Magazine for the auto service professional
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Circle 125 on Reader Service Card Courtesy of Mohawk 44 | September/October 2014 overloaded with 3,000 lbs. on them. Large work trucks are often much heavier at the rear than at the front. Lift capacity should be based on the actual weight of the truck. Citing this example, according to Steve Perlstein of Mohawk Resources Ltd., rais- ing the vehicle safely requires a 12,000-lb. capacity lift to accommodate the 6,000-lb. (heavy) rear-end vehicle. "Try this same example with one of your 13,000 to 14,000-lb. loaded utility trucks," Perlstein said. "You'll soon fnd the required lift for these vehicles (based on the likely 8,000-lb. rear axle) is in the 16,000- to 20,000-lb. capacity range." A weight scale may be featured on a lift, which alerts the technician if the lift is loaded near capacity, but in the example mentioned earlier, this won't really help, since almost all work trucks are rear heavy. NOTE: We'll touch on this repeatedly, but always remember that you should never rely on hydraulic pressure alone to support a vehicle. Always raise a bit beyond your desired work height, then lower onto the locking blocks. When the scale reads no weight, the operator then knows that the vehicle is now resting on the mechanical safety locks rather than leaving the load raised under hydraulic pressure. The ALI booklet titled Lifting It Right covers the proper procedures for safely raising all vehicles on all types of lifts. For example, the two-post side-by-side The Tech Bench Overhead hydraulic lines don't necessarily need to be straight. They can be fabricated and bent to conform to a specifc ceiling shape requirement as illustrated.