Traditionally, industrial lifts have been utilized in production and manufacturing environments to lower and raise work things, people and materials. The scissor lift, also called a table lift, is an industrial lift that has been modified for wholesale and retail settings.
Nearly all customers who have been shopping in a store late at night have probably seen a scissor lift, even if they do not realize they have. Essentially, the scissor lift is a platform with wheels which acts similar to a lift truck. In a non-industrial type of environment, the scissor lift is great for completing jobs which require the speed or mobility and transporting of materials and individuals above ground level.
The scissor lift is a unique machine in that it does not utilize a straight support in order to hoist employees into the air. Instead, the scissor lift platform rises when the folding and linked supports underneath it draw together, making the machine stretch upward. When the equipment is extended, the scissor lift reaches roughly from 21 to 62 feet or 6.4 to 18.8 meters above ground. This depends on the unit's size and the purpose.
The rough terrain scissor lifts could either be powered by hydraulics or by an electric motor, although, it can be a bumpy ride for the employee inside 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.
An extremely common style of scissor lift is the RT or Rough Terrain class. Standard features of the RT units include increased power because of the internal combustion or IC engine. The variations come in petrol, gas, combinations or diesel. This is required to handle the increased weights and steeper grades of 18 to 22 degrees that are normally associated with this particular class of scissor lift.