PTEN_0321 - 63

Photo from Stertil-Koni.

on low pressure with high volumes of oil.
Unfortunately, the lifts became an environmental hazard due to leaking. Later
in the 80s, low volume, high pressure
telescopic pistons in steel boxes became
available and solved the leaking problem.
Recently, Bowers says, the big change
for inground lifts has been continuous
recess for telescopic piston lifts.

ADVANCES IN
TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN
In recent years, a variety of adaptions have
been made to vehicle lifting equipment to
stay up-to-date with the changes in vehicle design and industry demand. Features
were also added to promote technician
safety. The advances in lifting equipment
technology and design range from something as simple as the addition of LED
lighting to the more complex addition of
the touchscreen control panel.

LED lighting

The addition of LED lighting on vehicle
lifts is beneficial to technicians in many
ways. The lights not only illuminate the

technicians' workspaces which allows
them work handsfree, completing their
repairs and maintenance that much
quicker, but also creates a safer environment where the technicians can clearly
see what they are working on.
Stacey Mack, owner of Advantage
Lifts, explains that the lights run down
either runway on the lift, and if a shop's
lift didn't already have the LED lights
installed, the shop can easily do it themselves in minutes.
" [The lights] come with magnetic buttons that stick to the lift and are covered/
enrobed during manufacturing in a clear
silicone that protects the LED from shock,
water, and a dropping impact, " Mack says.

Industry trends

As vehicle sizes have evolved over the
years, in some cases becoming longer
or heavier, vehicle lifts have also had to
evolve in order to accommodate those
additional inches and pounds.
Many lift equipment manufacturers, Advantage Lifts included, wound
up redesigning their lifts to handle the

Stertil-Koni's ebright Smart Control System
puts all the necessary information on the lifting
system at the technician's fingertips.

increased width of wide body vehicles.
Mack notes that Advantage addressed
this by adding a full six inches to
their runways.
Another change in the realm of passenger vehicles comes from a reduction in
gas prices over the past few years.
" This encouraged consumers to buy
larger and heavier trucks and SUVs,
and even large diesel trucks, " Mack
says. " Again, Advantage Lifts had to
keep up, and we developed our 11,000
Series to accommodate most of even the
heaviest vehicles. "
Furthermore, John Uhl, director of
product management for Rotary Lift,
explains how the national build-out of
fiber and cellular networks, as well as the
upsurge of parcel delivery vehicles due to
the increase in online shopping, has created a rise in the number of medium duty
trucks on the road. This again, creates
the necessity of higher-capacity weightbearing and longer vehicle lifts.

March 2021 I Vehicle Lift Guide I 15
PTEN_0321

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PTEN_0321
