While Black Friday is traditionally the biggest volume day when it comes to retail sales in traditional brick and mortar store outlets each year, traditionally, the Monday after Thanksgiving day tends to be the busiest day for on-line shoppers. It’s called Cyber Monday. The term describes the busiest day for internet sales for the year. Who knows, maybe Webster’s Dictionary will soon list it as an official new word. The computer and everything related has added many new words to the English language over the past decade.

Like most retailers, Amazon.com claims that the 4th quarter is the most busy quarter every year. According to the National Retail Federation 44 percent of shoppers made an online purchase last year. Some incentives that on-line stores offer are free shipping and large discounts for Cyber Monday purchases.

The automotive equipment industry is no different. While we do offer traditional outlets for purchases, including catalog and phone based sales, internet sales account for a large portion of our sales, and the percentage has grown every year.

The reasons cited are easy to understand. Making life easier is the main reason given time and time again when internet shoppers are asked why they purchase online instead of heading out to their local malls. You don’t have to deal with the traffic and the crowds. Time is money. Many consumers just don’t have the necessary time to fight the traffic.

And with modern websites offering close up images, as well as 3D images along with videos and owner’s manuals as well as dimensional drawings for many of their products, you can get a pretty clear idea on what the product is all about. We try to top all of those handy shopping aids with one more thing that we feel helps immensely – customer pictures and testimonials. Nothing helps our customers understand the product better than a customer testimonial topped off with a picture or two submitted by the customer. This also aids us in gaining the trust of new customers. If they can see how other customers experiences were, they can establish a pattern. We recommend asking any retailer you’re not familiar with for references. Especially with such large ticket items like auto lifts.

With business taking off already from  Cyber Monday, the 4th quarter of 2011 is sure to be the biggest ever for internet sales.

At first, choosing an engine hoist may seem like a simple task. Most people think they’re all pretty much the same. But as you’ll soon see, there are many more facts to consider than you might realize.

The first and most important factor to consider is what capacity you need. Most engine cranes run from 1 ton up to 2 ton capacity. But there are shop cranes that rate at even higher capacities, some above 5 tons for heavy equipment engine lifting. Assuming to are the typical auto shop, you would be most likely to acquire a 2 ton model.

The next most important consideration is wether you should get a folding engine hoist or a nonfolding one. Many users prefer a folding crane because it allows you to utilize your floor space better. When it’s not in use, you can free up vital floor space that many smaller shops don’t have to spare.

You do sacrifice some key features when you get a folding engine lift. Cranes that fold usually don’t have the reach that a non-folding one has. That is because the non folding design allows for more boom to extend out as well as the legs. They can typically telescope out a foot longer than a folding hoist can. This could mean the difference when it comes to reaching into a larger truck’s engine compartment.

Safety considerations also apply. Users need to take care not to extend the boom out farther than the legs. This can lead to potential imbalance causing the hoist to flip. Always make sure the boom does not extend out past the legs.

You may want to get an engine tilter as well. This allows you to make fine adjustments when re-mounting the engine.

Don’t skimp when it comes to quality either. Get a solid, commercial quality engine hoist. Even if that cheap engine hoist doesn’t fail to a catastrophic ending, you face years of leaking cylinders and other potential issues with an inferior, bargain cherry picker.

AAPEX and SEMA are the two largest automotive industry events each year. They were held this year in Las Vegas from October 1st through November 3rd. We attended this year and can verify first hand that there were plenty of participants / exhibitors as well as attendees. The figures aren’t in just yet, but last year, over 51,000 people attended the AAPEX show. The AAPEX trade show was held at the Sands EXPO Center, while SEMA was held at the Convention Center. There were many cool cars with plenty of beautiful models to attract attention. Word is that someone managed to make off with one of the exhibit cars on display. We can’t imagine how that was possible. Exhibitors at both shows represented a wide variety of automotive industry heavy weights, in many different areas, such as; automotive lighting, wheels and tires, brakes, chemicals and waxes, suspension, engine components, exhaust, and of course, our particular area of expertise, automotive shop equipment. Most of our suppliers were there – BendPak / Ranger, BelAire, Waterloo, American Forge & Foundry, John Dow, RTI, Dannmar, Clore Automotive, and many others. These manufacturers represent products such as Car Lifts, floor jacks, air compressors, tool boxes and many other categories. If you weren’t able to make it this year, perhaps we’ll see you there next year.

It’s here! The new 64 page full color catalog from ASEDeals. People have been clamoring for our latest, most up to date catalog. We publish a new one every year. We distribute 10,000 each year. This one has more products than any previous catalog. It’s chock full of the latest car lifts, tire changers battery chargers, tool boxes and so many other products from many of the leading manufacturers. It contains auto lifts by BendPak, Dannmar and Workhorse. It contains tire changers from Corghi, Ranger and Workhorse. Tool boxes from Waterloo and Ranger. Floor jacks from Hein Werner, AFF, Omega, and Zinko. Air compressors from BelAire, BendPak and CAS. If you can think of a type of automotive shop equipment, odds are, it’s in there. So just give us a call, or email us to request a copy, or you can view a copy of it here. Then, just let us know if you have any questions on any of the products, and we will get you the information you need to make an informed decision on your purchase.

We told you in a previous post about am on-going contest we are having each month. Basically, we will give away a free prize to customers who have purchased a lift and submitted a picture or two of that lift. This month, the prize is a BoosterPac ES5000  jump starter. This is one of our most popular products, valued at $159. This unit offers a powerful 1700 peak amps and is a handy, durable and reliable unit that has been getting the job done for our loyal customers for over 15 years.
The winner is Scott Gouza out of Fredonia, WI, who submitted some really cool pics of his BendPak Four Post Lift. He purchased the HD9XW lift to store his vehicles in his garage.

