Greg Smith GS-MR6 Review: Premium Mid-Rise Lift for the Discerning Mechanic

Greg Smith Equipment is an Indiana lift distributor that sells direct, and the GS-MR6 is its house-branded mid-rise scissor: a 74 in by 64 in platform, 4.5 in tall collapsed, that raises 6,000 lb to 46 in. Power is 220V recommended with 110V compatibility. The steel is heavy-gauge, the welds are ground, and the finish is a thick powder coat. Greg Smith backs the structure for 5 years and the hydraulics for 2, which is the longest hydraulic cover in this group of mid-rises.

The class is the same as the BendPak MD-6XP and Dannmar DMR-6: a low platform that a stock car parks over, four rubber-padded arms that meet the car at its lift points, and multi-position locks that hold the platform on steel at several heights. It is the answer for a garage with an 8 or 9 ft ceiling that cannot take a 2-post and wants standing-height access under a car.

At around $2,699 the GS-MR6 lands between its two closest competitors, and what distinguishes it is not a spec-sheet number but the thickness of the steel and the length of the warranty.

The 6,000 lb rating covers all passenger cars, crossovers and half-ton pickups at curb weight. The 46 in of rise puts a sedan's rocker at about 50 in, which is chest height standing and enough to run a transmission jack underneath. Under an 8 ft ceiling that leaves room for a vehicle up to about 4 ft tall at full rise; taller SUVs will meet the ceiling first, and the locks let the platform stop lower.

The footprint is 74 in long and 64 in wide, an inch larger than the MD-6XP each way and an inch smaller than the DMR-6. It fits a standard bay with walking room on either side. Collapsed height is 4.5 in, the same as the BendPak, which a stock sedan or SUV drives over and parks on. A car on lowering springs will need ramps.

Weight is about 920 lb, 70 lb more than the MD-6XP, and the difference is in the scissor arms and base. That is what makes the lift stable under a breaker bar, and it is also what makes it a fixture. Once it is placed, it does not move without a pallet jack and two people.

The GS-MR6 arrives on a pallet at roughly 920 lb, so liftgate delivery and something to move it across the floor are the first costs to plan. Greg Smith's instructions cover placement, leveling with shims, connecting the power unit to the hydraulic port, filling the reservoir and cycling the platform unloaded to bleed the system. Anchoring is optional on a flat, sound slab of the thickness the manual specifies; the platform's weight holds it in place under load.

Power is where this lift differs from the 110V-only portables. Greg Smith recommends 220V and lists 110V as compatible. On 110V the lift works and rises more slowly with a heavy vehicle. On 220V the pump runs cooler and the rise is quicker, and for a lift built to this weight it is the sensible way to run it. Budget a few hundred dollars for an electrician if the garage has no 220V outlet, and treat it as part of the price.

Leveling is the step to be careful with. A scissor platform that is out of level engages one side's locks before the other, so the shims go in before the first vehicle, not after.

The GS-MR6 uses dual-engagement safety locks, meaning two independent lock mechanisms engage at each position rather than one, so a single failed pawl does not let the platform drop. That is a design detail more common on commercial lifts than on home mid-rises. The hydraulic circuit has a pressure relief valve and a flow control on the descent, and lowering requires a short raise to unload the locks before they release.

Greg Smith's spec sheet does not claim ALI certification, and the model is not in the ALI directory. That is the main functional difference from the BendPak MD-6XP and Challenger CMR6, both of which are listed. For a home garage the dual locks and the heavy steel are a reasonable substitute. For a commercial bay that answers to an insurer, they are not, and the MD-6XP at $200 more is the right answer.

The warranty is the counter-argument: 5 years structural, matching BendPak, and 2 years hydraulic, which beats BendPak's cover and doubles the Dannmar DMR-6's. Hydraulics are what actually fail on a scissor lift, and in our view that second year is worth real money.

The BendPak MD-6XP (around $2,899) is the certified option: ALI/ETL listed, 48 in of rise, 5-year structural warranty, 850 lb. It costs $200 more than the GS-MR6 and buys the sticker and 2 in of rise. The GS-MR6 answers with heavier steel and a longer hydraulic warranty. For a shop, the sticker wins. For a home garage, it is a coin toss that we would settle on whether a local BendPak dealer exists.

The Dannmar DMR-6 (around $2,499) is the value platform: 47 in of rise, 3-year structural and 1-year hydraulic cover, 900 lb. It saves $200 against the GS-MR6 and gives up two years of structural and one year of hydraulic warranty. That is a fair trade either way.

The Rotary SMRX6 (around $2,599) is an ALI-certified extended platform with 48 in of rise, 78 in of length and a 5-year structural warranty. At $100 less than the GS-MR6 it is the strongest competitor here, and the only thing the Greg Smith answers with is the 2-year hydraulic cover and direct-sale pricing that sometimes includes freight.

The GS-MR6 is for the home mechanic who wants a mid-rise heavier than the value platforms, has 220V or is willing to add it, and cares more about warranty length than about a certification listing. The dual-engagement locks and the 920 lb of steel are the tangible things the money buys, and the 2-year hydraulic warranty is the intangible one. It handles brakes, suspension, exhaust, fluids and transmission work on anything up to a half-ton truck, and a stock car parks over it.

It is the wrong lift for a commercial bay that needs a certified unit, where the MD-6XP or Rotary SMRX6 is the answer. It is the wrong lift for a garage that has to be cleared for parking, where a QuickJack stores and this does not. And it is the wrong lift for someone who wants a dealer down the road; Greg Smith sells direct, and parts come from Indiana.

For a dedicated home bay where warranty terms decide the purchase, the GS-MR6 is a sound buy. Where certification decides it, spend the $200 on the BendPak.