Challenger CL12A: 12,000 lbs of adjustable two-post lift that fits a normal shop ceiling

The CL12A is the entry point to Challenger's adjustable 12K family, and its defining specification is a ceiling requirement of 14' 3″. That number is the reason to look at this model rather than its taller siblings: it is the version that goes into a building that was not designed around a heavy-duty lift. Column height on a two-post is permanent once the anchors are in, so the model you pick from this family is really a decision about your roof.

What you get for accepting the shorter column is everything else the family offers — 3-stage front and rear arms, three width settings, and enough rise to work standing up.

Adjustable width, decided at installation

Overall width is offered at 142″, 148″ or 154″, which the feature list describes as an adjustment from 11' 10″ to 12' 10″. That is not a marketing range; it is three real build configurations, and each one changes the drive-through clearance and the space inside the columns to match.

The reason it matters is door swing and technician access. A wide setting lets a full-size pickup open its doors properly between the columns and gives somebody room to walk down the side of the vehicle while it is up. A narrow setting keeps the lift compact in a tight bay and shortens how far the arms have to reach. Choose against the widest vehicle you see regularly, not the widest one you have ever seen, and against the bay you have rather than the bay you hope to build.

Three-stage arms, and what the third stage buys

All four arms are 3-stage, giving an arm reach from 27.5″ at minimum to 59″ extended. That span is the specification technicians actually feel. Retracted far enough, a pad lands squarely on a small car's lift point instead of overshooting it; extended far enough, the same arm reaches the frame on a long-wheelbase van. Two-stage arms have to compromise at one end of that range, and the compromise always shows up as a badly placed pad on the vehicle you would least like to drop.

Premium telescoping footpads adjust from 4.75″ to 6.625″, and a Stack Adapter Kit (P/N 10315) is standard equipment rather than an accessory, so the awkward vehicles are covered from day one. For electric and unusually wide vehicles, the TFPK footpad kit extends what the lift can pick up.

Will It Fit?

Measure before you order. Confirming that the lift suits the building is the customer's responsibility, and on a two-post it is the single most expensive thing to get wrong.

• Ceiling height required: 14' 3″ minimum. Measure to the lowest obstruction over the bay — a light, a duct, a door track — not to the roof deck.
• Overall height: 13' 2″ or 13' 8″, depending on the build.
• Floor to overhead switch: 12' 8″ or 13' 2″. This is where a tall vehicle trips the shut-off, and it is the number that decides what you can raise fully.
• Width: 142″, 148″ or 154″ overall, with roughly 10.5 ft between the columns and about 9.5 ft of drive-through at the wider settings.
• Rise: 84.75″ to the top of the pad and 80″ maximum under the arms, which is 7 ft of clearance to the top of the arms.
• Power: 2HP, 208v–230v, 60Hz, single phase (1Ph), on a dedicated circuit run before installation day.
• Concrete: follow the slab thickness and strength in the installation manual. Two columns put the entire load into two anchor patterns. No anchoring on cracks, patches or expansion joints, and if nobody knows what the floor is, core it.

If the ceiling is the problem, say so before you order

Two escape routes exist and both are decided at order time. Upward, 1-foot and 2-foot column extensions are available, and Challenger also sells the taller CL12A-1 and CL12A-2 builds of this same lift. Downward, a low-ceiling variant is offered with a column height of 11' 11″, which brings the whole feature set into a building that would otherwise rule out a 12K two-post entirely.

Tell us your measured ceiling height and the tallest vehicle you intend to raise fully, and we will tell you which member of this family you should actually be buying. That conversation costs nothing and it is far cheaper than the alternative.

Perfect For

• General repair shops in standard commercial buildings where 14' 3″ is achievable and anything taller is not.
• Fleet and municipal workshops handling vans, pickups and light trucks up to 12,000 lbs.
• Shops adding electric vehicles to the intake, where the TFPK footpad kit matters.
• Multi-bay operations standardising on one adjustable lift rather than several specialised ones.

What's in the Box

• Two columns, overhead beam and shut-off system
• 3-stage front and rear arms
• Premium telescoping footpads
• Stack Adapter Kit, P/N 10315, standard on every CL12A
• Powder coat finish in red, blue or black

Not supplied: anchors and slab work, the electrical circuit, the TFPK footpad kit, column extensions and any rolling jack or accessory. Ask us for these at the same time as the lift.

Specifications

Where our figures do not line up

Two small disagreements sit in our data for this model and you should hear them from us. The drive-through clearance and the inside-column dimensions are each recorded twice, and the two records differ by half an inch: one set gives 103.5″, 109.5″ and 115.5″ of drive-through with 114.5″, 120.5″ and 126.5″ inside the columns, the other gives 104″, 110″ and 116″ with 115″, 121″ and 127″. Separately, one field puts the minimum pad height at 5″, which sits above the bottom of the 4.75″ screw pad range quoted above.

Half an inch is nothing until you are working to it. If drive-through clearance or minimum pad height decides whether this lift works for you, ask us and we will confirm the figure against Challenger's current drawing before you order.

Certification

Challenger records this lift as ALI certified, and that mark is the one this product's data claims. Note the scope: a listing covers the lift as submitted and tested, not the floor it is anchored to, the circuit feeding it, or the standard of the installation. A certified lift on unsuitable concrete is an unsafe lift. If your insurer, landlord or fleet contract requires a particular listing, ask us for the current certificate for this model and revision rather than relying on a web page.

Shipping and delivery

Freight only, within the lower 48 states, priced live at checkout for the address you enter. Unloading is yours to arrange — a forklift, a dock, or collection from the carrier's terminal — because the driver is not equipped to do it. Residential delivery is a different service and carries a residential fee. Warehouse pickup is available as an alternative.

Inspect the shipment before you sign. Check the crated columns, the beam and the arm sets, count everything against the paperwork, and write any damage or shortage on the delivery note while the driver is still with you. Once a clean receipt is signed, a claim becomes extremely difficult.

Warranty

Warranty terms for the CL12A are published on our warranty claims page, and we will confirm the current terms in writing before purchase if you ask. If something fails, leave it assembled. Photograph the part in place, stop using the lift and call us. A component stripped before anyone inspected it cannot be assessed, and that is the most common reason a legitimate claim goes nowhere.