Safety & Security

Safety & Security

Safety & Security

A parking lift might sound cool, you wonder, but it is it safe enough to bring into a family home with children, pets, etc.? Your worry is our worry, so we’ve done everything we can do to provide a safe experience with our parking lift. There are always basic precautions the operator must keep in mind, such as making sure he or she is the only person in the area when operating the lift. Children and pets, especially, should be kept away during use.

Always be mindful of some obvious precautions, which are listed in greater detail in the user manual. For our part, though, Autostacker has two essential safety features that are designed to keep you, your vehicle and your home car lift safe, even in the event of total hydraulic pressure loss. That’s about as safe as it gets!

Five safety lock positions

Automatic locks are essential to safety. This goes for any car lift type, but new challenges are presented by Autostacker’s fully collapsible frame. There are no lift carriages, since there are no posts, so locks that are normally placed in the interior of the posts simply don’t work. So, we devised five lock stops, placed along the base of each side. As the scissor arms unfold, a lock mechanism glides over the stops. Once the desired height has been achieved, the operator briefly presses the Down button until the two locks, one on each arm, simultaneously engage the desired stop. Even in the case of a hydraulic leak or more sudden pressure loss, the parking lift will remain suspended indefinitely.

Velocity fuse

A self-resetting velocity fuse is placed near the cylinder to prevent a catastrophic incident in the unlikely case of pressure loss during rise/descent. While the safety locks protect Autostacker when they’re engaged, they’re no help when your parking lift is between locks. Velocity fuses are therefore necessary to react to the loss of pressure and plug the space fluid comes out of. The lift will remain “stuck” in position until the problem is fixed and fluid pressure resumes, at which point the scissor arms will safely resume operation.

Vehicle safety is paramount to every car owner worldwide. A stolen vehicle is a devastating loss for any home, family or business to endure. Just look at these Insurance Information Institute statistics on stolen cars. In 2014:

  • 689,527 vehicles were reported stolen
  • A vehicle was stolen every 46 seconds
  • California was responsible for eight of the top 10 cities with the highest theft rates

While these statistics don’t mean society has totally collapsed around us, that’s a fairly hefty number of grand theft autos. Parking lifts have two essential functions; while we’re quick to talk about how they offer extra parking, there’s also no substitute for getting your car indoors and in the air for safe storage. We wish those burglars “good luck” (but not really) if they’re going to try snatching a vehicle that’s raised on a parking lift. It’s easy to see how the increased safety alone can be worth the price of admission.

Guard against the elements

While theft protection is one kind of risk, the weather is a much more common perpetrator, one we all face daily. Depending on where you live, old man winter can really wreak havoc on your day before you even start your morning commute. A garage parking lift helps eliminate winter weather calamities such as snow, mud, ice build-up and of course, killer hail. Warmer climates can be just as damaging to cars: direct sun, heat, summer rain storms and hurricanes, and of course, more hail—you name it—none of it is good for the most expensive piece of property you’re likely to own, second only to your house. Everything from vehicle paint to your fluids to your engine can be affected. Indoors, Autostacker lets your vehicles rest in more consistent temperatures. Since our parking lift fits in most garages, more people than ever can park indoors and sleep worry-free.

Guard against everyday threats

You can rest assured knowing that when your car is parked almost eight feet in the air it will be clear of everyday bumps, scrapes and other perils that threaten your defenseless car sitting in that cramped garage. You’ll be relieved knowing that your vehicle is parked high and out of range of kids, pets and vandals. Vehicles parked below the Autostacker are protected by a solid-steel barrier. Without the advantage of high and out of harm’s way, or wrap-around perimeter protection, your vehicle can be easily scratched, scraped and dented, a common occurrence in parking spaces everywhere. In both home garages and commercial settings, the Autostacker acts as vehicle sentry, guarding against parking space horrors.