A suite of brand new Rotary vehicle service hoists has given the upgraded workshop at John Andrew Ford in Auckland a major boost.
Kevin Schreuder, Service Manager for the New Zealand operations of the Automotive Holdings Group that owns John Andrew Ford, says the choice of hoist was important because the new workshop occupies exactly the same footprint as before and the ability to maximise the space was crucial.
In selecting the two-post Rotary hoists from Stocks Equipment, John Andrew Ford now has a baseless hoist that provides clear floor space for technicians to work unimpeded, adding to the greater sense of space within the workshop. It also has asymmetrical arms that add even more space, because the vehicle sits further back.
A total of 14 two-post Rotary hoists have been installed, along with a 6.3-tonne Revolution 4-post model that will enable technicians to work on Ford Transit vans and motorhomes, which previously had to be serviced and repaired on the workshop floor. The two-post Rotary hoists also come with flip-up adaptors, which the John Andrew Ford technicians had liked on the previous hoists.
All have been specially painted in authentic Ford blue colours, together with a number of work benches that Stocks Equipment supplied with custom-made feet. They stand out against the new grey/cream colour scheme in the workshop.
“It’s very spacious now and the technicians love the baseless hoists – they are so easy to work around and a lot safer, too,” says Mr Schreuder.
While the decision to fit Rotary hoists was partly influenced by its parent company Automotive Holdings Group as a key supplier to its dealerships in Australia, Mr Schreuder says he wasn’t bound by that and could have selected another brand if it was felt appropriate.
The two-post Rotary hoists supplied to John Andrew Ford are the two-post SPOA10S5G5 model, certified to safely lift up to 4.5 tonnes. These hoists feature asymmetrical three-stage front and two-stage rear arm coverage and usually come with standard polymer adaptors that thread up or can have the optional stackable inserts, although in John Andrew Ford’s case they were ordered with optional flip up adaptors. This model comes standard with three-phase (415 Volt) connection, but can be ordered as a single phase model.
The Revolution RFP14 hoist also features a two-tonne jacking beam and is often used by workshops for alignment, but at John Andrew Ford it is dedicated for use with heavier vehicles and Transit vans. It has a quick 65 second lifting time and runs a 3kW Motor on three-phase power.