AMGO PRO-12ASX: a 12,000 lb alignment rack with a published wheelbase window

Plenty of four-post lifts are sold as "alignment ready". The PRO-12ASX publishes the number that actually decides it: it will take a four-wheel alignment from 81 7/8″ to 151 9/16″ of wheelbase, and a two-wheel alignment out to 157 1/2″. That is a figure you can check against the vehicles in your bay before you spend anything, which is a great deal more useful than the phrase "alignment ready" on its own.

Everything else follows from it. The runways carry integrated slip plates and adjustable turnplate pockets, so the front turnplates sit in the runway rather than on top of it and the rear slip plates are part of the structure rather than an accessory laid on the deck. Rated at 12,000 lbs, it is a working alignment rack that also does everything a service four-post does the rest of the week.

Why the turnplate pockets adjust, and why that decides the wheelbase range

A turnplate has to sit exactly under the front axle centreline. On a rack with fixed pockets, that means the rack fits one wheelbase properly and everything else approximately — and an approximation shows up as a reading you do not trust. Adjustable pockets let the plates be moved to the vehicle, which is what turns a single figure into the 81 7/8″ to 151 9/16″ range above.

The runway width adjusts too, and steplessly rather than in fixed holes: 43 1/4″ between the runways as standard, adjustable from 39 3/8″ to 53 3/4″, with the outside edges moving from 43 3/8″ out to 93 3/4″. A fixed-hole rack forces you to the nearest setting and then to live with the tyre sitting off-centre on the deck, and on a rack you are taking measurements from, centred tyres are not cosmetic.

How the vehicle is held up, and what happens if a cable goes

The PRO-12ASX is cable-driven using aircraft-standard cable, with a mechanical self-locking safety device released by shop air. In normal use the lift rises, and the locks click past their positions as it goes; when it is set down onto them, steel is carrying the vehicle and the hydraulics are only holding position.

Two independent systems cover the failure cases. Primary multiple safety locks mean the carriage is never more than one lock position above a hard stop, so the worst case is a short drop onto steel rather than a descent. A cable-slack protection system watches for a cable that has gone loose — the signature of a cable that has stretched, jumped a sheave or failed — and stops the lift instead of letting the runway continue on three corners. On a lift where a technician is under the vehicle with an alignment head in each hand, that is the system worth understanding.

The hydraulic cylinder uses high-quality oil seals and a compensation valve, and the runways are non-skid diamond plate — the surface matters more on an alignment rack than a service lift, because vehicles are driven on, rolled and pushed on it far more often.

Will it fit?

Measure the bay before you order. This is the buyer's responsibility and it is where freight-shipped equipment goes wrong.

• Floor length: 232 1/16″ including the ramps, 196 3/4″ without them. Leave room to walk past the ramp ends, not just to fit them.
• Floor width: 132 1/8″ overall, 118 1/8″ between the columns.
• Ceiling: the rack's own overall height is 86″, and it lifts to 76″ at the top of the runway with a maximum lock height of 72 7/8″. Your ceiling has to clear the raised runway plus the tallest vehicle you will put on it, plus lights and any door track hanging below the joists.
• Working underneath: 68 1/2″ of maximum height under the runway, 65 3/8″ at the top lock position. That is the number that tells you whether you can stand up under a car, and it is the one people forget to check.
• Drive-through: 104 1/8″ of clearance between the carriages, with a minimum height of 8 5/8″ at the deck.
• Slab and power: the installation manual states the concrete requirement — check it against your actual floor, and have an unknown or cracked slab assessed before the lift ships. The power unit is 2.0 HP; the mechanical lock release needs shop air, so confirm you have a compressor and a drop at the rack. Confirm the electrical supply with us before you order rather than after.

Perfect for

• An independent shop adding alignment in-house instead of subletting it — the rack pays for itself on work you are currently sending down the road.
• Tyre and suspension specialists, where an alignment follows most jobs and the rack is in use all day.
• Dealership service lanes that need a rack that also handles routine service between alignments.
• Fleet and municipal workshops running mixed wheelbases — which is exactly what the adjustable pockets and stepless runway width are for.

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, the primary multiple safety locks and the cable-slack protection system, aircraft-standard cables, the non-skid diamond platforms, stepless width adjustment, and the integrated slip plates with adjustable turnplate pockets. Turnplates, alignment heads and any bridge jack are separate — ask us what you need to run the rack on day one.

Specifications

Certification, stated precisely

The claim AMGO makes on this rack is specific and we will keep it that way: the power unit is ETL certified, as standard. That is a listing on the electrical component. It is not the same thing as an independent third-party safety listing of the complete lift, and we are not going to let the two blur together on our own product page. For most buyers this changes nothing. For a few it is decisive — certain commercial insurance policies, certain fleet and municipal operations and certain local jurisdictions require a full-lift listing by name. If yours does, tell us which listing before you order and we will get the manufacturer's answer in writing.

Shipping and delivery

The PRO-12ASX ships as freight within the lower 48. Your rate is fetched from the carrier for your address at checkout, which is why no shipping figure is printed here — a number in a description goes stale and turns into a dispute later.

At 2,804 lbs this is a forklift-or-terminal-pickup delivery. The truck brings a standard trailer, and moving the crated rack from the deck to your floor is the receiver's responsibility. If you do not have a forklift, choose terminal pickup and let the carrier's equipment do the lifting, or collect from one of the AMGO warehouse locations listed further down the page. A residential delivery address carries a residential fee, which is shown at checkout before you pay.

Inspect while the driver is still there. Torn wrap, crushed corners, broken banding or a load that has visibly shifted goes on the bill of lading before you sign. Photographs at the tailgate win freight claims; a phone call the following week does not.

Warranty

AMGO issues a written warranty covering this equipment, and we will send you the current document before you buy if the detail matters to your decision. Whatever the terms, one rule protects them: do not dismantle a power unit, cylinder, valve, cable assembly or lock mechanism before a claim has been opened. A part that has been taken apart is treated as a modified part, and a straightforward replacement becomes an argument. Photograph the fault, take the serial number off the column, and call us first.

Deciding between an alignment rack and a plain service four-post? Contact us and we will work through your bay length, your ceiling and the wheelbases you actually see before you spend anything.