Vehicle lift accessories, like adapters, adapter extensions and rolling jacks, enable technicians to perform more services on a greater range of vehicles than they could with a standard lift. Like vehicle lifts themselves, these accessories can be third-party certified to meet ANSI/ALI ALCTV-2006 safety standards.
“Even shop owners who recognize the importance of buying certified vehicle lifts don’t always realize that the accessories for these lifts are also subject to certification,” says Ron Lainhart, parts and service manager for lift manufacturer Rotary Lift.
In fact, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) states that “the use of non-certified options or accessories on a certified lift will void the certification of the lift.” Building codes for every U.S. state and much of Canada require that all installed vehicle lifts be certified.
Certification ensures that the components meet industry standards for strength, quality, structural integrity, functionality and safety.
Most Rotary Lift accessories that are used within the lift load path (elements that come in contact with the vehicle) or that affect the operation of the lift are certified.
“It is a somewhat costly and time-intensive process to have each accessory third-party tested and certified,” Lainhart says. “But we think it is worthwhile in order to provide our customers with the peace of mind in knowing that the Rotary Lift certified accessories they buy have been designed, built and tested to work perfectly with their lifts.”
While certified vehicle lifts are identifiable by the gold “ALI Certified/Validated by ETL” label, certified accessories are not as recognizable. ALI provides a list of certified accessories online at www.ali-directory.org. The list is searchable by manufacturer, model number or rated capacity.
For more information about Rotary Lift accessories, contact your local Rotary distributor, call Rotary at (800) 640-5438 or visit www.rotarylift.com. For more information about ALI and lift standards, visit www.autolift.org.
