AMGO PRO-12: a 12,000 lb four-post lift with a 6 11/16″ deck and runways that slide

The PRO-12 is the service-and-storage member of AMGO's four-post range, and the two numbers that separate it from the category sit at opposite ends of its travel. Lowered, the runways come down to 6 11/16″ — low enough that an ordinary car climbs the ramps without dragging a chin spoiler across the deck edge. Raised, it gives 68 1/2″ of height underneath the runway, the number that decides whether you stand under the car or crouch.

Between those, the runways adjust steplessly rather than in fixed holes — 43 5/16″ apart as delivered, with an adjustment span this page prints as 39 3/8″ to 51 3/16″. One lift therefore takes a small hatchback and a wide-track pickup without either sitting off-centre on the deck. Rated at 12,000 lbs, it is a shop lift that doubles as a parking lift. The spacing figures come with a caveat, and it is the next thing to read.

One spacing figure on this page is not credible, and four others are contested

Start with the one that is plainly wrong on its own terms. The minimum this page gives for the outside edge of the runways is no wider than the gap printed between them, which cannot describe a deck with runways on it. It has the signature of a dropped leading digit, and the same defect appears across AMGO's four-post line. It is left in the table below and labelled doubtful rather than quietly corrected: inventing a replacement spacing would be the more dangerous mistake.

Confirm the runway spacing with us in writing before you order a rolling jack, a drip tray, a caster kit or anything that sits between the runways or straddles them. Accessories are bought against exactly this number.

Separately, AMGO's current specification disagrees with four more figures: a longer overall length including ramps (so the bay allowance below is the tighter of the two), a heavier gross weight, and a different span for both the width between the runways and their outside edges. It also names dimension B differently — we call that letter the overall length without ramps, the maker calls it the outside edge of the crossbeams. We assert neither side; other sellers have republished our figures unchanged for years.

Why the lowered height is the number people forget

Almost every four-post comparison is made on capacity and lifted height, and almost every complaint afterwards is about the ramp. A tall deck needs a long approach to keep the ramp angle sane; if the deck is high and the ramp short, the vehicle grounds where the ramp meets the runway. The PRO-12's 6 11/16″ minimum height shortens that at the source, and it matters for storage too: a lower deck means the car parked on top starts lower, leaving more ceiling for the one underneath.

How the load is carried, and what catches a failure

The PRO-12 is cable-driven with aircraft-standard cable and held by a mechanical self-locking safety device with an air-driven lock release. Once set down onto its locks, steel carries the vehicle and the hydraulics only hold position — a hydraulic leak on a locked lift is an inconvenience rather than a descent.

Two systems cover the ways a cable lift goes wrong. Primary multiple safety locks mean each carriage is never far above a hard stop. The cable-slack protection system senses a cable gone loose — stretched, jumped its sheave, or failed — and stops the lift rather than letting three corners keep going while the fourth does not; on a four-post that is the failure you cannot see from the control station. The cylinder has high-quality oil seals and a compensation valve, the power unit is ETL certified as standard, and the decks are non-skid diamond plate.

Will it fit?

Measuring the bay is the buyer's job. Take these to the floor with a tape first.

• Floor length — contested: 236 11/16″ with the ramps fitted, 200 3/4″ without them under the dimension label the maker names differently. AMGO publishes a longer overall length, so treat this as the tighter allowance and leave walking room past the ramp ends.
• Floor width: 126 5/16″ overall, 112 1/4″ between the columns.
• Ceiling: overall height 86″, raising to 74″, with 70 7/8″ to the top of the runway. Your ceiling must clear the raised runway plus the tallest vehicle on it, plus lights and any door track below the joists.
• Working room underneath: 68 1/2″ maximum, 65 3/8″ at the top lock.
• Drive-through: 98 3/8″ between the carriages — check it against your widest vehicle, not your average one.
• Runway spacing — contested, one figure doubtful: 43 5/16″ standard, the adjustment printed here as 39 3/8″ to 51 3/16″ and the outside edges as 43 3/8″ to 91 3/16″. Read the note above before ordering anything that fits between or across the runways.
• Slab, power and air: the installation manual states the concrete requirement — have an unknown, cracked or post-tensioned slab assessed before the lift ships. The motor is 2.0 HP, and the lock release runs on shop air, so a compressor and a drop at the lift are needed.

Perfect for

• The home garage doing double duty — service at weekends, a second parking space the rest of the time.
• Independent shops wanting a fast drive-on position for brake, exhaust and inspection work without tying up a two-post bay.
• Collectors and storage, where the low deck and 68 1/2″ underneath decide how much ceiling you get to use.
• Fleet and light-commercial workshops running mixed track widths.

What comes with it

Standard equipment as listed by the manufacturer: the ETL certified power unit, the mechanical self-locking safety device with air-driven release, primary multiple safety locks, the cable-slack protection system, aircraft-standard cables, the hydraulic cylinder with oil seals and compensation valve, non-skid diamond platforms and stepless width adjustment. Rolling jacks, drip trays, caster kits and storage accessories are separate, all bought against the runway spacing — settle that first.

Specifications

Certification, stated precisely

The certification AMGO claims is specific: the power unit is ETL certified as standard. That is a listing on an electrical component, not an independent third-party safety listing of the complete lift, and the two are frequently blurred. For most buyers the distinction changes nothing; for some it is the whole decision, because certain insurance policies, fleet operations and jurisdictions require a full-lift listing by name. Tell us which before you order.

Shipping and delivery

The PRO-12 travels as freight inside the lower 48, and your rate comes from the carrier for your address as you check out — which is why no shipping figure is printed here.

Arrange the unload before the truck is booked. The crated lift is listed here at 2,337 lbs and the maker publishes a heavier figure, so plan against the larger; either way two people are not moving it off a trailer. The carrier brings a standard deck and the receiver gets the freight onto the ground. A forklift makes short work of it. Without one, take terminal pickup, or collect from an AMGO warehouse location shown below. Deliveries to a residential address carry a residential fee, displayed at checkout. Look the crate over with the driver present: torn wrap, crushed corners, cut banding or a load that has moved goes onto the bill of lading before you sign. Photographs at the tailgate settle a freight claim later.

Warranty

AMGO provides a written warranty document for this equipment and we will send you the current version before you buy if the detail matters. One habit protects it: do not take apart a power unit, cylinder, valve, cable assembly or lock mechanism before a claim has been opened. A dismantled part is treated as a modified part. Photograph the fault, record the serial number from the column, and call us first.

Unsure between the plain service lift and the alignment version? Contact us first.