Frame Machines

Every Cheetah ships with a pump and hose assembly per tower, four pinch weld anchor bases with T-tops and jaws, two loading ramps, and one 3/8 in. grade 100 pulling chain with slip hook per tower. The Signature American Freedom line covers the same drive-on concept with a centralized hydraulic system run from a hand-held remote on a 25 ft. cord, quick-connect no-drip couplers, and towers that ride on a track.

Tilt-deck racks

A tilt deck drops one end of the deck toward the floor to shorten the approach angle, which matters when the car arrives with no suspension, no wheels, or a collapsed front clip. The Signature Freedom Tilt models (9014202T, 9014203T) and the Freedom GT Tilt (9014223T) work this way, as do the iDEAL FR-77-18 and FR-77-20 steel-plate platform racks. iDEAL describes both FR-77 racks as tilt deck operation with drive on ramps, so plan on the ramps rather than assuming a flat roll-on. The Signature Freedom Tilt listings publish a 21 in. working height but no tilt angle and no loading height, so confirm the loading method for a car that will not roll. All are air-over-hydraulic: the Freedom Tilt sheets list 100 psi air, the iDEAL FR-77 units 100 to 120 psi with no electrical service specified.

Scissor-lift racks

The iDEAL FR-55 is the one scissor-style rack here. Its deck raises from 4.75 in. to 63 in., so the technician loads at near floor level and then brings the vehicle up to a comfortable height instead of bending over a fixed 24 in. bed all day. The deck is 173.25 in. by 37 in., lifting capacity is 5,500 lbs., and it carries one 10-ton pulling tower with a down-pull roller and 360-degree multi-angle pulling. It is also the only machine here that needs both services at once: 220VAC, 20 amp single phase and 100 to 120 psi shop air, since its pump is air/hydraulic.

Heavy-duty truck frame racks

The Star-A-Liner HD series is built for large truck work and is a different machine entirely: HD-27 at 27 ft. with six towers, HD-40 at 40 ft. with ten, HD-50 at 50 ft. with twelve, HD-60 at 60 ft. with fourteen. All four share a 102 in. bed width, 36 in. treadways, 10 ft. towers, an overall height of 11 ft. 8.50 in., 25 ton of pulling power, a 0.625 in. (16 mm) pulling chain, and a 110V 15 amp hydraulic supply.

Floor systems and anchoring

Not every shop needs a bed. The Cheetah Floor Rack System is a portable alternative: two treadway sections, one 6 ft. portable pulling post, one hydraulic pump with hose and ram, two 8 ft. and two 12 ft. chains, a set of four pinchweld clamps, two portable ramps, and 14 floor/anchor pots. The system pulls at 10 ton, weighs 360 lbs. and runs on 100 psi shop air. Note that the listing contradicts itself on the treadways: the spec line reads length of two treadways together, 12 ft. (366 cm), while the contents list reads two 12 ft. (366 cm) treadway sections. Confirm which on the quote. The listing also does not describe how the 14 floor/anchor pots are installed, so treat slab work as an open question and ask before you commit a bay.

Pulling force and lift capacity are two different numbers

Buyers routinely conflate them. Pulling force is what the tower applies to the body. iDEAL publishes it explicitly as pull force per tower, 10 ton, generated at 10,000 psi. Star-A-Liner lists 10 ton of pulling power on the Cheetah racks and 25 ton on the HD truck series without stating it per tower, and the American Freedom sheets list 10 and 5 ton, the 5 ton figure applying to the 5 tower machine. Confirm per-tower force on the quote before you size a job around it. Lift capacity is what the bed will raise, and that is where these machines genuinely differ:

• iDEAL FR-55 scissor rack: 5,500 lbs.
• iDEAL FR-77-18 and FR-77-20: 7,700 lbs.
• Signature Freedom Tilt (9014202T, 9014203T): 9,000 lbs., with a dual-ram upgrade listed at 12,000 lbs.
• Star-A-Liner Cheetah SF 24' II (9011003): 9,000 lbs., or 12,000 lbs. with two cylinders
• Signature American Freedom 20 ft. (9014202, 9014203, 9014204): 10,000 lbs. The 22 ft. listings (9014222, 9014224) show the same table, which also prints a 20 ft. bed length, so confirm the 22 ft. lift rating on the quote.
• Signature Freedom GT and Freedom GT Tilt: 12,000 lbs.
• Signature Freedom GT MAXX: 15,000 lbs.

