Atlas PX16A 16,000 lb Alignment Scissor Lift: Published Floor Requirement, Published Power

Most alignment lift listings tell you what the lift does and leave you to discover what your building has to do. Atlas publishes both for the PX16A: 6" of concrete at 3,000 PSI, and 220V single phase with a 30A breaker. Those two lines decide whether this lift can be installed in your bay, and they are the two questions we are asked most often after an order has already been placed.

What you get for meeting them is a 16,000 lb four-wheel alignment scissor with a narrow footprint — 94" wide overall — that aligns wheelbases from 96" to 184", from a compact car to a long-wheelbase truck or van, on one set of runways.

Will It Fit?

• Floor strength. 6" of concrete at 3,000 PSI. If the slab is thinner, unknown, or has been poured in sections, get it cored and tested before you order. This is the buyer's responsibility and it is the one that cannot be fixed after delivery.
• Floor flatness. Separate from strength, and just as important on an alignment rack. The lift can only be as level as the slab it stands on, and a level rack is what an alignment reading depends on.
• Length. 271" overall with ramps, plus the approach length in front of them, plus room to open a door at the end of the bay. The approach ramps alone are 66".
• Width. 94" overall. Add working room down both sides — you will be kneeling beside the wheels, not just walking past them.
• Ceiling. Take the maximum lifting height, add the tallest vehicle you intend to raise, and measure to the lowest fitting above the bay rather than to the roof.
• Power. 220V ±5%, single phase, 30A breaker. Have a licensed electrician confirm the supply, the breaker and the cable run before the lift arrives.
• Air. The mechanical safety locks are air-operated, so an external air supply is required. The lift specifies air up to 120 PSI.
• Oil. 3.5 gal of AW32 or AW46 hydraulic oil, not supplied. Order it at the same time.

What a Scissor Buys You in a Narrow Bay

A four-post alignment rack needs clearance around four columns. A scissor needs clearance around the runways, which is why the PX16A goes into bays that will not take a conventional rack. There is nothing at the front to work around and nothing at the corners to walk around. For a shop adding alignment to a bay that is already doing other work, that is usually the deciding factor rather than capacity.

Stability in a scissor comes from the structure rather than from posts, so Atlas adds a front cross-beam and specifies precise platform levelling accuracy for wheel alignment. Commercial-grade construction is claimed throughout, and on a lift used for measurement that claim is doing real work: an alignment rack that flexes under load produces readings that are wrong in a way nobody notices until the customer comes back with a tire worn on one edge.

The Alignment Hardware Is Built In

Slip plates and alignment turntables are included and integrated rather than bolted on afterwards, and the turntable positions are recessed into the runway. That is worth more than it sounds on a busy day: no turntables to lift into place before each job, nothing proud of the runway surface for a wheel to ride up on, and nothing to store between jobs. The slip plates are extra long, which is what allows four-wheel alignment right across the 96" to 184" wheelbase range instead of only in the middle of it.

The Safety Hardware, and Why Each Piece Exists

Four items on the feature list are only interesting on a bad day, so it is worth saying what each one is for.

• Air-operated mechanical safety locks. The parked vehicle rests on steel, not on hydraulic pressure holding station. External air supply required.
• Emergency manual lowering pump. Lets you bring a vehicle down when the power is off. Without it, a power cut means a bay you cannot use until the power returns.
• Overload valve. Stops the lift being taken beyond its rating, whatever the operator believes the vehicle weighs.
• Lowering speed valve. Governs the rate of descent so that coming down is a controlled operation rather than a gravity one.

The control unit is separate and self-contained, so the electrics and the power unit sit in one place you can service, away from the runways.

Perfect For

• General repair shops adding four-wheel alignment as a revenue line without building a dedicated alignment bay.
• Tire shops that want to sell the alignment with the tires.
• Van and light-truck fleets that need the top of the 184" wheelbase range.
• Buildings with an awkward bay — narrow, or with an obstruction at one end — where a four-post rack will not go.

What's in the Box

• PX16A scissor alignment lift with front cross-beam
• Built-in slip plates and alignment turntables, recessed turntable positions
• Separate self-contained control unit
• Air-operated mechanical safety locks
• Emergency manual lowering pump, overload valve, lowering speed valve
• Mounting hardware

Not included: hydraulic oil, the external air supply, and rolling jacks. Rolling jacks are a common addition to this lift for tire and brake work — ask us before you order if you want them supplied together.

Specifications

Certification

The product data for this lift does not claim an independent North American safety listing, and we would rather say so than let a badge be inferred. It matters in one specific circumstance: some commercial insurers, some fleet contracts and some local building or inspection authorities require a lift to hold a third-party safety listing before they will cover it or approve the installation. If that describes your situation, get the requirement named in writing by whoever is imposing it, and speak to us before ordering so we can check where this model stands with Atlas. It is a short conversation now and an expensive one once the lift is on your floor.

Shipping and Delivery

This lift ships as freight to the lower 48 states at 6,200 lbs. That is a forklift or telehandler job at the receiving end — a delivery driver cannot help and is not equipped to. If your site has no way to unload, choose terminal pickup and collect it yourself, or use one of our warehouse pickup locations.

A residential delivery address carries a residential fee. Freight is quoted live at checkout from your ZIP code, so the price is your actual lane on the day rather than a table.

Check the freight before you sign for it. Look along the runway edges for bends and at the corners for crush damage, count the crates, and write anything you find onto the bill of lading while the driver is still in front of you.

Warranty

2 yr structural and 1 yr hydraulic, parts only. Our claims process is on the warranty claims page, and the manual on this page carries the manufacturer's own statement.

Do not take a suspect power unit, cylinder or valve apart before the claim is opened. It is the single most common reason a real fault ends up uncovered. Photograph it where it sits, tell us what it did, and let us open the claim first.