Scissor Lift Width and Site Access Checks

Quick answer: measure the narrowest clear gap on the whole route from the truck to the work, with doors fully open, plus the lowest clear height and every turn. Compare those with the exact model’s width, stowed height and turning radius, and leave a margin. A nominal “standard doorway” tells you nothing; a “narrow” scissor lift only fits if its exact width is less than your measured gap.

Measure the narrowest point, not the front door

Walk the route from where the truck unloads to the work position. The machine has to pass every point on it. Record the smallest clear width you find, with doors fully open.

Clear gap versus nominal doorway

A door’s nominal size is the leaf or the frame. The clear gap is what is left between the fixed obstructions with the door open, and it is smaller. Things that reduce it:

• Door closers, handles, push plates and hinges that stick out into the opening
• Door stops and frames on double doors where one leaf is fixed
• Handrails, bollards, fire hose reels and stacked stock in corridors
• Lift car doors, which are often narrower than the lobby door

Then compare the gap with the exact machine width, not a rounded one. For example, the LGMG SC0610EL-2 tracked scissor lift is 996 mm wide on its manufacturer sheet; our machine page rounds that to 1 m. Either way it will not pass a 1,000 mm gap with any margin. When a fit is within a few centimetres, ask us for the sheet figure and allow for the operator steering it through.

Turning and stowed height

Turns

A machine that passes a straight doorway may not make a 90 degree turn in a narrow corridor. Use the outside turning radius on the specification sheet: for example 1.7 m for the JLG ES1932 and 2.1 m for the Zoomlion ZS0808AC. Measure both corridor widths at the turn and send a photo; length matters here as well as width.

Stowed height

Compare the machine’s stowed height with door heads, roller doors, sprinkler pipes and car park headroom. Many models are lower with the guardrails folded: the ES1932 is 2.10 m with rails up and 1.99 m folded, and the ZS0808AC 2.40 m and 1.90 m. Folding the rails is a manual procedure to plan for, and the machine is driven with them folded only as the manual allows.

The floor

Check ramps, thresholds and expansion joints, and whether the route crosses a suspended slab, a mezzanine or a loading dock plate. Floor capacity is confirmed by the building owner or their engineer, not by the hire company. See machine weight and floor loading.

Widths on our current fleet

The narrowest machines we hire, with their exact widths from the machine records. Compare your measured gap with the exact model, and leave a margin.

Vertical mast lifts vary: our Skyjack SJ12 and SJ16 are 0.77 m wide (one person), but our LGMG M0810JE and Haulotte Star 10 jib mast lifts are 1 m. See vertical mast vs scissor lift. The doorway access checker compares your measurement with the fleet.

What to send us

1. Narrowest clear width on the route, in millimetres, with the door open
2. Lowest clear height on the route
3. Photos of any turns, ramps and lifts, with a tape in shot
4. Floor type and level, and any loading limit you have been given

See site measurements before hire, narrow scissor lift hire and electric scissor lifts.