If your intake includes one-ton duallys, crew cabs with utility bodies, or heavy electric pickups, the lift number is the constraint that bites first. The standard 15, 18, 20 and 24 ft. Cheetah listings publish pulling power and weight but no bed lift capacity; the SF 24' II (9011003) is the exception, publishing 9,000 lbs. (12,000 lbs. with two cylinders). The three 22 ft. listings (9011230, 9011232, 90111233) publish no specification table at all. Ask for the model sheet before you assume any of those numbers.

Space, ceiling, power and air

Floor space and ceiling

Plan around the extended dimensions, not the bed. A Cheetah 15 ft. needs 20 ft. 9 in. of length and 13 ft. 4 in. of width with towers extended; a Cheetah 24 ft. needs 29 ft. 10 in. by 14 ft. The Freedom Tilt is narrowest at 11 ft. 4 in. extended. The HD racks are the longest, up to 66 ft. 6.25 in. on the HD-60, and every HD needs the same 201.5 in. of width with towers extended, including the 27 ft. model.

Overall height ranges from 6 ft. 6 in. on the Cheetah 15 ft. up to 11 ft. 8.50 in. on the HD racks. The Freedom GT is 9 ft. 11 in. overall, and its listing notes that with the tower heads lowered it comes down to 9 ft. 1 in. In a low bay that difference is the whole decision, and you still need clearance above it for the vehicle on the bed.

Electrical, air and working height

Power and air split three ways here, and one machine needs two of them at once. Air-over-hydraulic machines, including the standard Cheetah line and the Freedom Tilt, list 100 psi shop air (6.89 bar) and no electrical service. Signature's electric-over-hydraulic models list 120V, 20 amp dedicated service, and the HD series 110V 15 amp. The iDEAL FR-55 is the only machine here that needs both: 220VAC, 20 amp single phase plus 100 to 120 psi shop air, since its pump is air/hydraulic. Confirm the requirement on the model sheet before you run conduit.

Fixed Cheetah beds sit at a 24 in. working height. The Cheetah SF 18' II and SF 20' II sit at 26 in., but the SF 24' II is back down at 24 in. The Signature American Freedom sheets list 31 in. The Freedom GT is adjustable from 12 in. up to 42 in. with a 12 in. loading height, and the GT MAXX from 16 in. up to 42 in. with a 14 in. loading height.

Comparison of 10 representative models

Two notes on reading these sheets. The HD series table prints working height as "26 in. (305 cm)"; 305 cm is the tower height repeated, and 26 in. is the figure to use. And several Signature listings carry a spec table copied from a neighboring model, so the 22 ft. American Freedom (9014222, 9014224) and the 24 ft. GT MAXX (9014243M, 9014244M) reproduce the shorter machine's entire specification table -- bed length, bed width, extended footprint, overall height, working height and lift capacity alike. On those four listings only the model name and tower count are reliable; confirm every dimension on the quote.

Anchoring, tooling and measuring

The rack pulls, but the anchoring holds. Star-A-Liner's 9022032 vise-style full frame anchoring sells in sets of four, with three rows of anchor teeth per side, jaws that adjust to different frame widths, secondary chain slots for rigid setups, and an 18 in. working height at its lowest setting. It mounts into Cheetah 2-7/8 in. bases and, per its listing, also fits Signature T-Top bases and Star-A-Liner, Chief and Chissum machines. Signature's 9022031 3 in. vise stands also ship in sets of four.

Tool boards are the other half. Star-A-Liner offers Tool Package B and a Combination Tool Package bundling the A1, A2, T4 and Porta Power boards; Package B includes pulling chains in 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 ft. lengths. iDEAL's FR-55-TBK20 is a 20-piece clamp and tool kit on a portable board for the FR-55, and the FR-77-TBK25 a 25-piece kit for the FR-77 series. Vehicle-specific anchoring adapters are listed for Honda and Acura, BMW with and without the side hole, and Mercedes.

