Owners feedback of Direct-Lift Pro Park 7 + 8. Also additional safety features.

I guess the best place to put the ramps is opposite of the release lever. I think it may be better to have the ramps away from the release lever anyway just in case you miss or go off the ramp and possibly damage the release lever. With that kind of damage to the runway, you would think that someone would have immediately shipped out a new one and not paint since these are powder coated anyway. Greg Smith should of offered to get you a replacement one asap and then they could have gotten reimbursed from the shipper. That would be taking care of your customers. I hope this was just 1 bad experience and that maybe there was some communication problems. If you like the lift now why not keep it and have Greg Smith just replace the damaged runway? I would think he would do that for you. In this poor economy Greg Smith can not afford to have any dissatisfied customers. When I spoke to Greg smith on the phone I was not too impressed with his personality. I had asked why his pricing is higher than if I buy direct from Direct Lift. He gave me a crazy excuse that I need to hit a update price or scroll down for pricing. Nothing worked to lower that price. He then acted like there was a problem with his site and would fix it, but it has not changed. So I asked him why would I buy from you when I can go direct to Direct Lift and buy. He then lowered his price to what Direct Lift was priced at. His site also says to call for a best price, but when I did he only lowered it to match Direct Lifts price but only after I questioned him on it. I then called Direct Lift and asked about that and they said he should not be selling it for a higher price, but they did state that he does that because he sells a lot of lifts, and does not care if he looses a sale here and there. If he can not be lower than Direct Lift I will just drive there and get it. Both are about the same distance from me anyway. I will cut out the middle man if he can not lower his pricing. I am not bashing Greg Smith but its all about my money in a bad economy. If Greg Smith is cheaper I go to him, if not cut the middle man and go to Direct Lift and buy from them. I am looking for the Pro Park 9, 2- 4500 rolling jacks and 4-wheel jacks. This was not a small sale, so every dollar saved helps me. YOU NEED TO SHOP FOR THE BEST PRICE!

Man, that sounds familiar.
If you get the pro jack 4500 you will probably find that the jack goes up slowly, and/or you have to hold the handle up briefly to get a good pump out of it. I found that (provided its not low on oil like mine was) if you loosen the fill plug to allow air to enter the reservoir chamber it will pump great. Seems it is pulling a vacuum on the reservoir and there is no vent. BUt watch when you let i down since it can allow oil to come out some if you let it down too fast. I have to design some type of air gap for mine.

I have a ProPark 8s that I went to the Greg Smith Eq location in Delaware and picked up myself. Partly because I'm cheap, but also because I didn't want the hassle and issues of dealing with a freight shipper. I was going to have to pick it up one way or another, so I drove the extra mile and picked it up in person.

The guys at the Delaware location were great. The salesman gave me a good 30 minutes of uninterupted time showing me all the ins and outs of the the lift, key points to remember when installing and using the lift, and even pointed out some good safety tips as well.

He went the extra mile with me, from the sales floor to the loading dock, and gave me tips on how to secure the lift to my rented Uhaul trailer. When I got the lift home, and started assembly, I was dissapointed to see that the hydraulic hose was missing. It was after hours at this point, and I called and left a message. Monday morning, about 5 minutes after they opened for business, I got a phone call at my home first, then my cell phone and work phone. The same sales associated was quite apologetic, and promised to overnight the hose to me that day.

So, I'm sorry for the troubles you went through Mr. Gaddie, and hopefully things get straightened out for you. I've learned you get more with honey than vinegar.

I'm not sure you read everything!? But honey was applied but didnt work out too well. There is a salesman at the Indianapolis office "Gary Smith" (No relation to Greg) who is great to work with, Just cant say anything bad about Gary, professional all the way! he is my go between and hopefully we will get it all resolved.
But have to ask (If you had read all of the posts) what your approach would have been??

Well, I would have stopped assembling it when I noticed the damage, which would have happend prior to assembly. I'm a little confused why you continued to assemble the lift after you noticed the damaged runner, which is cosmetic in my oppinion, but still, damaged.

I'm not sure how your lift was packaged, but I could clearly see 360 degrees around my lift prior to them placing it on my trailor.

But to answer your question, I would have taken pictures as it came off the freight delivery vehicle, and then taken pictures along the entire process to document any damage that you saw. It clearly was an issue with you and the freight company prior to you starting any assembly. As for the mechanical issues you had, that's a different story, but again, GSE is simply the re-seller, and the go between for you and ProPark (whoever the parent company is).

Since you have a pro park 8? I would assume that it is package the same as this one!? But they never raised it very high to sit it on my trailer and I didnt want to crawl under the 2500 pds to see. Would have thought there would be some sort of protection down there with such a long package and that heavy but now know its very exposed to forks. Did all of that you stated, have the pictures, made the calls as told, unfortunately it is the bottom peice of the 2500 pd package and seeing the bottom isnt a easy trick, and called as soon as it was found (as instructed). So it sat in half assembled position for over a week waiting and couldnt use my shop area, we thought it was being taken care of and finished assembly when all was going well, then hit a snag that is now being resolved.
But here is another interesting point, I got a copy of the invoice from the shipper "Estes" and I signed the received block but I did NOT sign the no damage block, someone signed it in my name with different hand writing!

