Category : BendPak News
BendPak’s Photo Shoot With Bill Goldberg
March 2nd, 2011
In this industry, we get to work with the biggest names in entertainment who are also car guys like us. Most of the time they’re just customers who like BendPak so much they agree to say a word or two on our behalf. But in cases of the extreme automotive fan, we’re lucky enough to feature them in their very own BendPak car lift ad. This last Monday, we got the ball rolling on our newest addition. Our trip took us south to wrestler, actor and host Bill Goldberg’s impressive garage and automotive collection.
We saw a minimum of 12 bays on Mr. Goldberg’s property, and six of them contain a BendPak car lift. He’s got two BendPak 2-post car lifts, one BendPak 4-post car lift and three general purpose single-post parking lifts. That’s right, he’s got six of BendPak’s finest all at home. We like to have each ad be 100% unique to the personality, and Bill is a true connossoir. So what better way to make sure it’s going to howl Goldberg than to take the photos in the host’s very own Garage Mahal.
We’ve got a lot of work to do before the ad is ready for prime time, but until then we’ve got these behind-the-scenes photos of Bill’s bitchin’ set up.
In a couple of the photos you can see the car we’re featuring, Bill’s one-of-a-kind 1970 Mustang Boss 429 “Lawman.” Actually it was one of two such automobiles that were sent to Vietnam to give the troops a taste of awesome Americana-Automobilia while they were so far from home. One of the two was crushed at sea by a shipping container. We’d hate to be the guy who had to explain that one.
Bill’s a huge supporter of US soldiers and vets, so it makes a lot of sense that he’d have a special affinity for this rare vehicle.
In the background, you can also peak out a ‘68 Plymouth GTX convertible. This is the car that started a life long car obsession in Bill. Currently, he’s in the middle of restoring it to drive up the coast with his family.
Big thanks to Bill Goldberg, Chris Zsarney and the guys from Zstudios and everyone who put in this crazy-fun 16 hour day.
Check out the set on the official BendPak Flickr page. And make sure to follow @Goldberg on Twitter! And maybe @BendPak, if you feel so inclined.
Vision and Culture – BendPak Company Profile
February 10th, 2011
If you’ve been following along with the BendPak blog, you know that BendPak is one of the select few companies to participate in SAP Business ByDesign’s new resource management platform roll out. And as our customers can attest to, things have been going great. We did a video at the end of last year which not only gave an overview of how BendPak runs better with SAP, but also a rare glimpse into some of the personalities and philosophies that lead the company. There’s several versions of the video online now, but we think the one below does the best job of giving everyone a good idea of what BendPak is really all about. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!
Howe and Howe Tech 2nd Season on Discovery Channel Tonight!
December 13th, 2010
Black Ops Brothers: Howe & Howe Tech is back on Discovery Channel starting tonight! Tune in at 10PM to see Geoff and Mike fabricate some of the coolest military-grade machinery ever seen on wheels.
Last season they moved into a huge new manufacturing facility with the capacity to take their engineering marvels to the next level. And if you look carefully this season, you might also see a BendPak car lift or two.
Go check out the Discovery Channel page for some teaser trailers. And make sure to look out for the new BendPak ad featuring the Howe Brothers coming in January…or just click to see it below.
BendPak MD-6XP Car Lift Seen on Mythbusters
November 24th, 2010
One sharp BendPak fan brought it to our attention that the MD-6XP scissor car lift was used on last week’s episode of Mythbusters! And it’s pretty appropriate too, considering that in the episode they took apart a Porsche 928 and flipped it around to run BACKWARDS. (What else would you use it for, right?) It’s a test in aerodynamics like we’ve never seen before.
The episode is called “Reverse Engineering,” and it’s available on Amazon to watch right now. For those who don’t want to pay $2 to watch a television show, we were able to also scrounge up an aftershow segment called “The Combustion Chamber,” where hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage give behind-the-scenes insight into that week’s episode.
Update: you can also check out the episode clip below:
BendPak at AAPEX ’10
November 2nd, 2010
It’s AAPEX time again! We hope you’re able to join us in Las Vegas for AAPEX 2010 but if not, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with some pictures straight from the show.
Check them out on the official BendPak Flickr page.
Vintage BendPak & Ranger Garage Signs
October 21st, 2010Look what we dug out of storage! They’re a little dusty and rusty, but you’re more than welcome to grab them to hang outside your garage, office or cubicle. Click each of the BendPak / Ranger vintage garage signs below to download the full-sized image. Enjoy!
RML-750 Motorcycle Lift Customer Installation Pictures
October 20th, 2010
We love it when this happens!
Today, a satisfied customer sent us a couple of great shots of his brand new Ranger RML-750 Motorcycle Lift. As you can see, he went the extra mile and installed it in the concrete so the unit lays flush with the garage floor when not in use. It’s a really clean, classy look for garages that are pressed for work space.
He also included a couple shots of it lifting his sweet Harley. Hope you enjoy the photos on the BendPak Flickr page!
