Katool KT-M120: 12,000 lbs, and a completely clear bay floor

The defining feature of the KT-M120 is what is not there. This is a clear-floor two-post lift, which means the hydraulic line and the equalisation cables that tie the two columns together are routed above the vehicle rather than through a plate laid across the entrance to the bay. The floor between the columns is bare concrete: nothing to roll a transmission jack over, nothing to catch a creeper wheel, nothing to sweep around, nothing under the exhaust you are dropping.

The structure tells the same story in numbers. Overall height is 166.75 in (4,235 mm) against a maximum lifting height of 70.75 in (1,800 mm) — the difference is the overhead assembly doing the work a floor plate does on other designs. Rated at 12,000 lbs (5,500 kg), with symmetric arms, dual hydraulic chain-drive cylinders and a 220V/60 Hz single-phase power unit, it is aimed squarely at a professional bay: shops doing exhaust, transmission, driveline and underbody work where a clear floor is worth real money in time.

Will It Fit?

A clear-floor lift buys you the floor and spends the ceiling. That trade is the whole fitment question, so work through it honestly before you order.

• Ceiling — the deciding number. The lift stands 166.75 in (4,235 mm) overall. That is the height of the structure itself, and it must clear whatever is above your bay: joists, door tracks, lighting, sprinkler runs and any ducting. If your ceiling cannot take it, a base-plate lift is the design you want and no amount of measuring will change that.
• Working height. Maximum lifting height is 70.75 in (1,800 mm) at the top of the pad, or 67 in of rise measured under the arms.
• Lowest position. Katool publishes two figures here and they disagree: the description says the lift comes down to 4.25 in (110 mm), the minimum-pad-height field says 4 in. Both are printed here rather than one being chosen on your behalf — check the manual if driving a low car onto the arms is part of the plan.
• Floor width. Overall width is 165.5 in (4,204 mm), with 151.25 in (3,840 mm) across the outside of the columns and 130 in between them.
• Drive-through. 117.75 in (2,990 mm) between the carriages. That is generous, and it is what lets a wide-bodied truck go straight in without a shuffle.
• Concrete. Minimum thickness 5.9 in (150 mm) at a 3,000 PSI rating, level and sound across the anchor pattern. Katool's own installation note is blunt about it: failing to install this lift on proper concrete could result in serious injury or death, and it is the customer's responsibility to verify thickness and strength before purchase and installation. Take that literally — core the slab or get it confirmed by whoever poured it.
• Power. 220V, 60 Hz, single phase, on a dedicated circuit.

What a clear floor is actually worth

On a base-plate lift the crossover sits in a low steel plate spanning the bay entrance. It works, it is cheap to install, and every day you drive over it, roll tools over it and sweep around it. On a clear-floor lift that hardware goes overhead, and the concrete stays flat from one column to the other.

The jobs where that pays are the ones that put equipment on the floor under the vehicle: a transmission jack that has to roll into position and back out under load, a gearbox or diff on a dolly, an exhaust system coming down in one piece, a floor jack repositioning a suspension member. It also pays in the mundane way — a flat bay is easier to keep clean, and a clean bay is a safer one. Against that, you are giving up ceiling height and accepting a taller structure to anchor. Both facts are on this page because both are true.

Symmetric arms and dual chain-drive cylinders

Symmetric arms place the vehicle centred between the columns with equal reach front and rear, which puts the load where the structure expects it and keeps door clearance predictable. Each column has its own hydraulic chain-drive cylinder driven from the single power unit, so both carriages track together instead of one leading and the arms taking up the difference. On a loaded van or a truck with the weight biased forward, that even rise is the difference between the structure carrying the imbalance and the pads carrying it.

Safety release and daily operation

Mechanical locks engage on the way up and are what hold the vehicle while you work; the hydraulics only raise it. The KT-M120 has a manual safety release, which also means a vehicle can be brought down deliberately and under control if power is interrupted mid-job — worth knowing about before it happens rather than during. The steel is powder-coated against the salt, brake dust and solvent that live on a shop floor, and the parts that need eyes on them — hoses, the power unit, the lock mechanisms — are reachable for inspection and lubrication without dismantling anything.

Perfect For

• Professional service bays doing transmission, clutch, driveline and exhaust work, where floor-standing equipment moves under the vehicle every day.
• High-turnover general repair shops that want a wide drive-through and no plate to negotiate on every drive-in.
• Fleet and light-truck operations at the upper end of a 12,000 lbs rating.
• New builds and high-ceiling buildings, where the height needed for a clear-floor lift is available and the floor is the constraint worth removing.

What's in the Box

• Two columns with the overhead clear-floor assembly
• Dual hydraulic chain-drive cylinders
• Symmetric lift arms
• Hydraulic power unit, 220V/60 Hz, single phase
• Manual safety release, installation hardware and the user manual

Anchors suited to your slab, the electrical supply and any concrete work are not included, and should be arranged before delivery.

Specifications

Certification, stated plainly

Katool states that this lift is CE certified. That is a European conformity marking: the manufacturer declares the product meets the applicable European directives, and the marking follows from that declaration. It is a real quality signal and it is not the same instrument as a North American third-party lift safety listing, which is issued by an independent body rather than by the maker. Most private buyers and many independent shops will never be asked for the latter. Some commercial insurers, some fleet and municipal operations and some local authorities require it by name, and in those cases nothing else will do. Establish which world you are in before you place the order — it takes one phone call and it cannot be fixed retrospectively.

Shipping and delivery

The KT-M120 goes out as freight to the lower 48 states, and the shipping figure at checkout is pulled live from the carrier for the address you type in, so it reflects today's rate rather than an estimate. Freight is not a parcel service: the truck arrives, the crate is on the deck, and unloading it is the receiver's problem. Have a forklift or comparable machine lined up, or select terminal pickup and collect it from the carrier's depot, where they will load it for you. Residential addresses carry a residential fee, shown at checkout when that option is chosen.

Check the crate over with the driver still there. Torn wrapping, a dented corner, a snapped strap or scoring on the timber all mean something happened in transit, and the moment to record it is on the bill of lading before you sign, with photographs to match. Once a clean receipt is signed, the carrier's position is that the shipment arrived intact.

Warranty

A written Katool warranty document covers this lift, and we will forward the current copy on request before you commit if the terms are part of your decision. Independent of what it says, one habit preserves it: leave a failed component intact until a claim is open. Opening a power unit, splitting a cylinder or stripping a lock assembly turns a warranty replacement into a dispute about whether the part was modified. Photograph the fault, record the serial number from the column and speak to us before any tools come out.