Well, a couple things. It's the underside, so I personally would have just painted it myself and called it a day. I'm not that picky over cosmetic issues.

Secondly, it sounds like you should have been on bashing the shipper to get this resolved. As I understand it, it's the buyers responsibility to contract a shipper, so ultimately, it's on you, the buyer, to work it out with the shipper. I'm not trying to piss in your cereal, but your gripe should not be with Greg Smith here. No different than if I buy a Dell, and it comes here and is broken inside and there is obvious damage to the box or packaging. I'm going to call and file a dispute with UPS or Fedex.

I have had great luck with my Direct lift pro 8 +. Just a little scratch due to shipping. I have put allot more on it since then. I have the hydraulic jack and it works great, I hope to buy another. I got mine out of Texas. I use mine for everything from my vette to my Suburban. I know that bad things happen in shipping and you can get Lemons on any thing, but I would recomend Direct Lift to everyone. Since using mine, my dad is going to get the pro 9. The only time I had a little problem is when one of the corners did not latch when I did not go high enough to clear all tabs. A little adjustment all is good. It has many uses, I even use it to change my lights out on the garage ceiling and other uses. Pro park 7 is a completely different lift, I have no experience with so I want comment.

The Alchemist said:

Well, a couple things. It's the underside, so I personally would have just painted it myself and called it a day. I'm not that picky over cosmetic issues.

Secondly, it sounds like you should have been on bashing the shipper to get this resolved. As I understand it, it's the buyers responsibility to contract a shipper, so ultimately, it's on you, the buyer, to work it out with the shipper. I'm not trying to piss in your cereal, but your gripe should not be with Greg Smith here. No different than if I buy a Dell, and it comes here and is broken inside and there is obvious damage to the box or packaging. I'm going to call and file a dispute with UPS or Fedex.

Click to expand...

Theres no point in even trying to argue it with you since it appears you havent read all the posts or seen the pictures on all that transpired, you would know that the issue wasnt just the shipper or damage but how it all unfolded. You would also have seen that the underside of the package (by the pictures) is also the top of the runway. I didnt bother to even show the damage to the other parts as I simply was going to touch those up but.....And for me to repost ALL of that again and more pictures would be redundant.
But never the less, If I spend $3600 on something new, I kind of like for it to look and be as it should be.......New! I'm kind of funny that way I guess whereas several cans of spray paint wouldnt do it for me.

I'm not trying to argue with you, and I feel bad for you, but this is exactly the reason why I decided to go in person to pick up my lift. I understand that it's not an option for everyone, but it's what I chose to do. I wish you the best of luck in getting it resolved. All I was trying to do is keep this from turning into a one sided bash fest of a vendor who it looks like is working with you to resolve this issue.

I'm thrown off a little that the top of your runway isn't diamond plated like mine is.

I'm not sure why its a smooth surface now instead of the diamond plate surface. But these are smooth as glass.....well, were! The diamond plate may have even kept as much damage from occuring had it still been used. I am sure they have a reason for the change. I'll be painting them with a textured paint to fill the gouges and make it look good, like the tech recommended. The non slip surface should be a plus too!
I wish I had gone and picked it up myself, but it was a toss up and i couldnt drive it for less than the shipping, plus the taxes you have to pay if you get it there made my choice for me, Obviously things got way more complicated than they had to when I was simply doing as i was told, but be it employee errors or communication errors on anyones part, Greg Smith Equipment is working with me to resolve the issue now and we are close to having it taken care of.
Meanwhile, despite the lift issues that hopefully the manufacturer is taking care of, the lift is doing real well! I did anchor it as the wobble (which they say is better as you put more weight on it) just didnt make me comfortable with a 6 or 7 thousand pound SUV or old 58 hearse i have, above my head! But having anchored the lift, it is sturdy as a rock.
With the anchor bolts set in, I have it figured that the wheel lift will raise the legs high enough to clear the bolts should I wish to unbolt and move it. Lot of work but I cant begin to tell you how solid it is anchored!
I can see your point on the bashing, and I am trying to not do more of it. I beleive it all served its purpose and some issues were clarified that really needed to be looked at and will be corrected, and that people looking for a lift can know what to watch out for, maybe ask a few questions, and they can still get a Direct Lift and be happy! All I ever wanted was to fix it and enjoy it. I believe with the damage problem corrected I will have no problem showing it to others to see what they think. I haven't put the hearse on it yet but looks like it will be fine!

I just looked at "smooth72"s picture, LOL doesnt the frame and chassis go on top of the runways?? trying to figure out what he was doing on that one, but it gave me some ideas of how to lift a body off a frame!!!!
I doubt that a lift is designed for that purpose but could work well for lifting a body off, given a few straps and some assorted home made braces!

