Auto lifts exist in most cities. They are commonly used by professional mechanics to raise vehicles for access to the bottom of the rig. In former days, most lifts were of the in-ground type. Now, the majority of garages are equipped with surface-mounted lifts, which are to the floor and which include a hydraulic pump or a screw-type drive powered by a motor.

Here are the different types, available from garage equipment supply dealers:

Below-Ground:
This type of automotive lifting system is placed below the garage floor. It has one or more pistons, depending on the maximum weight allowed. Lifts with one or two pistons are used for cars. Lifts with three or more pistons are used for large vehicles, such as buses and RV’s.

2-Post Surface Mounted:
The most popular vehicle lift installed today is called a 2-post surface-mounted lift. On each post, there are lift arms. These are controlled electronically, mechanically, or hydraulically.

Multi-Post Runway Lift:
The most common type is the 4-post surface-mounted lift, which is usually installed in oil change, transmission, and muffler service shops as well as wheel alignment service stations. The car is driven onto the two runways and raised, exposing the bottom.

Frame-Engaging Low or Mid-Rise:
This type of car lift engages the vehicle’s framework. There are two ways this type works. The first way is scissors-style, moving straight up. Another is parallelogram-style, moving forward or backward, while raising or lowering. This type is often utilized for brake, tire, and wheel services as well as auto body repair.

Drive-On Parallelogram:
The Drive-On Parallelogram Lift is a surface-mounted car lift. It has two runways where the wheels of the car will be placed. Its lifting mechanism moves the vehicle a short distance forward or backward while raising or lowering. The direction depends on the way the lift is mounted.

Scissors Vehicle Lift:
The Scissors Car Lift can either be of a fixed pad type or a roll-on frame/underbody engaging type. It has a lifting mechanism that’s similar to the parallelogram lift. The main difference is that the scissors lift goes up and down on a straight vertical path, while the parallelogram lift moves forward or backward.

Movable-Type Wheel Engaging:
This type of car lifting machine is used for vehicles that are longer than conventional cars, such as buses and trucks. It consists of several lifting posts in sets of two, four, six, or more. These posts can be moved and connected with the other posts so their movements are synchronized.

These are the various vehicle lifts that can lift your car up in case it is having a bad day! You’ll find Vehicle Lift and others available from Garage Supply.