BendPak OctaFlex 12DPSTwo Post Service Lift:The Complete UK Guide
Two Post Lifts · EV & Cab-Off Service
BendPak OctaFlex 12DPS
Two Post Service Lift:
The Complete UK Guide
12,000 lb of primary lifting plus a 6,000 lb auxiliary system built for EV battery work and cab-off truck repairs — it’s like having two lifts in one
Every workshop owner reaches a point where a standard two-post lift starts to feel like it’s holding the business back. Maybe it’s the EV that comes in for battery service and there’s nowhere safe to put a 600kg battery pack once it’s out. Maybe it’s the diesel pickup booked in for a cab-off clutch job, and you know from experience that’s going to mean two days of jacks, axle stands, and someone holding their breath every time the cab swings free. The BendPak OctaFlex 12DPS was built for exactly these moments.
It is, at its core, a 12,000 lb two-post lift — the kind of machine most workshops already know how to use. But bolted onto that familiar frame is something genuinely new: four independent auxiliary arms with a combined 6,000 lb capacity, designed specifically to support the heavy components that modern vehicles throw at technicians. In this guide I’ll walk through exactly what that means in practice, how the safety systems work, what it costs, and whether it makes sense for your workshop. I’ll give you the straight version — I’m not going to pretend this is the right lift for every garage, because it isn’t. But for the right workshop, it might be the best equipment decision you make this year.
What is the BendPak OctaFlex 12DPS and who is it actually for?
Let’s deal with the obvious question first. A two-post lift that costs nearly fifteen thousand pounds is not an impulse purchase, and it’s not for every workshop. So before we go any further, let’s be clear about who this machine is built for.
If your workshop is doing straightforward MOTs, brake jobs, exhausts and general servicing on cars and light vans, a standard 10,000 lb two-post lift will serve you perfectly well and cost a fraction of this. The OctaFlex isn’t trying to replace that machine for that work.
Where the OctaFlex earns its keep is in workshops that are increasingly being asked to do two things that traditional two-post lifts were never designed for: servicing electric vehicle battery packs, and performing cab-off repairs on diesel trucks and commercial vehicles. Both of these jobs share a common problem — once you’ve raised the vehicle, you’re left with an enormous, awkward, heavy component that needs to be supported, manoeuvred and often removed entirely, and a standard two-post lift gives you absolutely no help with that part of the job.
BendPak’s answer was to build a lift that does both jobs at once. Four primary arms lift the vehicle exactly as a conventional two-post lift would. Four additional auxiliary arms — independent, adjustable, and rated for 6,000 lbs combined — sit ready to support whatever comes off the vehicle once it’s in the air. When you don’t need them, they fold away and the lift behaves exactly like the two-post you already know.
The BendPak OctaFlex 12DPS two post lift — what you get for £14,836.16
BendPak has been building lifting equipment for American and European workshops for decades, and the OctaFlex represents what they’re calling the biggest innovation in two-post lift design in years. Calling it “two lifts in one” sounds like marketing language, but having looked through the engineering in detail, it’s a fair description of what’s actually been built.
- Primary capacity12,000 lbs (8 arms total config)
- Auxiliary capacity6,000 lbs lift-assist system
- Arm typeTriple-telescoping, Bi-Metric
- ConfigurationSymmetric / asymmetric adjustable
- Safety systemASARS automatic arm restraint
- Drive typeDirect-Drive hydraulic
The base of the machine is a Direct-Drive hydraulic two-post lift rated to 12,000 lbs — already a serious capacity that comfortably handles everything from hatchbacks to full-size pickups and large SUVs. What makes the OctaFlex different sits alongside that primary system: four auxiliary lift-assist arms, operating completely independently of the main lift arms, with a combined capacity of 6,000 lbs.
Think of it like this. The primary arms hold the car. The auxiliary arms hold whatever you’re taking out of the car. A battery pack, a transmission, an entire cab — something that would normally need a transmission jack, a second technician, and a fair amount of luck now has its own dedicated, adjustable, hydraulically controlled support built into the same machine.
ASARS — the safety system that sets the AP Series apart
If you’ve worked around two-post lifts for any length of time, you’ll know the moment. A vehicle shifts slightly on its support pads — maybe a heavy component has just been removed and the centre of balance has changed — and the swing arm moves with it. Most of the time it’s a minor inconvenience. Occasionally it isn’t.
BendPak’s response to this, across the AP Series including the OctaFlex, is something they call ASARS — the Automatic Swing Arm Restraint System. It’s a patented design using heavily forged steel components that lock the swing arms in place with over 2,000 lbs of holding force, distributed across a full 360 degrees.
What I particularly like about the implementation is the quick-release lever. ASARS holds with serious force — that’s the point — but BendPak haven’t made it a fight to release. One lever, instant release of clamping pressure, and you’re repositioning the arm. For a workshop running multiple jobs through the bay in a day, that kind of detail genuinely matters.
How the OctaFlex transforms cab-off and EV battery work
BendPak point to a real-world example from Dave’s Auto Center in Centerville, Utah, where technicians have been using the OctaFlex for cab-off diesel truck repairs. The detail that stood out to me wasn’t the lift capacity — it was the alignment.
Anyone who’s done a cab-off job the traditional way knows that reassembly is where the time disappears. You separate the cab from the chassis using whatever combination of jacks, stands and cranes you can muster, and then — hours or days later — you’re trying to get everything to line back up. Bolt holes that were perfectly aligned before disassembly are suddenly fighting you. It’s not usually a skill problem. It’s a positioning problem, because nothing held its position consistently throughout the job.
