Scissor lift - how safe
Discussion
I'm thinking of buying this scissor lift for my garage.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
I've asked about safety locks but on this product they are fitted with hydraulic parachute valves rather than mechanical locks.
Has anyone any experience of this type of safety lock and are they completely fail safe?
Richard
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
I've asked about safety locks but on this product they are fitted with hydraulic parachute valves rather than mechanical locks.
Has anyone any experience of this type of safety lock and are they completely fail safe?
Richard
no experience, but I like the idea there is no bar between each side, although you would have to run a hydraulic pipe. I have one of similar design which has air operated mechanical safety chocks, which I find useful for resting the car on if its going to be in the air for a while, that takes the pressure off the hydraulics.
so would I be underneath there if it relies just on hydraulics? well I would need a bit of convincing! maybe if I understood how it works I would be happier... I can see why they have done It though, the air safety chocks must add quite a bit to the cost.
I guess if I was buying one now, that type would be a definite consideration, I may well have had to make some kind of mechanical lock mechanism or chock of some sort though!
any idea how the hydraulic lock works?
so would I be underneath there if it relies just on hydraulics? well I would need a bit of convincing! maybe if I understood how it works I would be happier... I can see why they have done It though, the air safety chocks must add quite a bit to the cost.
I guess if I was buying one now, that type would be a definite consideration, I may well have had to make some kind of mechanical lock mechanism or chock of some sort though!
any idea how the hydraulic lock works?
ah, just asked my mate who is a hydraulic specialist. seems the valves are commonly used to prevent catastrophic decent of a hydraulic ram if a hose goes. he says they are common in industry, especially on diggers. it still does not prevent a ram failure, but he says in 40 years he has not see many failures where the leak was enough to drop quickly...
I asked him if he would work under a ramp of this design... he said he would as there were two rams supporting the car!
If he was happy, so would I.
I asked him if he would work under a ramp of this design... he said he would as there were two rams supporting the car!
If he was happy, so would I.
hidetheelephants said:
RichD1 said:
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Think I would still like some form of mechanical locking.
I have seen a scissor lift with a mechanical lock, on a US-based garage forum; I'll have a root around and see if I can find it again.Think I would still like some form of mechanical locking.
One of the disadvantage of these is they need air to come off, and the ramp has to go up 25mm to disengage them. It does feel safe though when it's mechanically locked in place.
Hydraulic locks would not bother me after talking to my mate though. As with everything in life, it's about risk.
I'm in the process of choosing a lift and looked at quite a few options fro various manufacturers including the Automotech.
The hydraulic only lifts are the later/current style. If you look carefully the ones with a mechanical air lock only have 1 piston and therefore need a backup via the mechanical lock. The hydraulic only ones always have 2 pistons so have the backup built in redundancy and dont need the mechanical backup.
NB a very similare design lift is made by Bradbury and thats a hydraulic only and I doubt they would make anything "cheapo" or unsafe
The hydraulic only lifts are the later/current style. If you look carefully the ones with a mechanical air lock only have 1 piston and therefore need a backup via the mechanical lock. The hydraulic only ones always have 2 pistons so have the backup built in redundancy and dont need the mechanical backup.
NB a very similare design lift is made by Bradbury and thats a hydraulic only and I doubt they would make anything "cheapo" or unsafe
Initially I was looking for the "cheapest" option but still from a reasonable company. A couple of friends spoke highly of Automotech so I initially looked at AS-7530D which is £1,676 incl VAT and delivery
This is a 240v mid rise with platforms joined/mobile which requires an air compressor to release the locks. If you buy their compressor at the same time its £1,796 for both delivered etc.
Strongman also do a similar one but IIRC that's around £2200.
I also went to check out a Bradbury which was a lovely bit of kit. very smooth in operation and is twin piston so doesn't require a compressor. This was about £2300 incl delivery and vat and is "mobile" too.
http://www.bradburyequipment.co.uk/productmoreinfo...
The appeal of not having to have a compressor ie. would rather spend the money on a a better lift plus I sometimes work early or late on th ecar so want to keep noise to a minimum made me go back to Automotech website and notice the one you've posted about ie. AS-7532B which is £2026.80 including delivery and vat.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
This also has the advantage of not having the platforms connected by a bar so gives a bit of scope for customing the width between platforms. Note however, that it needs bolting down. However, when I went to see the bradbury which was a joined together platform they said they had to add some bolts to that as it would move slightly each time the car bumped against it.
All the lifts above are mid rise which is a vast improvement on working on axle stands etc. Out of the 3 my favourite is the AS-7532B as its not joined together and doesn't require a compressor.
Just to confuse myself I also looked at the AS-7230A and AS-7135 which are both full height but its a case of where do you stop. I think about £2k is my limit really but all depends how important having full height is.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-72...
NB One important advantage of the no air lock type is you can sop it at any position at all and its locked there rather than having to set the resting height of the platforms to the nearest mechanical locking point. Might seem trivial but makes life easier if your setting the height then trying to line a component up which is on a dolley etc.
This is a 240v mid rise with platforms joined/mobile which requires an air compressor to release the locks. If you buy their compressor at the same time its £1,796 for both delivered etc.
