Fleet maintenance managers who want to improve technician safety and productivity are adding pit lifts to their facilities’ service pits, according to Rotary Lift. Pit lifts enable technicians working in the pits to raise trucks above ground level to perform maintenance and repair tasks, such as brake, wheel and transmission work.
“Pits are a safe way to conduct oil changes and other under-vehicle maintenance on heavy commercial trucks,” said Scott Bair, Rotary heavy duty product manager. “But they do have drawbacks. Some maintenance and repairs require that the vehicle be raised. In those cases, technicians have to either move the truck to a bay with a lift or use a bottle jack in the pit. To support the truck, a massive piece of steel or wood is usually placed on top of the jack. The steel is generally too heavy to move, so the technician’s work area is limited. And wood can deflect, causing safety issues.”
Pit lifts are mobile and have been designed specifically to safely raise commercial vehicles positioned over a pit, the company said. They are widely used in Europe but are new to North America. A single pit lift can raise a commercial truck. Lift capacity ranges from 30,000 to 44,000 pounds.
Adding a pit lift converts a pit into a full service bay that can be used for virtually any maintenance and repair task, the company said. This conversion costs about $10,000, which is less than a new surface or in-ground lift.
Rotary offers three pit lift models: floor-running, rail-mounted and suspended. Floor-running pit lifts have caster wheels so technicians can roll them anywhere in the pit. These are a good choice for applications where there are several interconnected pits, the company said. The lifts can be rolled from pit to pit as needed, then stored when not in use. Rail-mounted lifts are the same design as the floor-running model except that they move along a rail system at the bottom of the pit. This model is preferred for pits with cracked or uneven floors.
Suspended pit lifts ride on rails installed at the top of the pit. Needle roller bearings permit the sliding of the lifts into position. Rotary custom builds rail-mounted and suspended pit lift systems for each location.
Adapters enable technicians to use the pit lifts as service or removal tools for transmissions, gas tanks and other vehicle components, the company said. Other accessories also are available to further customize Rotary pit lift systems.
For more information, visit www.rotarylift.com.
