# scissor lift



## green light (Oct 12, 2011)

Im looking to buy a used scissor lift. What brand do you guys like? What should I avoid? Id like to get one with the extendable/retractable platform. Probably in the 25'-30' working height range. Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Used a Genie before and it worked well, did the job.. but I'm by no means a scissor lift or machine expert.


----------



## CopperSlave (Feb 9, 2012)

We have a JLG lift. 28' working height with an extendable platform. Bought it used about 5-6 years ago. It has been very dependable.


----------



## KGN742003 (Apr 23, 2012)

Genie is good. I can't recall if it's skyjack or jlg that won't operate while charging, which can be irritating.


----------



## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

We have a MEC 2030. Works fantastically, and paid for itself 10 times over in 3 or 4 yrs, easy...

Bought it for a grand, put $600 into it right away. New batteries, new filter and new fluid, and new joystick switches, and a paint job.

Things to look for:
1. Batteries....Take a good look and expect to buy new ones. Most guys seem to think you need to plug them in every night, and all this does is cook the water out of the batteries and ruins them. 
2. Leaks....look for hydraulic leaks. The lift cylinder and wheel motors are not cheap to have serviced if the seals leak, and your customers will let you know about it real quick.
3. Tires....non marking are best, but don't work so well outside. Regular black tires work well enough and don't leaves marks as bad as I first thought.
4. Bearings.....look at the lift bearings on the scissors themselves. You can easily see if they are worn out by the scrape marks they left on the roller bearing shaft. 
5. Operation.....run the thing around if you can. Jerking and hesitation might mean the solenoids need rebuilding.


FWIW....

Add....make sure the charging system works. Kinda suck to buy one that won't charge.....


----------



## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

green light said:


> Im looking to buy a used scissor lift. What brand do you guys like? What should I avoid? Id like to get one with the extendable/retractable platform. Probably in the 25'-30' working height range. Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


 I have had good luck with genie , JLG , and sky-jack . They usually seem to be the ones I end up on . The controls on the genie seem to be the best IMO , but they're all reputable . Definitely check it over top to bottom and make sure everything works the way it should .


----------



## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

My 26' JLG lift won't do anything when hooked up. The old Hefty Herman would.


----------



## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

Dnkldorf said:


> We have a MEC 2030. Works fantastically, and paid for itself 10 times over in 3 or 4 yrs, easy...
> 
> Bought it for a grand, put $600 into it right away. New batteries, new filter and new fluid, and new joystick switches, and a paint job.
> 
> ...


Bottled water and distilled water are confusing to some people:

Bottled water: goes into mouth
Distilled water: goes into clothes irons and lead-acid batteries.

don't mean to hijack, just venting my frustrations...


----------



## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

I have two SkyJacks and they work just fine. We had to put some batteries in the 19 footer when we bought it used about 4 yrs ago and the previous company owner bought a next to new 26' (I think) footer last year. Those things are worth their weight in gold.

I dont think there is any major differences between the different manufacturers so I would not let that be a deciding factor in your purchase. If you get a good deal on any one of them then grab it.

We made it a point to check with the rental companies.....around here their equipment is always well maintained and in good shape and they usually sell off the used stock for a pretty reasonable price.


----------



## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

Do you have a means to transport said lift?

Is that cost effective for you?


----------



## green light (Oct 12, 2011)

walkerj said:


> Do you have a means to transport said lift?
> 
> Is that cost effective for you?


Transport? I was gonna drive the lift from job to job. haha. I have a flat bed tilt trailer. If it wasn't cost effective I wouldn't be looking to buy one...


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

Skyjack all the way. The 3226 will do just about anything you need but the 3219 is great because you can drive it through a standard doorway without breaking down the side rails. 

And of course proper battery maintenance and upkeep will go a long way


----------



## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

The newer JLGs use electric drives, instead of hydraulic. We just bought a 3 year old one(1930), and the hydraulic motor and lifting cylinder are one unit. No hoses to leak.
As previously mentioned, don't charge the batteries every night, only when needed. 
The smaller battery units are not designed for driving around. Twice around the block and they are dead! Up and down all day long, just no trips to the store.
Lifts are worth getting if you do lots of work at heights.
Check the batteries, the hydraulics, the tires, smooth operation.


