Thousands of aging, below-floor concrete pits in heavy-duty workshops may soon have a new lease on life thanks to heavy-duty lift specialist, Stertil-Koni USA. They call their new pit jack a game-changer.

The challenge exists, says the company, because the vast majority of these pits currently do not have the proper equipment to enable mechanics to safely remove under-vehicle components, including transmissions, axles, exhaust systems and more. As a result, many pits are rendered virtually useless other than for routine inspections and standard lubrication maintenance.

In response, Stertil-Koni has developed a free-standing rolling pit jack with a capacity of 30,000 lb that's specifically designed to safely operate on the pit floor – entirely independent of upper pit edges. Lifting is done by an air-driven, fully hydraulic pump actuated by tandem foot pedals. One pedal quickly raises the piston to be in contact with the vehicle being lifted while the other allows precision lifting in small increments, the company explains. In this way, the service technician is hands-free to work on the vehicle or operate other tools.

The jack frame is supported on wheels for easy relocation within the pit, but the frame immediately settles to the floor when a load is applied. Finally, the jack is designed to draw the piston back quickly and easily, even when unloaded, to ensure that the vehicle does not contact the jack while driving over the pit.

Both the piston rod and the pump piston are hard-chrome plated for maximum protection against corrosion and water. Also,  the carriage is automatically lowered when handling loads of 1 ton or more and the integral locking brakes guarantee maximum stability. Two models are available: the FPJ-150-F is fitted with a fixed vertical piston and the FPJ-150-U has a vertical piston that moves side to side.