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Following the expiry of a five year hire contract, MC Truck and Bus decided to continue its successful association with Stertil Koni by replacing 19 sets of cabled, mobile column lifts with the company’s 8.2 tonne wireless versions, type ST1082FWF-4.
MC Truck and Bus is an independent Volvo truck and bus dealership providing commercial vehicle sales and hire across London, Hampshire, Kent, Essex and Sussex. As a member of the respected MC Group, the company supplies a range of commercial vehicles for retail distribution, construction, emergency services, local authorities, waste handling and recycling.
December 2012 saw the end of two separate five year contract hire deals covering vehicle lifts provided by Stertil Koni and another supplier. Both companies were then invited to put forward wireless versions of their respective lifts for extensive trialling following which MC Truck and Bus specified the Stertil Koni electro-hydraulic units. Subsequently, 19 sets of lifts were supplied to the company’s depots in Blandford, Burgess Hill, Hythe, Maidstone, Portsmouth, Southampton, West Thurrock and Witham.
Stertil Koni’s latest generation ST1082FWF-4 vehicle lift uniquely incorporates a wireless control system that provides maximum access to the underside of a raised vehicle. Each of the mobile columns is equipped with two long-life deep cycle batteries which, when fully charged, will power the fully-laden column for more than 20 lifting cycles – easily a full week’s use. The batteries can then be charged overnight via a 230v single phase supply and, since there are no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed, providing valuable health and safety benefits. Also, with no power or communication cables to connect, set-up time is drastically reduced thereby making the system fully operational much more quickly.
Each 8.2 tonne column is fitted with a user-friendly control box allowing operation of the set from the most convenient point for the operator. The fitting of an additional remote control hand unit, with a 10m lead to each set, was specified by MC Truck and Bus to ensure even greater operational flexibility for the company’s technicians. The ST1082FWF-4 ensures safe lifting up to a height of 1.85 metres which can be reached in just 89 seconds. The lowering speed is pre-selectable and each column can be lowered manually in the event of a power failure. Positioning of the wireless columns is flexible: they can be used in any configuration around a vehicle.
MC Truck and Bus engineers rely on the wireless lifts to simplify a wide range of repair, maintenance and routine servicing operations. In most cases, the lifts are used in sets of four to safely raise and lower trucks, trailers, buses and coaches. However, the lifts are frequently used in sets of six or eight when working on larger vehicles such as car transporters. In this configuration, the overall lifting capacity can be significantly increased with no reduction in lifting and lowering speeds and no loss of operating efficiency.
Commenting on the decision to purchase the latest ST1082FWF-4 vehicle lifts, Steve Coveney, General Manager at MC Truck and Bus, says, "We’ve worked with Stertil Koni for the last five years and have been impressed with both the products and the after sales support. As our original contract covering cabled lifts expired, it made sense to trial the latest wireless versions and we weren’t disappointed. We are proud of our reputation as a reliable, experienced and competent company and I’m confident that the new lifts will help us to continue our aim of providing an unbeatable service to our growing number of customers."
