Administration’s Focus on Infrastructure Expected to Boost Use of Replacement Vehicle Lifts at Municipal and Transit Agencies Nationwide

STEVENSVILLE, MD January 3, 2017 – Heavy duty vehicle lift leader Stertil-Koni anticipates President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure plans will play a significant role in reshaping the municipal, transit and industrial fleet industry and their maintenance facilities.

Left: A LeeTran transit bus sits atop a Stertil-Koni DIAMOND LIFT. LeeTran is the transit bus service operated by the Lee County Transit Department, FL. 

Here’s why: Saddled with aging or obsolete in-ground vehicle lifts, coupled with larger, newer transportation vehicles that run hotter and have to be expertly serviced on a regular schedule, fleet managers are scrambling to stay current with demanding safety and ongoing maintenance requirements. 

“Thousands of transit agencies have unusable in-ground vehicle lifts that are embedded in concrete foundations,” noted Dr. Jean DellAmore, president of Stertil-Koni. “How can they be modernized in a safe, durable and economical fashion? Faced with that matrix, Stertil-Koni has engineered an in-ground replacement lift we call the DIAMOND LIFT frame version. This innovative model of our widely deployed, full rise in-ground telescopic piston lift, the DIAMOND LIFT, also has significant lifting capacity.” 

It is available in either a two- or three-piston configuration with a total lifting capacity of 35,000 lbs. per piston, hence 70,000 lbs. with two pistons and 105,000 lbs. with three pistons respectively.

Introduced in 2016, the frame version can be used with existing foundations and is available at a price-point substantially below its cassette counterparts.

The DIAMOND LIFT frame version can be used with existing foundations and is available at a price-point substantially below its cassette counterparts.
The reason is clear: The DIAMOND LIFT uniquely works with existing concrete vaults and has been specifically engineered for concrete foundations, making it ideal for replacement situations. Maintenance facilities can upgrade their existing lift system in this way or even outfit new facilities.

But capacity and savings are only part of the story. The new system is rolling off the production line at Stertil-Koni’s manufacturing facility in Streator, IL, and features advanced telescopic pistons that protect all the critical seals from potential damage by debris.

“Further,” added DellAmore, “The DIAMOND LIFT piston rods are hard-chrome plated for maximum protection against corrosion and wear, and thus optimized to handle the harsh environments of today’s busy workshops.”

“In sum,” noted DellAmore, “Infrastructure upgrades will also require a substantial focus on the readiness of maintenance facilities across the U.S. – particularly among transit agencies and public works’ facilities – to assess these existing shops with updated plans for 2017.”

Video: DIAMOND LIFT frame version

 About Stertil-Koni

Stertil-Koni, a brand of the Stertil Group, is the global market leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts – bus lifts and truck lifts – and is the preferred supplier to the world’s leading companies in the truck and bus industries. Stertil-Koni's breadth of products meets all ranges of lifting needs and includes mobile column lifts with the ebright Smart Control System, two-post, four-post, in-ground piston lifts, platform lifts, half-scissors and its innovative axle-engaging, in-ground, scissor lift configuration, ECOLIFT. The DIAMOND LIFT is now available in a “frame” version, engineered specifically for concrete foundations and ideal for replacement situations. Stertil-Koni USA is headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. Stertil-Koni has production facilities in Europe, in The Netherlands, and in the USA in Streator, Illinois.