Car Scissor Lifts

A car scissor lift, or automotive scissor lift, raises a vehicle straight up on crossed steel arms that fold down when the lift is lowered, so it fits bays and garages where a two-post lift or four-post lift will not. My Garage Supplies carries 34 scissor lifts for cars and trucks from AMGO, Atlas, Fortisky, iDEAL, Katool, Stratus and Tuxedo: low-rise, mid-rise, full-rise and alignment models rated 6,000 to 16,000 lb, from $1,800 for warehouse pickup.

Which Car Scissor Lift Fits Your Garage?

Low-rise lifts raise the vehicle about 2 feet (22 1/2 to 28 1/2 inches, or up to 30 3/4 with height adapters) for wheel, tire, brake and body work. AMGO, Atlas and Tuxedo make 6,000 lb models; the AMGO LR10 and iDEAL LR-10K-TLPAD are rated 10,000 lb, and the iDEAL's 88 5/8-inch-wide frame is built for cars, SUVs, vans and trucks.

Mid-rise lifts raise it 38 to 48 1/2 inches, or up to 54 with adapters, and are rated 6,000 to 9,000 lb. Arm-type models such as the Atlas 6MR, AMGO MR06 and Tuxedo MR6K-48X swing adjustable arms under the lift points; drive-over models such as the Katool KT-X90E take rubber blocks under them. Open-center designs, including the Atlas 7K Kwik Bay and the 9,000 lb Stratus MS9000XT, leave the middle of the underbody clear.

Full-rise lifts raise the vehicle 72 to 78 3/4 inches, to a stand-up working height, and are rated 7,000 to 12,000 lb. The Katool KT-X99 lifts 7,700 lb to 76 inches, the Atlas SLP9K 9,000 lb to 78 inches, and the AMGO AX-12 carries 12,000 lb on drive-on runways. The AMGO XL-8F and XL-10F, Atlas FM9SL and Katool KT-X95 mount flush with the floor, leaving the bay clear when lowered, and the SLP9K can be flush-mounted too.

Alignment scissor lifts carry the vehicle on long runways and are rated 12,000 to 16,000 lb: the AMGO AX-12A and AX-16A and the Atlas 12ASL, 12AWFSL and PX16A. The Atlas models include turntables and slip plates, and the 12AWFSL adds built-in Wheels Free jacks that raise the vehicle off the runways. The AMGO AX-16A and Atlas PX16A handle wheelbases from 96 to 184 inches. Pair one with a machine from our wheel alignment collection.

Also listed here. The iDEAL TLX tilt lift (7,000 lb) and Katool KT-M3000 mini side lift (7,716 lb and 18.5 inches in Katool's manual) run on a power drill, not hydraulics. For powersports: iDEAL's 2,200 lb Elec-Hydra UTV lift and its motorcycle and ATV versions, its 2,500 lb UTV frame lift, and AMGO's 1,200 lb MC-1200 and MC-1200P, with more in our ATV lift collection. Collision benches on a scissor base are with our frame racks.

Ceiling Height, Floor and Anchoring

Ceiling. Add the lift's maximum height to your tallest vehicle's height, then leave room for a roof rack and any garage-door track or opener. A car 58 inches tall reaches 105 inches (8 feet 9 inches) on a mid-rise lift at 47 inches, and 136 inches (11 feet 4 inches) on a full-rise lift at 78 inches. Our ceiling height guide shows how to measure.

Floor. Every lift here needs dry, level concrete; Tuxedo's manuals rule out asphalt, soft ground, expansion seams and cracked concrete. Slab requirements run from 4 to 6 inches of 3,000 PSI concrete depending on the model. The strictest is Stratus: at least 6 inches of reinforced 3,000 PSI concrete, set at least 30 days, even under its mobile MS9000XT. Flush-mount lifts sit in a recess cut to the manual's dimensions. Check your model's manual for slab, recess and anchor details before you drill or pour.

Capacity and Power: 110V, 220V or Air?

Capacity. Compare the lift's rating with your heaviest vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) on the driver's door-jamb label, the most it is rated to weigh loaded, not its empty weight. Then check that the platforms or arms reach the maker's lift points on that vehicle.

