Ask Before You Buy A Mobile Column Lift

1. Is the column made from ¾’ x 6’ thick fork lift mast sections or bent sheet metal?
2. Does the lift fully “sit” on the floor with retractable wheels or are the front wheels always under load & contacting the shop floor?
3. How long are the lifting forks? (15” for lifting floatation tires or 22” to raise both dual rear tires)
4. Are the columns & all available options ALI/ETL certified? (If not then the lift is no longer certified)
5. Does the column offer a weight gauge to weigh vehicles and visually assure the operator that the weight has been lowered onto the mechanical locks?
6. Are the communication cables open ended or a closed loop system requiring cables to be driven over?
7. When used in pairs, does the manufacturer offer an option to raise passenger vehicles from the front to rear as well as side to side?
8. Does the lift have adjustable forks to tightly grab the tires or is an optional wheel reducer sleeve needed when raising vehicles with smaller tires?
9. Does the lift have wing plow adaptor/RV slide out adaptor available to save labor of removing wing plows or work on RV’s with slide outs open?
10. Does the standard lift accommodate a 24” rim or just a 22.5”?
11. Where is the lift made? (USA, China, Holland, France, Germany)
12. The PLC (Programmable Logic Control) which controls column synchronization: Is the PLC an “off the shelf” Siemens controller available nationwide or a dedicated printed circuit board specific to that brand of lift (very expensive should replacement ever be needed, if still available)?
13. The steering wheels on the lift; Are they single or dual wheels? Steel or rubber coated (for ease of rolling over shop debris & expansion seams)? Is there a roller bearing in the rear wheels to ease movement or just a bushing?
14. Is a slope indicator available to verify the angle of your shop floor (to avoid using the lifts on an unsafe sloped floor)?
15. Has the US Military tested the lift, done a favorable evaluation and assigned the mobile lift a National Stock Number?
16. Can a set of 6 columns be divided up into 3 sets of 2, or a set of 2 and as set of 4, or is there only one column that acts as the “main” post?
17. If using the 22” long fork version to raise BOTH rear tires on a vehicle, how much is the column capacity de-rated to? Is it still enough to raise the rear axle if it weighs 25,000 lbs?
18. Are the high rise jack stands also ETL certified (to maintain the lifts ALI/ETL certification?)
19. Are columns available in several capacities? Can different capacities be used for heavy ended or specialized vehicles?
20. If ever damaged do the communication and electrical cables quickly connect to the column or are they hard wired into the lift? (Requiring longer replacement time or an electrician).