If you’re stocking forward auto lift parts for a tire and wheel bay, the layout of that bay matters just as much as the lift itself. We get calls from independent shops around the Iowa Great Lakes region every season asking the same question a different way: should we run our Forward two-post drive-on setup nose-in toward the wall, or turn it sideways so a tech can walk a full circle around the vehicle with an impact gun? It sounds like a small decision, but it changes which forward auto lift parts wear out first, how fast your techs move through a rotation, and whether your cables and pulleys hold up under daily use.
Have a part number stamped on a cable end or pulley? Send us a photo and we’ll match it fast so your bay stays running.
Layout One: Nose-In Against the Back Wall
A lot of older Iowa Great Lakes shops set their Forward lifts up nose-in, tucked against the back wall of the building. It’s a space-saver, and if your building was built around one bay of work at a time, it makes sense on paper. The problem shows up during tire rotations, when a tech needs to walk the impact gun and torque stick around all four corners without doubling back through a narrow gap between the lift arm and the wall.
We’ve inspected more than a few of these setups where the equalizer cable on the side closest to the wall shows uneven wear compared to the open side, simply because techs favor one arm swing pattern to avoid squeezing past the wall. Over time that uneven load shows up as fraying or stretch on one cable well before the other, and shops end up calling us for a single replacement cable instead of servicing the set together, which isn’t ideal for balance. If you’re running this layout, we’d rather you order forward auto lift parts as full equalizer sets and swap in pairs, even if only one side looks rough, so the load stays balanced across the platform.
Layout Two: Sideways With a Walk-Around Path
The second configuration we see more often in newer builds or shops that expanded their bay is the lift turned sideways with at least three feet of clear walking space on all sides. This is the layout we generally recommend for any shop doing high volume tire and wheel work, because it lets a single tech complete a rotation without ever stepping over a cable or squeezing past an arm restraint.
The tradeoff is that a sideways layout usually needs a longer hydraulic hose run and sometimes a different pulley bracket position depending on your specific Forward model, so if you’re retrofitting an existing bay, don’t assume the stock forward auto lift parts kit for a nose-in setup will bolt straight into a sideways footprint. We’ve had shops call after buying a generic hose kit online that came up six inches short once routed around a repositioned power unit. Measure the actual run in your bay, arm to power unit, before ordering, and if you’re not sure, send us the make and model and we’ll confirm fitment before you spend money twice.
Cables, Pulleys, and Why the Part Number Matters
Cables, Pulleys, and Why the Part Number Matters
Whichever layout you run, the equalizer cable and pulley system is where forward auto lift parts orders come from most. The cable end has a part number stamped right into the metal, and it should start with a specific prefix depending on the model and cable length. We ask every caller for a clear photo of that stamp before quoting anything, because two cables that look identical in a photo can be different lengths once you account for a nose-in versus sideways routing path.
We’ve also handled repair calls where a shop assumed a lock release cable and a load-bearing equalizer cable were interchangeable because they’re both called cables in casual shop talk. They’re not, and mixing them up either fails an install or creates a safety issue down the road. If your bay layout has you running longer cable paths because of a sideways turn, tell us that up front. It changes which forward auto lift parts we recommend versus a straightforward nose-in replacement.
Pulley Wear Patterns Differ by Layout
Pulleys take abuse differently depending on how the cable approaches them. In a nose-in bay, the cable angle into the pulley is usually straighter, which actually extends pulley life in our experience. In a sideways layout with a longer run, we see more side-loading on the pulley bracket, which wears the pulley groove unevenly over a few years of daily rotations.
This doesn’t mean sideways is the wrong choice, it just means you should plan on inspecting pulleys on that configuration a bit more often, especially in a shop doing volume tire work where the lift cycles dozens of times a day. We recommend a visual check during routine maintenance visits rather than waiting for a squeal or a jerky cycle to tell you something’s worn. Catching a worn pulley early means a quick swap instead of a cable getting damaged from riding in a groove that’s no longer smooth.
Freight, Lead Time, and Planning Around a Repair
One thing that trips up shops around the Iowa Great Lakes area is assuming forward auto lift parts ship same day. Some do, but cables, arms, and certain pump assemblies can be on backorder depending on the manufacturer’s production schedule at any given time. We always tell shops to order the moment they notice wear starting, not after a cable snaps and the bay goes down completely.
If you’re mid-repair and a part is delayed, we’ll give you a straight answer on timing rather than a vague estimate, and if there’s a way to get you running sooner with a temporary fix while the correct part is in transit, we’ll say so. A dead bay during tire season costs an independent shop real money, and we’d rather help you plan around a two-week lead time than have you find out about it after the bay’s already down.
Matching Parts to the Model You Actually Own
We can’t stress this enough: forward auto lift parts aren’t universal across every model Forward has produced, even models that look nearly identical side by side. Arm length, cable diameter, and pulley bracket spacing all shift between generations of the same lift line. If you bought your lift used or inherited it when you took over a shop, there’s a real chance nobody has the original documentation on hand.
In that case, the serial tag on the lift and a couple of clear photos of the components in question let us cross-reference and confirm exactly what you need instead of guessing from a catalog picture. We’d rather spend five extra minutes on the phone getting this right than ship a part that’s close but not correct, because a part that’s close but not correct on a lift holding a customer’s vehicle isn’t good enough.
What We’d Tell a Shop Choosing a Layout Today
If you’re building a new bay from scratch and tire and wheel work is your bread and butter, we lean toward the sideways walk-around layout every time, even though it can mean a slightly longer hose and cable run. The efficiency gain for a tech doing four-corner rotations all day adds up fast, and the pulley wear tradeoff is manageable with regular inspection. If your building genuinely doesn’t have the footprint for it, a nose-in setup still works fine, you’ll just want to pay closer attention to balanced cable wear over time.
Either way, the forward auto lift parts you need depend on how your specific bay is built, not just which lift model is bolted to the floor. We’d rather walk through your layout with you before you order than have you guess and re-order twice.
Our Clients Include: