Let’s face it. Lifts are usually the most expensive equipment in the shop — and buying a new one is a big decision, particularly when the economy isn’t strong.
“Lifts sales tend to be somewhat recession-sensitive, as replacements often get deferred during tough times,” said Pete Liebetreu, Hunter Engineering VP of marketing. “That’s too bad, because the proper lift can add a ton of productivity to the shop.”
In the past few years, the economy — and lift sales — have been “steady,” Liebetreu said, but who knows what the future will bring, and should that affect your purchasing decisions?
Like lifts, the economy is always going up and down, so it’s best not to let external factors determine how you improve the inside of your shop. And whether the economy is good or bad, the “proper lift,” as Liebetreu said, has the potential to raise your productivity and profits, as well as employee safety and satisfaction.
Steve Perlstein, president of Mohawk Lifts, concurred.
“Speed and efficiency all lead to employee productivity and getting more vehicles in and out of your shop faster can increase the bottom line — and make a higher percentage of the fleet available for use vs. waiting to be repaired,” Perlstein said.
But what is the “proper lift”? That means something different to each shop, but basically, it’s best to think of it as whatever lift allows your technicians to safely perform more jobs per day and more types of jobs as well.
The right lift also helps you maximize the potential of your technicians. And while the basic designs of lifts don’t change very often, the sector is always inching forward with continuous improvement tweaks and add-ons. So, let’s take a look at some of the recent trends making lifts more efficient and the employees who use them more productive.
Lifting technician productivity and safety
As mentioned, lifts are a substantial investment, but techs are truly a shop’s most valuable asset. And they’ll increase in value over the coming years, as stronger demand is expected to continue through the rest of the decade. In 2024, TechForce Foundation thought demand for auto, diesel, collision, and aviation techs would be less than expected, reducing projections by 20 percent for 2024 to 2028. But this January, it called that back and upped demand by 20 percent to 971,000 needed by 2028.
However these numbers go up or down, the gist is you should focus on installing equipment and adding accessories and adapters that allow your techs to do the most work in the safest way.
“Lift options make the jobs go faster, keep your employees safe, and ergonomically don’t risk a sick day because the tech hurt his knees bending down six times per day,” Perlstein noted.
The BendPak MaxJax Reclining Creeper Seat, for example, has a backrest that can be positioned from 0 to 70 degrees, allowing techs to roll under a lifted vehicle and work for an extended period of time at the most comfortable position — and without straining their neck and back.
He also suggested support equipment like tire dollies.
“If you own a 30,000-lb. lift and don’t have a tire dolly to remove these heavy tires, then expect a call from your injured tech as he threw out his back trying to remove a 22.5” tire,” he said.
Muscle strains are one thing, but working around lifts also presents immediate injuries, as they are often positioned at different heights, sometimes with the swing arms sticking out.
“Is there a tech who hasn’t accidentally banged their head on the bottom of a swing arm?” Perlstein asked rhetorically. To solve that issue, he recommended Swing Arm Safety Head Guards, foam covers that soften the blow if you were to trip over an air hose and fall headfirst in the lift.
There’s also some additions that can save time and have maintenance benefits.
Weight gauges, what Perlstein called “essentially a scale on the lift,” can save an extra step for fleets that have to weigh their trucks more often, but also help a repair shop sell more parts that will help customers. Perlstein noted if a customer complains about premature wear and you notice the truck has budget brake pads on a heavier truck, you can “pro-actively sell up to better ply tires, better brake pads, or load levelers instead of shock absorbers.”
Innovation trends
All lifts are designed to be safe, but the industry is always trending toward more safe. For example, at the end of 2023, Rotary Lift unveiled its All-Vehicle (AV) lift arms found on the company’s SPOA10 two-post asymmetric lift. The AV arms allow technicians to correctly spot and lift nearly any vehicle make and model under 10,000 lbs.
Rotary said the AV arms, which can be retrofitted on existing SPOA10 lifts, offer the shortest amount of retraction while still maintaining a wide pickup range, with 20 percent more reach than 3-stage arms with thread adapters, and 30 percent larger arm sweep than conventional 2-stage arms with flip-up adapters. Because the adapter height matches the outer arm height, this also reduces the likelihood the arm could contact and damage a vehicle’s underbody.
Jason Matthews, director of product management for Rotary Lift, said it’s “the only automotive two-post lift [shops will] ever need,”
“A lot of people talk about the importance of future-proofing automotive service shops to prepare for the surge in EVs,” Matthews said. “This is all that and then some. It’s helping shops prepare to service more vehicles, optimize operations, and increase profits.”
That versatility will be needed as shops start to service more electric vehicles, which have pre-defined lifting to prevent causing damage to the battery.
R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman, president of the Automotive Lift Institute, agreed there is an uptick in specialized adapters designed to support specific EVs.
“And there is a plethora of activity associated with both existing and new models being updated with a wider stance or lower bolsters or adapters designed to accommodate lifting points at the outer edges of the vehicle frame without interfering with the high-voltage battery,” he said. “We are even seeing some light lift models redesigned to accommodate heavier capacities associated with market needs to support the addition of those heavy battery packs.”
On its AP Series two-post lifts, BendPak has replaced the half-moon gears that lock swing arm restraints in place with the patent-pending Automatic Swing Arm Restraint System (ASARS). This system uses a complete circle of forged steel teeth to secure the swing arms in place.
“ASARS can withstand an industry-leading 2,000 lbs. of side force, making it less likely to give way if the vehicle shifts,” explained Tyler Rex, BendPak senior director of marketing.
This style lift also uses low-profile, triple-telescoping, nested swing arms for better under-vehicle clearance, and they offer longer reach and shorter retraction to land at more OEM-recommended vehicle lift points.
“This not only saves technicians time and hassle when positioning vehicles on the lifts, it also enhances safety since improper spotting is a leading cause of lift accidents,” Rex said.
Rex also noted Bendpak is developing the Octa-Flex Series two-post lift, which has eight fully adjustable telescoping swing arms.
“This groundbreaking design enables technicians to use a two-post lift in entirely new ways,” he explained. “For example, when performing cab-off repairs, a single Octa-Flex lift can simultaneously hold/lift and lower both the cab and chassis. Its auxiliary arms also enable Octa-Flex to remove and hold heavy components like EV battery packs, drivetrains, and wheel assemblies without additional equipment or a second tech.”
BendPak is currently finalizing the Octa-Flex based on customer feedback.
Hunter, meanwhile, made some changes to its RX14 and RX16 scissor alignment racks. The OE lengthened the RX14KL by 13” and RX16KL by 17”, allowing them both to accommodate up to 195” two-wheel wheelbases.
“With last-mile delivery vehicles and longer wheelbase trucks growing every day, we added additional length to simplify alignment operations,” Liebetreu said. “While almost all these long vehicles fit on Hunter’s previous-generation runways, adding length simplifies alignment compensation, and therefore speeds services. Essentially, we added length to make alignments easier and faster.”
Liebetreu added that scissor racks are more space-efficient than four-post lifts and better suited to ADAS service. Shops can also flush-mount them for more efficiency.
Hunter added flexibility to shops aligning both light- and heavy-duty vehicles with the L494HD Four-Post Lift. He noted the lift was specifically designed for heavy-duty trucks, with long-haul models adopting aero packages that decrease their ground clearance.
“HD trucks are as low as cars these days,” Liebetreu said. “Crawling under a truck for alignment and general service should be a thing of the past if you wish to keep your staff — and keep them healthy.”
