Developing A Food Processing Plant From The Ground Up

Scissor lifts are great tools for people that need to work up high and want a platform to work from that is easy to move when they need to. Often painters, electricians, and other craftsmen use these lifts on the job site, but they need to be adequately maintained, or the lift may not operate when you need it. 

Maintaining the Batteries

More often than not, the scissor lifts used inside are powered by electric motors, and the batteries need to charge regularly to ensure that the lift can move around and raise or lower properly. The battery pack is often one or two large batteries, but there can be as many as four large twelve-volt cells that power the unit on some lifts. 

Along with charging, the batteries need to be inspected and checked for damage from time to time. If you find a crack in a battery, it needs replacing right away. The battery will not be able to hold acid if it is cracked and likewise no charge.

Leaking battery acid is corrosive, so it can be dangerous as well. Often the batteries will have some corrosion on the connections, and that should be cleaned off so that the connections maintain a good connection. If the connection is not good, the lift may work intermittently, and being twenty feet in the air with a poor connection is never a good situation.

Grease and Lubrication

Scissor lifts have many moving parts, and most of those have grease zerks on them that allow you to add grease with a grease gun to ensure that they have plenty of lubrication. The type of lubricant you use on your scissor lift may affect the performance, so check with the manufacturer to determine what they recommend and how often the machine needs greasing. 

Often, service intervals on machines like scissor lifts are based on hours of use, so check the hours on the machine before each use to see if it needs service before taking it onto a job site. Most lifts have an hour meter on the housing near the batteries, and many will also have a charge indicator there as well that allows you to quickly check the condition of the lift before using it.

Check the Tires

Some scissor lifts use hard rubber tires, and some use large air-filled ones. In both cases, it is a good idea to check the tires before using the lift. If you have air-filled tires, be sure they are correctly inflated. If you are using solid rubber tires, make sure they are not missing any part of the tire or have damage to the tread. Both situations can make the lift unstable and hard to drive when moving the machine.

If you need help servicing your scissor lift, contact a professional in your area.