For busy workshops servicing the heaviest vehicles, an inspection pit can be one of the best investments they make.
But just like a vehicle lift with platforms, a pit isn’t perfect — especially when you need full access to the wheels and suspension.
While you can use portable jacking systems like trolley jacks and bottle jacks, it means moving your vehicles to a new position: away from the pit where you’re doing most of the work.
Instead, the most efficient workshops keep their vehicles in one place, with an integrated inspection pit jack they can use inside the pit.
Here’s why every pit needs a built-in pit jack:
A Pit Jack is Always Ready to Go
Portable jacks are great for flexibility. But they need to be brought out of storage and set up in a workstation, and positioned carefully each time in a new location.
But an integrated pit jack is already there, exactly where you need it. With a pit jack, you’re able to:
- Position the vehicle only once
- Pull the pit jack along the rails to the right position under the vehicle
- Adjust the twin rams side-to-side for different lifting points
- Swap out lifting heads with different shapes for different vehicles
Compared to moving the vehicle and setting up portable jacks, that’s a huge time-saver — and a boost to efficiency that adds up with every vehicle serviced.
But it’s also an improvement to your workshop safety. With a pit jack, you’ll get access to the wheels while:
- Avoiding the movement of vehicles
- Avoiding manual handling
- Avoiding the transport of equipment across the shop floor
- Positioning the jack with full control and support
- Reducing the risk of injury and collisions
It’s Built for Safety and Control
Lots of portable jacks use a single point of contact, which means your teams need to take extra care to create a balanced load distribution.
On top of that, some jacks don’t come with mechanical locks — they rely on hydraulic pressure to keep the vehicle in its raised position.
The best inspection pit jacks have features to prevent these problems, including:
- Twin-ram lifting with two points of contact — for an even load distribution
- Mechanical safety locks — to secure the raised vehicle without hydraulic pressure
- A secure base on fixed rails — to eliminate the risk of tipping
- Accessories for alternative lifting points — like spreader beams and differential beams
It Gives your Teams More Space
Standard jacking systems raise vehicles from a flat surface — giving your teams a small space underneath to work on the chassis and wheels.
That can make servicing your vehicles more difficult, slowing your teams down and reducing their efficiency and throughput.
With an inspection pit jack, you don’t have those problems:
Your teams have the full space of your inspection pit below the raised vehicle. They can work comfortably with all the tools they need close by — and give their full focus and speed to the job at hand.
How to Choose the Right Pit Jack
Like any other piece of lifting equipment, the most important factor is the SWL (Safe Working Load) — one that can comfortably lift every type of vehicle you need to service.
But beyond the lifting capacity, there are some important differences between different models of inspection pit jack.
Here’s how our pit jacks compare:
Air-operated Pit Jack
- Lifting capacity (SWL): Up to 40,000kg
- Operation: Air (easier lifting)
- Twin rams: Yes
- Mechanical safety lock: Yes
- Pit sizing: Bespoke configuration
Hand-operated Pit Jack
- Lifting capacity (SWL): Up to 20,000kg
- Operation: Manual (more effort)
- Twin rams: Yes
- Mechanical safety lock: Yes
- Pit sizing: Bespoke configuration
And if you’re still not sure? Our inspection pit experts are just a message away.
As well as the vehicle lifts and equipment we’re known for, we’ve also helped countless workshops with full installations of their vehicle inspection pits — and the heavy-duty equipment that works inside them.
This article was originally published by Totalkare.
