AMGO AX-16A: an alignment scissor that publishes the steel it is made from

Most lift makers describe a scissor structure with adjectives. AMGO gives the AX-16A's scissor arms a section: a 5 7/8″ x 3″ tube. On a scissor lift that is the specification governing everything you eventually notice — how level the runways stay, how little the platform moves when a technician leans hard into a wheel, how the rack behaves after a few thousand cycles — because the arms are the structure. There is no column and no overhead beam sharing the load. A published section is also a number the manufacturer has to live with, which is why so few of them print one.

Around it sits a 16,000 lbs (7,300 kg) alignment rack: two dual synchronous cylinders, an electro-air control system driving a self-locking safety mechanism, skid-proof diamond runways and a 110-second cycle, powered by a 2.0 HP motor at 220 V / 60 Hz. It drives on at 13″ (330 mm), and its four-wheel alignment window starts at 98″ (2,490 mm) — short enough that a compact car sits properly on the rack rather than perched near the ends of it.

Two synchronous cylinders, and why an alignment rack cares more than a service lift does

The platforms are driven by two dual synchronous cylinders. A single cylinder working through a mechanical link has to be trusted to keep two runways together; two synchronised cylinders share the load across both platforms directly.

On a general service lift a deck slightly out of level is untidy. On an alignment rack it is an inaccurate reading and a customer who comes back, because every angle you measure is referenced to a plane you have assumed is flat.

Electro-air locking, and what holds the car at three in the morning

An electro-air control system operates the self-locking safety mechanism: the rack raises, the locks engage mechanically, and releasing them is a deliberate air-actuated action rather than something that can happen by leaning on a control. A vehicle left up overnight rests on steel, not on hydraulic pressure holding station until morning. The runways are skid-proof diamond platform, which earns its keep the day a wet vehicle is driven up.

Will It Fit?

• Floor length. Runway length is 213 3/4″ (5,428 mm), and overall length including the ramps is 274 3/16″. Allow approach room in front of that figure, not up to it.
• Floor width. Overall width 94 1/8″ (2,390 mm), with 44 7/8″ (1,140 mm) between the runways.
• Drive-on height. 13″ (330 mm) at its lowest — the number to check against anything running a low front lip.
• Ceiling. Work from the raised height plus the tallest vehicle you intend to lift, and measure to the lowest fitting hanging from your roof rather than to the roof itself. Note that the maximum lifting height is one of the figures in dispute below, so leave yourself margin rather than planning to the inch.
• Power. 2.0 HP at 220 V / 60 Hz. Confirm the circuit rating, the disconnect and the run length with a licensed electrician before delivery day rather than on it.
• Floor. AMGO states the slab depth and strength in the manual supplied with the lift and linked further down this page. Meeting it is the buyer's responsibility — and an alignment rack wants a floor that is flat as well as strong, because the lift can only be as level as the thing it is standing on.

Four measurements on this page we will not stand behind

This listing and the specification sheet stored behind it do not agree with each other, and the manufacturer's current published specification does not agree with either of them in places. We would rather set that out than quietly choose the flattering number and hope.

• Maximum lifting height. The description that has been on this page says 73 5/8″ (1,870 mm); our own stored specification sheet says 72 13/16″. The manufacturer's current published figure agrees with the lower of those two. We have not reconciled it, so we are not asserting a lifting height here.
• Maximum two-wheel alignment length. Our specification sheet says 190 9/16″ and the description says 190 1/2″ (4,840 mm). The manufacturer's current published figure is shorter than both. This is the measurement that decides whether a long-wheelbase pickup can be set up on this rack at all, so if the longest vehicle you intend to align is anywhere near the top of that range, get the figure from us in writing before you order.
• Maximum four-wheel alignment length. 184 1/4″ on the specification sheet, 184 1/2″ (4,680 mm) in the description. Both of those figures are ours. They are still two figures for one measurement.
• Gross weight. This page lists 6,371 lbs; the manufacturer publishes a lower gross weight. It changes nothing about how the rack works, but it is the number a rigger and a carrier plan around, so treat it as approximate until we have confirmed it for you.

None of this is an argument against the AX-16A. It is an argument for asking us before you commit, so we can go to the factory sheet rather than read a number off a listing.

Perfect For

• Alignment specialists who need one rack that covers compacts as well as heavy pickups and vans.
• Commercial and fleet workshops where the alignment queue includes vehicles a passenger-car rack cannot take.
• Busy general shops — a scissor rack occupies less standing floor than a four-post and leaves an open, post-free working area around the vehicle.
• Tyre and suspension shops doing high volumes of wheel work, where a 110-second cycle adds up across a day.

What Comes as Standard

• Two dual synchronous cylinders for level lifting across both platforms
• Electro-air control system operating the self-lock safety mechanism
• Heavy-duty scissor structure using 5 7/8″ x 3″ tube
• Skid-proof diamond platforms

Specifications

Certification, Stated Honestly

We are not going to put a certification badge on this page that the product data does not support. AMGO's data for the AX-16A does not claim a third-party safety listing for the lift, and rather than imply one, we would rather tell you what that means for you.

Some shop insurers, some fleet policies and some local jurisdictions require a lift to carry a third-party safety listing from a recognised North American body. If that applies to you, ask whoever imposes it to name the listing in writing, then talk to us before you order so we can check the position with AMGO. It is a short conversation now and an expensive one after the rack is anchored to your floor.

Shipping and Delivery

This lift ships as freight to the lower 48 states. It arrives as more than one piece — AMGO's own packing data lists a long crate for the rack and a separate carton for the control cabinet — so count everything off before the driver leaves.

It needs real unloading equipment: a forklift with capacity in reserve, a telehandler or an overhead crane. The delivering driver will not unload it. If your site cannot, take terminal pickup and collect with your own gear, or use warehouse pickup where available — and because the gross weight is disputed above, plan with margin.

Inspect before you sign. Photograph any crush, gouge or bend, count the pieces against the packing list, and write the damage onto the bill of lading in front of the driver. A clean signature is the carrier's evidence that the freight arrived intact.

Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee. Freight is quoted live at checkout against your ZIP code, so what you see is your own lane on the day rather than an estimate.

Warranty

Warranty terms and the claim process are on our warranty claims page, and the manual on this page carries AMGO's own coverage statement. One rule saves more claims than any other: do not take a suspect component apart before the claim is opened. A stripped cylinder or an opened control cabinet is the usual reason a genuine failure ends up outside cover. Photograph it and call us first.