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Frequently Asked Questions
What decides which type of lift suits a workshop?
The building, usually before the vehicles - slab thickness, ceiling height, bay width, power supply and what the space does when the lift is idle.
Slab thickness, strength and condition determine whether a bolt-down lift can be anchored safely at all, and it must be verified rather than assumed.
Ceiling height limits how high a vehicle can go and whether an overhead-beam design fits.
Bay width and the position of columns, doors and drainage decide what will physically install.
Power supply matters: many lifts need three-phase, and single-phase versions are limited in capacity and speed.
How the bay is used when the lift is down is the question most often forgotten - a four-post lift occupies its footprint permanently, while an in-ground or scissor lift leaves a clear floor.
How is capacity specified correctly?
For the heaviest vehicle laden as it actually arrives, with margin - and remembering the rating assumes a balanced load.
The plated capacity is a total for an evenly distributed load between the lifting points.
Real vehicles are not evenly distributed: a van with a heavy rear body or a pick-up with a loaded bed puts far more than half its weight on one pair of arms.
Manufacturers state a maximum load per arm or per point as well as the total, and that figure is frequently the governing one.
Rate for the heaviest vehicle in the fleet in its working condition, not its kerb weight.
Leave margin for the fleet changing - vehicles have got heavier consistently, and electric vehicles are heavier again than their equivalents.
What inspection regime applies?
Statutory periodic inspection by a competent person, with records - present in essentially every jurisdiction, though the interval and qualification differ.
A vehicle lift is lifting equipment with people working underneath it, so it is regulated wherever workplace safety is regulated.
The common pattern is a thorough examination at a defined interval by someone competent and independent of the operator, with a written report retained.
Intervals are commonly six or twelve months depending on the territory and the type of equipment.
That statutory examination does not replace daily pre-use checks by the operator, which are a separate and equally expected duty.
Check the specific requirement in each territory a business operates in - the obligation is close to universal but the detail is not.
What daily checks should operators make?
Locks, controls, cables or chains, hydraulic leaks, arm restraints and the surrounding floor - before the first vehicle of the day.
Raise the empty lift and confirm the mechanical locks engage audibly and release correctly on both sides.
Check for hydraulic leaks at the cylinders, hoses and fittings, and for any drop in height when parked under load.
Inspect cables and chains for broken strands, corrosion and correct tension where the design uses them.
Confirm arm restraints engage and that the lifting pads are present, correct and not worn or perished.
Look at the floor around the anchors for cracking or movement, which is the earliest visible sign of an anchoring problem.
Why must mechanical locks always be engaged?
Because hydraulics can fail or leak down, and the locks are the safeguard that holds the load if they do.
A hydraulic system holds the load through pressure, seals and hoses, all of which can fail.
Mechanical locks are a positive engagement that holds the carriage regardless of hydraulic pressure.
The correct procedure is to raise past the desired height, then lower onto the locks so the load rests on steel rather than on oil.
Both sides must be on the same lock position, and an audible engagement on each side is the confirmation.
Working under a lift held only on hydraulics is both the most serious and the most common unsafe practice in a workshop.
How important is installation and anchoring?
Critical - anchoring into a verified slab, to the manufacturer's pattern and torque, is what stands between the lift and a collapse.
Manufacturers specify a minimum slab thickness, concrete strength and cure age, and these must be confirmed rather than assumed from the building's appearance.
Core sampling is the reliable way to establish thickness where records do not exist.
Anchor bolts must be the specified type, set to the specified embedment and torqued to the specified figure, with edge distances respected.
Slab reinforcement, joints, underfloor heating and buried services all affect where anchors can go.
Anchor torque should be re-checked after a defined initial period and periodically thereafter, and it is part of the statutory examination.
What training do operators need?
Type-specific training on the lift they will use, covering lifting points, load balance, locks and emergency procedures - competence rather than familiarity.
Lifting points differ by vehicle, and using the wrong point damages sills, floors and battery packs, or lets the vehicle slip.
Electric vehicles in particular have restricted lifting points because of the battery pack, and getting it wrong is both dangerous and extremely expensive.
Operators need to understand load balance, the difference between kerb and laden weight, and how a heavy rear body shifts the centre of gravity.
Emergency procedures - what to do if the lift will not lower, or if a lock will not release - should be known before they are needed.
Keep training records; they are usually expected as part of demonstrating competence to an inspector.