Anyone ever here of a shop lift snapping?

[83burban]

Just as the title reads - got a call that makes any mechanic (be it professional or shade-tree cringe). While the shop was rebuilding my steering and brakes the shop lift that they had my suburban on broke a leg and it toppled over the side.

Shop owner has cameras in the bays and showed me the video - luckily it fell on the passenger side and not the drivers side where 3 people were standing.

And as an additional stroke of luck - the car toppled onto the lift next to it, which caught it and prevented it from being a total loss. All it needs is a new passenger front door and a new drive shaft - which the shop owner was kind enough to replace no questions asked.

So lets here similar stories of close calls that just made you realize how dangerous working on old iron is, and what you can do to prevent mis-haps.

[VA72C10]

wow, glad no one was hurt and the truck wasn't a loss...

[nbpro]

Never seen one snap, but I did see one where the oil had leaked out of the cylinder overnight, and when we were raising the truck, about halfway up, it shot to the top, causing the truck to fall over to one side pinning it between the lift and wall. So, accidents can happen.

[3r!c84]

set the locks and this would never happen
and or not over loading the lift

[STOCKISH]

A leg snapping or the hydraulic lift "rocketing" to the top has nothing to do with the locks. One of the first shops I worked at still had inground lifts and when they got low on fluid the lift would get about 1/2 way up and then blast to the top all of a sudden. It was pretty wild how they could do that!

[83burban]

I should clarify:

This is an in-ground lift with the four legs that get placed at various points on the frame. The little extenders (legs as I call them) were all used. One snapped in half, and caused the weight to suddenly shift and caused the car to fall off.

Im going to see if I can get the video - pretty wild how this happens. Just thankful that they guys there didn't get hurt - the owner was defnitely rattled by the whole thing but hes being great about it and repairing all the work plus just charging me only for the parts for the intial job

[PRattenbury]

The shop I worked at had the old in ground lifts in it. One in particular was bad for getting to within a foot of the top and then jumping up the last few inches. So we knew to get it near the top and then just 'bump' it the rest of the way up. I never sent a car flying off the lift when I used it. But, one day I had a Ford Country Squire on the lift doing a tailpipe on it. I had a muffler stand under the muffler. I had the torch going. I had cut the clamp holding the muffler to the tail pipe and was heating up the end of the muffler so I could slip the remains of the old tailpipe out. That's when the lift gave out from under the car. I wasn't expecting it, and it hit me on the head, knocking me on my arse with the torch in my hand. The muffler stand crushed under the weight of the car. And then it came down. I thought I was all done. But the lift caught the car about 3 feet off the ground, on a cushion of air sort of. I couldn't believe it. I shut off the torch, crawled out from under the car, and told my boss what happened. And then went and changed my skivvies. Needless to say, nobody ever used that lift again.

[3r!c84]

oh my bad i was thinking it was a above ground 2 post that get over loaded lot. ill look this weekend on the load rating of are inground lift is

[nbpro]

in-ground lift as well

[eightyfive]

happened at my school one time, it didnt snap, but the kid running the two post didnt unlock the one side so it was only the passenger side going down. they werent paying attention and they just kept lowering it, untill my shop teacher seen it and just a bout scared the kid half to death! haha, it was all funny in the end though. no one was hurt and we all laugh about it today

[camshaftgsxr]

Full size trucks are a pain to get up on lifts but I dint think ever a burb would overload one, was this shops lift from the 70's? Do they regularly service very very heavy vehicles? It seems odd to me
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[nbpro]

Most service departments have a truck service departments that have separate lifts for trucks which are Heavy Duty lifts

[84socal]

havent seen any break before but seen other guys i worked with at ford load the crew cab long bed superdutys wrong and have then fall off
one of the guys was climbing into the cab to get the paperwork and he ended up with a broken leg

[KQQL IT]

Seen a 67camaro tip over on a side post lift. And two weeks ago. I had cherry picker with a sbc and a 700 tip over and attempt to crush me between it and a 65 c-10. I`ve got pics but it wasnt pretty. And all said and done the sbc was sitting on the pan like nothing happened.

[83burban]

The shop has lifts ranging from in-ground to 16,000 pound. He said that it had just been serviced and he had replaced the legs on the lift a few months prior - the new ones snapped.

Since the door will need to be replaced and re-painted, I a looking into getting the whole truck repainted. Anyone give me some ball-park figures for a two-tone suburban with some dents and very minimal rust?

[Buick455]

That is why I have a pit in my shop although a lift is nice. I just saw an commercial on TV about a portable lift. Not what I would use.

[KQQL IT]

Oh and two thumbs up for the shop taking care of it without any b.s

[69subaru360]

I spent 15 years working at 2 different Chevy dealers. I've seen several trucks and cars dropped off lifts and totalled. One was a brand new silverado that fell of during a pdi. I've also seen many, many roofs crushed by raising stuff up too high. The first Chevy dealer that I worked for had a car fall off a lift on a tech killing him. This was a few years before I started there. The worst I ever did was have a lift leg kick out and a van slid off and dented the door. I've worked in places with unsafe lifts and refused to use them.

[68C15]

things like this scare the crap out of me. for this reason I ALWAYS lift the vehicle until the wheels are just off the ground and shake it to verify it is secure. even on our Mohawk system 1 I am cautious.

[screwballl]

Lots of the newer systems (regardless if it is 2 or 4 post) I see are designed for newer vehicles "uo to 2 tons/4000 lbs), some may have a short term limit of 5000 lbs, and 3 tons/6000lbs if the wheel ramps are used.

The little arms are always some of the first to go. I tend to trust shops that use a combo system, has the ramps for any non tire/brake/wheel related repairs, and a smaller axle/frame lift system to lift the vehicle a few inches for the tire area related repairs. That way if it does fall it is on a ramp and not completely off.
Most of our suburbans have a curb weight of 4400 (1975+) to 5500 lbs. (74 older), so the 2 ton systems with the little arms are not strong enough unless it is a heavy duty system designed for 3+ tons. Even my 2004 Durango has a curb weight of 4700 lbs.

Someone that deals with these a lot more may be able to look up the rated specs on the arms, I know some claim 5 ton capacity but that is using the main cross beam for lifting, not the little arms.

[fastwillie 696969]

i seen many at the ford dealership i work at

[truckdude239]

U ever get the vid of this?

[ERASER5]

This why I like drive on lifts. Accidents still happen, but I just feel better. And yes, I realize that it is only a feeling, not really factual.

I worked with a jumping lift for a while. After I learned what the cause was, I greased the seal and checked the fluid regularly. That helped a lot.

[68C15]

we use these at work along with a drive on 4 post. one has been in service since 1988 and shows no signs of trouble at all.
http://www.mohawklifts.com/consumer/...post-lifts.php

[3r!c84]

this is a good way too..