates riding on pins, and it carries very high loads in tension with a long, well-understood service life — it is what you find in forklift masts for the same reason.
The equalizer cables do something else entirely. They tie the two carriages together so that if one side tries to rise faster than the other, the cable pulls it back into step. They are a synchronization system, not a lifting system, and running them oversized on oversized sheaves is what keeps the cable from fatiguing at the bend, which is where cables fail.
Underneath all of it, the same load path as the rest of the range: a 6" x 6" tubular steel carriage on self-lubricating UHMW polyethylene guide blocks, an oversized 20.5" x 15.5" base plate at each column, mechanical safety locks engaging every 3 inches of travel, and automatic arm restraints that lock the arms as soon as the lift rises.
Arms and pads
Symmetric and asymmetric arm positioning both work, so the same lift takes a truck loaded evenly across the columns and a car set back far enough to open its doors. Front arms are triple-telescoping and reach from 22.5" (571 mm) to 43.25" (1,099 mm); rear arms are dual-stage and reach 33.5" (845 mm) to 53.25" (1,353 mm). The double-telescoping screw pads use tear-resistant polyurethane and adjust through 2" (51 mm), which is how you get all four pads onto the lift points of a vehicle that does not sit level.
Will It Fit?
| Height overall |
109.5" (2,781 mm) |
| Width overall at baseplate |
137.25" (3,486 mm) |
| Width outside of columns |
127.5" (3,238 mm) |
| Width inside columns |
113.5" (2,880 mm) |
| Floor to driveover height |
1.25" (30 mm) |
| Drive-thru clearance |
103" (2,618 mm) |
| Minimum pad height |
3.9" (100 mm) |
| Rise |
70" (1,778 mm) |
| Max. lift height, pad plus 63 mm adapter |
76.5" to 78.5" |
Power. 220 VAC, 60 Hz, single phase (1 Ph), on its own circuit, in place before the installer arrives.
Concrete. The concrete thickness and strength required are specified in the installation manual for this lift. Meeting them is the customer's responsibility, along with the electrical supply, any permit your jurisdiction requires and the installation itself. Ask us for the manual before you buy if you have any doubt about your slab — anchoring a two-post lift into thin or cracked concrete is the most serious and most common mistake made with this equipment, and it is not one the lift's own specification can protect you from.
Perfect For
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A home garage with a standard ceiling. This is the headline use. A building that will not take an overhead lift will very often take this one.
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A low-ceilinged commercial bay in an older building, a basement workshop or a converted unit.
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A restoration or hobby shop lifting cars and light trucks that wants a full-height rise without rebuilding the roof.
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A second lift in a shop where the tall bay is already spoken for.
What's in the Box
- The lift: two columns, floorplate, carriages, arms and power unit.
- A 4-piece 63 mm stackable adapter set.
- 10-piece concrete wedge anchors.
- Heavy-duty 1/2" aircraft-quality equalizer cables on oversized sheaves.
- Full-size rubber carriage guards to keep door edges off the columns.
Capacity and Weight
| Lifting capacity |
9,000 lbs (4,082 kg) |
| Max. capacity, front axle |
4,500 lbs (2,045 kg) |
| Max. capacity, rear axle |
4,500 lbs (2,045 kg) |
| Max. load per arm |
2,250 lbs (1,023 kg) |
| Shipping weight |
1,385 lbs (630 kg) |
Watch the per-arm number rather than the total. A vehicle sitting unevenly can put more than 2,250 lbs (1,023 kg) on one arm long before the whole vehicle approaches 9,000 lbs (4,082 kg), and the arm is the part that reaches its limit first.
Certification, honestly
Our product record for the GP-9LC does not carry a third-party lift safety listing, and we will not imply one it does not claim. That matters in specific situations rather than all of them: some insurers, some fleet and dealership policies and some local building or workplace authorities require an independently listed lift on their premises. If any of those apply to you, find out exactly which listing is demanded and ask us to confirm the position for this model in writing before you order. Asking now costs nothing; discovering it after the lift is anchored costs a great deal.
Shipping and delivery
The GP-9LC ships as freight within the lower 48 states. Freight is quoted live at checkout against your delivery address rather than published as a fixed figure here, so what you see is current. A residential delivery carries a fee — worth planning for, since a home garage is exactly where this lift is most often going.
You will need a way to unload well over half a ton: a forklift, a dock, an equipment mover, or a collection from the carrier's terminal. Inspect the columns, the floorplate, the arms and the power unit before you sign, and write any damage on the delivery paperwork before signing rather than after. That note is what a freight claim is built on.
Warranty
The GP-9LC carries a 36-month limited warranty. If a fault appears, talk to us before anyone opens a cylinder, a power unit or a carriage — equipment that has already been taken apart is much harder to claim on, and the condition it was in when the fault appeared is the first thing anyone will want established.
