Alignment Lifts Are a Type of Specialty Lift

Any time you are purchasing a new car lift, you need to evaluate with what type of vehicles you intend to use the lift, as well as what services you expect to accomplish. There are both two-post and four-post standard lifts, as well as scissor lifts, which are able to accommodate a wide range of vehicles. In addition, there are specialty lifts, like alignment lifts, designed to perform specific services.
Differences between Standard and Alignment Lifts

The main difference between standard and alignment lifts are the included turntables used to complete alignments with an alignment system. However, the turntables can be covered whenever you do not need to perform an alignment. As a result, this type of lift is also used as a standard car lift. So, you could set up more than one bay to perform alignments and still be able to complete other services using the same lifting systems.

Another variation would be the type of lifts that could be used for alignments. You will quickly see these kinds of lifts are either four-post or scissor lifts. This is due to the fact the tires have to be in contact on the lift base and turntables to properly align a vehicle. Some scissor-lift systems also include a built-in wheels-free ramp jack to lift the vehicle higher up and off the lift platform. This makes it easier to perform services where the tires do not need to be stationary on the lift arms.