The OctaFlex lifts the vehicle exactly as a standard two-post lift would, using the four 12,000 lb primary arms in symmetric or asymmetric configuration depending on the vehicle.
The four independent auxiliary arms move into position under the cab, drivetrain, or battery pack — adjustable in height and position to match the component being supported.
The cab or component is disconnected and lowered onto the auxiliary arms — but its position relative to the chassis remains fixed, because both are held by the same lift system.
Because nothing has shifted relative to anything else, reconnection happens far closer to “lines straight back up” than the trial-and-error process of traditional cab-off work.
“The thing that gets missed when people talk about lift capacity is that the hardest part of a cab-off job was never lifting the cab. It was getting it back exactly where it came from. That’s the problem the OctaFlex actually solves.”
— Edward Robinson, Workshop Equipment Specialist, Hunter ToolsFor EV battery work, the same principle applies in a different form. A battery pack coming out of a modern EV is heavy, awkward, and often contains components you really don’t want to drop, tilt awkwardly, or strike against anything during removal. The auxiliary arms give you a controlled, hydraulically adjustable platform directly underneath the pack — and BendPak also offer optional aluminium cross beam adapters that distribute the load across the pack rather than concentrating it at single contact points, plus a shuttle bench and levelling platform with a slip plate for moving the battery once it’s down.
Triple-telescoping Bi-Metric arms — why reach matters
One detail that’s easy to skim past in a spec sheet but matters enormously in daily use is the arm geometry. The OctaFlex’s primary arms use what BendPak calls a triple-telescoping, Bi-Metric design — a patent-pending nesting arrangement that lets the arms retract shorter and extend further than conventional two-stage arms.
In practical terms, this means fewer “this car just doesn’t quite fit right” moments. Modern vehicle platforms vary enormously in wheelbase and lift point location — a small EV hatchback and a long-wheelbase pickup have almost nothing in common dimensionally, but both need to sit safely and correctly on the same lift. The extra reach and retraction range of the Bi-Metric arms gives technicians more options for finding the correct lift points without fighting the equipment.
| Configuration | Best suited to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Symmetric | Standard cars, SUVs, vans | Even arm spacing, balanced access both sides |
| Asymmetric | Pickups, larger commercial vehicles | Offset arm geometry for easier door access during service |
| Auxiliary arms stowed | Standard servicing — MOTs, brakes, exhausts | Functions as a conventional 12,000 lb two-post lift |
| Auxiliary arms deployed | Cab-off, EV battery, drivetrain work | Additional 6,000 lb of independent component support |
| Optional cross beam adapters | EV battery pack handling | Aluminium beams distribute load across the pack |
| Optional shuttle bench & slip plate | Moving heavy components after removal | Zero-throw casters, precision levelling jacks |
The business case: why a £14,836 lift is cheaper than two lifts
I want to address the price directly, because it’s the elephant in the room. £14,836.16 is a significant investment for any workshop, and it should be treated as one — this isn’t a purchase to make on a whim.
But here’s the comparison that actually matters. If your workshop needs both a heavy-duty two-post lift and the capability to safely handle cab-off and EV battery work, the alternative isn’t “buy the cheaper lift instead.” The realistic alternative is buying a separate two-post lift and then separately investing in transmission jacks, EV battery handling equipment, additional technician time, and accepting the inefficiency and risk of the traditional approach for every cab-off or battery job that comes through the door.
When you add those figures together, the gap between “separate equipment” and “OctaFlex 12DPS at £14,836.16” starts to look a lot smaller — and that’s before accounting for the labour time saved on every cab-off and EV battery job for the life of the lift. For a workshop that’s seeing this kind of work regularly, or wants to position itself to take on more of it, the OctaFlex isn’t really competing against a cheaper two-post lift. It’s competing against the total cost of doing the job the old way.
- Functions as a standard 12,000 lb two-post lift for everyday servicing
- Adds 6,000 lb of independent auxiliary support for cab-off and EV battery work
- ASARS safety system rated for the elevated forces of major component removal
- Triple-telescoping Bi-Metric arms improve fit across diverse vehicle platforms
- Reduces realignment time on cab-off reassembly through consistent positioning
- Optional cross beam adapters and shuttle bench available for EV battery handling
- Currently 45% off RRP — significant saving on a flagship BendPak lift
- In stock at Hunter Tools, Ellesmere Port — finance available on request
Other Hunter Tools products worth considering
If you’re investing in a lift at this level, here are two products from our live range that pair naturally with the OctaFlex — one for workshops expanding into alignment work, and one practical accessory that extends what any two-post lift can do.
The OctaFlex 12DPS is in stock right now at Hunter Tools
Currently 45% off RRP. This is a significant investment — WhatsApp Edward before you order to talk through your bay dimensions, installation requirements and finance options.
Frequently asked questions
Buy or ask Edward directly
The OctaFlex 12DPS is in stock at Hunter Tools in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Given the scale of this investment, I’d genuinely recommend a conversation before you order — about your bay dimensions, your installation requirements, and whether the auxiliary system fits the kind of work you’re planning to use it for. WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach me directly.
- 265 Chester Rd, Whitby, Ellesmere Port CH66 2NZ
- pollard@huntertools.co.uk
- assadkinkoso@gmail.com
- WhatsApp: +44 7476 609086
- huntertools.co.uk
Edward helps UK garage owners and workshop professionals source the right equipment for their businesses from Hunter Tools in Ellesmere Port. He specialises in vehicle lifting equipment, alignment systems and professional workshop tools. Questions about the OctaFlex 12DPS or anything in the Hunter Tools range? Email pollard@huntertools.co.uk or WhatsApp +44 7476 609086.