The Narrowest Footprint in the 9,000 lb Four-Post Range — With the Full Rise
Most narrow four-post lifts buy their small footprint by giving up rise. The BendPak HD-9STX does not. It squeezes down to 89.75" between the columns and a 76.5" drive-thru clearance, yet it still raises to 82" of rise and 86.5" maximum lifting height on 188" runways. That is the specific trade this model refuses to make, and it is the reason to look at it rather than a shorter narrow lift.
Will It Fit?
Ceiling first — this is the model that fails on height, not width. The columns are 100" tall. Add the height of anything you intend to park on the raised runways to the 86.5" maximum lifting height and check the total against your lowest overhead obstruction, not your highest ceiling point. Garage door tracks and openers are the usual surprise.
Floor. Overall width is 110.25" and outside length is 198"; overall length including the approach ramps is 224". Leave working room beyond those figures — you have to walk around the lift and open vehicle doors.
The two numbers that decide whether your vehicle can get on. Width between columns is 89.75", stated by BendPak as 7.5 ft, and drive-thru clearance between the carriages is 76.5", stated as 6.35 ft. A wide-body pickup measured mirror-to-mirror can exceed that drive-thru figure. Measure your widest vehicle at its widest point — usually the mirrors, sometimes the bed flares — before you order a narrow lift.
Runways and wheelbase. Runways are 19" wide and 188" long, set 37.5" apart, with a 56.5" centerline and outside edges at 75.5". Minimum wheelbase at the full rating is 135"; shorter wheelbases are handled at reduced capacity — 115" at 75%, 95" at 50%, and 80" at 25%. That derating is not a formality. A short vehicle puts its whole mass near the middle of the runway span, which is the worst place for it.
Power. 220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph. Noise is rated 45 dB.
Your responsibility. Confirming bay dimensions, slab suitability and the electrical supply is the buyer's job, and it should be done before the lift ships rather than after. Read the site-requirements section of the installation manual and have an electrician sign off on the circuit.
Why a Narrow Lift Is Not a Weaker Lift
Rated capacity is 9,000 lbs, with a per-axle limit of 4,500 lbs front and 4,500 lbs rear. Reducing width does not reduce those numbers, because the load path in a four-post lift runs through the columns and the cables, not through the gap between them. What narrowing does change is which vehicles physically fit — a constraint of geometry, not of strength.
The lifting mechanism is a single hydraulic cylinder mounted underneath the runway, with heavy-duty 3/8" aircraft cable running the load through four columns. The cables, safety locks and sheaves are fully enclosed inside the structure. On a narrow lift this is worth more than it sounds: with less space between the columns, exposed hardware would be exactly where a door edge or a mirror passes. Enclosure keeps the mechanism away from the vehicle and the grit away from the cable.
Cable rollers are oversized and self-lubricating, running on 1.25" roller axles. Internal anti-sway slider blocks in each column control carriage rock — the movement you notice when you lean on a raised vehicle, and the movement a narrower frame would otherwise show more of.
Fifteen Lock Positions, One Release
Each column carries multi-position safety locks on adjustable lock ladders, giving 15 locking positions spaced every 4". On a lift that is often chosen for stacked parking in a tight garage, that 4" granularity is the feature that lets you set the upper vehicle at precisely the height your ceiling permits instead of settling for the next lock down.
Once set, the mechanical locks carry the vehicle — not the hydraulics. Release is a push-button pneumatic control acting on all four columns together, so you are not walking the lift down one corner at a time. Independent backup slack-cable safety latches engage if a cable loses tension, which is the failure that would otherwise let one carriage drop while the other three hold.
Ramps, Runways and Storage Options
Minimum runway height is 5", and the approach ramps are removable to add drive-under clearance when the lift is down. Longer approach ramps are available for low-ground-clearance vehicles; the shallower angle is what keeps a front splitter off the ramp edge. Optional drive-thru ramps let you exit forward rather than reverse — genuinely useful in a narrow bay where reversing is awkward.
Perfect For
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Tall, narrow home garages. The case this lift was designed for: limited floor width, generous ceiling.
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Shops adding a bay without adding a building. A narrow lift fits where a standard-width one will not, and this one keeps the working height.
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Car collectors stacking two vehicles in a single-width bay, using the 4" lock spacing to make the most of available ceiling.
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Owners of narrower vehicles — sports cars, sedans, compact trucks — who want service capability rather than storage alone.
What's in the Box
The lift arrives as a freestanding four-post assembly: four columns, runways with the rail kit, the electric-hydraulic power unit with a customizable mounting position, cables, locks and removable approach ramps. Everything BendPak describes as optional is sold separately and does not arrive with the lift — that includes the caster kit, drip trays, solid deck, drive-thru ramps, longer approach ramps and the RJ-45 rolling jacks. Add them to the same order if you want them on installation day.
Specifications
| Capacity |
|
| Lifting capacity |
9,000 lbs. (4,082 kg) |
| Max. capacity / front axle |
4,500 lbs. (2,041 kg) |
| Max. capacity / rear axle |
4,500 lbs. (2,041 kg) |
| Rise |
|
| Min. runway height |
5" (127 mm) |
| Max. rise |
82" (2,083 mm) |
| Max. lifting height |
86.5" (2,197 mm) |
| Dimensions |
|
| Overall width |
110.25" (2,800 mm) |
| Outside length |
198" (5,029 mm) |
| Overall length |
224" (5,690 mm) |
| Height of columns |
100" (2,540 mm) |
| Width between columns |
89.75" (2,280 mm) |
| Drive-thru clearance |
76.5" (1,943 mm) |
| Runways |
|
| Runway width |
19" (483 mm) |
| Length of runways |
188" (4,775 mm) |
| Width between runways |
37.5" (953 mm) |
| Runway centerline |
56.5" (1,435 mm) |
| Outside edge of runways |
75.5" (1,918 mm) |
| Minimum wheelbase |
|
| At rated capacity |
135" (3,429 mm) |
| At 75% capacity |
115" (2,921 mm) |
| At 50% capacity |
95" (2,413 mm) |
| At 25% capacity |
80" (2,032 mm) |
| Power & shipping |
|
| Motor |
220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph |
| Noise |
45 dB |
| Locking positions |
15, spaced every 4" (102 mm) |
| Shipping dimensions (L x W x H) |
190" x 22" x 41" |
Certification, Stated Plainly
BendPak's published claims for this model are a European conformity marking — CE approved and certified as meeting or exceeding European Standard EN-1493 — and an ETL approval covering the electrical side.
Be precise about what that is. A European conformity marking is the manufacturer's own declaration against European directives; it is not a North American third-party lift safety listing and does not substitute for one. Some insurers, fleet safety policies and local jurisdictions require that listing specifically. If yours does, get the requirement in writing and contact us — we will confirm this model's current status before you order.
Shipping and Delivery
Ships by freight to the lower 48 states, quoted live at checkout for your destination so the rate is current rather than an estimate. You must be able to unload the shipment or take pickup at the carrier's terminal — it arrives crated and heavy, so plan for a forklift, a loading dock, or an equipment trailer and enough hands. Residential delivery is available and carries a residential fee.
Inspect before you sign. Check the crate and its contents while the driver is present and note any damage on the bill of lading before signing. A clean signed BOL makes a freight damage claim very hard to pursue.
Warranty
Covered by BendPak's published warranty, linked on this page. That document governs coverage, term and the claim process, and nothing here restates a term it does not state.
Do not disassemble, modify or attempt a repair before filing a warranty claim. It is the most common reason a valid claim is denied. Stop using the equipment, photograph the fault in place, and contact us first.
