Sleek New SmartLift Trio Superstructure Raises Technician Productivity

The world's best-selling inground lift has a sleek new superstructure that increases technician productivity with three key developments: greater drive-through clearance, improved lift-to-vehicle clearance, and extended arm reach. Rotary Lift recently unveiled the patent-pending SmartLift Trio superstructure at the NADA Expo.

The world’s best-selling inground lift has a sleek new superstructure that increases technician productivity with three key developments: greater drive-through clearance, improved lift-to-vehicle clearance, and extended arm reach. Rotary Lift recently unveiled the patent-pending SmartLift Trio superstructure at the NADA Expo.

More than 50,000 SmartLift environmentally friendly inground lifts have been sold since the lift’s 1995 debut. In response to changing vehicle designs and customer needs, Rotary Lift has continuously improved the lift’s productivity features. The SmartLift’s proven underground environmental protection and power systems remain unchanged.

“As vehicle designs evolve, it’s critical that lift designs evolve with them,” explains John Rylee, director of marketing. “Many of today’s cars are low-slung, with ground effects, low-profile tires and other design elements that can make picking them with a traditional lift challenging and time-consuming. Since time truly is money in the shop, we’ve worked closely with customers to redesign the SmartLift’s superstructure to provide even greater vehicle access and increased technician productivity.”

The new Trio superstructure features a slimmer, tapered yoke that expands drive-through clearance to 88 inches — the widest in the industry. Not only does this ease vehicle positioning, it also results in fewer pinched tires. The contoured drive-over pad also reduces the space that the lift occupies under the vehicle, giving technicians greater undercar access and making it much easier to remove undercarriage shields.

The Trio also introduces a patent-pending update to Rotary Lift’s popular three-stage arms. The new lower-profile arms can reach an even wider range of vehicle pick-up points than their predecessors, while at the same time providing greater clearance between the lift and the vehicle. They are also easier for technicians to adjust quickly.

The benefits come from shortening each arm and replacing its innermost extension with a “third stage” integrated sliding adapter. Technicians simply slide the patent-pending, multi-position adapter to the desired position for pinpoint accuracy. Adapters are interchangeable, so technicians can choose the best set for each vehicle. Three-position flip-up adapters allow quick positioning on a variety of pick up points. Polymer RA adapters screw into position and are ideal for unibody vehicles.

In response to technician input, the SmartLift Trio superstructure also features a built-in storage compartment to provide technicians with easy access to small parts and tools.

The SmartLift Trio superstructure is available on the SmartLift SL210 model, which has a lifting capacity of 10,000 lbs. The Trio superstructure also can be retrofitted to previously installed SmartLift SL210 units. All SmartLift inground lifts are third-party tested by ETL and ALI certified to meet ANSI standards. SmartLift inground lifts are made in the U.S.A.

SmartLift is the original environmentally friendly inground lift. Its self-contained polymer composite housing protects the environment from the lift while at the same time protecting the lift from the environment. SmartLift uses less than five gallons of hydraulic fluid, and can operate on bio-fluid instead of petroleum-based fluid. SmartLift also has a smaller footprint than surface lifts, so 12 SmartLift inground lifts can be installed in the same amount of space as 11 two-post surface lifts. Alternatively, shop size can be reduced by 15 percent without decreasing the number of bays. SmartLift inground lifts do not rely on expensive and inefficient air compressors to operate. Their small, economical motor runs only when the lift is being raised. The lifts’ air locks use a minimal amount of air from a shop’s standard air system.

Lift service times are also slashed with SmartLift. All SmartLift maintenance can be performed at ground level without removing the lift. Rotary Lift’s patented EasyAccess cylinder does not require bleeding and can be serviced in just two hours — that’s 75 percent less time than required for competitive cylinders, providing a significant savings in downtime.

For more information about the new Rotary Lift SmartLift Trio superstructure, contact your local Rotary Lift distributor, log on to www.rotarylift.com or call (800) 640-5438. You can also find Rotary Lift on Facebook, www.facebook.com/RotaryLift; Twitter, http://twitter.com/RotaryLift; and YouTube, www.youtube.com/RotaryLiftMedia.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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