iDEAL MSC-13K-B-678 - a six-column mobile lifting set

Synchronisation on this set is handled by a Siemens PLC working with an electro-optical encoder. Naming the controller matters, because "synchronised columns" is a phrase every mobile lift uses and the component behind it varies enormously. A Siemens programmable logic controller is standard industrial hardware with a long service life and parts you can still buy in ten years; an optical encoder reports true carriage position back to it continuously. Together they are the reason six independent hydraulic columns carrying one chassis stay level instead of slowly racking it.

Rated at 78,000 lbs across the set, the MSC-13K-B-678 lifts by the wheels, needs no anchoring and cuts nothing into the floor.

Forks that close to 6.3"

The fork adjustable range runs from 6.3" to 22", and the low end of that range is the specification worth pausing on. Plenty of heavy-duty column sets start around a foot of opening, which is fine for truck tyres and useless for anything smaller. Closing to 6.3" means the same set handles compact commercial wheels, trailer and dolly wheels, and light-duty chassis mixed in with the heavy fleet — the sort of work that otherwise goes back on a floor jack.

Fork length is 14" and fork-to-column clearance is 9.3". Those two figures decide how the fork sits against the tyre and how much room a technician has between the wheel and the column while working. They are worth checking against the wheels you actually service; a fork range is a specification, but your fleet's tyre diameters are the test.

Lifting speed, and why 75 seconds is the honest number

Full rise takes 75 seconds; descent takes 60. Rise time on a mobile column set is a real operational cost — it happens twice per job, every job — and it is one of the few specifications on a lift that a shop feels every single day. Heavy-duty hydraulics and large carriage bearings are what deliver it without the movement getting rough at the top of the stroke, and the bearings are also what keep the carriage from binding once the columns have a few thousand cycles on them.

Running the set

A master controller drives the columns individually or in synchronised pairs — pairs being how you lift one axle of a long vehicle without disturbing the rest of it. The LCD screen with keyboard reports settings and lifting height directly, so the operator reads the height rather than judging it.

Each column has an independent mechanical locking system. Hydraulic pressure raises the vehicle; the mechanical lock is what holds it while anyone is underneath, and independent means one column's lock does not depend on another's. Each column also carries its own emergency switch, so on a set spread the length of a chassis, whoever sees a problem is the one who stops it.

Will It Fit?

• Height. Columns measure 88.6" collapsed and 155.5" extended. Add the height of the vehicle on the forks and compare that to your lowest overhead obstruction.
• Lift. 67.1" of lifting height at the forks.
• Floor. 3000 PSI minimum concrete surface strength. There is nothing to anchor, but the columns still load the slab through their bases.
• Spread. Up to 32.8' between columns; each column is 44.1" wide overall.
• Wheels. 6.3" to 22" fork range, 14" fork length, 9.3" fork to column clearance.
• Supply. 100-140VAC, 60Hz, 1 PH per column for charging; the columns themselves run on 24VDC. No three-phase service required.
• Location. Specified for indoor set-up and operation.

Verifying your own ceiling, slab and wheel sizes is the buyer's job and it is worth doing before the order, not after. Send us the numbers if you want a second opinion on a borderline case.

Moving and storing six columns

Each column is repositioned with a pallet-jack style wheel, so one person can walk a column into place rather than needing two people and a plan. Between jobs they park out of the way and the floor is a floor again — which for a shop with more vehicles than bays is often the actual reason for buying a mobile set rather than a fixed lift.

Noise level is rated at 70 dB(A), because nothing runs except while the lift is moving.

Perfect For

• Mixed fleets — the 6.3" fork minimum means one set covers heavy chassis and much smaller wheels.
• Municipal and utility garages handling long vehicles no fixed lift accommodates.
• Shops that cannot alter the building, whether because it is leased or because the slab is not coming up.
• Operations that value serviceable controls — an industrial-standard PLC is a different maintenance proposition from a proprietary black box.
• Bays doing double duty, where the lift has to disappear when the job is done.

What's in the Box, and what is not

Six columns, the master controller with LCD screen and keyboard, the adjustable lifting forks and the synchronisation system. Jack stands are listed as an option, not as supplied — they are how you free the wheels once the chassis is up, so if that is part of your workflow, price them in at the same time.

Batteries are not included. The specification calls for 12VDC sealed deep cycle batteries, BCI Group 31, AH-105. The quantity each column takes is not stated in our data, and across six columns that is a material unknown. Ask us in writing for the per-column figure before ordering.

Specifications

Approvals: what our data does and does not say

The product data we hold for this model records no independent third-party safety listing, and we are not going to imply one by using language that sounds like a badge. Being straight about it is more useful to you than being vague.

Here is why it can matter. Some insurers, some fleet safety policies and some local jurisdictions require lifting equipment to hold a listing issued by an independent testing body — a document that is different in kind from a manufacturer's own declaration of conformity, and one that an inspector may ask to see. If any of those apply to your operation, ask us in writing for whatever certification documentation exists on this exact model before you commit, and settle it on paper rather than on a product page.

Shipping and Delivery

This ships as freight within the lower 48 and the cost is quoted live at checkout for your address, because carrier rates change and a number printed here would be out of date by the time you read it. Collection from our Valor, Tuxedo and iDeal warehouse locations is also available.

The specification sheet states ship weight per column, and our catalogue field records the figure without that qualifier — so confirm the crated total and the piece count with us in writing before you arrange unloading. You will need either the means to unload at your address or a terminal pickup arranged instead. Check every crate before you sign, and note damage on the delivery receipt with the driver present; a note on the paperwork is what makes a freight claim work.

Warranty

Our listing publishes no warranty period for this model, and we would rather tell you that than repeat a term we cannot evidence. Request the current written terms from us before you order — structural and parts cover are commonly quoted over different periods on equipment like this, and the difference is worth knowing in advance. Our claims process is set out on the warranty claims page. If something fails, take the set out of service and open the claim first: a column that has been dismantled before the claim is filed is very hard to argue for afterwards.