Dannmar DP-9 Review: 9,000-lb Double Park Lift for Two-Car Storage

Most parking lifts are rated at 6,000 or 7,000 lb because most cars weigh under 5,000 lb. The DP-9 is for the vehicles that do not. A Suburban is about 6,000 lb, a Ram 1500 crew cab about 5,500 lb, an F-150 Lightning about 6,500 lb, a Cybertruck about 6,800 lb and an Escalade about 6,000 lb. On a 7,000 lb lift those are inside the rating with a few hundred pounds of margin. On the DP-9 they have 2,500 to 3,500 lb in hand, and a three-quarter-ton at 7,000 to 7,500 lb still fits.

Dannmar is a BendPak company, sold at a lower price point than the BendPak-branded lifts and without the ALI certification those carry. The DP-9 is priced around $4,599, which is $200 under the Atlas AP-9XL and $400 under the Greg Smith GS-PL9, the two other uncertified 9,000 lb lifts in this group.

The platform is 118 in long by 104 in wide with 92 in of drive-on width. A Silverado body is about 81 in across, an F-150 about 80 in, so there is 5 to 6 in of clearance per side, which is comfortable for a truck.

The minimum ceiling is listed at 12 ft, or 144 in, and the rise is 76 in. That leaves 68 in for the vehicle on top at the minimum ceiling, before subtracting for a door opener or lighting. A truck-capable lift at a 12 ft ceiling cannot actually put a truck on top: an F-150 is 77 in tall, a Tahoe 76 in, a Suburban 76 in. Those need about 12 ft 8 in to 13 ft to the lowest obstruction.

So there are two ways to run a DP-9. In a 12 ft garage, the heavy truck parks underneath and a car goes on top, which uses the capacity for a future vehicle and uses the width every day. In a 13 ft garage, the truck goes on top and the car below, which is the arrangement most buyers picture.

Below the platform, the lowered height is 8.5 in, so the underside at full rise is about 67 in off the floor. That takes a truck at 76 in only if the platform is stopped on a lower lock, which then shrinks upper headroom. Measure both vehicles, add the platform, and compare against the real ceiling before assuming two tall vehicles will stack.

The DP-9 ships at 2,700 lb, which is 600 lb more than a BendPak PL-6000 and enough to change the install. The platform sections and columns need a pallet jack or hoist to position, the job is two days for a crew of two or three, and it is listed as a difficult install for that reason. Dannmar sells through dealers and most of them offer installation; taking that option is the sensible route on a lift this heavy.

Concrete matters more here than on a 6,000 lb lift because the column loads are higher. The class requirement is 4 in of 3,000 psi slab, sound and uncracked at every anchor. If the floor is unknown, a core sample is cheap compared to a column that pulls its anchors.

Power is 220V single phase on a dedicated circuit, with an electrician to run it. The realistic project total is around $5,800 to $6,300 including freight, install labor and wiring. The footprint is the other cost: a 104 in wide platform plus columns fills a standard bay wall to wall, so this is not a lift for a garage where the second bay also has to hold a workbench.

Dannmar specifies dual automatic mechanical locks, which means each column has two independent lock positions engaging the carriage as the platform rises. A parked vehicle rests on those locks, not on hydraulic pressure. Hydraulic protection follows the class pattern: a check valve against pump failure, a flow control that governs descent, and a manual lowering path for a power outage.

The DP-9 is not ALI/ETL certified. Its 9,000 lb rating comes from Dannmar's own engineering, which given the BendPak connection is credible, but it has not been tested by an independent lab to the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard. Of the 9,000 lb parking lifts in this group only the Rotary SPL-9HD carries that listing, at around $4,699, or $100 more than the DP-9. That is a small premium for certification, and if a permit office or insurer requires it, the Rotary is the answer.

For a private garage with no such requirement, the DP-9's lock design and its BendPak parentage are enough for us. The yearly maintenance is the usual list: cable inspection, lock engagement on every rise, anchor torque and hydraulic seals.

The Atlas AP-9XL costs about $4,799 and has a slightly bigger platform, 120 in by 106 in with 94 in of drive-on width, at 2,800 lb of steel. It is a marginally better fit for a dually or a long-bed and it comes with Greg Smith Equipment's call-center support rather than a dealer. The Greg Smith GS-PL9 is around $4,999 with a 116 in by 104 in platform, 92 in of width, 2,900 lb of steel and an extended warranty, which is its main argument.

The Rotary SPL-9HD is the certified option at around $4,699: 116 in by 102 in platform, 90 in of drive-on width, 2,650 lb, ALI/ETL listed, dealer-installed. It gives up 2 in of width against the DP-9 to gain the ALI sticker and the Rotary dealer network.

Our ranking for a truck household: DP-9 first on price and support if certification is not required, SPL-9HD first if it is, AP-9XL if the extra 2 in of width is the deciding factor, and the GS-PL9 only if the warranty terms turn out to be worth $400 to you after reading them.

The DP-9 is for the household with a full-size truck or a large SUV that has to live indoors over a car, in a garage with a ceiling tall enough to make that work, which means 12 ft for the car-on-top layout and closer to 13 ft for the truck-on-top layout. It is also right for the buyer who expects to own heavier vehicles later, since a 9,000 lb rating outlasts several truck purchases.

It suits buyers who want BendPak-grade parts availability without the BendPak price and who do not need a certification sticker. The dealer network is the practical advantage over the Atlas and Greg Smith lifts: an installer who has done a DP-9 before is easier to find.

Do not buy it for a sedan-and-crossover household. A 7,000 lb lift such as the Dannmar DP-7S does that job for around $800 less, weighs 500 lb less and leaves more of the bay usable. Do not buy it for a 12 ft garage with two tall vehicles; the math does not work on any lift. And do not buy it if certification is required, where the Rotary SPL-9HD costs only $100 more.