Dannmar DMR-9 Review: 9,000-lb Mid-Rise Service Lift for Serious Shops

The DMR-9 is Dannmar's mid-rise scissor scaled for trucks. It shares the layout of the DMR-6, a low platform with four rubber-padded arms that meet the vehicle at its frame rails and raise it on multi-position locks, and it grows every number that matters for a pickup: 9,000 lb of capacity, an 80 in by 68 in platform, 48 in of rise, dual pressure relief in the hydraulic circuit and 220V single-phase power. Weight goes from 900 lb to about 1,250 lb, and the price from around $2,499 to around $3,499.

The reason to want it is margin. A crew cab F-150 weighs about 5,000 lb at the curb, a Ram 1500 with the Hemi 5,400, a Tahoe 5,600, and a three-quarter-ton F-250 gas crew cab about 6,500. Every one of those fits under a 6,000 lb rating only barely or not at all, and none of them goes on a lift with an empty bed. The DMR-9 puts a loaded half-ton at about 65 percent of rating and a three-quarter-ton at about 80 percent, which is where a lift should work.

Dannmar is BendPak's value brand, so the design lineage is shared with BendPak's own mid-rises.

The 9,000 lb rating covers all half-ton pickups loaded and most three-quarter-tons at curb weight. It does not cover a diesel F-350 or a dually, which start near 7,500 lb empty and climb fast; that is the Triumph NSS-12K's territory. The 48 in of rise on a truck with 9 in of ground clearance puts the frame rails at about 57 in, which is eye level for most people standing and enough for a transmission jack with room to spare.

The platform is 80 in long and 68 in wide. That reaches the frame-rail lift points of a crew cab without extensions and it needs a bay of two-car width to leave walking room on both sides. Under a 9 ft ceiling a truck up to about 5 ft tall clears at full rise; a lifted truck or a high-roof van meets the ceiling first, and the multi-position locks hold the platform lower.

The collapsed height is 5.25 in, half an inch taller than the DMR-6. A truck drives over it without noticing. A stock sedan clears it. A lowered car will not, which is a reason a mixed household of a truck and a sports car might prefer two lifts.

The DMR-9 arrives at about 1,250 lb on a pallet, and that is past what two people and a furniture dolly can manage. A pallet jack rated for the load, a forklift, or a rigging service is needed to place it. Dannmar's manual then covers leveling with shims, connecting the power unit, filling the reservoir and cycling the platform unloaded to bleed the system. The difficulty rating on this page is difficult for a reason, and for a home buyer we would price professional placement into the purchase.

Power is 220V single phase, recommended rather than optional in practice. A pump that lifts a loaded truck to 48 in on 110V will do it slowly and hot, and Dannmar's own guidance points to 220V. That means a dedicated outlet on its own breaker and an electrician if the garage lacks one.

The slab matters more at 9,000 lb than at 6,000. A loaded platform puts over 10,000 lb through its base, and Dannmar specifies a minimum concrete thickness and strength in the manual. A typical 4 in residential slab in good condition usually meets it; a cracked or heaved one does not. Check before ordering.

The DMR-9 uses multi-position automatic locks that engage as the platform rises, so a truck can be set on steel at several heights rather than only at the top. The hydraulic circuit carries two pressure relief valves, one protecting the pump and one the cylinder, and a flow control on the descent. Lowering requires raising the platform slightly to unload the locks before they release, so they never let go under load.

The dual relief is the detail that separates the DMR-9 from its 6,000 lb sibling. On a heavier platform a single relief valve sized for the pump can still let a shock load, such as a wheel dropping off a jack under the raised truck, spike the cylinder. The second valve covers that case.

Dannmar's spec sheet does not claim ALI certification, and the DMR-9 is not in the ALI directory. For a home garage that is a judgment call on a design that shares its lineage with certified BendPak platforms. For a commercial shop it is usually a deal-breaker, and there is no Dannmar answer to it at this capacity; the certified route is a BendPak or Rotary heavy scissor at a higher price. The warranty is 3 years structural and 1 year on components.

The DMR-6 (around $2,499) is the same lift with 6,000 lb of capacity, 47 in of rise, a 4.75 in collapsed height and 900 lb of steel, on 110V or 220V. For a household whose heaviest vehicle is a crossover, it does everything the DMR-9 does for $1,000 less and without the 220V requirement. The DMR-9 earns its price only when a truck is on it.

The Triumph NSS-12K (around $4,299) is the next step up: 12,000 lb, 52 in of rise, dual cylinders, 1,800 lb, 220V. It costs $800 more and covers one-ton trucks and loaded vans. If an F-350 or a dually is in the fleet, that $800 is not optional. If the fleet stops at a three-quarter-ton, the DMR-9 is the better buy.

The Rotary SMRX6 (around $2,599) is an ALI-certified 6,000 lb extended platform with 48 in of rise. It is the certified alternative for a household of cars and a light truck, and it is $900 less than the DMR-9. Choose by whether capacity or certification is the missing piece.

The DMR-9 is for the truck owner with a low ceiling: someone who services a half-ton or three-quarter-ton at home, has a two-car-width bay with a sound slab and 220V, and wants standing-height access with a rating that leaves room for a loaded bed. Contractors, campers with a three-quarter-ton tow vehicle, and anyone who has watched a 6,000 lb lift work at its limit under an F-150 are the buyers. Two jobs a month is roughly where around $3,499 starts to pay back against shop labor on a truck.

It is the wrong lift for a household of cars, where the DMR-6 or a Rotary SMRX6 does the job for $900 to $1,000 less. It is the wrong lift for a one-ton or a dually, where the NSS-12K's margin is needed. And it is the wrong lift for a commercial bay that must show an ALI certificate.

For a half-ton or three-quarter-ton under a 9 ft ceiling, the DMR-9 is the mid-rise we would buy, and the $800 saved against the NSS-12K is real money for margin that a three-quarter-ton does not need.