Industrial lifts have traditionally been used in manufacturing and production settings to help raise and lower supplies, employees, and merchandise. The scissor lift, also known as a table lift, is an industrial lift which has been modified for wholesale and retail settings.
Most consumers who have been shopping in a store late at night have almost certainly seen a scissor lift, even though they do not realize they have. Essentially, the scissor lift is a platform with wheels that acts like a forklift. In a non-industrial kind of environment, the scissor lift is ideal for performing tasks that require the speed or mobility and transporting of supplies and people above ground level.
The scissor lift is a unique equipment in that it does not utilize a straight support in order to lift workers into the air. Instead, the scissor lift platform rises when the folding and linked supports beneath it draw together, making the machine stretch upward. Once the machinery is extended, the scissor lift reaches about from 6.4 to 18.8 meters or 21 to 62 feet above ground. This depends on the size of the unit and the purpose.
The rough terrain scissor lifts could either be powered by an electric motor or by hydraulics, although, it could be a bumpy ride for the worker in the lift going to the top. The design of the scissor lift keeps it from traveling with a constant velocity, rather than traveling faster during the middle of its journey or traveling slower with more extension.
An extremely popular style of scissor lift is the RT or Rough Terrain class. Typical features of the RT units include increased power due to the IC or internal combustion engine. The variations come in petrol, gas, combinations or diesel. This is considered necessary to handle the increased weights and steeper grades of 18 to 22 degrees that are often associated with this class of scissor lift.