Hofmann HM-12K-4POST: 81.6" slip plates, and the repositioning you stop doing

Most four-post alignment lifts are sold on capacity and runway length. The specification on this one that changes a working day is neither: it is the rear slip plates, which are 81.6" long. On a lift with short slip plates, every significant change in wheelbase means moving the front turn plates and re-setting the geometry before the alignment can begin. On this lift the rear plates are long enough to absorb that variation, so a compact car can follow a long-wheelbase pickup without the technician rebuilding the setup between them.

For a shop where the next vehicle is whatever drives in, that is minutes recovered on almost every job, and it is the difference between alignment being a scheduled specialism and alignment being something you can simply do next.

This is a complete alignment package rather than a bare lift. It arrives as part number EELR728APKG with Pro-Style runways, two roller jacking systems, premium turn plates and a roll back kit — the parts that are otherwise bought separately, quoted separately and delivered on different days.

Will it fit?

A four-post alignment lift is a building decision, so take these figures to the floor plan before ordering. Every number below comes from the manufacturer's specification for this model.

Read the column height and the lifting height together. A column at 90.5" tall is not the constraint — the constraint is the ceiling you need above a vehicle raised to a 78" runway height, and that depends on how tall the tallest vehicle you intend to lift is. Add the vehicle to the runway height and compare the result with your clear ceiling, including lights, heaters, door tracks and any duct run. That measurement is the buyer's responsibility, and it is the one that most often turns into an expensive surprise.

The lift also needs a 230 VAC 1Ph 50/60 Hz supply and an air line at 90-120 PSI, because the safety locks and the jacking systems are air-released. The floor must be a sound, level concrete slab in good condition; we do not publish a thickness or a strength figure for this model, so if there is any doubt about your slab — an older pour, a slab over a basement, expansion joints in the wrong place — have it assessed before the lift is delivered rather than after. Confirm the anchoring requirement with us as part of that.

Confirm the runway width before you order

Published figures for the runway width differ: the feature list on this page describes 20.5" wide Pro-Style runways; the runway width specification field gives 20.6". Both are shown here rather than a pick between them. If runway width matters to your decision — for a jacking beam, for a specific turn plate, or for a narrow-track vehicle — ask us and we will confirm it against Hofmann's drawing before you order.

Why a closed front is the right choice for alignment

The front of this lift is closed rather than open, and on an alignment lift that is a deliberate structural decision rather than a limitation. Alignment equipment measures angles in fractions of a degree, and it does so on a platform that has a vehicle being pushed, pulled and jacked on it. A closed front, tied into brake-formed front columns and a traverse beam that spreads load over a larger supporting area, is what keeps the runways from shaking and flexing while the readings are being taken. A lift that moves under a technician's weight produces alignment numbers that drift, and a drifting number is worse than no number because it is believed.

The runways are also ultra-low-profile, which sounds like a convenience feature and is really a loading one: low approach angles and textured ramps mean the low, wide, or long vehicles that fight a tall four-post go up without scraping.

The details that reduce maintenance and risk

Three parts of the specification are there to keep the lift out of trouble over years rather than months. The locking ladders mount through the traverse beams, so lock engagement is carried by the structure. The hydraulic cylinder is mounted underneath the runway, out of the path of a jack, a tool or a dropped component. And a filter, regulator and lubricator unit conditions the air feeding the lift and the jacking systems, which is the unglamorous reason an air system either lasts or does not: clean, dry, lubricated air is what pneumatic components fail without.

A slack cable support system keeps the cables from hanging when the lift is sitting on its locks, which protects them from the damage that comes with being caught, walked into or run over.

Perfect For

• Shops adding alignment as a profit centre, where the packaged jacks, turn plates and roll back kit avoid assembling the system piece by piece.
• General repair workshops that need one bay to do alignment and ordinary service on a 12,000 lbs. capacity.
• Tire businesses whose vehicle mix changes hour by hour and where the long slip plates remove the setup penalty.
• Fleet and municipal operations running a wide range of wheelbases through the same lane.

What is included

The current product information describes this as a packaged alignment lift and names its contents: the Pro-Style runways, two roller jacking systems, premium turn plates and a roll back kit, along with the filter, regulator and lubricator unit, the locking ladders, the slack cable support system and textured approach ramps. Alignment measuring equipment is not part of this package. If you are buying the lift and an aligner together, tell us both and we will make sure the two are compatible before either ships.

Certification and compliance, stated honestly

Our product data for this lift does not record a third-party safety certification, and we will not imply one. This matters more on a vehicle lift than on most shop equipment: some insurers, many fleet and municipal contracts, and some local jurisdictions require a lift to carry an independent listing from a testing body, which is a different document from a manufacturer's own declaration about its product.

If your insurer, your fleet policy or your local inspector requires that listing, verify the requirement and ask us before you buy — we will request the documentation from the manufacturer rather than guess. Installation, anchoring and the electrical supply are governed by the manufacturer's instructions and your local code, and a lift of this size should be installed by people who install lifts.

Delivery, installation and site access

This machine ships as freight, not as a parcel, and it travels crated on a pallet. Delivery, setup and instruction arrangements for Hofmann equipment are set out in the Pick Up and Delivery section further down this page, and warehouse collection is offered on much of this range — tell us at the time of order which you want, because the two are booked differently. Shipping is to addresses in the contiguous United States.

Three things are the buyer's responsibility whichever route you choose. Measure the path from the delivery point to the working position, including door widths and any turn a crated machine has to make. If the delivery address is a home rather than a commercial address, say so before you order — residential delivery is arranged differently and a residential fee applies. And inspect the crate before you sign: note any damage, crushed corner or shifted strapping on the delivery receipt at the moment of delivery, and photograph it. A signed clean receipt makes a damage claim very difficult to pursue afterwards, and that is the single most common way a buyer ends up out of pocket on freight equipment.

Warranty

Warranty terms for this machine are published on our warranty claims page rather than quoted here, so that what you read is the current policy rather than a figure copied into a description and left to go stale. One practical warning that applies to every powered machine we sell: if something fails, contact us before disassembling the unit or attempting an internal repair. Stripping an assembly down before the claim is raised routinely voids the cover, and it also destroys the evidence the manufacturer needs to see.