Tool Review: Gray Manufacturing Wireless Portable Lifts

There is no overstating the convenience offered by shop equipment that is easy to store, easy to maneuver and provides a level of convenience not found in the vast majority of competitive offerings.

Glenn Collins, shop supervisor, Von Ormy, Texas-based Daimler Trucks dealership Custom Truck Services, found himself in need of a lift with those characteristics, and he found it in the Gray Manufacturing Wireless Portable Lift System, WPLS Fleet Model.

“This system has not failed me,” says Collins, whose shop contains a set of four Gray wireless lifts. “It does everything I need it to do.”

Collins’s shop employs the Gray offerings to lift Class 8 tractors. He says he is quite impressed by how quick and easy it is for the lifts to be set up, moved where they are needed and stored away when they are not in use. The shop has used wired lifts exclusively in the past, but Collins says he eventually determined he desired a “cleaner look” and wanted to avoid tripping hazards associated with lifts that include wires.

“When I was researching a lift system for the shop, the primary purpose was so we could get quality reviews from customers in the shop,” he explains. “(The Gray lifts) are extremely clean, and there are no wires that run between each lift. I’ve used systems in the past that did, and if you don’t mind not having a clean space, then that would work for your environment. However, in our environment, I needed something that looked good because there is a certain aspect of presentation that was involved in the decision-making process.”

Collins credits Gray Manufacturing for sending a representative to his facility to explain the features of the lift and how to operate it.

“I had several people other than myself that needed to learn about the lift,” he says. “It was me, my employees, my boss and another company that’s on our same property that was also interested in purchasing a set of lifts, too. Gray was willing to send a guy out and he put on a several-hour presentation.”

Collins says programming the lift involves using as a touchscreen that more or less resembles the screen on a mobile tablet.

“Once you have each post communicating with each other, you basically only have to push the ‘enable’ button and then either ‘up’ or ‘down,’” he explains. “It’s really that easy.”

The absence of wires make storing the Gray lifts much easier for Collins and others at Daimler Trucks because they don’t take up as much space as other offerings. In fact, he says, he and his employees often leave the lifts plugged into 110V outlets and charging until they are required for use.

“It’s not like they are going to overcharge,” he says. “When you are ready, you get them, roll them out, turn them on and make sure they are connected.”

Overall, Collins says he couldn’t be happier with what the Gray Manufacturing Wireless Portable Lift System offers in terms of both convenience and performance.

“It’s clean, it’s professional-looking and it’s awesome,” he adds.