I wrote a previous blog about the weight capacity of your dispatch consoles where I discussed that you don't need to be able to lift the weight of a car for your console to work. 

This blog will review what lift columns don't like and how with a little care you can keep them running longer and have less problems.

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.  -Archimedes

We have talked to several lift column manufacturers that sell into the U.S.. In the past year we tested six brands for 24/7 durability. Only a few passed and we found that rather surprising! Each failed test required us to talk to the engineers of the lift columns to see what went wrong.  

The one thing the lift column manufacturers stressed was that we cannot cantilever the surface too much. It is preferred to have the weight driving straight down through the column.  If the surface has about six inches of hang over the cantilever effect takes place. This puts a strain on the lifting column as most of the weight is on one side of the square lifting column.  

Remember Archimedes? It does not take much leverage to move something heavy. It also does not take much weight on the edge of a cantilever to create real problems for your console. So if I sit on the edge of the console, that weight is pulling the lift column in directions it was not designed to move. 

Over time, this will cause issues of un-even wear and tear on the console.

How can you maintain the lift columns on your console? Don't ride up and down on them. This falls into the leverage principle. Keep them clear of obstructions, trash cans, chairs, radios and junk. These items will get in the way of the station lowering all the way down. Just give it a quick look to see if anything might get squished.