Challenger CMR6 Review: ALI-Certified Mid-Rise with Professional Pedigree

Challenger Lifts builds 2-post and 4-post lifts for dealership and fleet service bays, and the CMR6 is its mid-rise scissor sized for a home garage or a quick-service bay. It is a 74 in by 64 in platform, 4.5 in tall collapsed, that raises 6,000 lb to 46 in on multi-position automatic locks. Power is 220V recommended with 110V compatibility. The lift carries ALI/ETL certification, weighs about 880 lb, and is backed by 5 years on structure and 2 years on hydraulics.

The class exists for garages that cannot take a 2-post. A 2-post needs 11 ft or so of ceiling and anchors in sound concrete; a mid-rise needs neither, and because the platform collapses under 5 in, a stock car drives over it and parks. That is what lets a two-car garage own one without losing a bay.

At around $2,799 the CMR6 sits $100 under the BendPak MD-6XP and $200 over the Rotary SMRX6, the two other certified platforms in this group, and the differences among the three are inches of rise, platform length and warranty terms rather than anything in the mechanism.

The 6,000 lb rating covers all passenger cars and crossovers and the half-ton pickups at curb weight. The 46 in of rise puts a sedan's rocker at about 50 in, which is chest height for a person standing and enough to roll a transmission jack under the car. Under an 8 ft ceiling that leaves room for a vehicle up to about 4 ft tall at full rise; a taller SUV meets the ceiling first and the multi-position locks hold the platform lower.

The footprint is 74 in long and 64 in wide, an inch larger than the MD-6XP each way and 4 in shorter than the Rotary SMRX6. It fits a standard two-car bay with walking room on both sides. The adjustable pads reach the lift points of most vehicles; a crew-cab truck with widely spread frame points should be checked against the 74 in platform before ordering, which is where the Rotary's 78 in earns its place.

The collapsed height is 4.5 in, the same as BendPak, and a stock sedan or SUV drives over it. A lowered car needs ramps. At about 880 lb the CMR6 is a fixture, and it does not move without a pallet jack and two people.

The CMR6 ships at roughly 880 lb on a pallet, so liftgate delivery and something to move it across the floor are the first costs. Challenger's manual covers placement, leveling with shims, connecting the power unit to the hydraulic port, filling the reservoir and cycling the platform unloaded to bleed the system. Two people with basic tools can complete that in an afternoon, and anchoring is optional on a flat, sound slab that meets the thickness the manual specifies.

Power is 220V recommended, 110V compatible. On 110V the lift works and rises more slowly with a heavy vehicle. Challenger designs for commercial cycle rates, and its guidance points to 220V; a dedicated outlet on its own breaker and an electrician's visit of a few hundred dollars should be budgeted with the lift. A home garage lifting one car a week will manage on a dedicated 20-amp 110V circuit until that happens.

Leveling matters. A scissor platform out of level engages one side's locks before the other, so the shims go in before the first vehicle, not after.

The CMR6 uses automatic multi-position safety locks that engage as the platform rises, a pressure relief valve ahead of the cylinder and a flow control on the descent. With the locks set the vehicle sits on steel. Lowering requires raising the platform slightly to unload the locks before they release, so they never let go under load.

The certification is what the price buys. ALI/ETL certification means an independent lab checked a production CMR6 against the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard for structure, hydraulics and controls, and the model is listed in the ALI directory. That is what an insurer or an inspector asks for in a commercial bay. For a home garage it is the difference between the manufacturer's word and a lab's, and in our view it is worth the $300 over an uncertified Dannmar DMR-6 for anyone who will spend hours under the lift.

The warranty is 5 years structural and 2 years hydraulic. The hydraulic term is the one to notice: it matches Greg Smith and beats BendPak's cover, and hydraulics are what actually wear on a scissor lift. Challenger's parts and service network is built around commercial customers, so confirm a distributor within reach before ordering.

The BendPak MD-6XP (around $2,899) is the closest match: ALI/ETL certified, 48 in of rise, 4.5 in collapsed, 850 lb, 5-year structural warranty, on a 73 in platform. It costs $100 more than the CMR6 and gives 2 in more rise and BendPak's larger residential dealer and accessory network. The CMR6 answers with the 2-year hydraulic warranty. That is close enough that the nearer dealer should decide it.

The Rotary SMRX6 (around $2,599) is the other certified platform: 48 in of rise on a 78 in extended platform, 950 lb, 5-year structural warranty. It costs $200 less than the CMR6, gives 2 in more rise and 4 in more platform, and is the better value on paper. Rotary's home-market support is thinner than Challenger's or BendPak's, which is the reason to pay more.

The Challenger CMJ6 (around $1,999) is the same brand's pair of wireless battery jacks, 26 in of rise, 145 lb each, no certification. It is the answer for a garage that has to park; the CMR6 is the answer for a bay that does not.

The CMR6 is for the home mechanic or small shop that wants a certified mid-rise from a commercial brand, has a dedicated bay under a low ceiling with 220V or the willingness to add it, and values a 2-year hydraulic warranty over a couple of inches of rise. It handles brakes, suspension, exhaust, fluids and transmission work on anything up to a half-ton, and a stock car parks over it between jobs. Shops that already run Challenger 2-posts and want a matching quick-service platform are the most natural buyers.

It is the wrong lift for a garage that has to be cleared for parking, where the CMJ6 or a QuickJack stores and 880 lb does not. It is the wrong lift for a buyer with a BendPak dealer nearby and no Challenger distributor, where the MD-6XP's support is easier to reach for $100. And it is more lift than a once-a-year oil change justifies.

For the certified fixed bay where Challenger is the local brand, the CMR6 is the mid-rise we would buy, and the hydraulic warranty is the reason.