Scissor Lifts use pressurized air or hydraulic fluid to expand or contract like scissors, to elevate or lower people and objects on the platform. They have a higher platform capacity as compared to boom lifts and a few other types of aerial lifts, due to their huge platforms and the availability of support immediately underneath. Before renting a scissor lift, you should take height and lift weight into consideration. These extremely mobile aerial work platforms enable operators to move around awkward spaces and across outdoor work sites.
How Can You Choose Scissor Lifts of Proper Height?
It may seem to be quite easy to determine how much height you need in order to get close access to the area that you are working on. If you are looking for a scissor lift, you will probably be working on a project that essentially needs some more levels of height.
You will need to roughly measure the height, and it is crucial to understand that there are two different heights to consider in the market when renting a scissor lift: Platform Height and Working Height. Failure to distinguish between the two could result in issues.
Platform height
It measures the distance vertically between the floor of the platform that the operator would stand on and the surface the scissor lift is standing on. As a result, you have to get data about how high the platform will elevate above the ground.
Working height
Some rental firms use working height rather than platform height, which is typically around six feet higher than the platform height given that a person standing on the platform is roughly six feet tall.
When selecting a scissor lift, it is crucial to understand the difference between working height and platform height because if you choose the incorrect working height, you will be at risk of standing a few feet short of where you need to be. Generally speaking, scissor lifts have a height range of 19 – 50 feet.
It is possible for you to get scissor lifts in different platform heights and with varied sizes:
- 19-Foot Scissor Lift – Ideal for indoor workspaces and tight areas, for maintenance and construction indoors.
- 26-Foot Scissor Lift – Helps with trimming trees or hanging signs, and can be used indoors or even outdoors.
- 32-Foot Scissor Lift – Gives access to high work areas and is used for construction, industrial and maintenance tasks.
- 40-Foot Scissor Lift – Useful for construction, industrial and maintenance tasks, and is available in wide and narrow electric models as well as a four-wheel-drive model.
- 50-Foot Scissor Lift – It is used outdoors for lifting heavy loads and multiple workers to maximum height.
The most obvious factors to take into account are the maximum and minimum work height requirements for your project. You should be able to select a scissor lift that gives you the right vertical reach, thanks to the range of heights that these lifts are available in. If you come across multiple options that satisfy your height criteria, take additional variables into account to narrow down your options further.