Lifts 101: The Basics of Low-rise Lifts

Inground or four-post auto lifts offer a lot of pick-up power and height, but sometimes a low or midrise lift is exactly what you need. These light-duty lifts are perfect for quick service work like brake and tire jobs, body repairs, or estimating, usually lifting vehicles two to four feet off the ground. Lifts in this category offer productivity benefits over jacks without the financial commitment of other lifts, and there’s a lot to love about them:

Space savings. Of course there’s a vertical space savings with this type of lift, which is important for anyone with low ceilings in their shop. And if you have a small work shop overall or want to squeeze more bays in, low and midrise lifts are a great option. They’re more compact than other types of surface lifts, so you can fit more in less space. That means you’ll be able to churn through more of those fast-lane jobs in a day (week, month, and on and on).

Power savings. Some jobs don’t require techs to work underneath the vehicle. Low and midrise lifts only go as high as you need them to, which means they’ll use less electricity in the long run. Plus, most can be plugged into a standard 115-volt power outlet, so you won’t have to do any extra wiring to start using them in your shop.

Time savings. That shorter rise height also means a faster trip up than some traditional lifts. For example, it takes about 53 seconds for a (non-Shockwave™) inground lift to rise to its full height, while our low and midrise lifts average about 40 seconds. That’s great news for high-volume shops and customers who want to get in and get out. Choose the right lift for the job, and you could see savings. In this instance, time, money and space savings.

Rotary Low-rise Lifts

Our VLXS7 low-rise lift offers the benefits discussed above, making it ideal for high-volume brake and tire work. Drive-over ramps and side rails accommodate larger vehicles (up to 7,000 pounds), so you can take on more jobs from a wider set of customers. The included rubber blocks give you quick access to lower-profile vehicles, and dual cylinders offer smooth lifting.

Its cousin the VLXS10 is another low-rise lift (30 5/16-inch rise vs. 24 3/4 inches for the VLXS7) that Rotary offers. It features the same capabilities with a 10,000-pound capacity, so you can work on everything from cars to light trucks.

Low-rise lifts provide exactly what some shops need and don’t leave them paying for extra height they won’t benefit from. To learn more about which light-duty lift is just right for your shop, take a look at our free Light Duty Resource Guide.