Workshop guide by CCS Garage Equipment: Choosing vehicle lifts

What to consider when choosing your workshop's vehicle lift

The vehicle lifts you choose to install will depend on a number of factors. Whether your workshop repairs and maintains commercial or bespoke vehicles, or you're looking for a range of high-specification new vehicle lifts for your car dealership's servicing centre, considerations at the outset of a vehicle lift and garage equipment installation project often include:

• What's your vehicle lift budget?
  
  With a range of vehicle lift manufacturers on the market, from premium brands to budget-friendly alternatives, CCS Garage Equipment will guide you as to the vehicle lifts most suited to your workshop refurbishment budget.
  
  Our team will only ever recommend vehicle lifts approved as meeting excellent safety, quality and reliability standards. We take great care to ensure that we work with trusted equipment suppliers, providing robust vehicle lifts that are built to last in workshops of all sizes.
   
• Are there are restrictions on space or height in your workshop?
  
  The type of lift we recommend may be influenced by the available space in your workshop. Where roof heights are more restricted, a vehicle lift model will be needed which allows for a vehicle to be lifted safely to a lower height, whilst still allowing your workshop team full access for maintenance and inspection.
  
  Vehicle lift design may also be a consideration. Lower operating heights mean that cable connections may need to be installed in the floor between your lift columns instead of a cable bridge over the top.
  
  Tighter floor spaces will often require a baseframe-free vehicle lift design, enabling team members to operate around the vehicle as freely as possible without obstruction. CCS Garage Equipment  will work with your team where required to configure your workshop design, ensuring you achieve maximum value for your vehicle lift and garage equipment investment.
   
• Do you need to meet any brand or dealership vehicle lift specifications?
  
  Many of our garage equipment and vehicle lift installation clients are led by brand specifications when choosing vehicle lift models and workshop equipment.
  
  With strict brand expectations which must be maintained, you may be required to install vehicle lifts by a particular manufacturer or offering certain safety features, achieving a specific look and feel for your dealership or vehicle maintenance workshop. This may not only determine the type of vehicle lift you choose to install, but the groundworks and workshop preparation required; for example where you need to accommodate in-ground lifts.
   
• What vehicles will your lifts and platforms need to accommodate?
  
  From fully-flat, recessed vehicle lifts to accommodate low-profile and sports vehicles to heavy-duty lifts handling the largest HGV fleets on the road, the vehicles you'll be lifting will be a major consideration in your garage equipment specification.
  
  Our range of manufacturers offers models to suit any purpose, with many vehicle lifts adaptable through optional specifications to create a bespoke lift that meets the needs of almost any workshop. Our experienced CCS Garage Equipment team has customised vehicle lifts to accommodate unusual and bespoke vehicles in workshops such as those serving airports and local authorities.
   
• How will your workshop team be using your vehicle lifts?
  
  Will your workshop's vehicle lifts be used for routine maintenance and repairs, for MOT inspections and examinations or for a more specific purpose such as wheel alignment or washing down?
  
  How your workshop team will use your vehicle lift determines the amount of room you'll need to work around each vehicle, the features your lift will need to incorporate and how it's constructed - for example, ensure that wash bay vehicle lifts for commercial vehicles are fully galvanised.

Types of vehicle lifts installed by CCS Garage Equipment for commercial & car dealership workshops

CCS Garage Equipment installs a complete range of vehicle lifts for commercial and car dealership workshops throughout the UK and Ireland.

At the start of your vehicle lift and garage equipment installation project, we'll work with you to identify your requirements, choosing vehicle lifts from a number of options including:

2-post vehicle lifts

2-post lifts, especially those offering a neat, baseframe-free design, are a great space-saving option which gives your workshop team plenty of room to move around the lifted vehicle for general vehicle servicing and maintenance.

Cables can be routed through the floor during installation or through an overhead cable bridge, and 2-post lift models from manufacturers such as Nussbaum are highly versatile, offering excellent options to create vehicle lifts that work for your workshop. Sleek designs in this popular style of vehicle lift incorporate a raft of safety features, locking devices and controls, and lift capacities support vehicles including light commercial vans up to 8 tons.

In-ground vehicle lifts

In-ground vehicle lifts make a great impression in your workshop, offering an eye-catching, sleek appearance for professional facilities. 

Designs are created for ease of use as well as excellent weight capacity. CCS' team has installed in-ground lifts ranging from 1-piston models to lift cars up to 3.5 tons, 2-piston vehicle lifts which carry a lift capacity up to 6.5 tons, and 4-piston models incorporating additional features such as wheel-free lifting pistons. 

4-post vehicle lifts

A popular lift for workshops of all sizes, 4-post lifts are typically used in ATL MOT bays for vehicle testing to meet DVSA requirements, as well as for more general vehicle maintenance and servicing. With a more defined footprint, 4-post vehicle lifts are often recessed to allow flat entry and exit of vehicles, especially those with lower ground clearance.

4-post lifts offer excellent optional features, including wheel-free lifting for wheel alignment, and excellent capacities to accommodate both private, light and heavy commercial vehicles.

Scissor vehicle lifts

Hydraulic scissor vehicle lifts are a great option where space is at a premium, creating a greater working area, freedom to move around the vehicle and allowing for more operational space when not in use.

Scissor lifts accommodate vehicles - both private car and heavy commercial - of all sizes, with scissor vehicle lift models installed by our team for both car dealership and commercial clients. By combining scissor lift platforms, lift capacities for the heaviest vehicles can reach 70 tons.

Mobile column lifts for commercial vehicles 

Mobile column vehicle lifts are a great lifting option for commercial workshops where space is tight or where the vehicle fleet is very varied.

Used together and synchronised in a sequence, mobile column lifts carry excellent lifting capacities, can be moved freely around your workshop as required and stored neatly when not in use to create more working area. Up to 32 mobile column vehicle lifts can be connected, accommodating almost any heavy commercial vehicle from airport vehicles, buses and trucks to agricultural machinery and HGVs.

User-friendly features include smart control systems, overload prevention and a choice of either wireless or cabled models.

Vehicle lifts for your UK or Ireland vehicle workshop from CCS Garage Equipment

CCS is a garage equipment leader in the UK and Ireland, supporting clients including major dealership chains, local authorities, emergency services fleet operators, vehicle hire organisations and service providers with expert vehicle lift and garage equipment supply, installation, maintenance, servicing, calibration, inspection and testing services.

Since 1992, we've partnered with clients to keep workshops operating safely and efficiently, delivering support, advice and consultancy that's backed by years of unique vehicle lift and garage equipment industry experience. We're trusted by our clients to deliver every element needed for a safe and functional workshop, and we're proud to thrive on continually excellent feedback.

Order vehicle lifts with CCS Garage Equipment for your commercial or car dealership workshop in the UK and Ireland

Contact CCS Garage Equipment's team for more information on our vehicle lift installation, maintenance, testing and examination services for commercial and car dealership workshops throughout the UK and Ireland.