Shopping for a Lift? Start Here.

Lifts are an essential fixture of every service and repair bay. They’re used more times a day than just about any other piece of equipment. The right lift will make your shop more productive and profitable, plus keep your techs safe and more satisfied with their jobs. So, when you’re shopping for a new lift, it’s important to get it right.

There are four main things to consider when buying a new lift.

1. Types, sizes and weights of the types of vehicles you need to lift. 

It’s about more than choosing between in-ground, two-post, four-post or another style. Depending on the vehicle types you’re lifting every day in the shop, you might need a large weight capacity. You might also want a lift that’s compatible with accessories needed to do specific types of work. 

2. The types of services your techs perform.

Are you performing rapid-fire oil changes and inspections? What about alignments and other wheel services? You want to be certain that the lift you choose will make it easy for your techs to do what they need to do—safely and efficiently.

3. The layout of your facility or shop.

Every shop is different, so it’s important to consider whether or not the lift you want will actually fit in your space. You’ll want to check the lift dimensions against the dimensions of your bays, but you should also work closely with a local distributor to make sure you’re making the right choice.

4. Budget. 

It’s about more than just the purchase price. Consider the total cost of ownership including repairs and inspections. A lower upfront price won’t be as appealing when your lift needs maintenance and you lose revenue until it’s fixed.

These are just the starting points for lift shopping, but there’s a lot more to know.  Check out everything you need to know in our free, downloadable Car Lift Resource Guide.