Buying an auto lift is a tremendous and rewarding investment for your business. Regardless of this being your first or fifth auto lift purchase, many factors need your consideration.
It is not recommended that one should impulsively purchase such a critical piece of equipment and machinery. From understanding your shop and budgeting limitations to researching lift manufacturers and warranties, acquiring a new auto lift requires shop and business owners a great deal of forethought. In the content below, we explore the top ten things you should know before buying a lift for your auto shop.
Before buying a lift for your auto shop, consider the height of your workspace. Does your shop have low ceilings? In order to ensure a safe lift installation, your shops ceiling height must measure at a minimum of 11 or 12 feet, with clearance for overhead hazards such as lights and fire alarms. The higher your shops ceiling is, the wider selection of auto lifts you can choose from.
Though ceiling height may not be a cause for concern, assess the remaining floor space available for the installation of a new auto lift. You may purchase the greatest lift for your auto shop only to find out its physically impossible to feasibly install it in your cramped floor space. It is imperative that you measure as many times as needed for you to guarantee that a lift will not only fit but also provide the necessary room to adequately service vehicles. If you are unsure about the minimum space requirement for your new auto lift, consider contacting a local and reliable installer.
Consider the most common vehicle types your shop services. Are they pickup trucks, motorcycles, or traditional, compact and SUV cars? Making a wise auto lift purchase depends on assessing and determining your typical load capacity, needed lift height, and desired lift speed.
Despite a singular purpose, individual car lifts feature unique lifting mechanisms, bringing strength to various applications. Exploring a complete guide to the different types of car lifts will be in your best interest when considering your intended purposes. For your reference, the main types of car lifts are the following:
After assessing your shops ceiling height and available floor space, you can easily eliminate auto lift types unsuitable for your conditions and applications.
It is important that you get the best value from a newly purchased lift. Often, the car lift best suited for your shops needs is neither the least expensive nor the most expensive lifts available. Once you determine the exact type of lift needed for your business, explore the different costs to determine what you can afford. From the lifts price to warranty and installation expenses and fees, map out your entire spending budget before buying anything to avoid creating a financial burden for your business.
Each lift model comes with its own maintenance specifications and schedule. With the model you intend to purchase, explore its weekly, monthly, and yearly maintenance tasks necessary to preserve your auto lift investment. Doing so can help you determine which lift best suits your maintenance schedule and capabilities.
A lift is only as reliable as its manufacturer. Before purchasing a lift or any automotive machinery, research and verify the validity of the products manufacturer and how long they have been in the industry. Assess client reviews in search of any claims that the product was faulty or that the company is known for scamming unsuspecting customers.
Regardless if you purchase the worlds most reliable auto lift, repairs and maintenance will be needed as wear and tear accrues over time. Prior to buying a lift for your auto shop, take some time to review and understand what type of warranty it comes with. Typically, warranties are standard applications to a lift purchase with the option to extend coverage for additional years or even the lifts lifetime. Manufacturers who offer standard warranties with the purchase of each lift show that they stand behind the products they make.
For more information, please visit Wonder Machinery.
The great question here is this: Who will be responsible for the lifts installation? Will you hire a team to drill through your concrete, bring in machinery to transport the lift to your shop, and complete the entire process? If so, be sure to find a reliable installer who will protect your new equipment and guarantee a sound installation. If you intend to assume the responsibility of installing the lift on your own or with your shops employees, take the necessary time to develop a thorough plan of action and determine a realistic completion date.
One would hope that after purchasing a new lift, you wouldnt need to worry about replacement parts for quite some time. However, researching the availability and accessibility of spare and replacement parts for your lifts model helps immensely, especially once your warranty expires. Before buying a lift, explore where you could order replacement parts and how soon they could be delivered. Purchasing older models of an auto lift may save you on expenses at the forefront. However, when you cannot find the necessary replacement parts for outmoded lifts, you might be re-thinking your lift purchase.
Finding a reliable auto lift supplier with high-quality products doesnt have to be difficult. At SVI International, we are the industrys leading supplier of repair parts for all types of automotive lifts. Besides traditional, every-day parts, SVI is known in the industry as the problem solver tackling specialty lift concerns with innovative products. Our supply of high-quality products can play a significant role in protecting your auto lift investment. Were just a call away. If you have questions, concerns, or need help placing an order, please reach out at (800) 321- or via our online contact form.
The act of buying a lift is simple, but the research behind it may be more complicated. There is a lot of information and research that goes into finding the best lift for your needs. That is why here at Advantage Lifts we provide all the information you may need to know before purchasing a lift. This article will serve as a guide providing all the information about our 2-post lifts.
There are two different types of 2-post lifts, an overhead model and a floor-plate model. The main difference between these two models is that one has an overhead bar connecting the two posts, while the other has a plate running across the floor connecting the posts. This helps to stabilize the posts while in use.
Advantage 2-post lifts have two different lift capacities, 10,000 lbs. and 12,000 lbs. The 10,000 lb. capacity lift is made to lift the standard car and smaller trucks. Larger vehicles such as SUVs and work trucks can be lifted with the 12,000 lb. capacity lift. Both lift capacities are manufactured in both the overhead and floor-plate models.
All 2-post lifts are required to be anchored into the ground to ensure the safety and stability of the lift. Due to being anchored into the ground, the flooring needs to be made up of concrete that is free of debris and seams with little to no slope. If using a 10,000 lb. capacity lift, the depth of the concrete needs to be 4.5". The depth needs to be 5" if a 12,000 lb. capacity lift is being used. The required depths paired with the capability to withstand 3,500 psi helps to reduce the risk of lift failure.
The 2-post lifts from Advantage Lifts are meant to fit into the standard garage. The recommended garage bay size for a 2-post lift is 12' tall by 12' wide by 24' deep. Having a ceiling height of 12' assures an overhead model has enough clearance. If you have lower garage ceilings, then a floor-plate model will be the best option. Floor-plate models only require a ceiling height of 9.5', allowing full use and access just like an overhead model. The other parameters are to make sure there is enough room to move around the lift without collision, as well as to make sure larger vehicles can properly fit on the lift.
Each of the 2-post lifts from Advantage Lifts is symmetrical. This means that each arm on the lift is holding an equal amount of the vehicle. This ensures that the vehicle is centered. The only downside to this design is that the doors on the vehicle are unable to be opened widely when on the lift. Symmetrical lifts allow for greater drive-thru clearance and more space between the posts than an asymmetrical lift.
Advantage 2-post lifts are perfect for both commercial garages and the everyday car enthusiast. These lifts are affordable and even have additional financing options. We ship anywhere in the continental United States, making your lift accessible no matter where you are located. For more information on our 2-post lifts check out our product page or talk to one of our lift experts at 763-300-.