Oh, and if you’d like your BendPak / Ranger product pics to be featured in a blog, go ahead and send them to us at contact@bendpak.com
Photos: Making of the R26FLT Heavy-Duty Truck Tire Changer Demo
September 17th, 2010
We just wrapped filming a new demo video to show off the functions of our newest heavy-duty truck tire changer, the R26FLT from Ranger.
This beefy tire changer turns the tire changing process into a beautifully simple task. Designed specifically for heavy duty truck tires that can weigh upwards of 200 lbs. each, our new tire changer is able to overpower all obstacles and control every aspect of the process with grace and ease.
The R26FLT tire changer is equipped with a portable control tower that includes a separate module for each function on the machine. There are two joysticks, one that controls the bead breaking tool on a horizontal axis plus the tire arm height on a vertical axis and another that opens and closes the jaw clamps. On the bottom, there is a foot pedal that rotates the tire arm either left or right, while the top button (the big red one) turns the machine on and off.
As you can imagine, we ended up mounting and demounting these tires about twenty times, so the lube that comes standard with each changer came in handy. The R26FLT also comes with a huge pry bar, but we never had cause to use it.
The whole thing took us about two days to film. Currently the video is being edited in post-production, but we’ll post it as soon as it’s ready. Until then, check out these production photos on the official BendPak Flickr page.
Announcing BendPak / Ranger NextGen™ Tire Changers
September 2nd, 2010
Ranger is proud to announce the release of seven NextGen™ tire changers. Through months of testing, revision, and more testing, Ranger has raised the benchmark of quality yet again.
Hot on the heels of the brand new Ranger R980X-AT Tire Changer from Ranger comes today’s big product announcement. In addition to the RX3040 Touchless Tire Changer, BendPak / Ranger has slated six new NextGen™ Tire Changers for release this year. The newest member of the Ranger NextGen™ family, the R23AT tire changer, is already shipping from BendPak’s Santa Paula facility.
Ranger’s new NextGen™ line of tire changers features both new models and classic model updates. We specifically designed these new NextGen™ Tire Changers to increase user productivity and efficiency.
Although we have retained many iconic design elements, the overall quality of the Tire Changers has improved dramatically. Aside from the major upgrades and quality improvements, a big part of what makes these changers NextGen™ is BendPak’s new “Tire Shop Tested” initiative. All five of the new NextGen™ tire machines have gone through rigorous stress testing in actual tire shops all around southern California. The testing and revision process included actual feedback from technicians and mechanics, which prepared the Tire Changer for strenuous real-world conditions. NextGen™ machines are badged Tire Shop Tested™.
“In-house testing is one thing, but for automotive equipment to excel under the strenuous conditions of a real shop, it needs to first prove itself out there in the real world,” said Dustin Collins, Ranger Quality Control Specialist. “These NextGen™ units are loaded with design enhancements that make the technician’s job easier. A lot of manufacturers focus on cutting costs instead of innovating. It makes me proud that we’re still trying to be pioneers in our industry.”
In today’s economy, we know it’s a little rough to keep your shop running, which is why Ranger is dedicated to improving your shop’s efficiency to give businesses a much-needed edge.
On the philosophy behind the NextGen™ Ranger Tire Changers, BendPak VP of Sales and Marketing Jeff Kritzer said, “We wanted to rethink everything about how people change tires. To do that, we knew we had to do more than just add a few new freatures–we had to completely rebuild these new tire changers from the top down. These NextGen™ tire changers are the result of that effort.”
“We’ve conducted in-field testing and taken customer input in the past, but never on this level,” said Kritzer. “For these new tire changers, we’ve tested, revised and retested over several rounds of development. With each new revision, we did another round of real-world testing and incorporated feedback from tire shops from all around the southland.
“In reality, the fine line between work and efficiency has become so blurred that there’s often a disassociation between the two. Shops are working harder but making less money. Our goal has always been to help wheel service professionals work better today and work better tomorrow. Our customers need to stay competitive in the growing wheel service market. The enhanced service capacity and long-term value of our NextGen™ tire changers give them the edge.
“With these new NextGen™ tire changers, everything from fit-and-finish to welding and component movement is so perfect that it just feels right. We’ve preserved some of the iconic design elements from previous Ranger products, but the overall quality has vastly improved. I think our customers will be taken off guard by how well our NextGen™ tire changers perform in their shops.”
Keep checking the BendPak Blog for more NextGen™ tire changer updates from Ranger.
Score a Low-Priced BendPak Lift at BMW ChapterFest
August 26th, 2010
It’s that time of year again. The BMW ChapterFest is rolling around for its third year in a row. There’s going to be Autocross, a kart course and a bunch of beautiful BMWs for you to admire. There’s also going to be a Street Survival School, detailed tech sessions and, most importantly, a DIY session featuring BendPak car lifts.
But that’s not even the best part. All of the BendPak equipment used at the DIY show will be available for discount purchase on a first-come-first-serve basis.
So for all you Bimmer enthusiasts out there, bring your buddies, kick back and have some fun for a day! You can find specifics about the event on the official ChapterFest website.
And let us know if you plan on attending!
BP Blog »
Google+ »
Twitter »
Facebook »
YouTube »
Garages »
Flickr »
RSS Feed »
