The Challenger B31262 safety latch 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 safety latch 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: B31262
• Brand: Challenger
• Type: Genuine OEM safety latch
• Fits: CLFP9

Restraint gear takes abuse it never shows on the surface. It absorbs the shock every time the lift settles onto the locks, and it's exposed to the same grit, water, and dropped tools as everything else at floor level. Bent teeth, a cracked weld, or a pivot rusted stiff all mean the gear can't do its job. Because it looks like solid steel, people assume it can't wear — and then it does.

Lock ladders and pawls are matched geometry — the tooth pitch, the nose angle, and the mounting have to suit the specific lift. A ladder that almost fits will let the pawl sit shallow on the tooth, which is worse than obvious because it looks engaged and isn't. Match restraint parts to the actual lift model and column, not a close-enough substitute, because the whole point of the part is that it holds under full load.

What lifts this safety latch fits

This safety latch 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.

• CLFP9 — see the exploded parts breakdown for this lift

Replacing your safety latch

Getting the locks right means the pawl seats deep in the tooth, the spring returns it every time, and all the locks click in unison — nothing shallow, nothing sticking. It's not difficult work, but there's no partial credit on the part that catches a falling car. For that reason the complete procedure is worth reading before you start. Full step-by-step: how to replace a lift lock ladder.

Find the right part for your lift

Want to be sure before you buy? Pull the model and serial off your lift's plate and open our Challenger parts lookup to open the exploded parts breakdown for your model — find your part on the drawing and you know it fits. New to finding your model number? our guide to finding your model number covers it, or send a photo of the plate and we will read it for you.

Signs the locking system needs attention

The condemn list for locks: rounded, chipped, or peened ladder teeth; a worn or rounded pawl nose; a pawl that sticks, lags, or won't spring home; a weak or broken return spring; a loose ladder; a release that doesn't pull every pawl together. Any one of these takes the lift out of service — the locks are the last line, and there's no partial credit on the part that catches a falling car.

Parts commonly replaced at the same time

Do the whole locking system while it is apart. The companion parts — springs, pawls, release cable — cost little next to the labor of opening the column, and matched hardware is what keeps both sides in sync. Give us your model and we will assemble the complete set.

Safety notes

When a lock stops working right, the whole safety design is compromised. Rounded latch teeth, weak springs, and misadjusted release cables all keep a carriage from seating fully. Service the locking system as a unit, test that both sides engage and release together, and never trust a load to a lock that drags or clicks late.

Before you order

Ordering tip: lock components are model- and vintage-specific, so read the plate before you buy. Since both columns should engage together, plan to service the lock hardware in pairs, and add the release cable if it is frayed. We will confirm the right parts for your production run.

Check your lift's serial before ordering

The most common reason a lift part comes back is not a defect — it is a revision mismatch. Manufacturers change sub-parts between production runs while keeping the same lift model name, so "it fits my lift model" is not always enough. The model plate carries the serial number that pins your lift to a specific run, and that is the number that settles which version of this part belongs on your lift.

Can't find the plate? Measure the old part — overall length, bolt-hole spacing, thread size on anything threaded — and photograph it from a couple of angles. Send that with your lift's brand and rough age and we will match it against the parts breakdowns we service from every week.

Why buy your Challenger safety latch from Auto Lift Services

We install, inspect, and repair Challenger lifts every week — the B31262 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.