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S.F. MTA adds Rotary lifts

Over the next 18 months, Peterson Hydraulics will install the MOD30 lifts in the maintenance garage and the parallelogram lift in the wash bay. The MOD30s will replace the facility’s original lifts from 1974.

March 25, 2013
2 min to read


The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) awarded a contract to Peterson Hydraulics Inc. for 21 Rotary Lift MOD30 environmentally friendly in-ground lifts and one Rotary Lift parallelogram lift to be used at its James M. Woods Motor Coach Facility.

Over the next 18 months, Peterson Hydraulics will install the MOD30 lifts in the maintenance garage and the parallelogram lift in the wash bay. The MOD30s will replace the facility’s original lifts from 1974. They will be installed in stages, so as not to disrupt the busy maintenance operation at the Woods 24-hour facility.

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SFMTA engineering staff members conducted an exhaustive study and weighed several options before choosing the Rotary Lift products. With a lifting capacity of 60,000 lbs., the MOD30 provides a vast improvement over the agency’s old lifts, which had rated capacities of just 36,000 lbs. each.

The Rotary Lift MOD30 environmentally friendly in-ground lift uses half the hydraulic fluid required by traditional in-ground lifts, and the entire system is contained in a six-foot deep steel enclosure. Its housing is coated inside and out with Rotary Lift’s exclusive EnviroGuard sealant, which protects against electrolysis and contamination for the 30-year life of the lift.

The MOD30 is the only in-ground lift that meets the environmental standards of underground storage tanks. Its design has been proven over 10 years of use by fleet customers across North America.

Timesaving features on the MOD30 include automatic trench covers, joystick controls, the VEC Variable Equalized Control system for simultaneous jack raising and Rotary Lift’s patented universal saddle adapter.

The Rotary Lift parallelogram lift equipped with wash bay package is a popular choice for transit wash bays because it offers unobstructed vehicle access and is designed to withstand the harsh environment.

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RELATED ARTICLE: Check out, "Vehicle Lifts Become More Affordable, Portable and Sustainable."

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