I've been pondering scissor-lift tables and similar stuff for years. The problem with most of them is that either their minimum-height is still many inches, or their capacity is only a few hundred to a thousand pounds. Lately I've been looking again and I see some more interesting candidates. Does anyone here own anything like this...?
What do you need to lift?
I have a platform stacker that's good for working on snow throwers etc and as a welding positioner, and a 2000# engine hoist with a wider, more stable base to lift my small tractor or its engine and raise heavy beams. I hardly ever use my hydraulic scissors lift because the load or weldment can be better secured to the uprights of the platform stacker.
My neighbor has a motorcycle lift for his Harleys that's probably more practical to use than my stuff, except that he doesn't weld much. It also permanently occupies garage floor space while I put larger wheels on mine to roll on dirt and can put them away.
Unless I'm only working on the carburetor (which is most of the time) I don't lift any higher than necessary so that wrench torque won't tip it over. The wheeled lifts aren't as stable on dirt as on pavement.
The solution to raising a heavy load to platform height is a Johnson bar.
I guess that is the question: How much weight? I guess like to be able to handle anything a pallet jack can handle, so maybe 5000lbs. Maybe the cheap and simple answer is a pallet jack, a good lever bar, and a whole stack of 2x6 lumber.
2" planks get knocked out of place too easily when you add more on top, and can be difficult to realign without risking a hand under the load. My cribbing collection for jacking up small buildings is mainly 4x6 and 6x6 deck post cutoffs from a contractor's junk pile and the lower quality 6x6 cants from my sawmill. An oak 6" x 6" x 8' is the heaviest I want to handle by myself.
Make sure you consider the wheels. Those were pretty tiny (diameter) on the scissor unit you linked to. It wouldn't take much of a crack in the floor to hang it up. Even worse if you need to move it with a lot of weight on board...
My 2000# Spreuer shop crane came with hook-end steel rollers similar to a pallet jack, which were useless off pavement. I added four surplus 8" x 1-3/4" cast steel wheels that helped a lot, but they still dig in when towing it with a 1200# load.
The mast end rests on a 3-wheel trailer tongue jack that lifts it to hitch up to the tractor, then retracts. You can buy spare wheels for them (or your own project), which is why it has 3 instead of 1.
Thought this item was interesting...
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