Making the Most Out of Pre-owned Vans & How to Choose a Vehicle Lift - 13 June
CHOOSING A VEHICLE LIFT? HERE ARE THE DETAILS YOU MIGHT NOT NOTICE
If you’re shopping around for a new lift for your workshop, it’s easy to pick from the obvious features — matching the weight of your vehicles to the capacity of each lift.
But when you drill down the details, there’s a lot going on between the different types of commercial vehicle lifts. And if you’re not aware of these smaller differences, you could end up with a lift that’s not right for your business.
So, beyond the big specs that are hard to miss, what exactly should you be looking for?
We’ll show you with a prime example — comparing two of our commercial vehicle lifts that seem similar on the surface, but each have their own distinct differences to think about.
Here’s what you need to know about our?Heavy Duty Four Post Lift?and our?Heavy Duty Y-MECH:
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PLATFORM LENGTH
When it comes to their lifting capacity, there’s not a lot of difference between the Y-MECH and the Four Post — with a maximum capacity of 35,000kg for each of them.
But when you’re looking at the length of the vehicles you’re lifting, there’s a significant difference.
The Y-MECH comes with a maximum platform length of 13 metres. And for many workshops, that’s more than enough. With the exception of articulated vehicles, you won’t see many vehicles past the 12-metre mark.
But for workshops that service buses or articulated HGVs, that 13-metre limit won’t always be enough. Instead, those workshops will need to invest in a lift with a larger platform length — like the 18-metre limit of the Heavy Duty Four Post Lift (or the flexible lifting of an in-ground lift or mobile column lifts).
What’s important is to remember that a vehicle lift is an investment for the future. It’s not enough to think about the vehicles you’re servicing today — you need to think about the potential vehicles you might start servicing in the future, and make sure you’ve got a lift that will last through any changes to your business.
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MOUNTING AND RECESS
Both the Y-MECH and the Four Post are fixed installation lifts. And like most fixed installation lifts, that means you’ll be losing some free space on your workshop floor.
But not all fixed-installation lifts are created equal.
While the Four Post Lift comes with — you’ve guessed it — four posts or columns that do the lifting, the Y-MECH does its lifting using legs that are positioned directly under the wheel platforms.
And that creates a space-saving opportunity for the Y-MECH lift:
With options for recessed mounting (as opposed to the surface-mounted version), you can get the wheel platforms of a Y-MECH fitted perfectly flush to the floor.
That’s great for positioning vehicles easily, with a flat surface to drive onto. But it’s also a good option for any workshop that’s short on floor space.
Without any permanent columns sticking up from the ground, a recessed Y-MECH that isn’t being used creates a flat and empty area on your workshop floor — a space that your teams can use for different jobs, or simply to help reduce congestion as your workers navigate the limited floor space of your premises.
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360-DEGREE ACCESS
We’ve talked before about how?different types of vehicle lifts can give you different types of access?when it comes to working on the wheels.
But there’s more to accessing a vehicle than just the wheels and the chassis — and it’s another small detail that might be easy to miss.
Because the Heavy Duty Four Post Lift comes with columns at each corner, there are parts of your vehicles that can be hard to reach while the vehicle’s raised.
Depending on the width and length of your vehicles — especially in relation to the position of the wheels — you could find that you have limited access to the corners of your vehicles, and your teams might struggle if they’re using bulky hand tools and equipment around those areas.
But with the lifting legs of a Y-MECH, there are no columns in front of the vehicle. You’ve got full access across 360 degrees of the vehicle’s body and frame, with no risk of obstructions if you need to work on components and systems that are close to the vehicle’s corners.
That means you’ll be able to carry out the full range of services you need in one lift — without bringing the vehicle down, and without any time-consuming repositioning.
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NEED THE FULL LOWDOWN ON OUR VEHICLE LIFTS?
Like most things in life, the devil’s in the details. And if you’re getting ready to invest in a serious piece of kit, you need a full understanding of how your equipment works in practice.
So if you’re looking to upgrade or replace your vehicle lifts, get the complete picture before you make a decision — take a look at?our full range of commercial vehicle lifts, or?talk to one of our workshop experts?to learn the finer details of what each one can do.