Strongman also do a similar one but IIRC that's around £2200.
I also went to check out a Bradbury which was a lovely bit of kit. very smooth in operation and is twin piston so doesn't require a compressor. This was about £2300 incl delivery and vat and is "mobile" too.
http://www.bradburyequipment.co.uk/productmoreinfo...
The appeal of not having to have a compressor ie. would rather spend the money on a a better lift plus I sometimes work early or late on th ecar so want to keep noise to a minimum made me go back to Automotech website and notice the one you've posted about ie. AS-7532B which is £2026.80 including delivery and vat.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
This also has the advantage of not having the platforms connected by a bar so gives a bit of scope for customing the width between platforms. Note however, that it needs bolting down. However, when I went to see the bradbury which was a joined together platform they said they had to add some bolts to that as it would move slightly each time the car bumped against it.
All the lifts above are mid rise which is a vast improvement on working on axle stands etc. Out of the 3 my favourite is the AS-7532B as its not joined together and doesn't require a compressor.
Just to confuse myself I also looked at the AS-7230A and AS-7135 which are both full height but its a case of where do you stop. I think about £2k is my limit really but all depends how important having full height is.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-72...
NB One important advantage of the no air lock type is you can sop it at any position at all and its locked there rather than having to set the resting height of the platforms to the nearest mechanical locking point. Might seem trivial but makes life easier if your setting the height then trying to line a component up which is on a dolley etc.
348jeff said:
Initially I was looking for the "cheapest" option but still from a reasonable company. A couple of friends spoke highly of Automotech so I initially looked at AS-7530D which is £1,676 incl VAT and delivery
This is a 240v mid rise with platforms joined/mobile which requires an air compressor to release the locks. If you buy their compressor at the same time its £1,796 for both delivered etc.
Strongman also do a similar one but IIRC that's around £2200.
I also went to check out a Bradbury which was a lovely bit of kit. very smooth in operation and is twin piston so doesn't require a compressor. This was about £2300 incl delivery and vat and is "mobile" too.
http://www.bradburyequipment.co.uk/productmoreinfo...
The appeal of not having to have a compressor ie. would rather spend the money on a a better lift plus I sometimes work early or late on th ecar so want to keep noise to a minimum made me go back to Automotech website and notice the one you've posted about ie. AS-7532B which is £2026.80 including delivery and vat.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
This also has the advantage of not having the platforms connected by a bar so gives a bit of scope for customing the width between platforms. Note however, that it needs bolting down. However, when I went to see the bradbury which was a joined together platform they said they had to add some bolts to that as it would move slightly each time the car bumped against it.
All the lifts above are mid rise which is a vast improvement on working on axle stands etc. Out of the 3 my favourite is the AS-7532B as its not joined together and doesn't require a compressor.
Just to confuse myself I also looked at the AS-7230A and AS-7135 which are both full height but its a case of where do you stop. I think about £2k is my limit really but all depends how important having full height is.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-72...
NB One important advantage of the no air lock type is you can sop it at any position at all and its locked there rather than having to set the resting height of the platforms to the nearest mechanical locking point. Might seem trivial but makes life easier if your setting the height then trying to line a component up which is on a dolley etc.
with mine the compressor does not need to be running, just a small amount of air in the tank. I normally leave the compressor switched off and a bit of air in the tank to power the air locks off.This is a 240v mid rise with platforms joined/mobile which requires an air compressor to release the locks. If you buy their compressor at the same time its £1,796 for both delivered etc.
Strongman also do a similar one but IIRC that's around £2200.
I also went to check out a Bradbury which was a lovely bit of kit. very smooth in operation and is twin piston so doesn't require a compressor. This was about £2300 incl delivery and vat and is "mobile" too.
http://www.bradburyequipment.co.uk/productmoreinfo...
The appeal of not having to have a compressor ie. would rather spend the money on a a better lift plus I sometimes work early or late on th ecar so want to keep noise to a minimum made me go back to Automotech website and notice the one you've posted about ie. AS-7532B which is £2026.80 including delivery and vat.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-75...
This also has the advantage of not having the platforms connected by a bar so gives a bit of scope for customing the width between platforms. Note however, that it needs bolting down. However, when I went to see the bradbury which was a joined together platform they said they had to add some bolts to that as it would move slightly each time the car bumped against it.
All the lifts above are mid rise which is a vast improvement on working on axle stands etc. Out of the 3 my favourite is the AS-7532B as its not joined together and doesn't require a compressor.
Just to confuse myself I also looked at the AS-7230A and AS-7135 which are both full height but its a case of where do you stop. I think about £2k is my limit really but all depends how important having full height is.
http://www.automotechservices.co.uk/products/as-72...
NB One important advantage of the no air lock type is you can sop it at any position at all and its locked there rather than having to set the resting height of the platforms to the nearest mechanical locking point. Might seem trivial but makes life easier if your setting the height then trying to line a component up which is on a dolley etc.
even with the air lock, you can still stop it in any position if you need to line things up, I have never found that an issue.
Initially I didn't bolt mine down, but I found that it moved when going on and off, so I have used a few rawl bolts to secure it to the floor.
