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

All Round View

Pleased to share the a picture of a new garage block built to incorporate 4 Post lifts for storage and, as the customer races and does his own maintenance, servicing purposes. I was pleased to quote for, and win this business, and, I think you'll agree, it's all turned out rather well.

Back to the Future

Car sales in Britain, as notified by Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have recorded a 26th month of rising sales, the best performance since the late 1980's.

As we come out of recession, again (remember being told that the era of Boom and Bust was behind us!), consumer confidence is increasing and new car registrations are following. These underlying healthy statistics are welcome, and make good reading for all sorts of reasons. 

Behind the headlines the reasons for the continued growth are enhanced consumer confidence, a reluctance to save any money these days as Interest Rates remain low and the need, and desire, to "go green" and replace older vehicles with more fuel efficient models.

The SMMT statistics make for interesting, and encouraging reading as engine technology evolves. 

• Fuel efficiency: Average mpg has improved 35%, from 42.4mpg to 57.2mpg, since March 2004. 

• CO2 emissions: Average new car CO2 emissions are 26% lower than a decade ago. In March 2014, 67.2% of the market was below 130g/km, so paid no VED in the first year, compared with 6.5% in March 2004. 

I even remember recently reading that crime statistics are reducing for two main reasons, better car security and the absence of lead in petrol which has helped improve behaviour in children and increase overall IQ!

However the news isn't entirely good. As we have rattled on in these pages before British Car Manufacturers do this country proud and we produce excellent quality vehicles which are helping the Economy grow with strong Export demand, but, the consumers of GB PLC continue to purchase offshore produced cars in preference to locally manufactured products. 

Traditional manufacturers aren't really helping the cause, the most popular cars, by volume, last moth were the Ford Fiesta, followed by the Ford Focus and the VW Golf. We all know the Golf is made in Germany, in Wolfsburg (it's also made in Slovakia), but the Fords are made in the UK so that's okay, right. Well No. The Focus and the Fiesta are made in Spain and Portugal. Ford produce some engines and gearboxes in the UK, but not cars. The next most popular models are Vauxhall's, the Corsa (made in Germany and Spain) and the Astra, made in England (except they've announced plans to move production out of the UK).

Shame.

"What was that!"

Esteban Gutierrez drove his Sauber at the F1 in Bahrain. He was hit and flipped, the car smashing into the tarmac upside down and returning, upright, to a stop.

He waited for thirty seconds and then climbed out of the car, exclaiming "What was that?!" 

He climbed out of the car unassisted and walked away. 

With the right equipment you can do anything, even crash, safely!

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

By the 1950's Britain was the second largest car manufacturer, behind the USA, and the largest exporter of vehicles world-wide.

Since the mid Seventies a steady decline in UK Car manufacturing has seen the loss of may prestigious marques, with Car Factories closing, the demise of many companies and brands and the wholesale acquisition of much of the industry by foreign companies. However we still retain an enormous automotive manufacturing base, core design and engineering knowledge which in recent years has bucked the trend and keeps Britain at the forefront of the World Car Industry with factories in this country producing 1.5M units per annum.

Factor in supply companies, spares, after-market and associated car related products to discover a healthy, vibrant market sector which still leads the world in many aspects.

British Car Design and Engineering expertise is still in global demand. After many years of what seemed like terminal decline we're proud that, although many may not be owned by Brits, the following companies fly the flag in manufacturing cars in these Isles and contribute to £30 billion in exports.

Aston Martin        Land Rover        Jaguar        Arial        Honda        Rolls Royce        Bentley   

Ginetta        Vauxhall        Toyota       Noble        McLaren        Nissan        Morgan        Mini   

Radical        Westfield         Lotus        Caterham        Ultima

An Indian Adventure

Visited Delhi and Rajasthan recently. Was expecting to see a load of "Classic" Cars but the government there has done a very effective job of phasing out old polluting personal transport and replacing it with small, modern cars. Mainly Suzuki if our ad hoc survey is anything to go by!

A throwback to a byegone era that we encountered on our travels was this

A Premier Padmini, a Fiat 1100D, designed in 1962 and licensed for Indian manufacture from 1974

The transport of choice is the redoubtable Auto-Rickshaw (tuk-tuk), all mainly Gas powered these days. Over here we occasionally play the "how many people can you get in a Mini?" game, for fun. In Delhi the population generally cram unfeasibly large numbers of human beings into, and onto, the "Auto" as a means to an end. The going rate for transport in these contraptions is incredibly low, mere pence but the game of arguing long and hard about the fare is ongoing as the drivers are truly reluctant to use the Meter for tourists - agree the price prior to the journey or better still INSIST they use the Meter, but then be prepared for a sullen chauffeur and extended detour of a journey.

Driving, or more accurately, being driven, is more scary than any rollercoaster. The idea is that Mirrors are NEVER used, the game of head-on "CHICKEN" is played as the norm and any rules of the road have been totally forgotten.

There is however one extremely sensible, simple and practical piece of road furniture that should immediately be adopted here. At all the major intersections with traffic lights they have prominent timers, counting down the time till the lights change. These timers are the only means possible yet discovered to prevent an Indian driver incessantly blowing their horns. The most apt sign in the whole of Delhi......

The cars may be mostly modern, that isn't true of the trucks and busses. The "All India Permit" proudly signwritten onto the majority of commercial transport implies the driver has actually passed a driving test, sadly they all, without exception drive as if they are in "Mad Max", as for the roadworthiness of almost any vehicle, well let's just say that there isn't enough paper available for the list of "Advisories" which would be required!

The highlight of our motoring in India has to be the sedate trip taken in a 1939 Chevrolet Master 85 Limousine. Driven impeccably by Rav, our ex Indian Army driver, we toured Jodhpur in decadent luxury, visiting the Polo Club and the magnificent Forts.

Silverstone Classic

A great time was had by all at the Silverstone Classic this year, apart, that is, from the hardy souls braving the Saturday downpour to watch The Hollies.

We set up shop on Thursday to an amazing soundtrack of an eclectic mix of historic cars being put through their paces in testing, and throughout the weekend it was that wonderfully evocative noise which provided the event's signature.

A fabulous turnout of cars of all marques......

 ...... complemented the serious side of the event - the racing. Practice and qualifying was stimulating enough, but there was no quarter given racing some of the most precious vehicles on the planet.

One thing which sets The Classic apart, for me, is the unfettered access to the pits and the friendly welcome given by the mechanics and drivers alike, all perfectly happy to share their tales of joy, woe and mechanical triumph and disaster.

All in all we had an excellent time, working hard of course.

We'll be back next year for some more "Rockin 'n' Racing"