Conventional vehicle lifts typically operate at a standard speed that is statically configured for the system, which may result in vehicles that are below the weight rating for the lift being raised at the standard speed while the lift motor is capable of safely raising at greater speeds. A set of lift controls may be configured to determine the load on the motor by a vehicle of an unknown weight during operation at a standard lift speed and use such information to determine a potential speed that the motor may raise the vehicle at while staying within safe operational levels for the motor. One or more of a magnitude of electrical power drawn, a pressure generated by a hydraulic lifting, or a sensed vehicle weight may be used to provide an indication of load on the motor and/or a higher potential speed.

A portable vehicle lift and methods of using the same is provided. The lift includes a power system, a control system, one or more batteries, and a battery management system. The control system controls the power system. The one or more batteries powers the power system. The battery management system (BMS) is configured to monitor data about the one or more batteries. The BMS may be configured to connect and/or disconnect the one or more batteries, or one or more individual battery cells, based on the data. The data may include current flowing into or out of the one or more batteries, the voltage of the one or more batteries, the level of charge of the one or more batteries, the temperature of the one or more batteries, the life expectancy of the one or more batteries, or the like.

In one example, a platform lift includes a rotationally stationary leadscrew to support a platform, a rotatable nut to drive the leadscrew up and down through a range of motion, a first spring to apply a continuous downward force to the leadscrew throughout the range of motion, and a second spring to apply a continuous upward force to the leadscrew throughout the range of motion.

A drop table can employ one or more shearing drive couplings to optimize lifting operations. The drop table can have a motor physically attached to a first lifting column via a first rotating input shaft and to a second lifting column via a second rotating input shaft. Each rotating input shaft is connected to the motor by a drive coupling having a shearing insert positioned between a drive shaft and a collar.

A drop table can provide optimized lifting operations by employing motor feedback to generate and adapt a lifting strategy that controls lifting parameters. A lifting module may be connected to a first motor and consist of a lifting controller. The first motor can be mechanically coupled to a first lifting column by a first transmission and to a second lifting column by a second transmission. A service component can be lowered with the first and second lifting columns by activating the first motor that provides motor feedback. A lifting strategy can be generated in response to the motor feedback and subsequently executed to move the service component to a servicing position.

A lifting column can provide optimized performance with a nut gap system that efficiently and precisely measures a nut gap during lifting operations. The nut gap system can have a rotating core onto which a nut and traveler are positioned. The nut can be separated from the traveler by a nut gap that is monitored by at least one sensor that continuously extends through the nut to access the nut gap.

A pallet shelfing apparatus for shelf racking of a pallet in a shelf structure, configured to operate in loading, unloading, and hibernate/transport modes. A transporter thereof transports and positions the platform. On a platform configured for loading and unloading the pallet from a selected shelf of the shelf structure, at least one deployable pallet carrying structure is mounted and configured for carrying, reaching and engaging the pallet. At least one deployable anchor, for temporarily stabilizing the pallet shelfing apparatus against at least one hold is deployed in the loading or unloading mode, to engage the at least one hold for stabilizing, and features the at least one hold located off ground, off ceiling, or inside the volume confined by the convex hull of the shelf structure. This volume may be disposed between the platform and at least one of the at least one hold, while in the loading or unloading mode, at least before changing mode into the hibernate/transport mode. The at least one deployable anchor is configured to change the elevation of the at least one deployable pallet carrying structure, after the carrying structure initially engages the pallet.

A lifting apparatus and controller therefore, where the lifting apparatus includes independently driven lifting columns and independently driven wheels that are controlled by a controller having a number of sensors such as limit sensors, position sensors, rotation sensors, laser sensors, torque sensors and the like. The independent motors for lifting and driving may also be removed easily to provide for improved servicing and maintenance. The various sensor signals are used to calculate, coordinate and calibrate the apparatus for precise and safe movement by the motors in order to perform lifting and positioning operations, for example rail car repair and service.

In order to improve the safety of a lifting platform with respect to risk of a vehicle falling, provision is made, in a lifting platform having carrying arms, which can be vertically adjusted by a lifting mechanism, for raising the vehicle and having carrying plates, which are arranged at a free end of the carrying arms, for carrying the vehicle to be lifted, for a sensor arrangement having a plurality of pressure sensors which are arranged distributed over a bearing surface of the carrying plates to be installed on each of the carrying plates and for a display which displays a pressure distribution over the bearing surface of the respective carrying plate to be associated with each carrying plate.

A lifting apparatus and controller therefore, where the lifting apparatus includes independently driven lifting columns and independently driven wheels that are controlled by a controller having a number of sensors such as limit sensors, position sensors, rotation sensors, laser sensors, torque sensors and the like. The independent motors for lifting and driving may also be removed easily to provide for improved servicing and maintenance. The various sensor signals are used to calculate, coordinate and calibrate the apparatus for precise and safe movement by the motors in order to perform lifting and positioning operations, for example rail car repair and service.