“Thanks for the great service. I have been planning on building a new garage/shop for the past 10+ years. This past spring it became reality. Needing a lift because of having 1967 Chevelle and 1996 Fatboy myself, didn’t justify it. But with my girlfriend owning the 1967 Cougar, 1991 Firebird convertible and 2005 Sportster it made it an easy decision. When I drew up the plans for the garage, it was based on fitting the HD9XW. The lift for us, will provide extra room for storage and the ease of working on our classics”.
                                Scott Gouza
                                Custom Tool & Engineering
                                Fredonia, WI

Congress recently passed three trade agreements that were sitting on a shelf because the Obama administration had previously indicated they would not sign them. The deals were approved with Columbia, Panama and South Korea. The president’s change of heart can most likely be attributed to the ongoing general malaise in the economy and the continued disappointing jobs figures.
These trade deals are estimated to add over 100,000 jobs to the US workforce. The largest deal is with South Korea, which accounts for 70,000 of the new jobs. This South Korea deal is the largest trade deal since the NAFTA deal.
These agreements would lower or eliminate tariffs that US exporters face when exporting to these countries. Many of the hurdles that these trade agreements faced related to big labor. Labor unions tend to be against most trade agreements because they complain that it sends high paying jobs overseas. In particular, the US auto industry was concerned about barriers to entry for US auto sales in Korea. Some concessions were made to help stifle those complaints.
Some GM parts are built in South Korea. Labor unions still assert that this deal will cost US jobs, but overall, industry experts believe it to be a net plus for the US job market. They contend that under the current system, for every 52 South Korean automobiles sold in the US, there is only one US manufactured car sold in Korea. This deal should lift trade barriers enough to change that.
What do you think? Are trade deals like these good for the US labor market?

Our Workhorse FP8K-DS four post lift is an terrific value for the home / hobbyist customer looking for a car lift for storing one vehicle over another or for servicing your cars. It has many features that are usually found on more expensive lifts like dual safeties. Not only do you get a mechanical safety that is common on most four post lifts, but you will also get a slack cable safety as well. Add to that the better laddered safety system, which allows you to adjust the locking height positions to allow you to level out the runways so that all four safety locks are even, and you’ll soon see that this lift is superior to the common four post lift. Take a look at what Ron Kelly from Browns Valley, California had to say about his recent purchase. -

“Here are some pictures of the lift installed and in use, constructed, moved and I’ve placed the lift in use.  
It took me and my sons about 5 hours to construct.
I have wanted to have something that I can work on vehicles in a raised  position and store a project vehicle for years and this lift is great for  those uses. Thanks Again for all your help.”

Contact us today and we’ll fit you into a lift that’s right for you.

Check out the new R30XLT tire changer by Ranger folks! It’s here and it’s now in stock and ready for shipping. This new tire machine has all kinds of cool features, but the thing we like best is it’s range. This machine can handle all the way from 10 inch rims all the way up to 33 inch rim diameter. That’s a pretty wide range. It has a power assist arm to help you change those fancy and expensive low profile wheels. It has a powerful 2 horse power motor. It has the new Ranger “NextGen” jet blast bead seating system with the large air storage tank so you’ll be able to seat the beads of pretty much any tire that can fit on this machine. And there’s so much more, such as the rugged forged steel foot pedals instead of those cheesy cast steel pedals you typically find on most machines out there. It has all of the quality you’ve come to expect from the Ranger name, along with the reasonable price you’ve come to expect. Now just what do you think you would have to pay for a tire changer packed with all these features? $5000? Maybe $4000? Forget about it. How ’bout only $2985 with free shipping? That’s right. Nowhere will you find such a great bargain as this. We cannot guarantee this price for long. Just give us a call for more details or visit our web site. You’ll be glad you did.

BendPak / Ranger, one of our largest manufacturers, announced on Monday that they plan on holding their prices at their current levels for the next two quarters. BendPak / Ranger is a manufacturer of such essential auto shop products as auto lifts, tire changers, exhaust tube benders, floor jacks, air compressors and much more. They have been manufacturing these types of products for over 40 years and are known throughout the industry as a leader in their field.
This announcement is significant as many of our manufacturers of automotive service equipment have recently increased their prices or have indicated they will be increasing prices in the near future. It’s no secret that commodity costs have increased dramatically over the past year which has had a noticeable impact on products that require steel, rubber, plastic and other raw materials. On top of that, labor costs have also risen in China and other countries. This has raised costs for many manufacturers who moved much of their production over to Asia in an effort to reduce costs and remain competitive.
BendPak’s decision shows that it is possible to hold the line on costs and remain competitive. They have shown true leadership on this and many other issues over the past 15 years that we have been carrying their products. That is one of the many reasons we are proud to carry their product line.

The events of 9/11/01  still are prominent in the memories of all Americans who witnessed what transpired that horrific day.  Those events led to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those wars led to many veterans obtaining debilitating injuries that required much rehab along with a permanent change in their way of life.  
That inspired founder John Gonsalves to create a fantastic charity that still thrives today – Homes For Our Troops. This top notch charity helps create specially adapted homes made specifically to meet the needs of individual veterans who need these modifications to allow them to be self sufficient.
We quickly jumped on board early in supporting them. We felt it was about as worthy a cause that there could be.
At this historic anniversary, what better time could there be to make a pledge to help support these wounded veterans and say thank you in the best way possible. We hope you’ll give generously.

Please Give Generously