Lowering Actor with Hydraulic Scissor Lift Options

[quaestor]

We plan on using a double scissor lift beneath a side stage to lower our witch as she melts (Wizard of Oz). Has anyone attempted to use something like this to lower a person? It has a 51.5 inch raised height and lowers to 13 inches. We plan on building the side stage flush with its fully raised level and have someone release the valve from under the stage as she stands on it.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_7196_7196

[Brian]

The product almost certainly comes labelled 'Not To Be Used As A Personnel Lift.'

Whether that affects your decision is entirely up to you.

[Tom]

We used an almost identical product to lift an actor through a trap last year.
I can't remember if ours was marked as Brian suggest or not - but we considered the biggest risk was of it falling over under the possible dynamic load of a shuffling actor. We therefor made sure it was firmly fixed down and put in structure to prevent it falling / wobbling too much. We were also concerned about trapped fingers / toes and this assisted with that, though as it was manually, and only slowly, raised again not too much of a risk.

The problem I think you may have is the lack of control. We did not use it to lower in action but I seem to remember it being quite jerky and difficult to release smoothly.

Good luck

T

[kitlane]

Used something very similar to this a number of times. Biggest problem is likely to be lateral 'wobble'. If it is in a permanent position look into building a rigid guide for each corner. You will have limited control of speed and it will start descending with a bit of a jerk. Best not to have people walking on it during the rest of the show; it will move and probably sink a little

[CaptainMeat]

We have used a system from Lite Structures to do somthing like this - perfectly safe for Human usage IF properly risk assessed and the user/ passenger is familiar with it.

The biggest down side is that they take for ever to set up to the right speed... you need somone who knows what they are doing to tue it up - don't fiddle with it your self to see what happens...

[skdean]

As has been stated it is probably not meant for the movement of a live load. And it looks like it would topple sideways if you were not careful. But if you carry out a risk assessment and put into place the appropriate safety measures, such as fastening it so it won't shift etc., you could probably use it safely.

[quaestor]

As has been stated it is probably not meant for the movement of a live load. And it looks like it would topple sideways if you were not careful. But if you carry out a risk assessment and put into place the appropriate safety measures, such as fastening it so it won't shift etc., you could probably use it safely.

We have since installed it beneath the witch's tower on the side stage and bolted it to the floor. We literally built the side stage around it after it was in place. It is very sturdy with no movement at all until we release the gas and the large table top slowly decends. We have tested it numerous times with two grown men at once for extra weight (it's load-rated to 770 lbs). We have handrails next to it and padding below for extra safety. I was actually surprised at how well it worked. We can only use it to descend (which is fine for this show) because it takes forever to raise it back to full height with the foot pump.