----------



## madrone48 (Aug 15, 2012)

Skyjack I drove today almost got driven off the 2nd floor, I hated it so much. Herky jerky p.o.s. that wouldn't drive with the lift up.

The jlg on the other hand was awesome. Joystick controls and goes up when you pull back, like they all should.


----------



## kbsparky (Sep 20, 2007)

1) Check the controls: They should be variable-speed. Either traveling, or lifting you should be able to slow it down to a crawl.

2) Check for a turtle/rabbit switch. You want complete control when maneuvering in tight spaces.

3) We rented one recently that would NOT travel when the platform was up. A big no-no! This unit also lacked a turtle/rabbit switch. It was always set to "high"

4) Some units shut down when you plug in the charger. Others will allow you to continue operating.


----------



## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Make sure the electricians haven't hacked it up. :laughing:


----------



## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

Get a SkyJack. You can rearrange the stickers and spell JackaSS with em.


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

madrone48 said:


> Skyjack I drove today almost got driven off the 2nd floor, I hated it so much. Herky jerky p.o.s. that wouldn't drive with the lift up. The jlg on the other hand was awesome. Joystick controls and goes up when you pull back, like they all should.


You can hardly blame the brand for your poor driving abilities. Every brand of lift will shít the bed eventually and develop its own quirks. I'd like to see you drive some of our 20 year old terex aerials that drive wide open at 30' up


----------



## madrone48 (Aug 15, 2012)

Believe me, I tried. I had my hand braced on the control box to steady it. The guy who drives it every day was running into everything and yelling all kinds of foul stuff.

My least favorite lifts have been orange skyjacks. Personal preference I suppose.


----------



## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

About the SkyJack lifts. IIRC Sometimes I grab the control box with my left hand, rest my right hand on the bent-metal brace thing and it still bucks sometimes when I try to move them. I try to be slow with the joystick enough so that the hydraulic pump starts to whine but the lift doesn't move then I slowly increase joystick travel. That seems to work for the precision stuff. I think that if you used them a lot you can get really good with them. I haven't used them very much though but they seem to be fully variable in steering, travel and lift.

By comparison, the gas pedal in some American V8s (produced around the Vietnam war era) are also quite touchy and stomping on the gas pedal on one of those will not yield the same results and flooring a 4cylinder honda. Flooring the Honda might be routine, but even the slightest bit of excessive pressure on the V8 might cause the back wheels to spin and make you look silly.


----------



## mbednarik (Oct 10, 2011)

I personally have an old snorkel ( genie ) and has been a great lift. My guys always gave me crap about it, but the other day we were at a customers plant and they purchased a new JLG for in-house/contractor use. My 15 year old snorkel is by far more stable than the new JLG. From my experience I would stay away from the JLG just because of the sway, I didn't like it at all.


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

For real though, these terex aerials we got are the business. 12' long 4' wide and you can drive em at top speed all the way up. The best part is that they jog up and down very precise which comes in handy when hanging 200 lb feeder buss. Anyone else still got a few of these?


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

Double post


----------



## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

walkerj said:


> Do you have a means to transport said lift?
> 
> Is that cost effective for you?


I use the local towing service. His flatbed picks it up and delivers anywhere I need for $75. So it's a buck and a half charged for p-up and return.

Loading and unloading in dock doors is the key. Trailers can't do this, and they get in the way when not used...


----------



## Ultrafault (Dec 16, 2012)

Dnkldorf said:


> I use the local towing service. His flatbed picks it up and delivers anywhere I need for $75. So it's a buck and a half charged for p-up and return.
> 
> Loading and unloading in dock doors is the key. Trailers can't do this, and they get in the way when not used...


Bingo I do the same thing.


----------



## s.kelly (Mar 20, 2009)

Depending on where you work and your company safety policy it could be worth checking mfg requirements for a harness. There are some brands that say wear one in the instructions, some leave it as an option. OSHA basically defaults to mfg instructions. 

Depending on the job(GC and customer rules) and company policy, the right lift can mean no required harness when working, big plus in my mind.


----------

