BendPak HDS-40 Four-Post Heavy-Duty Lift
Buy a 40,000 lb lift and you are really buying its failure behaviour, because that is the part you will never test on purpose. The HDS-40 answers three of those questions in hardware. A hose rupture is caught by a flow restrictor built into the hydraulic cylinder, so the runways settle instead of dropping. Cable slack — the more likely mechanical failure on any four-post lift, given how many moving parts a cable system has — is caught by a secondary slack-detection lock. And the primary locks are released by a single pneumatic button that disengages all four at once, so nobody is walking the structure pulling levers under a loaded truck.
This is the standard-length model in BendPak's heaviest four-post series. Same 40,000 lbs (18,144 kg) rating as the extended-runway version — the difference between them is bay length, not strength.
Will it fit?
Overall width is 153.5" (3,899 mm) with 133.5" (3,391 mm) between the columns, and the columns stand 91.25" (2,318 mm). Outside length is 257" (6,528 mm), overall length 313.75" (7,969 mm), and the runways measure 255.5" (6,490 mm). Drive-through clearance between the carriages is 109" (2,769 mm).
Runways are 28" (711 mm) wide, spaced 40.75" (1,035 mm) apart, centreline 74" (1,880 mm), outside edge 102" (2,591 mm). The runway sits 9.5" (241 mm) off the floor at rest, rises 60" (1,524 mm), and reaches a maximum lifting height of 69.5" (1,765 mm). The power unit runs on 220V, 60 Hz single phase and is rated at 45 dB.
Capacity is limited per axle as well as in total: 20,000 lbs (9,072 kg) on the front and 20,000 lbs (9,072 kg) on the rear. Minimum wheelbase at the full rating is 185" (4,699 mm), relaxing to 160" (4,064 mm) at 75% capacity, 135" (3,429 mm) at 50% and 110" (2,794 mm) at 25%. Check your vehicle against those before you check it against the headline number.
One paragraph of this page's copy is about a different lift, and it carries a runway figure. The closing section quotes 323" runways and attributes them to the extended-length HDS-40X — not the standard-length HDS-40 you are looking at, whose own specification sheet gives 255.5" (6,490 mm) runways and a 257" (6,528 mm) outside length. We have carried the 323" figure rather than quietly deleting it, but it should not be read as a specification of this model. If bay length is the deciding factor for you, ask us to confirm the runway and overall length of the HDS-40 in writing before you order, and tell us if you actually want the extended version instead.
Concrete thickness and strength, anchoring and ceiling clearance are the buyer's responsibility to verify against BendPak's installation and operation manual, linked in the downloads on this page. That manual, not this description, is the governing document for siting.
Cables and sheaves, in detail
BendPak specifies 3/4" diameter, 6 x 25 galvanized construction lifting cable on this lift. The 6 x 25 designation describes how the cable is laid up — a construction chosen for flexibility under repeated bending as much as for tensile strength, which is what a lift cable actually needs when it goes over a sheave thousands of times. Galvanizing addresses the other failure mode: corrosion in a shop atmosphere of heat, humidity and airborne particulate. The cables are fully enclosed within the structure.
They run over 12" diameter sheaves on 4" diameter axles. BendPak's own copy states that all four sheaves rotate in synchronisation 100% of the time, which is the mechanism that keeps the runways level rather than a control system correcting after the fact. Grease nipples are fitted for routine servicing.
Locks you can choose between
Thirteen adjustable lock positions engage audibly as the lift rises. Two things follow from having that many. The first is comfort: you pick the height that puts the work where you want it instead of accepting the nearest position. The second is less obvious and more useful — a range of lock heights lets you compensate for a floor that is not perfectly level, which older buildings rarely are.
Release is a single pneumatic push-button that disengages all four locks simultaneously for a controlled descent. The pneumatic cylinders are stainless steel and aluminium, and BendPak states they are tested and overloaded at its own California facilities.
