Scissor lift spec checklist: verify before you order

Platform height is not working height

Listings lead with platform height — how high the platform floor rises. Working height is where the operator’s hands actually work, typically about 6 feet (roughly 2 m) above platform height, as a general industry rule of thumb. Verify both numbers for the specific unit: state the height your task must reach, then confirm the platform height that serves it. If a ceiling, duct or sprinkler line caps your headroom, the machine’s overall (stowed) height and raised clearance matter just as much.

Capacity: people, tools and the extension deck

Confirm the rated platform capacity and the maximum occupants for the specific unit, and check whether the extension deck carries a reduced (derated) capacity when rolled out. Capacity is a per-variant figure — two lifts with the same platform height can carry different loads.

Slab vs rough terrain is a different machine, not an option

• Slab (indoor) lifts: smooth tires, low ground pressure, meant for finished floors — verify floor loading where the floor is a slab on deck or a finished surface
• Rough-terrain lifts: aggressive tires, higher ground clearance, often four-wheel drive and higher gradeability for unpaved ground
• Verify: ground slope on the route and at the work position, soft or freshly graded surfaces, and any outriggers or stabilizers the unit needs before elevation
• A slab lift on gravel or a grade is a verification failure — state the ground honestly on the requirement

Power source decides where it may work

• Electric slab lifts: indoor-friendly, need a charging plan — confirm charger input and who provides power on site
• Engine rough-terrain lifts: outdoor use; confirm fuel type and any site emissions or noise restrictions
• Confirm battery/fuel state expectations at delivery and refuel/recharge responsibility at off-rent

Transport and site-access checks

• Transport dimensions and weight of the specific unit — do they fit the delivery vehicle, gate and route?
• Stowed height vs door, dock and elevator openings on the path to the work area
• Turning radius and drive-at-height capability if the work moves along a run
• If the unit has stanchions/outriggers, confirm they are included, deployable on your ground, and part of the delivered configuration
• Delivery surface: can the truck reach the drop point, and who unloads?

The one-line rule

Record platform height, working height, capacity, terrain type, power source and access dimensions on the requirement itself. If any of them is still “to confirm”, keep it listed as unconfirmed — an unconfirmed spec is an open question, not a detail to be guessed at order time.