The Challenger CL2-1356 sheave 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 sheave 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: CL2-1356
• Brand: Challenger
• Type: Genuine OEM sheave
• Fits: 4018XFX

The lock-release cable is the thin cable that pulls all the safety pawls out of the ladders at once so the lift can descend evenly. When it stretches, frays, or a return spring weakens, one lock hangs while the others let go and the lift comes down cocked. It's a small, cheap part doing a safety-critical job, and a lift that won't release evenly is a lift that isn't safe to run.

Cable length and end fittings are what make a tension part fit, and they vary more than people expect. Older asymmetric lifts ran a long cable and a short cable; some columns use a threaded stud end, others a button or wedge. Order by the lift's actual routing, not a guess, because a cable that's an inch off or ends in the wrong fitting won't tension right no matter how you adjust it.

What lifts this sheave fits

This sheave 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.

• 4018XFX — 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 CL2-1351 Pulley Box 18K 4-Post
• Challenger CL2-1355 Sheave Pin Deck Zinc Plated
• Challenger CL2-1377 Sheave Assembly 18K 4-Post
• Challenger CL2-2841 Lower Pulley Plate Front

Replacing your sheave

Cable and sheave replacement usually happen together, since a worn sheave will chew a fresh cable and a bad cable scores a new sheave. Plan on inspecting and, if needed, replacing both while the lift is open, then equalizing the cables so the locks land together. It's methodical work with a clear right way to do it, laid out in full in the step-by-step guide. Full step-by-step: how to replace car lift sheaves.

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 a cable or sheave is worn out

The five-second condemn list: any broken strand, any cording or unwinding, any kink, rust that has pitted into the wire, or a shiny worn flat. On sheaves: oversize groove, crack, or a bushing pushed out. Find one of these and the lift stays down until the part is replaced — a cable holding a car up is not a place to give the benefit of the doubt.

Parts commonly replaced at the same time

Order the companions now, not later. A cable job is the right time to refresh sheaves, pins, and the lock-release cable, since the hard part — getting into the columns — is already done. Give us your lift's model and serial and we will put together the full wear kit so nothing is left half-finished.

Safety notes

A worn cable gives warning — a strand here, some cording there — and a shop that ignores those warnings is the one that has a bad day. Inspect at every service, replace before the interval if you see damage, and never trust a slack or kinked cable back into service. Set the lift on its locks before touching anything.

Before you order

Ordering tip: cables come in specific lengths and end styles per lift and height variant, so read the numbers off your data plate before you buy. If you are replacing a set, order the set — and if a sheave is grooved, add it now while the lift is open rather than making a second trip.

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 sheave from Auto Lift Services

We install, inspect, and repair Challenger lifts every week — the CL2-1356 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.