Quick answer
An electric scissor lift raises a large platform straight up on a firm, level surface. It is the machine for indoor work: no exhaust, non-marking tyres, and a deck big enough for two people and their tools. Size it by working height, which is the platform height plus about two metres for the operator. Then check the narrowest opening on the route in, the clear space to turn at the work position, and the floor loading. Slab electric machines are not outdoor machines: for unsealed ground, lawns or slopes use a tracked or rough terrain scissor instead.
Electric scissor lifts are the most hired class in our fleet and the one most often ordered a size too small. The height question and the width question are separate, and both have to be right before the truck is booked.
Every figure below comes from the manufacturer specification sheet held on file for that machine. Where a machine has different indoor and outdoor ratings, both are given, because wind exposure changes what the machine is allowed to do.
platform height5.8 m on a 19ft machine
working height7.8 m on the same machine
The number in the machine name (19ft, 26ft, 40ft) is the PLATFORM height.
Measure to the task, then match the WORKING height with margin to spare.
What working height do I need?
Measure to the task, then add nothing. Working height already includes about two metres for a person standing on the platform and reaching, so the machine you need is the one whose working height covers the task with a little margin.
A 19ft machine gives 7.8 metres of working height, which covers most single storey warehouse racking, ceiling grids, low bay lighting and services. Step up rather than stretch: reaching out over the guardrail from a machine that is slightly short is how people fall.
Which size is which?
The number in the name is the platform height in feet. Here is the fleet, with the figures from the specification sheets.
| Machine | Working height | Platform height | Width | Length | Stowed height (rails folded) | Capacity | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JLG ES1932, 19ft | 7.8 m | 5.8 m | 0.81 m | 1.70 m | 1.99 m (1.63 m) | 230 kg | 1,550 kg |
| LGMG S0607E II, 19ft | 7.8 m | 5.8 m | 0.79 m | 1.83 m | 2.10 m (1.81 m) | 230 kg | 1,610 kg |
| Zoomlion ZS0808AC, 26ft narrow | 10.0 m indoor, 7.8 m outdoor | 8.0 m indoor, 5.8 m outdoor | 0.81 m | 2.49 m | 2.40 m (1.90 m) | 230 kg | 2,090 kg |
| LGMG S1212E-2, 40ft | 14.0 m indoor, 9.5 m outdoor | 12.0 m indoor, 7.5 m outdoor | 1.19 m | 2.43 m | 2.65 m (1.84 m) | 320 kg | 2,940 kg |
Will it fit through the doorway?
A standard single door opening is around 0.82 metres. The 0.79 and 0.81 metre machines pass with care. The 40ft machine at 1.19 metres wide needs a double door, a roller door or a gate.
Measure the narrowest point of the entire route, not the room the work is in. Corridors, lift cars, a fire door held on a closer, a threshold ramp and a turn at the end of a passage all count. Also check the stowed height against anything the machine passes under: folding the guardrails takes the ES1932 from 1.99 metres down to 1.63 metres, which is often the difference.
How much can the platform carry?
Between 230 and 320 kilograms on these machines, and that is people, tools and materials together. Two adults with hand tools is realistic on a compact machine; adding a box of fittings needs checking against the rating.
The platform extension carries less than the main deck. The ES1932 deck is rated to 230 kilograms and its 0.87 metre slide-out extension to 120 kilograms; the S1212E-2 is 320 kilograms on the deck and 120 on the extension. The rating is on the machine and it is not a target to aim at.
Can I use it on a finished floor?
Yes, that is what these machines are for. Non-marking tyres and no exhaust means polished concrete, sealed retail floors and occupied buildings are all fine.
The floor does need to be firm and level. Slab electric scissors have very little tolerance for a slope or a soft patch, and the tilt alarm will cut the lift function rather than let you find out at height.
Can I take it outside?
On firm, sealed, level ground in dry weather, within the machine rating. It is not what these machines are built for.
Note the split ratings in the table: the ZS0808AC reaches 10 metres indoors but 7.8 metres outdoors, and the S1212E-2 drops from 14 metres to 9.5 metres. That is wind exposure, and it is not optional. The maximum working slope on the ZS0808AC is 1.5 degrees along one axis and 3 degrees along the other, which is less grade than most car parks. For a yard, a driveway, unsealed ground or a lawn, use a tracked machine or a rough terrain scissor.
How does charging work, and how long does a charge last?
Plug into a standard 240 volt outlet. A full overnight charge covers a normal working day of lifting and driving on the compact machines. The ES1932 carries four 6 volt 220 amp hour batteries; the S0607E II a 24 volt 225 amp hour pack; the ZS0808AC four 12 volt 160 amp hour batteries.
