SEFAC outlines column lift considerations
Lifting specialist SEFAC has outlined some of the factors to take into account when investing in mobile column lifts.
“There are seemingly many considerations when evaluating mobile columns lifts; wireless or cabled, electro-mechanical or hydraulic,” said the company.
It advises that prospective buyers consider who makes the equipment, especially if purchasing from a reseller.
“Manufacturers will naturally understand their equipment and control the part supply chain as they have a vested interest – something which they also share with their resellers and develop a product and brand loyalty which allows the benefits of the manufacturer knowledge, parts flow and discounted pricing directly to the end-customer,” said SEFAC.
“This is all rather good, until this relationship sours, which often happens when the reseller sees an opportunity to make more profit elsewhere…
“External factors which relate to where the equipment is made will also influence this, such as foreign exchange rates, shipping costs and availability – even the price of steel.”
The company continued: “There are some incredible charges for repairs being quoted by resellers and third-party engineer businesses. Worryingly enough, it is not unusual to see invoices amounting to several thousands of pounds for the repair of equipment which is pretty-much reaching its end of life.
“Always get a couple of comparative quotations and quantify the job, as well as the analysis of what needs repairing. If one or two companies can undertake a repair in three hours, yet another company seems to need seven hours, you can quite rightly ask questions.”
There is a reasonable trade in second-hand columns, says SEFAC, but it advises buyers to be clear as to what they are purchasing.
“In many cases the garage equipment reseller could describes the columns as refurbished yet will only offer six-month warranty,” it said.
“In reality they may have changed interconnecting cables and nuts, some switches and connectors and then sell you 8-10-year-old equipment at 70 per cent of the price of new.”
It also advised that close attention be paid to warranties: in particular, the period of warranty and whether it is ‘selective’ – for only a part of the lift.
“SEFAC offers a simple three-year warranty on all the equipment we manufacture – simply because we do have confidence in the products we build,” it said.
