Two different arm lengths, and that is the whole point of this lift

Read the arm specification before anything else. The short arms reach 29″ to 41″; the long arms reach 37″ to 57″. Two different ranges, and that asymmetry is the reason to choose this lift over a symmetric two-post of the same capacity: the vehicle sits back from the centreline instead of balanced on it, which brings the door openings clear of the posts rather than level with them.

The result is what a technician notices on the first car of the day — you can open a door properly with the vehicle in the air. On a symmetric lift the doors swing into the columns, and on a compact car that costs you knuckles, paint, or both. The Valor VP9KACX is a 9,000 lbs clear-floor two-post built around that geometry, with rubber door guards as the second line of defence. Tuxedo files its documentation for this machine under the code TP9KACX — the same lift, worth knowing when you go looking for a manual or a spare part.

Will it fit your bay? Four things to check before you order

Two-post purchases go wrong on the building far more often than on the lift, and every item below is the buyer's to verify.

• Width. Allow 138″ overall including the power unit, with roughly 9.5 ft between the columns, then add door swing on both sides and standing room. A bay measuring exactly 138″ wall to wall does not fit this lift; it merely contains it.
• Height. This is a clear-floor design: the equaliser cables run through an overhead beam, and that beam is the tallest part of the assembly. The recommended minimum ceiling height is in the installation manual — ask us for it before you order. Measure to the lowest obstruction in the bay, not the roof; an open door track, a heater or a sprinkler head is what you actually hit.
• Floor. Every two-post lift is anchored into concrete, and the manual specifies a minimum slab thickness and a minimum compressive strength. We will not print an approximation — a slab is expensive to get wrong twice. If you do not know what your floor is, establish it before you order.
• Power. 220V, single phase, 20 Amp — have an electrician confirm the circuit ahead of delivery.

The measuring is the buyer's responsibility; we will send every dimension we hold and the manual behind it.

Clear floor: what you gain, and the trade you are making

Clear floor means what it says. No crossbar, plate or cable channel runs across the ground between the columns — nothing to trip a technician carrying a wheel, nothing for a creeper or a transmission jack to catch on. Drive-through clearance between the carriages is 96″, so a wide vehicle goes straight in and straight out. The trade is the overhead beam: you buy an uninterrupted floor at the cost of ceiling height, and a floor-plate lift makes exactly the opposite bargain. If your ceiling is the binding constraint, say so when you call and we will point you at that configuration instead.

Rise, pads, and what it will actually pick up

Maximum lift height at the pad is 72″; measured under the arms the rise is 68″ — standing-height work rather than stooping, which matters more across a full day than any single figure here. Minimum pad height is 4″, and that decides whether a lowered car can be picked up at all: a lift that cannot get its pads under the rocker is no use whatever it holds once it is up. The spin-up pads are low profile and screw up by hand.

Capacity is 9,000 lbs, with a maximum load of 2,250 lbs per arm. The per-arm rating is what governs an unevenly loaded vehicle, so a van carrying its weight over one axle can reach an arm limit long before the lift reaches its total. Stackable adapters are included for reaching a factory lift point on a truck with a deep rocker panel, and a full rise takes about 50 seconds.

The parts that decide how the lift ages

Three details here are ownership decisions rather than sales points. The columns are single piece — formed as one section rather than spliced or bolted from two — which removes a joint that would otherwise sit in the load path and need inspecting for the life of the lift. Internal hose routing keeps the hydraulic lines where a door or a dragged hose reel cannot snag them. The chain drive cylinders and dual point lock release take the locks off in a controlled way at both columns, and the automatic arm restraint system engages as the lift rises so an arm cannot swing out from under a load.

Perfect for

• Independent repair shops doing volume car and light-truck work, where door access on a symmetric lift is a daily irritation.
• Tire, brake and exhaust bays that want an uninterrupted floor to roll equipment across.
• Dealership and reconditioning departments working on customer paint, where a door swung into a column is a real cost.
• Serious home and collector garages — provided the ceiling clears the overhead beam, and the slab and the supply are genuinely there.

What comes with the lift

Two columns with carriages and chain drive cylinders, asymmetric arms with the automatic restraint system, low-profile spin-up lift pads, stackable adapters, rubber door guards, internal hose routing, the dual point lock release and the power unit. Anchors, hydraulic fluid and installation vary by kit and by installer — if any of those affect your quote, ask us before you order.

Specifications

About certification

Nothing in the data the manufacturer supplies us claims an independent third-party safety listing for this lift, and we are not going to imply one. The distinction matters before you spend this much: a maker stating that its product is built to a standard is one document; an outside body examining the design and listing it is another, and only the second produces a certificate an inspector can ask to see. Insurers, fleet policies and some local jurisdictions require that second kind specifically. If any apply to you, send us the requirement in writing before you order — we would rather answer honestly than have a lift installed that your inspector will not sign off.

Shipping and delivery

The lift crates at 1,370 lbs and moves as freight within the lower 48. Freight is quoted live at checkout against your own address, so what you see is the current rate rather than a figure typed into a page years ago. You need a way to take a crate of that weight off the truck — a forklift with genuine capacity, or a dock — or you can collect from the carrier's local terminal instead. A residential delivery address carries a residential fee, disclosed before you pay.

Inspect the shipment before signing. Check the banding, the column packaging, the arms and the power-unit carton, note anything you find on the delivery receipt before you sign, then photograph it and contact us the same day. Freight damage is a carrier claim rather than a warranty claim, and a clean signature is hard to walk back. Check the contents against the parts list promptly too — shortages and concealed damage have a short reporting window.

Warranty

The lift carries the manufacturer's limited warranty, which treats structural components and wearing parts differently and does not cover installation labour. The specific periods are the manufacturer's to set, and a paraphrase on a product page drifts out of date without anyone noticing, so we publish the current terms, the exclusions and the claim procedure on our warranty claims page. If a particular term is part of your decision, ask us to confirm it in writing before you order. If a fault does appear, photograph it as found and speak to us before dismantling anything — a component already taken apart is usually outside the claim.