Charge whenever the machine is parked rather than running the pack down and charging once. Work out where the lead will go before the machine arrives, and tell us if the site has no accessible power so we can plan around it.
Can I drive it while the platform is up?
On these wheeled machines, yes, at a reduced speed. The ES1932 drives at 4.8 kilometres per hour lowered and 0.8 elevated, and the ZS0808AC at 4 and 0.8. Both have active pothole protection that deploys when the platform is raised.
This is a real advantage for a long run of racking or lighting: you position once and creep along the run at height rather than lowering, driving and re-lifting at every fitting. It is also the main practical difference from a tracked scissor lift, which on our Zoomlion ZS0612C cannot be driven at height at all and has to be lowered to reposition.
What slope can it handle?
Very little, and less than most people assume. Gradeability, which is the slope the machine can drive up when stowed, is 25 per cent on the 19ft and 40ft machines. That is not the same as the slope it can lift on.
The maximum working slope, which is the figure that matters when the platform goes up, is much tighter: 1.5 degrees and 3 degrees on the ZS0808AC. If the surface is not level, the machine is the wrong machine, not a problem to work around.
How heavy is it, and will the floor take it?
From 1,550 kilograms for a 19ft machine to 2,940 kilograms for a 40ft, arriving through four small contact patches. The ES1932 records a ground pressure of 8.0 kilograms per square centimetre.
On a purpose built ground floor slab this is rarely an issue. On a mezzanine, a suspended floor, a basement car park roof, an older slab or a driveway over services, it needs the building documentation rather than a guess. Send us the stated load limit with the machine you are considering. There is more detail in machine weight and floor loading.
Can I collect it myself on a trailer?
Some machines, yes, with an approved trailer and a suitable tow vehicle. The compact machines are the candidates: the ES1932 at 1,550 kilograms and the S0607E II at 1,610 kilograms are within the rated load of our Brian James DP35 plant trailer, which carries 2,736 kilograms on a 3.7 by 1.7 metre bed.
The 40ft machine at 2,940 kilograms is not. Neither is anything heavier. Pickup also depends on your vehicle rating, your licence and your load restraint, so it is a conversation rather than a checkbox. The delivery and collection guide covers what we need to confirm.
When should I choose a narrow, tracked or rough terrain machine instead?
Narrow when the aisle or gate is the constraint and you still need height: the ZS0808AC gives 10 metres indoors on a 0.81 metre chassis. Tracked when the ground is soft, sloped or you do not want to mark a lawn or pavers. Rough terrain when the site is unsealed, the machine has to cross it under its own power and you need real capacity at height.
Line them up on the comparison page, or describe the surface and the access when you enquire and we will match one to it.
Next step
Work out the height with the working height calculator, check the route with the site access checker, then send us the job and we will quote the machine and the delivery together. Browse electric scissor lifts and narrow scissor lifts.
Electric scissor lifts in the fleet
Working heights and widths on each machine page come from the specification sheet held on file.
Scissor Lifts
40ft Electric Scissor Lift Hire – LGMG S1212E-2
- Working height
- 14 m
- Platform height
- 12 m
- Width
- 1.19 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Indoor // hard standing
Why it may suit: 40ft LGMG electric scissor lift, up to 14m working height and 320kg capacity — the tall electric machine for racking-height indoor work.
Worth checking: Larger, heavier machine — confirm floor loading. Solid tyres, hard standing only.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Width, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Narrow Scissor Lifts
Athena 850BL Tracked Scissor Lift
- Working height
- 7.9 m
- Platform height
- 5.9 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Tracked / self-levelling
Why it may suit: 19ft tracked self-levelling scissor lift, 7.9m working height, 250kg, bi-levelling crawler undercarriage for slopes and rough ground.
Worth checking: Tracked repositioning is slower than wheeled. Confirm surface rating.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Scissor Lifts
Athena 870 BL EVO Tracked Scissor Lift
- Working height
- 7.9 m
- Platform height
- 5.9 m
- Power
- Bi-energy (mains electric or diesel)
- Terrain
- Tracked / self-levelling
Why it may suit: 19ft tracked bi-levelling scissor lift with 7.9 m working height and 250 kg on a full 1.50 by 1.20 m basket. Diesel drive for…
Worth checking: Tracked repositioning is slower than wheeled. Electric running is tethered and needs a 15 amp supply on a lead, because there is no on-board battery: if a 15 amp outlet is not within reach of the work area the machine runs on the Kubota diesel instead, so confirm the power before an indoor or enclosed job. Confirm the surface rating before tracking over finished ground.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Suitability is subject to site access, ground conditions and availability. We confirm the machine against your job before hire.
Delivered from Berkshire Park to Sydney, Western Sydney, Penrith and across NSW.