Genie Scissor Lift: Micro or Standard 19-Foot Machine?

If you are shopping for a Genie scissor lift, the first choice is not the brand. It is the size of the machine. In the 19-foot class, you can choose between a compact micro-style machine and a standard-width slab scissor. They look alike from across the yard. They work very differently once you get them inside a building.

We are an authorized Genie, Skyjack and JLG dealer in Chouteau, Oklahoma, and we sell used and refurbished lifts. Here is how we help buyers make this call.

Genie Scissor Lift: Micro or Standard 19-Foot?

Both machines are electric, both raise the platform to about 19 feet, and both are meant for smooth, firm floors. Both give you a working height a few feet above that, since you can reach up from the platform.

The differences come down to width, weight and platform size.

• Micro machines have a narrow chassis and a shorter, smaller platform. They fit through standard doorways, ride in an elevator in many buildings and turn in tight aisles. They also weigh less, which helps on floors with limits.
• Standard machines are wider and give you a larger platform. That means more room for two people, tools and materials, and usually a higher platform capacity and a steadier feel at height.

The right choice depends on where the lift will spend its life.

Where a Micro Lift Wins

Choose a micro machine if you work inside finished buildings. Think of retail spaces, offices, school hallways and stores with narrow aisles. If the lift has to get through a door to reach the work, a narrow chassis is the answer, not a nice extra.

Micro lifts are also the pick when floor loading is a worry, and when one person does the job alone with a few hand tools.

Where a Standard 19-Foot Lift Wins

Choose a standard machine when the platform is your workbench. Drywall crews, electricians running conduit, sprinkler fitters and warehouse maintenance teams all move more than one person and a stack of material. A bigger deck, and the ability to extend it, saves trips up and down.

Standard machines also feel more planted at full height. If you are doing overhead work for a full shift, that matters.

Do You Need Something Bigger or Rougher?

Both of these are slab machines. If your work is on dirt, gravel or a job site with uneven ground, you should be looking at a rough terrain scissor lift instead. A slab machine on soft ground is a tipping and traction problem. The cheapest lift is not the right one if it cannot go where the work is.

If you need to reach out and over something, a scissor lift is the wrong tool altogether. Scissors go up and down. A boom goes up and out. Decide which motion you need before you decide on a size.

What About a Lift for Sale That Is Used?

A used machine can be a very good buy if you know what was done to it. That is why our refurbished machines get a documented refurb. Here is what backs them:

• A warranty on qualifying electric scissor lifts. Ask us for the current terms before you buy.
• New batteries installed on the machines that need them.

Batteries are the part of an electric lift that tends to disappoint buyers, so we treat them first.

When you look at any lift for sale, ask what was replaced, what was tested and what the warranty actually covers. If the seller cannot tell you, keep looking.

Buying One Lift or Several

We sell single machines and bulk lots. A contractor who needs one lift for a job and a facility that needs a fleet of them have different needs, and we can talk both through. We do not rent. We sell, repair and refurbish, so our advice will not steer you toward a rental you do not need.

A Simple Way to Decide

Ask yourself these four questions:

1. Does the lift have to fit through a door or an elevator?
2. How many people and how much material go on the platform?
3. What is the floor: smooth slab, or something rougher?
4. How long will an operator be up there at one time?

If the first answer is yes, look at micro machines. If the second is more than one person and materials, look at standard. If the third is rough ground, look at rough terrain machines instead.

Call us or browse chuppindustrial.com to talk through the right scissor lift for your work.