AMGO SL-7: one column, and nothing at all on the other side of the car

Everything else in this category asks you to give up floor. A two-post puts a column on each side of the vehicle; a four-post puts one at each corner. The SL-7 puts up a single column, and that single decision is the whole reason to buy it. The vehicle is reachable from three sides with nothing to walk around, nothing to open a door into, and one anchor pattern in the slab instead of two or four. Overall width is 84 1/2″ (2146 mm) - roughly the width of the vehicle itself rather than the width of a bay.

Capacity is 7,000 lbs, which covers passenger cars and light-duty trucks, and the whole lift weighs 1,488 lbs. It is not the lift for a busy commercial bay running dually pickups all day. It is the lift for the shop or the garage where floor space, not capacity, is the thing in short supply.

Will It Fit?

Measure your own space against these before ordering. The measuring is the buyer's responsibility, and there is no way for us to check it from here.

• Ceiling. The column stands 108 7/8″, and it is the tallest part of the lift - but leave working room above it and room to service the top of the column.
• Floor width. 84 1/2″ (2146 mm) overall. This is the number that sells the lift: about the footprint of a single vehicle, with the far side of the car simply open floor.
• Arm reach. The arms swing from a minimum reach of 5 ft to a maximum of 6.5 ft, which is what lets one column reach lift points on both sides of the vehicle. Reach, not capacity, decides whether a vehicle suits a single-post lift, so check this first.
• Lifting height. 75 1/4″ to 77 13/16″ at the pads with the extension adapters fitted, and 72 1/4″ to 74 13/16″ without them. The overview describes the maximum as 77 3/4 inches (1976 mm), the same measurement rounded.
• Lowest pad. The product data gives three different figures for this and we would rather flag it than choose one - see below.
• Power. 1.0HP on 110V/60Hz single phase, or 2.0HP on 220V/60Hz single phase. The 110V option means a garage with no dedicated 220V circuit can still run this lift.
• Concrete. A single-post lift puts its entire load into one anchor pattern, which makes the slab specification in the installation manual more critical here than on any other lift in the range, not less. Read it before you order, and if you do not know what your floor is made of, core it.

The one figure that does not agree with itself

Minimum pad height matters on a single-post lift, because it decides whether the arms will slide under a low sill at all. This product's data carries three different answers: the specification sheet says 3 1/2″, the catalogue field says 4.75″, and the product overview says 4 3/8 inches (110 mm). Those are not the same measurement and we are not going to pick the flattering one for you. If your lowest vehicle is near the margin, ask us and we will have the figure confirmed by AMGO before you order.

110V or 220V, and what it costs you in time

The SL-7 is offered with a 1.0HP motor on 110V/60Hz or a 2.0HP motor on 220V/60Hz, both single phase. Lifting time is 84 seconds on 110V. The 220V configuration is faster: the specification sheet gives 38 seconds, the manufacturer's overview says 32, and we print both because we cannot verify which is current. Either way, the 110V option exists so a garage without a heavy circuit is not shut out of owning a proper lift, at the cost of roughly twice as long per cycle.

Sliders and bushings, which is where a lift like this wears

A single-post lift concentrates all of its guiding and all of its load transfer into one carriage running up one column. That carriage rides on self-lubricating UHMW polyethylene sliders and self-lubricating bronze bushings. On a two-post, wear is shared across two carriages and two columns; here it is not, which makes the slider and bushing specification consequential rather than a footnote. Self-lubricating surfaces are the reason a well-built lift is still smooth in year four when nobody has greased anything - and on a single-post design that is not a nicety.

Perfect For

• Tight bays and single-car garages, where a two-post simply will not leave room to walk - the case the SL-7 was designed for.
• Bodywork, detailing and inspection, where unobstructed access down one whole side of the vehicle is worth more than maximum capacity.
• Home garages with no heavy electrical supply, thanks to the 110V motor.
• Passenger cars and light-duty trucks up to the 7,000 lbs rating - check the weight of your heaviest vehicle rather than assuming.

What is in the crate

• One column with the carriage assembly
• Swing arms with self-lubricating UHMW polyethylene sliders and bronze bushings
• Hydraulic cylinder and power unit
• Extension adapters - the published lifting heights are quoted both with and without them

Not supplied: anchors are specified in the manual, the electrical circuit is yours, and any slab work is yours. Ask us to confirm exactly which adapters ship with your unit before you plan work around the taller of the two lifting-height figures.

Specifications

Certification, stated plainly

We would rather be direct than quiet about this. The product data we hold for the SL-7 does not state any third-party safety certification or listing, and we are not going to imply one by decorating the page with badges. That is not a claim that none exists - it means we have not seen it, and we will not tell you something we cannot show you. If your insurer, your fleet policy or your local building code requires a specific listing on lifting equipment, say so before you order and we will put the question to AMGO in writing rather than guess on your behalf. Where it comes up it matters a great deal, and a confident vague answer is worse than an honest gap.

Shipping and delivery

The SL-7 ships as freight within the lower 48, with the cost quoted live against your address at checkout rather than estimated in advance. A single column makes for a shorter, more manageable shipment than a two-post or four-post - it is still 1,488 lbs of steel on a pallet, and unloading is the receiver's responsibility. Either have a forklift with the capacity for it, or book a collection from the carrier's local terminal, which for a shipment this size is often the least troublesome route. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when you choose it.

Check the shipment before you sign. Sight down the column for bends, look at the carriage, the arms and the power unit for impact damage or weeping oil, confirm the adapters are in the box, then write anything you find on the bill of lading with the driver present and photograph it. Signing clean gives the carrier documentary proof that the lift arrived undamaged.

Warranty

The SL-7 carries AMGO's 5-3-2 warranty: five years on steel components, three years on hydraulic parts and two years on electrical components. Our claims process is at mechanicsuperstore.com/pages/warranty-claims, and we will send you the manufacturer's full written terms before purchase if the detail is part of your decision.

One warning applies to every hydraulic lift regardless of who made it: if something fails, do not take apart the power unit, the cylinder or the carriage assembly before a claim has been opened. A component that has been dismantled is normally treated as a modified one, and that is the fastest route to losing cover you were otherwise entitled to. Photograph the fault, note the serial number off the column, and call us before anything comes apart.