Katool KT-AM120SD: 12,000 lb of capacity with nothing on the floor between the posts
The KT-AM120SD is a clear-floor two-post lift. There is no plate, no channel and no hydraulic crossover running across the ground between the columns, so the floor under the vehicle is exactly as flat as your slab. That is the feature to weigh first, because it is the one you live with daily: a transmission jack rolls straight through, a creeper does not catch, an oil drain sits where you want it, and there is no ridge collecting grit that eventually has to be cleaned out. On a lift rated at 12,000 lbs - which puts full-size pickups, vans and heavy SUVs comfortably inside its range - that unobstructed floor is what makes the space under the vehicle genuinely usable rather than merely accessible.
Power comes from a 4.0 HP motor on a 220V single-phase supply, driving the carriages directly. Direct drive means fewer intermediate parts between the power unit and the load: fewer things to adjust, fewer things to wear, and less of the vagueness that creeps into a lift as its linkages age.
Will It Fit?
Three of these are yours to confirm before ordering, and on the fourth we would rather tell you what we do not know than print a number we cannot stand behind.
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Power. 220V single phase, on a dedicated circuit installed before the lift is stood up. This is electrician work, not an extension lead.
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Concrete. A two-post lift transfers its entire load into two anchor patterns. The slab must be sound, level, unbroken and thick enough for the anchors specified in the installation manual, with no expansion joint or crack under either column. If nobody knows what your slab is, core it before you buy. This is the owner's responsibility and it is the usual reason an install stops on the day.
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Height under the vehicle. The lift raises to 70.87 in (1,800 mm) at the top of the pad, which is 67 in of rise measured under the arms. Add your own tallest vehicle's height to that before you look at your ceiling.
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Overall height, width and drive-through: ask us. Katool's published data for this model records those three figures without units, and we are not going to guess whether a number means inches or something else on a page that helps someone decide where a 12,000 lb lift goes. Ask before you order and we will get them confirmed in writing.
Low enough to drive over
At its lowest the lift comes down to 4.25 in (110 mm), with a minimum pad height of 4 in. That matters more than it looks. A two-post that will not go low enough forces a low car up on ramps before the arms can be swung underneath, which is a two-person job and an invitation to scrape a front spoiler. Four and a quarter inches is low enough that most cars drive straight over the arms.
The lock release, and asymmetric arms
The carriages ride on mechanical locks that engage as the lift climbs, so a raised vehicle sits on steel rather than on hydraulic pressure. A single-point release unlocks the lift from one position instead of asking the operator to walk around a loaded lift releasing one column and then the other - which is both slower and, with a vehicle in the air, a worse idea. The arm design is asymmetric, so the vehicle sits back between the posts and its doors clear the columns. If your work involves getting in and out of the cabin - interiors, glass, electrical diagnosis - that geometry saves time on every single job.
Built for a working day, not a demonstration
Columns, arms and base are high-strength steel, and the lift weighs 1,369 lbs in its own right, which is a fair indicator of how much steel is in it. Reinforcement is concentrated where a two-post lift is actually stressed: at the carriage-to-column interface and at the arm pivots, which are the joints that take the moment when a load is not perfectly centred. Direct drive keeps strain off the moving parts by removing a set of them.
Maintenance that keeps it honest
The routine is short and it is not optional: check the cables and the lock mechanism, look over the hydraulic lines and fittings for weeping, keep the carriage slides and arm pivots greased, and have the anchors and the lift itself inspected on the schedule the manual sets. A two-post lift that is maintained is a lift that behaves identically on its thousandth cycle and its first.
Perfect For
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General repair shops whose intake runs from small cars up to three-quarter-ton pickups.
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Fleet and municipal workshops where the vehicles are heavy and the bay is in use all day.
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Tire, brake, exhaust and suspension work, where clear-floor access is the difference between comfortable and awkward.
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Well-equipped home garages with the ceiling height, the slab and a 220V supply already in place.
Specifications
| Lifting capacity |
12,000 lbs |
| Maximum lifting height, top of pad |
70.87 in (1,800 mm) |
| Maximum rise under the arms |
67 in |
| Minimum lifting height |
4.25 in (110 mm) |
| Minimum pad height |
4 in |
| Net weight |
1,369 lbs |
| Motor |
4.0 HP |
| Power supply |
220V, single phase |
| Design |
Clear floor, asymmetric arms, direct drive |
| Lock release |
Single point |
Approvals, stated plainly
The data Katool supplies for the KT-AM120SD does not carry a third-party lift safety listing, and we will not badge this page with one it does not claim. For a home garage and for many independent shops that never becomes an issue. It becomes one where an insurance policy, a fleet standard or a local code names a specific listing document for vehicle lifts - and if that is your situation, tell us before you order and we will put the question to the manufacturer in writing rather than answer it with a logo on a web page.
Shipping and delivery
This lift ships by freight truck to addresses in the lower 48 states, with the freight quoted live at checkout against your address so what you see is a current carrier rate. The columns are long, heavy crated assemblies and unloading them is the receiver's responsibility: a forklift with the reach and capacity, a loading dock, or a collection booked at the carrier's local terminal, which is often the easiest arrangement because the terminal already has the equipment. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when you choose that option.
Inspect before you sign. Check for bent column ends, crushed corners, banding that has slipped, damaged arms and any oil on the pallet, and write what you find on the bill of lading while the driver is still there, with photographs taken at the same time. A clean signature is the carrier's evidence that the lift arrived undamaged, and reversing that later is very difficult.
Warranty
Katool publishes a written warranty document for this lift; ask us for the current copy before you order if the terms matter to your decision. One warning holds for every hydraulic lift regardless of who made it: if something fails, do not take apart the power unit, a cylinder or a lock mechanism before a claim has been opened. A disassembled component is normally treated as a modified one and cover that would have been honoured is lost. Photograph the fault, record the serial number, and call us before you touch it.
Contact us for more information.
Contact us for more information.
