A recent overview of vehicle maintenance shops across North America conducted by bus lift and truck lift provider Stertil-Koni has found that fleet facilities – including bus, truck, and military – are increasingly relying on support stands in their daily operations to boost safety and extend the capabilities of their existing lifting systems.

According to Peter Bowers, technical sales and support manager at Stertil-Koni, “Safety is always mission number one. That’s why support stands are so essential. They are a secondary support device engineered to securely support raised trucks, buses, and other vehicles, facilitating a broad range of maintenance procedures.” 

Generally, support stands are used in even-numbered sets of two, four, six, or more depending on the vehicle’s weight requirements. Stertil-Koni support stands are available in capacities from 7 to 18 tons per stand. 

When safely in position, stands can also become the sole support and bear the entire weight of the vehicle. In that way, they provide wheels-free lifting – which comes in handy for doing such work as brake jobs.” 

In addition to using support stands with portable lifts, such as Mobile Column Lifts, support stands can also be paired with a range of in-ground piston and scissor-style vehicle lifts.

Heavy-duty vehicle technicians note that their reasons for using support stands are many, but topping the list are the following: 

• Design features that emphasize ergonomics to foster technician safety.

• Capacity to independently support heavy loads.

• Safety enhancement via added support.

• Flexibility to be used in any size workspace or bay and relocatable by a single technician.

• Ability to handle a diverse range of vehicles via customized contact heads.

Support stands can be adjusted to the desired height to support the vehicle. Plus, several Stertil-Koni models allow six-inches of fine adjustment via an ACME screw and all come with a variety of contact heads. Stands are available in folding or fixed frames, with the latter helping to save valuable space on the shop floor, according to the manufacturer.