Optimising the servicing of public service vehicles

From minibuses to coaches, servicing PSVs can be a headache. CVW looks at how Stertil Koni provided some relief to Scottish company A1 Coaches.

Fife-based A1 Coaches recently purchased two new sets of mobile column lifts for its workshop, which included some important new features to enhance the operations of its garage. The transport company provides services to the east coast of Fife and the surrounding areas, including Edinburgh and Dundee. Its fleet of vehicles ranges from 8-seat minibuses to 72-seat double-decker coaches, catering for various needs such as weddings, sporting events, airport transfers, day tours, and corporate events.

The company had previously acquired two sets of mobile column lifts from Stertil Koni six years ago and were delighted with the performance and reliability. So, it had no hesitation in ordering two new sets, each comprising of four ST1075FWA mobile columns, which, importantly for the company, included adjustable width forks and a new digital control panel design.

As Paul Richards, fleet manager of A1 Coaches explains: “The previous lifts were reliable and easy to use. But the new models are another step up in terms of what we were looking for.” Richards continues: “With the adjustable width forks, the new mobile columns allow us to lift vehicles with different size wheels without having to use a special adaptor. This is ideal, as we operate many types of vehicles.”

The new adjustable forks save its technicians precious time and help declutter the workshop. “We no longer have to leave the adaptors around the workshop and fit them in place each time we service a vehicle with different size wheels. With the new version we simply adjust the fork widths and then position them under the bus.”

Additionally, the workshop liked the new full-colour touch screen consoles, which are now bolted to the column frame offering a secure and robust fixing. “With their frequent use and cold evenings here, it was important that the panels were securely fixed to the column lifts. The bolted panels should provide the durability we’ve been after.”

The ebright smart control system has been designed and developed to simplify operation by providing maximum visual information about every lifting operation – all at the fingertips of the workshop engineers. It allows A1 Coaches’ engineers to operate the columns individually, in pairs, or in any other combination from any column in the set. While positioning of the wireless columns is also totally flexible, enabling them to be used in any configuration around a vehicle.

This flexibility allows the company to future-proof its operations. “While we don’t have any triaxle vehicles at the moment, if we did in the future, the ability to quickly and easily link more mobile columns would allow us to expand the type of vehicles we can operate,” adds Richards.

The ST1075FWA heavy-duty lift is powered by long-life deep cycle batteries which provide optimum performance. Charging is carried out by plugging each individual lift into a 230V single phase supply. In addition, battery life is prolonged because, unlike a screw-lift, power is only used to raise a vehicle therefore less time is spent recharging the lift.

More lifting, less charging

As a result, the mobile columns spend more time lifting and less time charging. “We charge the lifts over the weekend, then use them all week without having to plug them in.” Additionally, Richards continues: “We did look at other cabled lift options but chose the wireless mobile columns as with no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed, an important health and safety benefit for us.”

To optimise the ongoing performance of the mobile column lifts, the Fife-based company took out a three-year service package. “It gives us great peace of mind that if there are any issues with the mobile columns, we can quickly get an engineer onsite to address it – plus, we get discounts on spare parts.”

Each of the ST1075FWA mobile column lifts offers a lifting capacity of 7.5 tonnes, providing an overall safe lifting capacity of 30 tonnes per set. A1 Coaches also ordered eight tall axle stands to complement the lifting facilities offered by the column lifts, providing them with a full package of lifting equipment.