How to Calculate Scissor Lift Length
A scissor jack lift's length is proportional to the scissor support weight together with the integrity of the steel cross sections more than the length. The scissor structure's weight combined with the length is corollaries of each other; therefore, the former determines the latter for a stable scissor jack. An extreme example of this to illustrate the point would be a 20-foot lift length that is featherweight made from Styrofoam which is pretty much weightless. It certainly would not be able to support at much of a height and will not be able to support a lot at all.
In order to calculate scissor lift length, determine how high in the air you need to support a platform which will support of the weight of the objects and occupants on the platform as well as the weight of the platform.
The number of cross-sections of scissor folding supports sections that would be necessary to be extended at their full extension to be able to reach the needed height within the weight support parameters. Finally, you would never want to ascend some employees up on a platform with their supplies that is on a platform supported by any type of structure that is unstable since obviously any machine which is prone to tipping would really put people in a very dangerous situation.
Determine the weight of each scissor cross-section. This is vital to determining the length and weight of the scissor lift you will need along with the overall stability of the machinery. When fully extended, determine the angle between the scissor arms measured against the ground or horizontal level.