Challenger Lifts CL4P9S — 9,000 lb of capacity under a lower ceiling

Most buyers who want a 9,000 lb four-post cannot have one, because the tall models in the class need more headroom than a house garage has. The CL4P9S exists for those buyers. It carries the same 9,000 lbs as its taller siblings on columns just over 7', and that shorter column is usually the difference between a lift that fits your building and a lift that has to live somewhere else.

Read this before you read the feature list below. That list covers Challenger's whole CL4P9 range, and its "up to 85.5"" rise and "up to 80"" clearance are the range maxima — they belong to the taller models. The CL4P9S rises to 73.25" at the top of the runway and gives 67.75" of clearance in the top locked position. Those are the numbers to plan with. We would rather lose a sale to an honest figure than win one on a number that turns out not to be yours.

Will It Fit?

Measure first. Confirming ceiling height, bay dimensions, door opening and slab condition before ordering is the buyer's responsibility, and a crated four-post lift is not something you want to send back.

• Footprint: 209.5" overall length by 112.25" overall width.
• Column spacing: 95" inside the columns, 160.5" between columns front to back.
• Column height: just over 7'.
• Recommended bay: a minimum of 11' x 22'.
• Drive-through width: 5.65'.
• Runways: 20" wide, 38" apart, sitting 7" above the floor when fully lowered.
• Longest vehicle: 141.5" maximum wheelbase.
• Crossbeam clearance: 68".
• Shipping weight: 1,850 lbs — plan the unload accordingly.
• Power: 115v or 230v single-phase, 1HP or 2HP motor.

The 141.5" wheelbase figure is the one people overlook. It is not about vehicle weight — a compact car and a long-bed pickup can weigh the same — it is about whether the axles land on the runways at all. Measure your longest vehicle from front hub centre to rear hub centre and check it against that number before anything else.

Storage clearance versus rise: two numbers, two jobs

A storage lift has two vertical measurements and buyers routinely use the wrong one. Rise, here 73.25", is measured to the top of the runway and describes how high the lift takes the car; it is what you add your vehicle's roof height to when you are working out whether the ceiling will take the whole assembly. Clearance, here 67.75" in the top locked position, is measured underneath and describes what will drive in below.

Get a tape and check the actual roof height of the car you intend to park beneath, including any roof rack or aerial, then leave yourself a working margin so you are not squeezing past a wing mirror every time. If your lower car is a tall SUV rather than a saloon, this is the calculation that decides whether the CL4P9S or one of the taller models in the range is the right buy.

Built like the bigger models, sized like a garage

Nothing has been cheapened to make the CL4P9S shorter. It uses the same commercial-grade formed runways as the rest of the range, the same adjustable lock ladders, and the same single-point manual lock release. The 9,000 lb models in this family also get larger columns and base plates than the 7,000 lb model, and the CL4P9S is one of them.

Adjustable lock ladders deserve their own sentence, because they address the single most common installation headache: garage floors are rarely flat. Where fixed lock positions force an installer to shim the columns until the geometry agrees, adjustable ladders take up the discrepancy inside the mechanism, so all four locks engage together and the runways sit true on a floor that slopes.

The lock release is single-point and manual — one control drops both column locks simultaneously rather than making a technician walk the lift releasing each in turn. And the whole lift runs without compressed air, so a home installation needs a suitable electrical circuit and nothing more.

Storage today, service later

The runways carry a built-in accessory rail. That is what stops a storage lift from being a one-trick purchase: a rolling jack mounts to the rail so a wheel can be raised clear of the runway for brake or tyre work, and oil drip trays slide into the same channel so the vehicle underneath stays clean. Both are sold separately, and adding either later needs no modification to the lift.

Perfect For

• The standard home garage that wants 9,000 lbs but cannot take a tall lift.
• Two-car stacking where the lower vehicle is a saloon, coupe or hatchback rather than a tall SUV.
• Light-duty general service. Challenger positions this range for light-duty work, and it is honest about that.
• Collectors who want a car locked safely in the air for months at a time with no air system to keep charged.

What's in the Box

The complete CL4P9S lift: four columns, formed runways, crossbeams, adjustable lock ladders, the hydraulic power unit and the single-point lock release, powder coated. Black is the colour listed for this model. Rolling jacks and oil drip trays are the accessories Challenger names for this range and both are sold separately. If a specific ramp, adapter or extension matters to your install, ask us to confirm it before you order rather than after.

Specifications

Certification and anchoring

Challenger lists this range as ALI/ETL certified, and states that anchoring is not required to maintain that certification — which is unusual, since most four-post lifts fall outside their listing if they are not bolted down. For a leased unit, a slab with underfloor heating, or an owner who may want to move the lift later, that is a practical advantage rather than a marketing line.

It is an advantage about documentation and portability, not about physics. The floor still has to carry the load and be flat enough for the lock ladders to correct. If your insurer, a local inspector or a fleet policy imposes its own requirement, put the question to them against this specific model before you order.

Shipping and delivery

This item ships free within the lower 48 states, so there is nothing to add at checkout.

At 1,850 lbs crated this is a forklift job, not a two-person carry. Either have equipment and help ready on the day or choose to collect from the carrier's terminal. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee.

Inspect before you sign. Go over the crate and its contents with the driver still there, and write any damage or missing item onto the bill of lading before signing. Signing clean is a formal statement that everything arrived intact, and reversing that later is difficult.

Warranty

Cover runs under Challenger's published terms; our claim route is at mechanicsuperstore.com/pages/warranty-claims. No warranty duration appears in the data we hold for the CL4P9S, so we have not printed one — ask and we will confirm the current term in writing before you commit.

If a component fails, stop using the lift and speak to us before dismantling anything. A part that has already been stripped is far harder to have accepted as a claim, and clear photographs of the fault in place are the most useful evidence you can give us.