For many car tyre mechanics the car lift is one of the most important pieces of equipment they will use on a day to day basis. They use this machinery to change car tyres and to inspect faults on vehicles that would come into their garage or workshop. There are many different ways you can use the car lift and all of these different methods will require the user to practice the utmost caution when using any type of vehicle lift.
While is may well seem obvious, a car-lift should never be used on a vehicle while the engine is running. Additionally, the car should be in neutral rather than in gear and of course, all doors should be secured in the closed position. Fortunately, practically all modern car-lifts now have security blocks to ensure vehicles are unable to move. Even so, it?s still essential that you remain alert for movement, irrespective of how slight it may be. Likewise, security blocks should checked regularly to ensure they are functioning properly, and that they?re capable of maintaining the vehicle in a secure state.
After all the security checks have been put in place you will now be in a position to raise the car above your head using the lift. Do this in a slow manner and continue to check the stability of the car and the lift in question. Also another point to remember is that you should always slow the raising of the car when it reaches the peak of the car lift. Once the car has risen to the very top, it is now time to secure everything by locking it all in place.
Safety Precautions to be Followed While Vehicle is Raised.
When changing car tyres using a car lift allot of mechanics get fearful due to the thought of such a heavy vehicle above them supported only by the lift. You must maintain a safety mindset when working with vehicle lifts.
A regular mistake that in some cases have proven fatal is to not load the lift in the correct manner. This can be down to a number of things such as the load is too heavy for the lift, the load is too large or it could be that the load is not an even weight. Always check with the manufacturers guideline manual that should come with the vehicle lift, this should contain information such as maximum load weight & size restrictions for the lift. One more aspect to be aware of is not to raise the load above the manufacturers recommended level.
Other methods in increasing the safety of these machines is to consistently clean and maintain the parts. This will greatly reduce the risk of having any accidents. Remember, safety is the most important factor when dealing with lifting a vehicle, the smallest mistake can be deadly and from my own personal experience in 1982 I actually witnessed a good colleague get crushed due to lapses of concentration in the safety process.
With all the precautionary safety procedures over, there is no doubt about it that a car lift is a very important piece of equipment for the mechanic. When you are buying a lift you should always establish what you will be using it for and make sure that the lift you eventually decide to buy ticks all the boxes that you had set for yourself. When you find the lift that meets your specific needs you will be able to work with it in harmony.
Of course, if you're considering purchasing a car-lift for domestic use, you should choose one that's suitable for use in your garage. Essentially, the money you spend on a good car-lift will soon be recovered, given that they make it possible for you to carry out many repairs yourself, rather than having to rely on expensive repair centers.
If you are a professional mechanic and need a car lift for your business then I would recommend that you go after the most robust of auto lifts. This is all down to the fact that you will be using the lift on a daily basis so it is wise to purchase one that will last you years and years as opposed to one that will be broken in a few months. Another tip, it is paramount that you maintain and clean your lift for the business as any mistakes and you might be expecting a visit from some lawyers!