Platform lifts are large, vertical lifts, designed to help you or your loved one with wheelchair accessibility. Platform lifts have the ability to travel up as little as four feet and as high as 28 feet. Platform lifts can be installed in a variety of locations both inside and out of your home or commercial building. Platform lifts give you the same benefit as an elevator but a much lower price. Platform lifts have an open cab design and require the user to press and hold the up or down button the entire travel. Unlike an elevator where you press the call button once and it automatically travels to the desired floor, platforms require the user to press and hold the button the entire travel. Platform lifts come in either a hydraulic or screwdrive operation. Platform lifts typically will have a weight capacity of 750 pounds and are limited to a smaller overall cab size than an elevator.
Some uses of platform lifts, but by no means all of them, are as follows:
• Porch or Deck — Need to get up those stairs to your porch? A platform lift can be installed outside of your house, exposed to the elements, or enclosed in a shaftway.
• Floor to Floor — If a residential elevator simply isn’t in the budget, or perhaps you need something tailored specifically to the needs of a wheelchair, or if you need to move equipment that a stair lift can’t manage, wheelchair platform lifts can be used to transport you or your loved one from floor to floor within the building.
Platform lifts are commonly used in churches, town halls, and schools. Platform lifts can be installed in whatever way you need, and their sturdy structure means they’re built to last for years to come. But wheelchairs aren’t the only use for platform lifts: this piece of equipment can help with all sorts of other mobility issues as well.