Trust me, I understand your frustration, especially considering the cost involved. You simply want it to be right, and get what you paid for. You didn't buy a used lift, you bought a new lift and expected it to be in 100% perfect condition, and that's fair.

That's weird that the runways are smooth. (As I run out to the garage to check mine since it's been a while since the runways were at eye level) LOL. Yup, diamond plate on the entire surface.

Well, to correct the damage on the runways I painted both with a rubberized textured paint that is non slip and durable (Grizzly grip), it concealed the damage and provided a durable finish that looks good. Plus the non slip surface seems to be a plus. Greg Smith Equipment has reimbursed me for the paint and materials and my time to fix the lift.
So call it an episode of an employee not providing all of, or the correct information to me or Mr Greg Smith and causing all of our trouble, or one can summarize it all for themselves. One can ask questions before they buy to help ease their worries. But to be fair, I will say that despite my bad experience on this lift purchase from the shipping damage and such, we are using the lift regularly without any problems now. While I have to stay with the fact I like it anchored (It just makes me feel safer without any wobble) they say that a lot of lifts have some shake and wobble but are sturdier as you put more weight on them! I like mine anchored as it gives it that rock solid feel of safety. Also I made sure that my anchors were only 1 1/2 inches above concrete (2 max) to allow it to be unbolted and raised by the wheels so it can clear the bolts if I need to move it!
So I am happy with it at this point, and while I had some interesting problems, If anyone goes thru Greg Smith Equipment and gets a direct lift, they do seem to work well, and I can recommend that thru the Indianapolis store that "Gary Smith" (Salesman) is a straight up guy who will tell you what you need to know. I would have no problem using him to ask questions about a new lift.

after reading all of this, I'm on the fence about who is in error.
I can see both sides of the fence.
I purchased a lift it 's called an HD8XLT, 10 in taller and 20 in longer.
it is identical to pro park, greg smith, and others.
I picked it up in calif at warehouse, where they distribute many brands,
( bendpac, propark, panther,metro,north american,and others)
it was VERY obvious that most all came from the same place/manufacture,
I asked the warehouse guy, if they came from same place, he showed me the shipping tags for 4 different named lifts, ALL FROM SAME CHINESE COMPANY.
he said bend pac was only one partially made in the US.
anyhow back to original post, I would want my lift in like new condition, but I don;t expect dealer to kiss my a$$ in fixing it, a little co operation on both ends works wonders,
I'm glad it worked out for you, I didn;t have to modify ANYTHING to assemble my lift, just bolt it together.
enjoy your lift, I sure enjoy mine!

gtoblade said:

I just looked at "smooth72"s picture, LOL doesnt the frame and chassis go on top of the runways?? trying to figure out what he was doing on that one, but it gave me some ideas of how to lift a body off a frame!!!!
I doubt that a lift is designed for that purpose but could work well for lifting a body off, given a few straps and some assorted home made braces!

Click to expand...

I wonder how long it would take for someone to ask. I work on my frame on a rack, this is how I get it off the rack.

smooth72 said:

I wonder how long it would take for someone to ask. I work on my frame on a rack, this is how I get it off the rack.

Click to expand...

I love the idea! I built my own rotisserie and lifting the body off the frame and getting it on the rotisserie is a bear! But with the lift and some straps (etc) it could make it much easier! Sometimes the easiet solutions are the hardest to find! LOL
I like the frame rack you have too! May have to make me one!

How much of a great deal did you get? As I am looking at the same lift of the pro park 8 plus. THanks

I got mine from here. http://www.derekweaver.com/update/index.aspx If you can afford two of the pro- jacks, get them. I had mine delivered to a local truck yard, It was cheaper to have it shipped than to pick it up from the distributor and pay the taxes.

In a present time as in the picture, my ceiling is only 7.5" tall. If I removed the opener, I could stand up and work on the car. As of now, I simply sit on a rolling stool. untimely, there is only attic space above the garage, so I plan to vault the ceiling and angle my opener like Rotundas did. Then I'll be able to put the car in the air, open the door and then park my daily driver under it. Hows that.,...

I'll chime in here on this old thread because I am a Pro Park 8 Plus owner (about 2 years). I rented a U-haul trailer, picked it up from their Delaware warehouse and brought it to my home in the washington, DC area. I have a narrow, one car garage but the ceiling is a tall 14' 6", so I got the 8+ because it is narrower than the larger models but I can crank up the height to the point that anyone 6' tall can walk under it without knocking themselves out. I store my old car up there, and recently used it to lift a small boat off a trailer so I could work on the trailer. I have never tested the lift with anything near the rated limit but feel confident that it can handle the 2800 pound load I usually have on it. I mounted lights on the underside of the hollow runway. The safety lock mechanism could be better; even with the unit properly leveled, you must carefully lower it slowly to make sure that it engages into all four posts. It was a great value for the money, but if I used it for often, for heavier loads, I'd go for something fancier.

Direct Lift Pro Park 8 PLUS LONG

I am considering this above lift soon as it lifts higher and still has shorter
runways than BENDPAK

Any comments, pros or cons on the Pro Park 8 Plus Long ?????