Although mine has the air locks, if I was buying again I would probably go for one without the joining bar as this does get in the way a bit at times. My mate also bought one like mine, and we had to get it to his garage which is at the bottom of his garden. the delivery driver could only get the truck on his drive, so we have to manually get the hoist to the bottom of the garden... boy that was hard! if it didn't have the joining bar, it would have been easy!
That AS-7532B looks ideal to me.
Just spoke to Automotech about the 7532 and the parachute valves and he confirmed the security of a dual ram system. Also discussed extensions to the hoses and also some quick release couplings on the control unit so that it can be moved out of the way when the lift is not being used.
Definitely convinced that the 7532 is the lift for me as I have limited headroom in my garage. Just wish I had room for their 2 post lift!! At around £1500 it's a real bargain.
Will be placing an order in the next week or so once the garage front has been rebuilt and a new insulated roller door fitted.
Richard
Definitely convinced that the 7532 is the lift for me as I have limited headroom in my garage. Just wish I had room for their 2 post lift!! At around £1500 it's a real bargain.
Will be placing an order in the next week or so once the garage front has been rebuilt and a new insulated roller door fitted.
Richard
RichD1 said:
Just spoke to Automotech about the 7532 and the parachute valves and he confirmed the security of a dual ram system. Also discussed extensions to the hoses and also some quick release couplings on the control unit so that it can be moved out of the way when the lift is not being used.
Definitely convinced that the 7532 is the lift for me as I have limited headroom in my garage. Just wish I had room for their 2 post lift!! At around £1500 it's a real bargain.
Will be placing an order in the next week or so once the garage front has been rebuilt and a new insulated roller door fitted.
Richard
great, post some pictures when you have got it all in the garage!Definitely convinced that the 7532 is the lift for me as I have limited headroom in my garage. Just wish I had room for their 2 post lift!! At around £1500 it's a real bargain.
Will be placing an order in the next week or so once the garage front has been rebuilt and a new insulated roller door fitted.
Richard
I have been in my garage today, servicing the mowers ready for spring... its amazing how much easier it is when they are on the hoist at an easy working height!
Please post pictures when it's done. I've been toying with this for a while.
How much I've go a 'normal' height garage, I'm 6'2 and can Reach the ceiling with my hands. Can't quite work out which is the way to go. I suppose a full height is best since it can lift any car, regardless of its height, up until it's near the ceiling, then lock it in place.
So, throw the mx5 on and get a fair bit of space under the car, put the wife's qasqai on and get much less.
How much I've go a 'normal' height garage, I'm 6'2 and can Reach the ceiling with my hands. Can't quite work out which is the way to go. I suppose a full height is best since it can lift any car, regardless of its height, up until it's near the ceiling, then lock it in place.
So, throw the mx5 on and get a fair bit of space under the car, put the wife's qasqai on and get much less.
I can't fault this for a few hundred quid . 700mm lift and you can tilt it if you need more height at either end . Cordless drill sends it up but both mine are just under 1000kg although it's designed for regular medium sized cars as I had to narrow it 5" to fit my chassis rail width . 115mm closed height
mighty kitten said:
I can't fault this for a few hundred quid . 700mm lift and you can tilt it if you need more height at either end . Cordless drill sends it up but both mine are just under 1000kg although it's designed for regular medium sized cars as I had to narrow it 5" to fit my chassis rail width . 115mm closed height
Details please!!Automotech tilter lift . Few different brands but they all look the same .
Stores quite neatly when I don't need it . Only niggle Is finding the balance point the first time you use it so you can tilt it with one finger but I put a little paint mark on the chassis so I lift it in the right spot first time now .
Stores quite neatly when I don't need it . Only niggle Is finding the balance point the first time you use it so you can tilt it with one finger but I put a little paint mark on the chassis so I lift it in the right spot first time now .
mighty kitten said:
Automotech tilter lift . Few different brands but they all look the same .
Stores quite neatly when I don't need it . Only niggle Is finding the balance point the first time you use it so you can tilt it with one finger but I put a little paint mark on the chassis so I lift it in the right spot first time now .
A mate had one... its a bit of a faf to use, but better than nothing! Stores quite neatly when I don't need it . Only niggle Is finding the balance point the first time you use it so you can tilt it with one finger but I put a little paint mark on the chassis so I lift it in the right spot first time now .
If you're interested in a mid rise lift, you could do worse than have a look at one of these..ebay item number 231492036607 I had one for 4 years or so when I first started spannering for a living. I've since replaced it with a traditional 2 post, but this lift was very very good. I have a 2 tonne 4x4 and it lifted that fine for work on the brakes and things.
There is a mechanical stop on this that I always lowered the load onto when working underneath.
It's also portable to.
I've bought stuff from Autoteck to, and they treated me well, with some good kit, so I wouldn't have too many worries (but I do like that lift linked to ebay)
There is a mechanical stop on this that I always lowered the load onto when working underneath.
It's also portable to.
I've bought stuff from Autoteck to, and they treated me well, with some good kit, so I wouldn't have too many worries (but I do like that lift linked to ebay)
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