Can someone explain the physics of how this car lift does not slide when tilted?
Posted Jun 13, 2023, 6:54 PM UTC
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Is it not because the force of friction against the slide is greater than the force of the slide produced by the angle of tilt? Or maybe I’m understanding the question wrong. But this will slide if you tilt it to much. It will start to slide down once the tilt reaches a point where the force of sliding over comes the force of friction between the surface you are tilting and the lift itself. Which they have charts pre-made to represent that friction force in a numerical value. And also I would bolt the lift down before lifting anything but that’s just me.
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As long as there’s no slip, and the center of gravity of the vehicle is close to the pivot, the load force is still straight down from the pivot points to the center of the base, perpendicular to the ground. If the center of gravity is too far to one side, the tires on that side will become a contact/support point as well.
Thank you, brbenson999! I feel better about using this lift now that I understand how it works.