Base plates and the power unit
Base plates are 12" x 12" — wider than the plates on BendPak's lighter-duty models, and sized to be bolted into suitable concrete for a lift carrying this class of vehicle. The electric-hydraulic power unit is a maintenance-free design with one-push button control, a stabilising pressure relief valve and a protective weatherproof casing, which matters in a truck shop where the power unit lives in the open rather than in a clean equipment room.
Perfect For
- Heavy truck, bus, RV and motorhome service where bay length is standard rather than extended
- Fleet and municipal maintenance shops
- Commercial operations wanting a lift that doubles as heavy vehicle storage
- Shops with the slab and ceiling height for a lift of this capacity
What's in the Box
The HDS-40 four-post structure, galvanized fully enclosed lifting cables, 12" cable sheaves, a single hydraulic under-runway cylinder with integrated flow restrictor, spring-loaded safety locks with the secondary cable-slack detection system, the push-button pneumatic lock release, 12" x 12" base plates, grease nipples and the electric-hydraulic power unit with operator controls. Rolling bridge jacks are optional and ordered separately, together with the SUV and truck adapters BendPak supplies for deeper undercarriages. Anchors, concrete work and electrical installation are not included.
Specifications
| Lifting capacity |
40,000 lbs (18,144 kg) |
| Max. capacity per axle |
20,000 lbs (9,072 kg) front, 20,000 lbs (9,072 kg) rear |
| Min. wheelbase at rated capacity |
185" (4,699 mm) |
| Min. wheelbase at 75% / 50% / 25% |
160" (4,064 mm) / 135" (3,429 mm) / 110" (2,794 mm) |
| Min. runway height |
9.5" (241 mm) |
| Max. rise |
60" (1,524 mm) |
| Max. lifting height |
69.5" (1,765 mm) |
| Overall width |
153.5" (3,899 mm) |
| Width between columns |
133.5" (3,391 mm) |
| Height of columns |
91.25" (2,318 mm) |
| Outside length |
257" (6,528 mm) |
| Overall length |
313.75" (7,969 mm) |
| Length of runways |
255.5" (6,490 mm) |
| Runway width |
28" (711 mm) |
| Width between runways |
40.75" (1,035 mm) |
| Drive-thru clearance |
109" (2,769 mm) |
| Locking positions |
13, spaced every 4" (102 mm) |
| Lifting cable |
3/4" diameter, 6 x 25 galvanized |
| Motor |
220V, 60 Hz, single phase |
| Sound level |
45 dB |
| Lift weight |
6,748 lbs |
Certification, stated plainly
The product data we hold for the HDS-40 records no third-party lift safety listing claim. We will not write one onto the page, and we will not tell you that none exists either — what we can tell you is that we have not verified one. For a lift in this capacity class the distinction is practical rather than academic: commercial insurers, corporate fleet safety policies and some local inspection regimes ask to see a listing document, and no amount of descriptive copy substitutes for it. If that requirement applies to you, raise it with us before you order and we will confirm in writing what documentation BendPak issues for this model.
Shipping and delivery
Freight only, to the lower 48 states. Unloading is the buyer's responsibility: have a forklift or equivalent lifting equipment with the capacity for it, or arrange terminal pickup from the carrier and collect with suitable equipment. Residential delivery is available and carries a residential fee. Freight is quoted live at checkout, which is why no shipping figure is written into this page.
Inspect the shipment against the delivery receipt before you sign it and note any damage on the paperwork at the time. Runway ends and column corners take the knocks; a clean signed receipt makes a later claim much harder. Warehouse pickup is available at the BendPak locations named in the Pick Up and Delivery section of this page.
Warranty
A written BendPak warranty document covers this lift and is linked from this page; it is the governing text and its terms are not paraphrased here. If a fault develops, open the claim before the equipment is opened — a hydraulic component that has already been stripped is very often a claim declined. Photograph the fault, take the lift out of service, and call us.
