Traditionally, industrial lifts have been used in manufacturing and production settings to lower and raise work things, people and supplies. The scissor lift, also known as a table lift, is an industrial lift which has been modified for wholesale and retail settings.
Most customers, who have been in a store late at night, shopping the aisles, have probably seen one, even if they did not realize what it was. Essentially, the scissor lift is a platform with wheels that performs like a forklift. In a non-industrial kind of setting, the scissor lift is ideal for completing jobs which require the speed or mobility and transporting of people and supplies above ground level.
The scissor lift is a unique machine in that it does not use a straight support in order to lift employees into the air. Instead, the scissor lift platform rises when the linked and folding supports underneath it draw together, making the equipment stretch upward. When the equipment is extended, the scissor lift reaches around from 6.4 to 18.8 meters or 21 to 62 feet above ground. This depends on the unit's size and the purpose.
Rough terrain scissor lifts are usually powered by hydraulics or electric motors. It can be a bumpy ride for workers in the lift going to the top. The scissor lift design keeps it from traveling with a constant velocity, as opposed to traveling slower with more extension or traveling faster during the middle of its journey.
A really popular style of scissor lift is the RT or Rough Terrain class. Standard features of the RT models include increased power due to the internal combustion or IC engine. The variations come in petrol, gas, combinations or diesel. This is needed to handle the increased weights and steeper grades of 18 to 22 degrees which are usually connected with this class of scissor lift.