Choosing the right industrial man lift

Aerial work platforms are equipment that helps workers to reach varying heights so that they can do specific types of jobs that require either the worker or something else to need to be lifted higher up than the ground.  So, there are several important facts to take into consideration before choosing the right industrial man lifts.

There are many types of aerial work platforms such as boom lifts, scissors lifts, and personnel lifts. For instance, if you need to do some sort of overhead work indoors or work that is done on a flat ground, then scissors lifts could be a great choice to get the job completed.

Height, Working Area, Platform Capacity are Vital

For once thing, you must know the highest point that is needed to do the job. With that knowledge you should be able to have a start to deciding what type of personnel lifts or other aerial work platforms you need for completing your mission. In most cases it is a good idea to add on about six more feet than you need to allow for the height of the operator.

Another consideration to choosing a lift is if you are working inside or outside. Inside work requires battery operated lifts because you wouldn’t want to put out emissions from a gas engine inside or you could poison yourself. Or if the lift requires a power socket, be sure you will be able to be next to it so you can have enough cord to operate.

Another concern is the capacity of the lift’s platform. You don’t want the platform to collapse with the weight of the operator and other materials that will be placed onto it. And speaking of the platform, you need to know the dimensions so you know you’ll have enough operating room to do your required job.

Above all, all lifts need to have the appropriate emergency controls installed in case of any possible problems in its operation.

Help with Choosing the right industrial man lift

Scissor lifts have several considerations

Scissor lift are hydraulic powered platforms that can move up or down, but not horizontally. They are used in construction and can be useful in areas like maintenance in a building, doing agriculture related tasks, and in interior warehouses. They come in electric or engine powered.

Some scissors lifts even have a deck you can extend out and get a bigger work area and more reach. There are even models that will work on uneven terrain, and most scissors lifts can extend their platforms to between 15 and 50 feet. If you do need a scissors lift, then getting one with pothole protection is also a good idea because then you can use its stabilizing gear when you raise the lift.

Boom Lifts

A boom lift is one of the most versatile kinds of aerial work platforms. Boom lifts can reach upwards, downwards, forwards, backwards, sideways, as well as up and over. As with the scissors lift, you have to take into consideration the height of your job, the weight that will be put onto the platform, the maneuverability in the workspace, and if it is going to be an outdoor or an indoor job.

Some of the kinds of boom lifts are:

• Telescopic—A telescopic boom lift can reach horizontally up to about 80 feet, and are good for jobs in constricted or limited access areas.
• Articulating— An articulating boom lift can lengthen the boom and go from side to side. If you add a bucket attachment, workers can stay raised and go to and from a job and not have project to move the base, which saves time.
• Trailer Mounted — Trailer mounted booms are very mobile and you can even tow it behind a truck, or other vehicle. They are light and small so are great when you are working someplace like in the grass or inside on a floor.

Personnel Lifts

Personnel lifts are compact and can be towed or pushed.  They are about the size of a pallet jack. The operator can easily raise and lower himself when he needs to in order to do his job.

Other considerations to be made when Choosing the right industrial man lift

Besides knowing the requirements of your proposed job, other things must be considered when choosing aerial work platform lifts. For one thing, you need to know how you are going to get it to your work destination. Can it be towed? Do you have the equipment needed to move it to the work area? If not, it won’t matter if you pick the right personnel lift, for example, because you won’t be able to get it to the place where the work needs to be done.

Tires are another consideration. There are several kinds of tires available for aerial work platforms of all kinds. These could include tires that are foam filled, as well as pneumatic tires, non-marking tires, or turf tires. Plus, you need to know that the ground or floor where the work has to be done can support the weight of your chosen lift and if the ceiling on an inside job is high enough to hold the lift you are using.

Another consideration is the tightness of the work space, as various lifts have certain sizes, so if you have a narrow work space, you need a type of lift that can operate under those conditions, for example. Plus, remember that if you are inside you need an electric or battery operated lift and if outside you can use gas, propane, electric, battery or diesel unit interchangeably in most situations.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of different things to consider when choosing aerial lift platforms. It all depends on the kind of job you need to do, the space you have to do it in, if it is indoors or outdoors, the power source you require, as well as the weight of the items to go on the lift platform and even the height of your operator could mean the difference between success or failure.