If necessity is the mother of invention, the human drive to innovate may be its father—or so some might say about the inception of the Scott Level Lift Hoist. In 1978, when the founder of Tafco Equipment Co. / Scott Bodies and Hoists realized that his multiple suppliers simply couldn’t keep up with the volume of hoists he was ordering for his dump body production, he decided to design and manufacture his own.
The then 15-year-old company had a robust business building primarily grain bodies, and for grain bodies to function properly, one needs a reliable hoist as well as a dependable supplier. Those who were there at the time remember the owner’s frustration with his supplier’s delays and him saying something like: “I’m tired of waiting in line for these hoists, and it’s hurting our business. We need a better hoist anyway, and I think we can make a superior one ourselves that is more durable, functional, reliable, stable, and versatile.”
Now in its 60th year of operation, it turns out that the owner’s hunch was literally right on the money. Today, the Scott Level Lift Hoist is considered by many in the industry to be the most robust and reliable hoist around. Tafco / Scott’s extensive product line is now comprised of over 25 truck body models in both steel and aluminum and a broad range of hoists.
HELLOFA HOIST
There is no getting around the structural strength and ruggedness built into Scott Level Lift Hoists. Each of the company’s hoists carries a 10-year limited warranty on all Tafco / Scott manufactured parts, but the company reports few warranty claims have ever been filed. Comments from upfitter customers appear to support the company’s assertion.
“Tafco / Scott’s bodies and hoists are a staple product for us here at our operation,” says Paul Bult Jr, Precision Truck Equipment general operations manager. “We started selling their products in the mid-1990s and have found the Scott Level Lift Hoist to be almost indestructible with zero warranty claims.”
Tafco / Scott offers a full range of hoists for Class B through Class L applications. All models are engineered for lift stability, structural integrity, and safety. The hoists can be mounted in either direction for installation versatility, and the company offers an online hoist capacity calculator to assist customers in estimating and selecting the appropriate hoist for their application.
The Level Lift models LL1000 through LL3000 employ a combination of twin telescopic cylinders mounted within a scissor frame and are built to give maximum torsional strength to handle uneven loads. Tafco / Scott Level Lift Hoists incorporate both telescopic and scissor advantages into one all-purpose hoist. Additional features include operating pressures up to 3,600 psi, improved seals for superior leak prevention, and long-life polished chrome stages with wide internal wear rings.
Bult summed it up flatly: “There is no more reliable hoist on the market, and your Scott Level Lift Hoist is likely to outlast your chassis.”
RELIEVING THE PAIN
In addition to manufacturing, Tafco / Scott also does a lot of looking and listening. Its sales engineers regularly visit upfitter customers. What they saw and heard during their collective time observing the production floors of various operations got the engineers’ creative juices flowing.
In the traditional hoist installation scenario, upfitters need to weld a prop arm to the truck or hoist frame to provide support during installation, operation in the field, and for maintenance procedures. The welding process is time consuming, and in an environment where labor is tight, inexperienced workers are plentiful, and seasoned welders are hard to come by, it’s a task many upfitters find cumbersome. Through their observations, prop arm installation really stood out to the Tafco / Scott sales engineers as a pain point for customers.
“At some point a light bulb just went on for us,” says Lucas Lunz, a sales engineer at Tafco / Scott. “We knew there was a better and more efficient way to address the need to lock a hoist, and a safer one, as well.”
SIMPLICITY & SAFETY
The engineers got to work, and the result was the introduction of Tafco / Scott’s innovative dual-pin interlock system. In their effort to bring a solution to an industry problem and enhance their already robust hoist design, they invented a feature that no other manufacturer could claim. The novel system, patented in 2021, not only simplified the installation procedure, it enhanced safety in the process.
“The new dual-pin interlock system design, although simple, is extremely effective and easy to use,” Bult observes. “The design eliminates some labor cost as it is integrated into the hoist. There is no need to prep and weld an old-style body prop, and it alleviates some liability for us, since a tech is unable to forget to install it.”
Originally introduced at the 2020 NTEA Work Truck Week, the patented dual-pin interlock system is integrated into Level Lift Hoist models LL400 to LL700. The two spring-loaded interlock pins are positioned mid-hoist to engage at approximately 35 degrees of lift. The integral interlock system eliminates the need for installing one or more traditional body props and doubles the benefit as the Level Lift Hoist’s dual-pin design qualifies for municipal specifications, which require dual body props.
“The dual-pin interlock system is intelligently designed to protect the pins from the potential of shearing,” Lunz says. “We’ve engineered the interlock to be as tough and reliable as the hoist itself.”
EASY TO SPOT
The Level Lift Hoist is distinctively yellow—a Tafco / Scott signature product trade dress. “There are no other yellow hoists in the field, and if you see a yellow hoist, it’s ours,” Lunz muses. “And at this point, there are a lot of yellow hoists out there.”
The bright yellow color is designed to get attention. Lunz explained that a hoist is a very powerful piece of equipment and can be dangerous if used improperly. Thus, the yellow hoists are meant to get a user’s attention, remind them to remain alert, and urge them to always employ caution when operating them.
ALIGN WITH THE MISSION
Tafco / Scott’s commitment to durability and customer-centric design sets its hoist products apart from competitors. Despite its hoists being somewhat heavier due to their solid construction, it appears to be one of the things upfitters and end users like about them.
The company now has a designated manufacturing plant just for making hoists. What began as a solution to a supply chain pain point has now become an integral part of Tafco / Scott’s total offering. Since the company is continually looking for ways to innovate, it now has plans to make its hoists lighter without compromising structural integrity.
“The hoists unify the bodies we build with the chassis,” Lunz says. “So, instead of purchasing somebody else’s hoist, we’re manufacturing our own. We’ve really got an integral system of both bodies and hoists when it comes to any of the dump functions for the bodies we build.”
“This product with the dual-pin interlock system enhancement has significantly benefited everyone involved in the process of utilizing dump body vehicles, from platform bodies to stake bodies and more,” Lunz notes. “Combined with its new interlock feature, the Level Lift Hoist is the physical embodiment of the company’s five core values: durability, functionality, reliability, stability, and versatility.”
Precision’s Bult agrees, “It’s a premium product and really, honestly, there is nothing out there as tough as or quite like the Level Lift Hoist.”
For More Information
Find out more about the Level Lift Hoist, visit www.tafcoequip.com.
