While the space on this page is most often devoted to the latest light- and medium-duty vehicle developments, the productivity of these fleet operations is also highly dependent on efficiency behind the scenes. In particular, I’m thinking of the shop operations that support the fleet and ensure that its vehicles are operating effectively and reliably.
For many public works and transit fleets, for example, a common concern is not having the space to install a variety of lifts to efficiently service a wide range of vehicles. Most of these operations have to use heavy-duty inground lifts to raise large vehicles and settle for floor jacks to work on light-duty models.
According to a recent announcement by Rotary Lift, however, it is now possible to service many of the different vehicles in a typical public fleet operation with a single lift. Just introduced by the company, for example, is the X Pad frame-contact adapter for its MOD30 inground lift, which temporarily replaces the standard axle-engaging adapter on the MOD30’s rear post so the lift can pick up vehicles with independent front or rear suspensions, such as cars and minivans.
The Rotary Lift MOD30 is entirely self-contained and modular so it can be configured to accommodate most vehicles, including trucks, fire engines, articulated buses and construction equipment. The lift adapter uses the same arms as light-duty inground lifts to properly reach manufacturer recommended pick-up points on cars, light trucks and vans.
“The X Pad adapter gives fleets greater flexibility,” says Roger Perlstein, heavy-duty sales manager at Rotary. “Every municipal fleet includes some cars. With the X Pad, technicians can lift all the vehicles in the fleet, from the building inspector’s sedan to dump trucks and transit buses, using a single lift.”
Rotary Lift is also working to enhance the productivity of government fleet shop operations by expanding its sales program and offering 145 products to customers through its GSA contract (#GS-07F-8953D, Dover Industries, Inc., DBA Rotary Lift). Products include light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle lifts, adapters and accessories. Available in a variety of rated capacities and configurations, these cover two-post surface, light-duty, fully contained inground, four-post surface, modular inground, parallelogram, heavy-duty portable, alignment rack and low-rise lifts.
For the first time as well, Rotary says that municipal and transit fleets with existing heavy-duty inground lifts can now replace older, failing units using existing pits. More importantly, they can do so without the cost and time required to demolish and remove old lifts and install replacement models.
The solution, according to the company, is its Retrofit 60 inground lift, designed so the rear piston is installed in its own containment housing (for protection against corrosion and electrolysis) and the front piston is located in the concrete vault. In addition, upgrading to a Retrofit 60 can mean an increase in lifting capacity to as much as 60,000 lbs. from a typical load capacity of 36,000 lbs. The Retrofit 60’s fully retractable front superstructure also means it can accommodate lower profile vehicles that have limited ground clearance, including trucks with snowplows and those fitted with single wide base tires.
As these developments show, manufacturers are making it possible for all types of light- and medium-duty fleets to improve their productivity behind the scenes. That’s an investment we believe will translate into efficiency on the road as well.