Power. Most low-rise and mid-rise lifts run on 110-115V single-phase, but check the breaker: Tuxedo specifies 15 or 20 amps, while the Atlas 7K Kwik Bay and Katool KT-X77 and KT-X90E need 30 amps at 110V. Several Katool models and the Stratus MS9000XT also come in 220V. Full-rise and alignment lifts mostly need 220V single-phase, with a 30-amp breaker on Atlas's.

Air. Some lifts release their safety locks with shop air, so you need a compressor: Atlas's 6PL, 7K Kwik Bay, full-rise and alignment lifts, Tuxedo's MR6.5K-38 and PL6K, Katool's KT-X95, and AMGO's flush-mount, AX-12 and alignment lifts. Others release electrically, like the Stratus MS9000XT, or by hand, like the Atlas 6MR, AMGO MR06 and Tuxedo MR6K-48X.

What a Car Scissor Lift Costs

Prices here, at warehouse pickup where offered: low-rise lifts $1,800 for the AMGO LR06 to $3,990; mid-rise lifts $1,899 for the Katool KT-X77 to $5,299; full-rise lifts $3,600 to $9,995; scissor alignment lifts $11,500 to $19,999. Atlas's three alignment lifts also come with rolling jacks in our scissor lift packages, from $17,199; support bars, airline kits, turnplates and ramps are in scissor lift accessories. Our car lift cost guide compares other lift types.

Delivery. Each listing prices delivery, or it is quoted where freight is billed separately. These lifts ship by freight at about 770 to 6,200 lb. Katool's lifts ship without liftgate service, so plan for a forklift, a loading dock or terminal pickup; Atlas asks that its delivery site take a 53-foot truck.

Using a Scissor Lift Safely

• Locks first. Lower the lift onto its safety locks before anyone works on or near the vehicle, and never raise or lower it with a person or equipment underneath. On the iDEAL TLX, set a safety locking pin and a jack stand before going under.
• Lift points and load. Set the arms or blocks under the vehicle maker's lift points (see our lift points guide), stay within the rating, and do not rock the vehicle or remove heavy parts while it is up. On open-center lifts, Atlas says the frame must sit at least 6 inches in from the platform's inside edge, and recommends its support bar kit for heavier vehicles with narrow frames.
• Clear area. Atlas asks for a clear zone of at least 3 feet around the lift while it moves. Keep feet clear as it comes down: the Atlas SLP9K and 12ASL and the AMGO XL-7 stop about 10 to 12 inches above the floor and need a second button press, with a warning tone on the XL-7, to finish lowering.
• Portable lifts. Move a portable lift only when it is empty; Katool forbids loading a vehicle while the moving wheels are on the lift.

Car Scissor Lift FAQ

Do scissor lifts need to be bolted down? It depends on the model, so follow its manual. Portable lifts such as the AMGO MR06, Atlas 6MR and LR06, Tuxedo MR6.5K-38 and Stratus MS9000XT stand on their own frame and roll on a wheel or mobile kit. Full-rise, flush-mount and alignment lifts generally bolt down or sit in a floor recess. Some lifts sold as mobile still call for anchors: Katool's KT-X85 manual specifies anchor bolts, and Tuxedo's LR-26-PAD manual has an anchoring step.

Can a scissor lift hold a pickup truck? Yes, if its rating covers the truck's GVWR and its platforms fit the frame and wheelbase: the 10,000 lb AMGO LR10 and iDEAL LR-10K-TLPAD low-rise lifts, the 9,000 lb Stratus MS9000XT and AMGO MRL09 mid-rise lifts, the 9,000 to 12,000 lb full-rise lifts, and for long-wheelbase trucks and vans, the 16,000 lb AMGO AX-16A and Atlas PX16A.

Scissor lift or two-post lift? A two-post lift opens the whole underside but needs a taller ceiling and anchors in thick concrete; low-rise and mid-rise scissor lifts work under lower ceilings, and many need no anchors. Our 2-post vs scissor lift comparison covers the trade-offs, and the vehicle lift collection lists every type.

Are car scissor lifts safe? They can be, used within their rating, on the floor the manual specifies, and lowered onto their locks before anyone goes under. Our guide, are car scissor lifts safe, goes further.

Call 307-381-1810 with your ceiling height, your floor and the vehicles you will lift, and we will narrow the list to the scissor lifts that fit your garage.