FP14KAC-X: the alignment-ready FP14, and what the "AC" adds

This is the alignment configuration of iDEAL's 14,000 lbs four-post rack, and the difference is not the structure — it is everything that makes a four-post lift capable of holding a vehicle still and square enough to measure. A 'bolt-on' runway alignment kit, two turntable positions with spacer covers, full-width rear wheel slip plates, and fully adjustable lock stops so the rack can be levelled rather than assumed level.

That last item is the one experienced alignment techs look for. Every angle you measure is referenced to a plane you have decided is flat. On a rack with fixed stops, "flat" is whatever the factory tolerances and your floor add up to. On this one, the lock stops adjust, so the plane is something you set and can re-set.

Vehicles it will actually take

Three different wheelbase figures matter on an alignment rack and they are not interchangeable:

• 182.5" maximum service wheelbase — the longest vehicle that fits the rack at all for general work.
• 166.7" maximum two-wheel alignment wheelbase.
• 103" to 157" for four-wheel alignment — the window in which the turntables and slip plates line up with the wheels.

Check your regular work against the four-wheel figure, not the service figure. A long-bed pickup that fits on the rack is not necessarily a pickup you can align on it, and that is the specification most often discovered too late.

Slip plates, turntables and the mechanics of an honest reading

Full-width rear wheel slip plates let the rear axle relieve itself of the stress the drive-on introduced. Without that release, a rack measures the tension you put into the suspension driving on, not the geometry as it sits on the road. Full width matters because a range of track widths has to land on the plate.

At the front, two turntable positions with spacer covers let the turntables sit at the wheelbase the vehicle needs rather than at one fixed station, and the covers make the unused position a solid working surface instead of a hole in the runway. The runways themselves are 20" wide with narrow and wide mounting positions — 43" or 46" between runways — so the rack can be set up for the vehicle mix you actually see.

Locks, cables and the parts that keep it up

Eighteen locking height positions give you somewhere sensible to park the rack for any job, and a single-point pneumatic lock release means all four corners release together from one control rather than being walked around and released individually. The lift is a cable system with slack cable safety devices — the mechanism that senses a cable that has gone loose, which is the failure that matters on a four-post, and stops the rack rather than letting a corner drop. Self-chocking approach ramps with nylon rollers and a pair of wheel chocks handle the vehicle at drive-on and drive-off.

Will It Fit?

• Minimum bay size. iDEAL states 16' x 25'. That is a minimum, not a comfortable working figure — add space for the alignment machine, its cabinet and a technician walking the perimeter with a wheel clamp.
• Width. 142" overall including the power unit. Position the power unit before you position the lift.
• Length between posts. 196", with a 44" ramp beyond that.
• Drive-through clearance. 100" between the carriages — check anything wide-mirrored against it.
• Power. 220V, 20AMP, 1PH. Single phase, so most shops will not need a service upgrade, but have an electrician confirm the circuit and disconnect before delivery day.
• Air. The pneumatic lock release needs shop air at the lift. Run it at installation rather than adding it afterwards.
• Ceiling and floor. The rise height and the slab requirement are in the manual supplied with the lift. We are not going to print a figure for either here: the height specifications on this listing are recorded in fractional inches that we cannot reproduce reliably, and no concrete depth or strength figure appears in this product's data at all. Ask us for the current specification sheet before you commit a bay to it — meeting the floor requirement is the buyer's responsibility and it is not a detail to guess at.

Perfect For

• Alignment shops that want a four-post rack set up for measurement from the day it lands.
• General repair shops adding alignment as a service without a dedicated pit or scissor rack.
• Tyre shops where the alignment queue is mostly cars and light trucks.
• Fleet workshops running the same vehicles repeatedly, where consistent geometry pays back quickly.

What the Feature List Says Comes With It

• 'Bolt-on' runway alignment kit
• Full-width rear wheel slip plates
• Two turntable positions with spacer covers
• Self-chocking approach ramps with nylon rollers
• Wheel chocks, one pair
• Single-point pneumatic lock release and fully adjustable lock stops
• Slack cable safety devices
• Powder coat finish

Note what is not claimed here: the feature list describes two turntable positions, which is not the same as saying turntables are supplied. If turntables, an airline kit or rollback spacers are part of what you are buying, ask us to confirm in writing what is in the crate before you order. It is a short question now and an argument later.

Specifications

A note on the shipping weight

The 3,810 lbs above is the published figure for this lift and it is what our own specification sheet carries. We are flagging it anyway, because our internal shipping record for this product does not agree with it, and the weight is what a rigger, a forklift and a freight carrier all plan against. Ask us to confirm the crated weight in writing before you arrange unloading. We would rather answer that question twice than have you meet a four-post lift on a trailer with the wrong equipment booked.

Certification, stated honestly

iDEAL's data for the FP14KAC-X does not claim a third-party North American lift safety listing, and we are not going to put a badge on this page that the data does not support.

This is worth taking seriously on an alignment rack specifically, because alignment work often comes with commercial obligations attached — insurers, fleet contracts and some local jurisdictions require lifting equipment to carry a listing from a recognised independent body, and a manufacturer's own declaration is a different document that does not substitute for it. If any of that applies to you, get the requirement named in writing by whoever imposes it and bring it to us before you order. We will take the question to iDEAL and answer it with paperwork.

Shipping and Delivery

Freight to the lower 48. A four-post alignment rack arrives as long runways plus four columns and a power unit, so it is a forklift or dock delivery and the driver will not unload it. If your site has no equipment, take terminal pickup and collect with your own, or use one of our warehouse pickup locations.

Inspect before signing. Count the columns, runways, ramps and hardware boxes against the packing list, photograph any bent or crushed steel, and note damage on the bill of lading with the driver present. Signing clean is signing that it arrived intact.

Residential delivery carries a residential fee, and freight is quoted live at checkout against your ZIP code.

Warranty

Terms and the claim process are on our warranty claims page, with the warranty document in this page's downloads. We do not publish a coverage term on this listing, so if the length of structural cover matters to your decision, ask us for it in writing before you buy. And do not disassemble a suspect component - a cylinder, a cable or the power unit - before the claim is opened; photograph it in place and call us first.