Why are Workshops upgrading with in-Ground Lifts?

It’s a common sight within many a vehicle workshop to see it fitted out with bay after bay of above ground 2-Post lifts, however, many modern workshops fit-outs and developments today are naturally upgrading for more permanent in-ground vehicle lifts as a garage equipment solution. Whilst its clear to see the aesthetic benefits of a workshop with in-ground lifts, there are many other advantages these vehicle lifts provide, specifically and more importantly to the technicians working them, Here’s what many customers find:

In-Ground Lifts

As the name implies, the inground lift (or below ground lift) is literally fastened below the floor level (under the ground). In-ground lifts come in a range of variations including 2-Post lifts, Scissor Lifts, Wheel Alignment Lifts, with varying lifting capacities, from a range of manufacturers.

Typically, you would require the expertise of a garage equipment specialists using CAD systems to design the workshop to ensure the ultimate precision and ensuring the workshop space is maximised. Installing an in-ground lift requires civil works to excavate the workshop floor to precise measurements to fit in-ground cassettes. This means in-ground lifts are a more permanent solution. Which for some may be a barrier to choosing this type of lift.

However once installed, there are a huge amount of benefits to a technician of working with an in-ground lift:

Great accessibility – With the primary use of a vehicle lift being to work underneath and around the vehicle, an in-ground lift provides more clearance to a technician wanting to get to all parts or the vehicle, with limited obstruction. With no external posts, this enables vehicle doors to be opened wide providing accessibility inside the vehicle. In addition, in-ground lifts provide greater space to enable technicians to easily drive vehicles onto the vehicle lift bays.

Supreme adaptability – The variety and choice of lifting heads and platforms available for in-ground lifts means that they suit a huge variety of applications (e.g. wheel alignment, MOT, ATL Testing) vehicle types (e.g. sports cars, 4x4s, vans, long wheeled trucks) and lifting capacities.

Advantage of Space – When vehicle lifts are not in use they can be lowered into the ground to provide a low profile and clear profile area, for technicians in the workshop. They also generally fit into narrower width bays than above ground lifts, which maximises the workshop floor space. As well as providing more space in the workshop to park cars.

Technically robust – The mechanism which operates an in-ground lift, typically has fewer working parts than above ground lifts, therefore naturally leading to less working parts which are likely to break down. Customers also tend to find they are faster and quicker to operate.

Better lifetime value – Generally speaking the entry price of a ‘quality’ in-ground lift is higher than its above ground counterpart. However, case studies prove in-ground lifts generally have a longer lifespan, if maintained properly with a thorough Preventative maintenance programme with a reputable service provider. Straightset, the UK’s leading Independent Garage Equipment experts, conducted a study on Service records of over 200 workshop sites, which showed:

You would need to by approximately 3 above ground lifts for the lifespan of 1 in-ground lift.

With benefits like this, its clear to see why both the technicians and Workshop Managers are considering in-ground lifts when looking to upgrade their workshops or new workshop fit-outs. Purchasing a vehicle lift or fitting out an entire workshop requires a great deal of thought. That’s why talking to an independent garage equipment specialist, who can provide you with expert advice on not only which type of vehicle lift suits your requirements, but help guide you to the right lift, without being heavily influenced by its manufacturer brand, is a great starting point.