Traditionally, industrial lifts have been utilized in production and manufacturing settings to lower and raise work things, people and materials. The scissor lift, also called 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. Basically, the scissor lift is a platform with wheels that acts like a forklift. In a non-industrial setting, the scissor lift is ideal for performing tasks which require the mobility or speed and transporting of people and materials above ground level.
The scissor lift is a unique machine in that it does not use a straight support in order to lift workers into the air. Instead, the scissor lift platform rises when the folding and linked supports under it draw together, making the machine stretch upward. Once the equipment is extended, the scissor lift reaches approximately from 6.4 to 18.8 meters or 21 to 62 feet above ground. This depends on the size of the model and the purpose.
Rough terrain scissor lifts are typically powered by electric motors or hydraulics. It can be a bumpy ride for employees in the lift going to the top. The scissor lift design 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 common class of scissor lift is the RT or Rough Terrain class. Standard features of the RT models consist of increased power due to the internal combustion or IC engine. The variations come in gas, petrol, combinations or diesel. This is needed to handle the increased weights and steeper grades of 18 to 22 degrees that are normally associated with this specific style of scissor lift.