Can You Add Alignments to a Lift You Already Own?

For years, getting into alignments meant giving up a bay, buying an alignment lift, and installing a big console aligner. That's a $100,000 decision for a lot of shops, so many of them keep sending alignments down the street. There's now a simpler option: bring the aligner to the lift you already have.

The old way: a dedicated alignment bay

A traditional setup needs three things: an alignment lift with turnplates and slip plates, a console or tower aligner, and a bay you're willing to dedicate to alignments full time. Add installation and site work, and it's a big investment that ties up floor space even on days you don't do many alignments.

The new way: a portable aligner

The Ravaglioli TruBay is a complete aligner package that goes to the vehicle instead of the other way around. Wireless measuring heads clamp to the wheels, and a 10" color tablet walks your tech through the job. When you're done, everything goes back on wall-mounted storage boards, or on a rolling trolley if you choose that package.

It works on the lifts most shops already own:

• Two-post lifts, the most common lift in an independent shop
• Four-post lifts
• Scissor lifts
• Frame racks in collision shops

It handles passenger cars up to larger trucks, with a wheelbase range up to 300 inches.

What setup actually looks like

• Day one: hang the storage boards on a wall near a 115V outlet and assemble the wheel clamps, about 30 minutes
• Each alignment: clamp the four 3-point self-centering clamps, and setup and measuring take about 3 to 4 minutes once the vehicle is on the lift
• No site work: no pits, no concrete work, and no new lift required

Live remote training is included, so your techs aren't figuring it out alone.

What it costs compared to a full bay

The complete TruBay package is $19,995, or $22,995 with the rolling trolley. A traditional alignment bay with a dedicated lift and console aligner can easily run five times that. For a closer look at how fast either option pays for itself, see Is an Alignment Machine Worth It? The Payback Math.

When a dedicated alignment lift still makes sense

If alignments are a core part of your business and you're doing them all day, a dedicated alignment lift is still a great setup. It keeps the job in one bay and gives you built-in turnplates and slip plates. Many busy shops do both: a dedicated alignment bay for the steady work, and a portable aligner to handle the overflow on any open lift.

Our take

If you're sending alignments out today, you're handing revenue and customers to another shop. For most independent repair shops, tire shops and collision shops, a portable aligner on the lifts you already own is the fastest, least expensive way to bring that work in house. If you're adding a bay anyway, ask us about package pricing on a lift and TruBay together.

See it run in person

Want to talk through your shop's setup? Call us at 765-544-3838, or see financing options for adding alignments.