A car scissor lift is a type of hydraulic or electric vehicle lift found in garages, MOT Bays, workshops and body shops.
Scissor lifts, which are typically self-propelled machines, get their name from the design of the beams underneath the platform which do the work to raise and lower the platform. When viewed from the side, the mechanism appears as a stack of crossed tubes or metal rods that work in a scissor-like fashion when the platform is raised and lowered.
A scissor lift for cars and vehicles is a machine made to move vehicles in a vertical direction. These lifts can handle most jobs that would normally require a two-post car lift or a 4-post vehicle lift.
Vehicle scissor lifts are usually powered by a hydraulic system and operate by raising and lowering the platform.
These kinds of vehicle lifts are a great option for those who have limited space or are unable to use a traditional vehicle 2-post or 4-post lift.
Scissor Lifts work by lifting the weight on the two sets of scissor-shaped arms and pivoting the arms toward the centre to lift the weight. The two sets of scissor arms are connected by a hinge at the centre, allowing the arms to rotate and lift the weight. This hinge makes it possible for the lift to lift both heavy and light vehicles.
There are three main types of garage car scissor lifts:
A scissor lift is a popular model of aerial platform lift which is often used in garages in place of a 2-post or 4-post lift, where the space is limited, however, the scissor lift, depending on the design and weight capacity will often need to be recessed into the floor so this is an additional consideration before choosing this as your garage or MOT Bay lifting solution, some are designed to be surface mounted, and yet others can be mobile, but the weight and size of vehicle these mobile types of scissor lifts can support tends to be lower than recessed scissor lifts or surface mounted scissor lifts.
There is one other type of scissor lift used in garages, and these are
Motorcycle lifts, sometimes called motorcycle lift tables or motorcycle ramps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on the type, engine size and weight of the motorcycle you intend to work on.
If you are just starting out as a new garage, a 2-post lift is often the best “first” investment because it offers total chassis access.
However, many successful garages use a scissor lift as their second or auxiliary lift.
This allows you to dedicate the 2-post lift to heavy engine work while the scissor lift handles high-turnover jobs like tyres, brakes, and oil changes, effectively doubling your bay productivity.
We can offer you advice over the phone at 01302 203 888, we sell scissor lifts online and over the phone, including delivery, installation and staff training.
Call us today on 01302 203 888 today, we are here to help.
