Part 2
This post continues the theme of auto shop essentials. Part 1 went over the many different types of car lifts available on the market today. Here are some more pieces of garage equipment that are vital to any auto shop –
Tire Changers and Wheel Balancers –
If you want to be able to change tires, you’re going to need these pieces. There’s lots of money to be made in changing tires. Especially with the growing popularity of the low profile and high performance tires. Many auto shops don’t have the capability of handling these kinds of wheels, and that means more profits for those shops that do. And these are customers who are willing to spend their money. The main concern with a tire changer is you want to get a machine that will not damage the expensive alloy wheels. If you want to handle expensive low profile wheels and high performance tires, you need a mounting helper arm, or you’ll end up spending that extra money on replacing your customers rims that you damaged.
Get a good reliable Tire Changer with a mounting helper arm for low profile tires and pair it up with an accurate dependable wheel balancer. Accuracy is paramount when it comes to a wheel balancer. You don’t have to get one with all the bells and whistles, but make sure to get one that is accurate and reliable.
Floor Jacks –
Every shop needs a Floor Jack. There are going to be times when your lift is being utilized for another job, and you need to raise a vehicle to service it. Or you have a disabled vehicle out in the lot and you can’t bring it in to your lift. Or maybe your car lift is being serviced or is down. Tips on obtaining the proper jack would include making sure the jack has sufficient capacity to fit a wide variety of automobiles. A 3 ton capacity jack is usually adequate for most vehicles. If you need to lift a full size pick up, you don’t want a light duty jack made for sports cars. By the same token, if you are servicing sports cars exclusively, you better have a low profile floor jack. One that can reach under a low profile sports car. Make sure your jack is able to raise the vehicle high enough as well. Some customers get a jack that only raises 19 inches and are disappointed to find out that a truck they need to lift must be raised 21 inches in order to get high enough to get the wheels off the ground. Also, make sure it is a commercial quality jack that is rebuild-able. If you can’t get new seals for a leaky hydraulic cylinder, it’s just a throw – away. Unfortunately, more and more jacks these days are throw-aways.
