Monthly Archives: July 2014

Vehicle lifts are big and powerful pieces of machinery, and being the owner of one makes you responsible for keeping up on its maintenance and making sure it is being correctly used at all times. Though installing a lift in your service station or automotive repair shop is one of the best ways to boost productivity and revenue, it can also bring a high level of liability if not cautiously operated and consistently inspected. The following safety tips may seem like common sense, but they still tend to go neglected in facilities far too often, especially when it comes to lift inspections.

Look For ANSI Compliance When Purchasing Equipment

The American National Standards Institute sets the guidelines for vehicle lift manufacturers, and testing by the Automotive Lift Institute ensures that equipment is in compliance before being sold to the public. This means that when you go to purchase a lift, you want to look for a certification tag that signifies it has passed the test and meets the national standard. Be advised that if you’re considering buying a used lift to save money, it’s likely you won’t know for certain if the machine and all of its parts are certified and truly safe.

Inspect Daily and Annually

Service station and repair shop owners must make sure that they are following the requirements to have their technicians do daily lift inspections before putting their equipment to use as well as scheduling annual inspections by a qualified inspector. ALI-certified professionals have taken part in and completed a program that rigorously educates and trains inspectors on proper procedures. Checking for hydraulic leaks, excessive wear, damage around the floor anchors and properly working controls, locks and restraints will decrease the chances of being caught in a dangerous situation and/or having to pay for costly repairs.

Don’t Overload

It’s essential that you do your math right when loading a vehicle onto a lift to prevent it from being overloaded. Technicians frequently fail to accommodate for heavier rear ends on vehicles and don’t think about how much weight should actually be distributed on each of the four swing arms. Both of these factors can substantially change the load capacity needed on a lift.

Train Employees

Every lift is manufactured differently, so even if you have employees that are familiar with this type of machinery and have experience using them, they should be trained and tested yearly on new features and safety precautions. If there ever comes a time that you need to prove your technicians are up-to-date on their training, you’ll have all the paperwork necessary to do so.

It’s vital that you follow each of these steps to increase your lift inspection and maintenance safety and keep your facility running securely and efficiently.

Without quality service station equipment, you can’t expect to run a successful business, so it’s important to ensure that you select high performing supplies that will give your business a positive reputation, satisfy all your customers’ needs and save you money by operating much longer than low-grade equipment will. This is especially true when it comes to the fuel nozzles you choose to dispense a customer’s gas. Selecting the wrong nozzles can result in a disastrous situation such as overflowing gasoline, which will no doubt leave a bad impression of your company and be costly to cleanup and replace. To avoid this type of mishap from happening, invest in nozzles that have been proven to uphold industry standards so that customers can put their trust in your facility. Here are a few fuel nozzle features to consider when purchasing new equipment.

Automatic Shut-Off

For obvious reasons, the automatic shut-off of a fuel nozzle is critical. Without it, you can expect for there to be numerous customers who accidentally overfill their gas tanks every day, causing an overflow and leaving a big mess and environmental nightmare behind. An automatic shut-off relieves the customer of having to worry about getting enough gas without the risk of spilling over since the pump will automatically stop on its own when it senses liquid capacity has been reached.

Breakaway

Breakaways are designed to protect both the service station and the customer in the event that it momentarily slips someone’s mind to actually remove the nozzle from their gas tank before driving away (which occurs much more often than you would think). A breakaway device allows the hose to simply detach from the rest of the system instead of potentially uprooting the entire thing, which would leave the facility in disarray and in need of pricey repairs, not to mention the potential harm that could be done to the vehicle.

No Pressure-No Flow Shut-Off

Fuel nozzles described as no pressure-no flow require there to be pressure from the hose in order to be opened and activated and allow the fueling process to begin. If there isn’t enough pressure or if pressure is released, the nozzle will close automatically to eliminate the threat of leaks and spills.

Security pins and splash guards are additional elements to look for in fuel nozzles that will assist with customer safety and help your service station build a reputation for having the highest quality equipment around.