PRE-OWNED VANS ARE RISING IN VALUE — HERE’S HOW BUSINESSES CAN MAKE THE MOST OF IT
Back in November 2022 (when the most recent figures were released), the price of used vans rose by ￡240 in a single month to reach an average of ￡9,914.
That’s an 11% increase compared to the previous year — a significant rise, by anyone’s standards.
So what exactly is causing these high prices?
A huge part of that comes down to the Euro 6 Standards, and the expanded Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) that’s expected to hit drivers in August 2023.
With tighter regulations on the emissions of vehicles travelling through cities — and the heavy daily charge that comes with it — companies and tradespeople have been clamouring to upgrade their vans to meet the new regulations and avoid the extra costs.
But that’s just one side of the story:
We’ve also been hit with a 22% reduction in the supply of new vans — a lingering effect from the production challenges that came with the global shortage of semiconductors in 2022.
Together, these two events have worked to amplify the rise in value of used vans.
But for many vehicle-based businesses, it’s a chance to capitalise on the value their vans provide:
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WHAT DO THESE HIGH PRICES MEAN FOR VEHICLE-BASED BUSINESSES?
For vehicle dealers, it’s a golden opportunity to get the highest price. With values at an all-time high, there’s no better time to sell.
And if they want to maximise the value of every piece of stock they have, they need to be sure that they’re selling vehicles in the highest possible condition — clean, roadworthy, and MOT-ready.
For fleet operators, it’s a whole different game:
With the price of used vans skyrocketing, they need to be doing all they can to preserve the fleets they have and delay the inevitable costs that come with replacing vehicles and upgrading to newer vans.
Luckily, there’s a simple solution to both of these challenges — and it’s all about staying on top of your maintenance and testing.
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HOW CAN FLEET OPERATORS AVOID THE HIGH PRICES?
If you’re running a sizeable fleet of vans, now isn’t the best time to think about replacements and upgrades.
With the price of used vans at its highest point, you’ll be looking at a substantially higher investment in any new vehicles you buy. And the larger your fleet, the more you’re likely to suffer from the current state of the used van market.
So what’s the solution?
Find a way to delay the inevitable — by squeezing as much as life as possible out of the vans you already have.
For lots of fleet operators, that means it’s the perfect time to invest in your own in-house testing and maintenance equipment, to help you keep your vehicles in top working condition and get ahead of any potential problems before they pop up.
In practice, that usually means investing in things like:
And the best part?
The larger your fleet, the more you’ll be able to save.
With a relatively modest investment into your own in-house testing and maintenance kit, you’ll be helping to avoid the cost of replacing and upgrading dozens of vans and other vehicles — which means the more vehicles you have, the sooner this equipment will pay for itself.
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HOW CAN COMPANIES GET THE MOST VALUE WHEN THEY SELL?Whether you’re a vehicle dealer that lives on trading used vans — or a fleet operator that needs to upgrade and replace — the current state of high prices means there’s no better time to sell.
For vehicle dealers, it’s a direct boost to your profits. And for fleet operators looking to upgrade, selling at the highest possible price means reducing the overall cost of the replacement.
But if you want to get the most out of every van you trade or sell, you need to be sure they’re in the best possible condition.
For both dealers and fleet operators, that means making sure every van is MOT-ready. And the best way to get MOT-ready?
With your own in-house Class 7 MOT Bay.
Our?Totalkare Class 7 MOT Bay?comes with everything you need to test and maintain your vehicles to the highest MOT standards — with options for an expert installation from our own experienced teams.
As well as supplying the equipment and installation itself, we’re also fully equipped to conduct site surveys and site drawings — as well as helping you with your DVSA application, your staff training, and the long-term maintenance of the equipment you invest in.
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READY TO BRING YOUR USED VANS UP TO SPEED?
Whether you’re selling commercial vehicles or managing a fleet, the rising price of used vans means that every vehicle-based business should be looking to get the most value out of the vehicles they work with.
So if you’re looking to sell your vehicles at the highest price (or squeeze more life out of the vehicles you have) take a look through our?full range of testing and maintenance equipment?in our online shop — or?chat to a commercial vehicle expert?to find out what you need.