Measurement comes at three levels. The iDEAL FR-PROMEASRKIT is a mechanical telescoping tram reading from 9.8 in. to 116.3 in. with 16 probe tips from 8 mm to 28 mm. The Star-A-Liner MO PRO 4200 adds a universal tram gauge, deluxe centerline gauge and strut tower alignment gauge on three display boards. At the top, the Star-A-Liner Auto-Vision 121F3000, listed for heavy-duty frame and larger machines, is a computerized measuring and four-wheel alignment system covering under body, upper body, inner body, suspension and alignment in one setup, with Mitchell data and a compare mode for vehicles without published data. Its listing states that delivery, installation and training are extra.

On certification: none of the 72 listings here publishes an ALI, ETL, ASME or OSHA mark. If your insurer, OEM certification program or state inspector requires documentation for a structural repair bench, request it in writing for the exact model and configuration before you order, and ask the same about the lifting function if you plan to raise vehicles on the rack.

Frequently asked questions

What size frame machine does a general collision shop need?

Match the bed to the longest vehicle you accept, then check the extended footprint against the bay. Per Star-A-Liner's own listings, the 15 ft. and 18 ft. beds cover unibody cars through extended cab trucks, and the 20 ft. and 24 ft. fixed-bed models are described for unibody cars up to full-size, four-door, heavy-duty dually trucks. The three 22 ft. listings (9011230, 9011232, 90111233) publish no spec table, so ask for the model sheet before you size on that one. Beds beyond 24 ft. here are the HD truck series, a different class of machine.

Do I need three or four towers?

Two towers handle most single-plane pulls. A third lets you hold one correction while pulling another, saving setups on heavier structural jobs. Extra towers do not change the bed: the Cheetah 18 ft. two-tower (9011180) and three-tower (9011183) are both 18 ft. by 84 in. and 4,400 lbs. What changes is the hardware in the crate, since each Cheetah ships one pump and one chain per tower. On the American Freedom, the tower count must be designated when ordering.

Does a frame machine need three-phase power?

No listing here calls for three-phase. Air-over-hydraulic models, including the standard Cheetah line and the Freedom Tilt, run on 100 psi shop air; Signature's electric-over-hydraulic models list 120V, 20 amp dedicated service; the HD racks 110V 15 amp; and the iDEAL FR-55 220VAC, 20 amp single phase plus shop air. Three listings (9011230, 9011232, 90111233) publish no power spec at all, so confirm those in writing.

Can a frame rack double as a lift?

Only the models that publish a lift capacity: the Cheetah SF 24' II (9011003) at 9,000 lbs., or 12,000 lbs. with two cylinders; the Signature Freedom Tilt, American Freedom, Freedom GT and GT MAXX; and the iDEAL FR-55 and FR-77 racks. The range across those is 5,500 lbs. to 15,000 lbs. The Cheetah SF 18' II (9011001) and SF 20' II (9011002) publish no lift rating at all, and the standard Cheetah listings publish pulling power but no lift rating, so treat them as pulling benches unless the model sheet says otherwise.

How do I load a vehicle that will not roll?

Tilt-deck and scissor racks bring one end of the deck down to shorten the approach, and iDEAL lists both FR-77 tilt decks with drive-on ramps; every Cheetah ships with two loading ramps of its own. For a vehicle that will not roll at all, add a winch: the iDEAL FR-EWINCH is a 12VDC unit rated at 3,500 lbs. maximum pulling and 10,000 lbs. maximum rolling capacity, with 30 ft. of cable, a hand-held remote and a base anchor bracket for mounting to most frame machines.

Is shipping included?

No. Five listings carry the note that shipping is not included and an additional steel surcharge may apply: four Star-A-Liner (9011003, 9011230, 90111233 and the Cheetah Pulling Post 9025003) and one Signature (9025050 Overhead Pull W Collar). The remaining Star-A-Liner and Signature listings publish no freight figure at all, so ask for it in writing with the quote. The three iDEAL racks publish a flat per-unit freight charge to the contiguous 48 states, $1,350 on the FR-55, $2,340 on the FR-77-18 and $2,360 on the FR-77-20, with Alaska, Hawaii and remote or limited-access locations excluded and a quote required above two units. The Auto-Vision listing states that delivery, installation and training are extra. Ask for freight and offloading in writing on any of the larger racks; call 800-562-4791.