Platform Lifts

Garage Lift Companies Lift Experts

Whilst platform lifts might not be one of the most well known in the world of lifts (if there is, indeed, such a world) but you are more than likely to have come across one simply without realising it. The term platform lifts is an umbrella term, as so many are, which refers to many different types of lifting apparatus.

Platform lifts are essentially exactly what they sound like and are something which is very closely connected to disabled access and disabled lifts, two topics which can be found being discussed in detail on other pages on this website.  

Platform lifts can be used in the home or for public access and they basically consist of a platform (as the name clearly suggests) which is raised up and lowered down by the power of hydraulics; this is where they differ from a normal passenger lift which has an entire car which travels up and down a lift shaft. Platform lifts don’t cover nearly as big areas and is really only for raising people up one or two floors or lowering them down the same amount.

They are generally housed within very aesthetically pleasing surroundings which often give the illusion of a normal lift being present when, actually, it is a platform lift. They have grown exponentially in popularity since the laws about equal access for disabled people came into force and they offer a dynamic and comfortable way for wheelchair users, or people with mobility problems, to tackle problems such as stairs.

They are much quicker and easier to use than, say, a stair or chair lift, as they do not require the passenger to leave their wheelchair or to adjust in any way. Many platform lifts are also built wide enough and strong enough to accommodate an accompanying adult as well although this is not always possible and sometimes there is only room for a wheelchair (this is only generally the case on older or more basic models though)

Many people are now taking the plunge and having platform lifts installed in their home; for those who are permanently in wheelchairs and thus cannot use stair lifts unaided, platform lifts offer a great way for people to remain independent in their own homes but also for them to remain perfectly safe whilst they are travelling between the different floors of their home. Clearly though, getting a platform lift installed into your private dwelling is never going to be a cheap or easy solution and the sad truth is that many people simply cannot afford it.

Take a look around the different pages of this website and you may well find that there is another solution for you, perhaps a wheelchair hoist for example, which can do a similar job for you but at a much lower price. For those of you who do want to buy a platform lift, there may well be  credit or payment schemes available but you  will want to read the small print of any such agreement very very carefully; you don’t want to be stuck with crippling repayments further down the line.

Maintenance of your platform lift is also something which you need to consider, and something which the articles which follow this introduction deal with. Obviously if you, or a colleague or a customer or a family member relies on a platform lift to go about their daily business then things are going to be seriously disrupted if it ever breaks down; you need to have a service plan in place from the moment you buy the lift to ensure that you are protected at all times and to ensure that any niggling problems which may occur are dealt with swiftly and efficiently. 

Having mechanics into your private home, or into your business, to look at your platform lift can feel annoying and oftentimes disruptive but it is nothing compared to the disruption or annoyance of a lift which has broken down entirely.

Platform lifts are great because they are entirely controlled by the person who is using them, this means that, should physical mobility permit, the user can control where they go and when they go and can thus have a lot more independence around their home than would otherwise be normally possible. 

Read the articles below and then search the rest of this site as well; if you think that a platform lift is most definitely the right decision for you or your business then you need to find a reputable company who can take you through every step of the journey; from initial choice, to fitting to servicing. Once you have this you will have the joy of equal public or private access and you can rest easy knowing that disabled people can move freely around your premises.

Plaform Lifts Information Guide: