An in ground vehicle lift is a serious investment for an RV and trailer service shop, and the first year of ownership is where most owners find out whether they bought from the right people. We installed a pit lift for a Davenport-area RV and trailer shop specifically for wheel bearing service, and we’ve stayed involved through their first warranty question. This article walks through that timeline — install day, the early weeks of wheel bearing work, and what actually happens when you call in a warranty claim — so you know what to expect before you sign a purchase order of your own.
We install, warranty, and service inground lift systems across the Quad Cities and eastern Iowa — talk to us before you sign with anyone else.
Why This Davenport Shop Chose an In Ground Vehicle Lift
RVs and trailers have axle configurations and frame heights that don’t play nicely with a standard two-post or four-post lift. Wheel bearing service in particular means you need clean access to the hub and axle without a lift arm or post blocking your swing space, and you often need the vehicle to roll straight onto the equipment rather than getting positioned between posts. That’s exactly why this shop went with an in ground vehicle lift instead of a surface-mounted alternative.
The drive-on, flush-to-the-floor design meant their techs could roll a travel trailer or a Class A motorhome straight onto the platform without maneuvering around uprights, then work the wheel bearings from any angle with the vehicle at a comfortable height. For a shop specializing in RV and trailer work, that flexibility isn’t a luxury — it’s the difference between a wheel bearing job taking forty-five minutes or an hour and a half of repositioning and fighting for access. The inground lift also kept their floor completely open for towing equipment and staging between service bays, which matters in a shop juggling multiple large units at once.
Install Day: What Actually Happened
The installation itself took longer than a surface lift would have, which we tell every customer up front. Excavation, forming the pit, setting the cylinder housing, and curing concrete before the platform goes in is a multi-day process, not an afternoon. For this shop, we coordinated the install around a slower stretch in their schedule so the bay being out of service didn’t cost them real revenue.
We ran a full inspection and cycle test before we ever handed off the keys — checking hydraulic lines, verifying the platform returned to full travel at the bottom without hesitation, and confirming the safety systems engaged correctly under load. That inspection matters more with an inground unit than a surface lift because so much of the equipment is literally buried and hard to access again without real work. Catching a problem before it’s backfilled and covered saves everyone a massive headache later, and it’s a step some installers skip to save a day on the schedule.
The First Few Months of Wheel Bearing Work
Once the lift was live, the shop put it into daily use fast. Wheel bearing service on RVs and trailers happens often enough — especially with older units coming in for pre-trip inspections — that the lift saw regular cycling almost immediately. That’s actually a good stress test for any new inground installation, because problems in cylinder seals or hydraulic lines tend to show up in the first weeks of real use, not sitting idle.
We stayed in touch with the shop through that early period, checking in on ease of operation and asking them to flag anything that felt off — slower descent, uneven platform movement, unusual noise. This is standard practice for us on any new inground lift install, but it’s especially important for a shop running the equipment daily right out of the gate. Nothing came up in those first months beyond normal break-in, which is what you want to hear, but it’s also exactly the period where a warranty conversation is most likely if something does go wrong.
What the Warranty Actually Covers
Warranty coverage on an in ground vehicle lift typically breaks into a few buckets: the cylinder and hydraulic components, the structural platform, and the control and safety electronics. Terms vary by manufacturer, but most cover parts for a defined period and often include labor for a shorter window within that. Before this shop’s install, we walked through exactly what was and wasn’t covered, because too many shop owners find out the hard way — mid-repair — that they assumed broader coverage than they actually had.
We also register every inground lift we install with the manufacturer at the time of installation, not months later. That single step avoids the single most common reason warranty claims get denied or delayed: no proof the equipment was registered and installed within the required window. If you’re buying an in ground vehicle lift from any installer, ask directly whether they register your equipment as part of the install, and get it in writing.
How a Real Warranty Claim Workflow Plays Out
When this shop noticed a minor hydraulic seep near a fitting a few months in — not a failure, just something worth flagging — the process was straightforward because everything had been documented from day one. They called us, we asked for photos and a description of when it started, and we cross-referenced against the install date and registration.
From there we contacted the manufacturer, submitted the claim with our install documentation attached, and scheduled a service visit once the part was authorized. The whole thing took about the time you’d expect for a part to ship, not months of back-and-forth. The lesson for any shop considering an inground lift: the warranty is only as good as the paperwork behind it. Keep your install records, keep your registration confirmation, and use an installer who handles that legwork for you instead of leaving it on your desk.
What We’d Tell Any Shop Buying Their First In Ground Vehicle Lift
A year in, this Davenport shop’s biggest takeaway wasn’t about the equipment itself — it was about the install and warranty process being handled right from day one. The lift performs exactly as expected for wheel bearing service, but the peace of mind came from knowing the pit was inspected before backfill, the equipment was registered on time, and a minor issue got resolved without a fight.
If you’re weighing an in ground vehicle lift for your own shop, ask any installer you’re considering the same questions we walked through here: how do they handle site inspection before backfill, do they register your equipment immediately, and what does their warranty claim process actually look like in practice. For more on choosing the right lift for heavy-duty work, see our guide on sizing lifts for trucks and trailers and our comparison of mobile column lifts versus inground systems if you’re still deciding on equipment type.
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