The Challenger 12656-2 lock release cable is the direct replacement for the Challenger lift it came off of. This is the genuine Challenger part — same fit and same working specification as the one already on your lift. Ordering the Challenger lock release cable from us gets you the OEM piece that matches the lift, not an aftermarket knock-off that is close but not the same.

Specifications

• Part number: 12656-2
• Brand: Challenger
• Type: Genuine OEM lock release cable
• Fits: CL12

The cables, sheaves, and lock-release parts on a lift make up the tension path — the mechanical chain that ties both carriages together and keeps them rising at the same rate off a single cylinder. Steel cable runs over grooved sheaves, and small release cables trip the safety pawls so the lift can come down. Every one of these parts lives under constant load whenever a vehicle is in the air, which is exactly why they wear.

Equalizer cables are the reason a two-post lift with one cylinder still raises level. One column gets the hydraulic push; the other follows only because the cables physically tie the carriages together over the sheaves. Get the cables, sheaves, and lock timing working as one system and the lift lands both locks at the same click. Let any one of them go and the lift starts arriving at the top crooked.

What lifts this lock release cable fits

This lock release cable fits the lift models below. Click a model to open its visual parts breakdown — the exploded drawing with every part numbered, so you can confirm this is the right part for your exact lift before you order.

• CL12 — see the exploded parts breakdown for this lift

Related parts for this lift

The parts below are commonly ordered alongside this one — cables, sheaves, seals, and hardware wear on similar schedules, and most repairs go faster when the whole set is done in one visit.

• Challenger 12656-0 Lock Release Cable Assembly Cl12
• Challenger 12656-1 Lock Release Cable Assembly Cl12-1
• Challenger 12656-LC Lock Release Cable Assembly Cl12

Replacing your lock release cable

Getting a tension part in and adjusted is well within a capable shop's reach, but it's exacting: correct routing, correct order on the retention hardware, and careful equalization so no single lock takes the load first. Rush the adjustment and the lift arrives at the top crooked. For that reason the whole procedure is worth following step by step. Full step-by-step: how to replace a lift lock release cable.

Find the right part for your lift

Not certain this is the exact part your lift needs? Start with your lift's model and serial off the data plate, then open our Challenger parts lookup to see the visual parts breakdown for your model — the exploded drawing with every part numbered and priced. If your plate is missing or unreadable, our guide to finding your model number walks through where to find it, or send us a photo and we will identify the lift for you.

Signs a cable or sheave is worn out

Corrosion hides the worst damage. A cable can look intact under surface rust while the strands underneath are pitted and losing strength. Flex it and watch for stiff spots or rust dust falling out — both mean the steel is compromised. Check the sheave bushings too: a copper-colored bushing pushed out the side of a sheave means it's worn and the cable is no longer tracking straight.

Parts commonly replaced at the same time

When a cable or sheave goes, the rest of the set is usually close behind — they share the same hours and the same wear. Most shops replace all the cables together and refresh the sheaves in the same visit, because the labor to open the columns is the same whether you change one part or the set. Ask us to build the full cable-and-sheave kit for your lift and you order once.

Safety notes

Treat every cable and sheave on a lift as load-bearing until proven otherwise — because it is. Replace tension parts in matched sets so they wear evenly, never reuse a cable that has been kinked or run slack, and set the carriage on its mechanical locks before you put a wrench on anything under tension. A cable that lets go does not fail politely.

Before you order

Have the lift's model, serial, and the old part in front of you when you order. Tension parts vary by production year and by standard-versus-extended height, and the fastest way to get the right one is to match length and fittings against what came off. Call and we will confirm before it ships.

Confirm this is the right part before you order

Lift manufacturers revise parts mid-production without changing the model name, so the same lift bought two years apart can take two different revisions of the same component. Before you order, find the model plate on the lift — on most 2-post lifts it rides on one of the columns at eye level, on 4-post lifts it is usually on a column or the power-unit side runway — and note the full model number and serial. The serial dates the lift to a production run, and that is what decides which revision fits.

If the plate is painted over or missing, take a photo of the part you are replacing next to a tape measure and send it to us. Between the dimensions, the mounting pattern, and what lift it came off of, we can almost always identify the exact part before you spend money on the wrong one.

Why buy your Challenger lock release cable from Auto Lift Services

We install, inspect, and repair Challenger lifts every week — the 12656-2 is a part we handle in the shop, not a random SKU we drop-ship. The phone answers if you have a question mid-install — call 800-674-9302 — and every part ships genuine, no aftermarket substitution unless you ask for it.