BendPak RJ9W Rolling Bridge Jack

The RJ9W is the heavy end of BendPak's rolling bridge jack range: an air-hydraulic jack that rides in the runway channels of a four-post lift and picks the wheels up off the runways, so a lift that stores and services vehicles can also do wheel and brake work. What separates it from the lighter jacks in the family is not a longer feature list — it is the capacity it holds at one end of an unevenly loaded vehicle, and that is the whole reason it exists.

Why a heavier jack instead of a heavier lift

The capacity printed on a four-post lift is a whole-vehicle figure, shared across four posts and two runways. A bridge jack's capacity is not shared at all. Each jack takes one end of the vehicle on its own, and on a crew-cab truck, a van with a heavy front-end package or a vehicle carrying equipment behind the rear axle, that one end can be well past half of the total weight. This is where shops get caught: the lift is comfortably within its rating while the jack under the nose is not.

The RJ9W closes that gap without touching the lift. A shop running a 14,000 lb four-post lift can reach for a lighter bridge jack, find it short of what an offset centre of gravity asks for at one end, and conclude the lift needs replacing — when what needs upgrading is the jack.

Will it fit your lift and your shop?

Four checks, in the order they matter.

Runway compatibility. The easy-roll wheels are sized to sit inside the runway channels of standard four-post lifts rated 18,000 lbs of lifting capacity or greater. BendPak lists the HDS-18E and the HDS-27 Series as the suitable lift models. If your lift is not on that list, measure the channel and confirm the lift's rating before ordering rather than assuming a jack of this size will drop in.

Reach across the frame. The support base adjusts from 45" (1,143 mm) to 50" (1,270 mm) to span the runways, and the arms run from 42" (1,067 mm) out to 56" (1,422 mm). Wide frames and long wheelbases are the reason to check this figure.

Air supply, not a power circuit. There is no electrical requirement. The jack carries its own air-hydraulic pump, so it runs independently of the lift's power unit and there is no sharing of hydraulic pressure between the two. It does need shop air, and here the published figures disagree with each other and we are not going to paper over it: the product information supplied with this jack asks for an air line at 125 psi and 10 - 20 CFM, while the specification sheet for the same model states the air requirement as 125 PSI (10-25 CFM). The pressure is consistent; the flow figure is not. Size your compressor against the higher of the two, or contact us and we will confirm the requirement with the manufacturer before you order.

Height under and over the vehicle. With the pad alone the jack drives over at 5.25" (133 mm) and rises to 16.25" (413 mm). Add the 2.75" adapter and those become 8" (203 mm) and 19" (483 mm). Add the 5.5" adapter instead and they become 10.75" (273 mm) and 21.75" (552 mm). Low-stance cars care about the first number, tall trucks about the last.

Confirming your own lift's rating, runway dimensions and compressor output is the buyer's responsibility. Ask us to check a combination before you order — it is a great deal easier than a return.

Rollers that are built to be forgotten

The rollers are hardened stainless steel, zinc plated. Rollers live in a channel that collects grit, brake dust and whatever ran off the last vehicle, and they get shoved along under load hundreds of times a year. Hardened and plated, they glide rather than grind, so a technician nudges the jack into position with one hand instead of fighting it. A jack that is awkward to reposition is one that gets positioned approximately — and approximately is not where you want a lift point.

Contact pads and stackable adapters

Rubber contact pads do two jobs at once: they add rise, and they grip the undercarriage at the manufacturer's designated lift points without marking it. A non-marring surface is not cosmetic politeness on a customer's vehicle, it is the difference between a service visit and a paint claim. The adapters stack and unstack, which is what makes one jack work across a mismatched fleet — and it matters most with two jacks on a vehicle whose front and rear suspensions sit at very different heights: the end that needs more reach gets an extra adapter, and the vehicle comes up level.

Foot-pedal control and three lock positions

The pump is fitted to the jack and worked by a foot pedal, keeping both hands free and the operator looking at the vehicle rather than at a control box. Three lock positions set the working height to the job, and the locks hold mechanically at each one, so the load is not sitting on hydraulic pressure while you work under it.

Perfect for

• Professional shops and tyre bays running a four-post lift rated 18,000 lbs or greater that need genuine wheel-service capability from it.
• Truck and van specialists, where an offset centre of gravity is normal rather than exceptional.
• Fleet and municipal workshops servicing heavy, equipment-laden vehicles on a lift they already own.
• Serious home and collector garages with a large four-post lift, where the jack is what turns storage into a workshop.

What is in the box

• The RJ9W rolling bridge jack with its easy-roll wheels fitted
• An air-hydraulic power unit attached to the jack, with foot-pedal control
• Rubber contact pads
• Stackable pad adapters

An air-line kit is offered as an option rather than supplied, so budget for it if you do not already have a drop within reach of the bay.

Specifications

Certification and compliance, stated honestly

BendPak makes no third-party safety-listing claim for this jack in the product data we hold, and we do not make one on its behalf. Some insurers, fleet operators and local jurisdictions require equipment carrying a North American third-party safety listing — an independent test-house listing, which is a different document from a manufacturer's own declaration of conformity. If your insurer, your fleet policy or your local code sets that requirement, confirm what your paperwork asks for before you buy, and talk to us if you want help matching it to a product.

Shipping and delivery

A rolling bridge jack ships as freight to the lower 48 states, crated on a pallet. Unloading is the receiving end's job — a forklift, a dock and pallet jack, or a terminal collection you arrange instead. Delivery to a residential address is a different service from a commercial dock and carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout rather than guessed at here.

Walk the pallet before you sign. Check the crate, the pump housing and the roller assemblies, and write any damage on the bill of lading in the driver's presence — a clean signed bill is the carrier's evidence that it arrived intact.

Warranty

The jack is covered by BendPak's published warranty document, which is what governs a claim; ask us for the current version before you order if the term matters to your decision. One condition is worth stating plainly: do not disassemble the pump, the cylinder or the lock mechanism before a claim is raised. An opened unit is usually outside the warranty by the time anyone looks at it, and the fault is exactly what the manufacturer needs to see intact.