Types of Scissor Lifts

How Many Types of Scissor Lifts are There?

Just like there's different types of MEWPs, there's different types of scissor lifts. Most scissor lifts fall into two usage categories, rough terrain or slab. If the ground the scissor lift will be operating on is uneven and/or soft, then a rough terrain scissor would be required. Some rough terrain scissors are equipped with leveling outriggers to compensate for uneven terrain, stabilizing the lift to reach necessary working heights. Rough terrain scissors feature either rough terrain treaded tires to improve traction on a range of soft materials or flotation tires for jobs on sand or grass. Slab scissors, on the other hand, usually feature solid tires and are ideal for level and/or solid work surfaces. Some lift tires can leave marks on finished floors and some will not. If there is a non-marking requirement, only scissors with non-marking tires or those equipped with tire socks would be recommended to minimize or eliminate potential floor damage and rework costs.

Most slab scissor lifts have solid, nonmarking tires to protect indoor flooring.

Power Source

Once you know the surface conditions the lift needs to operate on, the next series of questions will help determine the best mode of power for your scissor lift. Each type of scissor lift category can have various forms of power sources. Some models are driven by internal combustion engines – diesel or dual fuel (interchangeable between gasoline and propane) – that can impact air quality in closed, indoor, or limited airflow spaces. Some lifts are powered by DC or Li-ion batteries and still others can simply be physically maneuvered into place. You’ll want to know the answers to these questions to better target your solution:

• Will the lift be operated inside or outside?
• Are there any air quality considerations?
• Will there be access to diesel, gasoline, or propane for refueling or electrical power for recharging?

All Hy-Brid Lifts feature electric drive and steer, meaning zero jobsite emissions.

Working Height

With the answers to those questions, you’ll want to continue narrowing your focus. All scissor lifts have a platform that workers stand on to reach overhead jobs. Most scissor lifts feature a nomenclature that includes the platform height as part of the model number. For example, the Hy-Brid Lifts PS-1030 is a 10 ft scissor lift and the Hy-Brid Lifts PS-1930 is a 19 ft slab scissor. ANSI standards say that a scissor lift’s working height is 6 ft above the platform height—CE standards say 2 m—to account for the average operator being 6 ft tall. To understand what size scissor lift to get, you’ll need to ask:

• What height will you be working at?

Working height extends 6 ft, or 2 m, above the platform height due to the height of the operator.