Technical
Lift overview They’re more than just a riser with muscle Vehicle lifts are critically important pieces of shop equipment and deserve to be addressed on a routine basis. There are many aspects that need to be examined so that you make the best buying decision when it’s time to add a new lift to your service bays. The lift’s function and design have a direct impact on your profitability and capability. By Mike Mavrigian
loaded commercial box truck will enter the shop, where weight might be in the 12,000 he decision-making process involved or 14,000 pound range. If your lift is not in purchasing a new lift involves a rated with a high-enough capacity for a given number of factors in order to suit your vehicle, NEVER attempt to place that vehicle specific needs: on that lift. You’ll need to carefully make the decision • Types, lengths and weights of vehicles to be with regard to being able to handle these serviced heavier loads and the lift that you choose. • Available floor space Turning away perhaps three or four jobs per • Lift contact at tires or at frame year because your lift won’t handle a certain • Lift height requirement load is one thing, but being forced to turn • Access to under-carriage away a dozen or more jobs per year is a differ• Weight capacity ent matter. • Availability of optional add-ons You really need to think about the lift capac• Lifting/lowering speed ity that will handle the vast majority of your • Warranty potential jobs and buy the appropriate lift. • Lift ergonomics Of course, if your shop has the available floor space, one or more 10,000 lb.-rated lifts It should go without saying that you should to cover your routine jobs and one heavy-duty only consider lifts made by established and lift to handle the big jobs would be ideal. reputable manufacturers, featuring quality If you’re dealing with heavy and long appliconstruction. With that said, one of the cations such as buses and tractors (possibly primary considerations involves lifting capac- with trailer), long parallelogram or mobile ity. Each style and model of any given lift column lifts are available to meet those needs. carries a maximum weight rating. An advantage of mobile column lifts is that The rule of thumb: If in doubt, always go each lift tower can be moved to both required with a higher weight rating. While your shop’s floor locations and to critical lift points on the “normal” service work may involve vehicles vehicle, using as many individual columns as with a maximum weight of, say, 8,000 pounds, needed for a given task. there may be instances where a heavily For the majority of shops that cater to
T
58 | ASP October 2017
