Stertil Koni Lifts Optimise Space For Walton Summit Trucks

Stertil Koni has supplied two sets of heavy-duty wireless mobile column lifts to Walton Summit Trucks to provide unrivalled accessibility under vehicles and make best use of workshop space during servicing and repair operations.

“The new wireless Stertil Koni column lifts are vital to our operation and we use them around the clock,” says Patrick O'Leary, Service Manager at Walton Summit Trucks. “Also, apart from their space-saving advantages, the most important feature is the safety element. I’m glad that the days of three phase cables dragging around the workshop have long gone!”

THE COMPANY

Established in 1979, Walton Summit Trucks is a family-owned business that supplies an extensive range of IVECO, Isuzu and Fiat Professional vehicles offering specifications to meet individual customer requirements. Based in Preston, the company is conveniently located within a mile of three major motorways thereby guaranteeing immediate response to breakdowns and emergencies. Fast and reliable turnaround within the workshop is also ensured by the Stertil Koni wireless mobile column lifts, type ST1075FWA.

THE EQUIPMENT

The two sets of vehicle lifts supplied by Stertil Koni means that a total of eight columns are used in Walton Summit Trucks’ workshop. In practice, this provides the flexibility to use the columns in groups of four, six or eight depending on the size and weight of vehicles to be lifted. With each lifting column rated at 7.5 tonnes, the overall lifting capacity, when configured as a group of eight, is an impressive 60 tonnes.

These latest generation lifts incorporate Stertil Koni’s revolutionary ebright Smart Control System which allows workshop staff to operate the lifts from any column in the set. Crucially, the ebright’s wireless mesh networking system eliminates any possibility of communication problems between individual columns when numerous sets are used in the same building. Featuring full-colour touch screen consoles, the ebright Smart Control System has been designed and developed to simplify operation by providing maximum visual information about every lifting operation - all at the fingertips of the workshop technicians. For added safety and performance, the ebright Smart Control System also shows how many columns in the set are being used.

The ST1075FWA heavy-duty lifts are powered by long-life deep cycle batteries which provide optimum performance for at least a week on average before recharging is necessary. Also, battery life is prolonged due to the fact that, unlike a screw-lift, power is only used to raise the vehicle therefore less time is spent recharging the lifts, which is carried out via a 230v single phase supply.

All columns incorporate Stertil Koni’s maintenance-free, synthetic runner wheel system, which is self-lubricating, and the system is covered by a lifetime guarantee. An integral advanced hydraulic lifting system incorporates a microprocessor-controlled synchronisation feature to ensure safe, smooth and precise movement at all times, even in the event of extremely uneven load distribution.  Safety is further enhanced by an independent mechanical locking system, incorporated into each column, which allows technicians to securely lock the lift to prevent a vehicle from being inadvertently lowered.

The absence of power and communication cables also means that set-up time is greatly reduced, making the system fully operational much more quickly. In addition, the ST1075FWA provides a maximum lifting height of 1.85 metres which is reached in just 75 seconds thereby making it one of the fastest commercial vehicle lifts available.

“We use the lifts for all major repairs and overhauls on a range of vehicles including 3.5 tonne vans, 44 tonne tractor units, 32 tonne 4-axle vehicles and, on occasions, semi-trailers,” says Patrick. “These vehicles represent a diverse range of customers who all need our workshop to be available 24/7. That’s when the combination of reliability and ease of use is particularly important.”

WEBSITE LINK: www.iveco-dealership.co.uk