How Does an Engine Work?

Ever been asked the question, well, you can describe it, concisely - can't you....?

Well, here's a little help from this brilliant site

How a Car Engine Works

A Passion for 7's

Passion. That's what it's all about, a love of something, your thing.

For David Mawby it's the Austin 7. He has quite a collection, he likes them to be as near to original as possible and selected a Strongman Tools Glenfinnan 4 Post to aid him in his efforts to maintain, restore and service his impressive fleet. I was lucky enough to install this lift and got chatting to David to discover the stroy behind his fantastic collection of Sevens.

Getting to grips with an Austin Seven Pearl

 using the compact 4 Post Lift installed at home

Too Many Cars - Not Enough Garage Space?

How do you solve the problem of too many cars and not enough space?

This customer decided that two single post parking lifts installed into his newly, purpose, built garage would provide the perfect solution.

As always, measuring up is the key to success, in this case the minimum height required was determined by the height of the single post (2.85m) rather than the "height of two cars plus 110mm" equation. As can be seen from the photos, as these small sports cars prove, there is plenty of clearance between the vehicles when these lifts are extended to maximum height.

1. First Car in position....

2. Car raised...............

 3. Next Car in Position

4. And raised, providing unobstructed through access

5. That's 4 Cars Securely Parked; 2+2 indeed

 6. Followed by the Wife's Day to Day Transport....

Five cars, all snugly parked away from prying eyes behind a remotely operated roller shutter door, with easy access, no forest of posts cluttering up the floor, storage / work space to the sides and everything nicely powered from the home power supply. 

Maximum return on investment !
 

Car Lifts. How Mobile is Mobile?

"I want/need/require/dream of a mobile lift, do you do them?"

"Yes Sir, we sell them"

"How mobile are they?"

Purchase of anything is usually a compromise. Nothing does everything after all. But a mobile lift should really be, well..... mobile. We sell Scissor Lifts, and Platform Scissor Lifts (the difference is that they offer centre access through the middle of the raised car) that, in thoery, can be moved around the workshop and even used in the yard.

A scissor lift, for example Strongman Tools' Tamar, truly is mobile. The motor-control unit acts as the movement handle and one person can move it around the workshop, two people if needed to move it around the yard. It must be used on concrete, but so long as the base is solid it really can be used to raise a vehicle anywhere. The attached images show the Tamar in use in the yard, with a generator, not mains power. This totally independent lifting solution is required for one of our customers, a rally team, that winch the lift on and off their trailer.

So, if you have a yard, you can employ a Car Lift!

The Tamar is also a very versatile device, users can drive over it, or it can be pushed under a vehicle, but do bear in mind it is 5" tall so runners may need to be employed either side for low vehicles

If it isn't possible to "straddle" the Tamar because the vehicle jacking points, sills or chassis rails are wider than 1500mm apart then the mobility of the lift comes into its' own as the ramp can be pushed under the vehicle, at right angles, enabling larger cars to be raised and providing increased flexibility for users.

As well as making the ideal mobile option, these lifts can also be employed, static, for example in a purpose built recess

Really Sorry, But No Can Do.....

We try and say "Yes" and accommodate our customers. We try to be as helpful as possible and we like to think that we support everyone who purchases our equipment, hopefully not just meeting, but exceeding expectations.

However, you can't please all the people........

A lady ordered a compressor, thanks for the order. She paid. We delivered it the next day. Or should I say, our driver tried to deliver it. Bearing in mind it's an industrial compressor it weighs a bit. Well it weighs a lot actually. We know not everyone has a fork lift truck so we deliver with a tail lift equipped vehicle and always have a pallet truck to hand.

We arrive at the given address to find a domestic block of flats, the delivery address is up EIGHT flights of stairs, there is no lift and the lady INSISTS that it is our responsibility to deliver the machine and is also equally adamant that there is nobody available to help!

Sorry, we can't always please everyone. She called me up to complain that our driver said he wasn't able to deliver the equipment to her flat. We don't always quote chapter and verse when it comes to Health and Safety as some of the PC and European Regulations seem to exclude common sense (remember Schools banning Conkers etc) but Manual Handling Guidelines specifically state "No single person should be required to lift, lower or carry loads over 25kg"  and this equipment weighs considerably more, and don't forget those eight flights!. 

As well as our duty to our customers to ensure a smooth transaction, a purchaser also has a duty of common sense and care. If you know you live at the top of a block of flats which has no lift and then order a piece of industrial equipment please take care to advise us so we may, together, sensibly arrange delivery but please don't expect us to demand our employees perform tasks which you wouldn't consider sensible yourself.

More Than One Direction!

Apparently "Harry Styles" is a singer in a "boy band" called One Direction.

I was passed a screaming tabloid piece on his new house, which apparently costs a fortune and, among the other salacious details, possess 

"A gated opening that looks just barely wide and tall enough for a mid-sized vehicle opens to a compact motor court that's decadently and expensively equipped with a double car lift that makes it possible to park four cars behind gates and off-the street"

Really, Mr Tabloid journalist, Parking Lifts? they really exist. You can park four cars in the same space that accommodates just two, that would be both "decadent" and "expensive" wouldn't it!

Gosh.

Would that installation look something like (overall cost less than £8k)

or perhaps this one for a similar investment ?

We can also supply single post and two post parking lifts from our range, none of which could be described as anything other then a perfectly reasonable and sensible investment for a homeowner looking to make the best use of available space.

These Lifts are Really Useful You Know

I remember attending a TR Register International a few years ago. On the stand we had a couple of Strongman Tools Tamar Car Lifts exhibited. These are mobile scissor lifts, they were there for display but when Colin from Kent arrived with his TR2, he did so under tow as his pride and joy had thrown a half-shaft

 
The narrow Tamar Lift was deployed to assist and the car pushed into position, as the Tamar, in common with standard scissor lifts, is quite hight, some runners were placed wither side of the lift to gain sufficient clearance.

The little TR was duly raised





Work commenced; Trouble located

Shaft replaced (with one cannily purchased from the Autojumble at the show!)

Before Colin was able to get the Car back on the road and enjoy the rest of the weekend