When Does Your Scissor Lift Need Repaired – Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

By Milling Technologies – Central Florida’s Trusted Source for Hydraulic Repairs

If you’re running a business in Central Florida and rely on scissor lifts to get the job done, you already know how critical this equipment is for safe and efficient operations.  But like anything with hydraulics, wear and tear is inevitable and identifying the warning signs early can save you serious time and money.  

As a hydraulic repair facility serving Central Florida, we have worked on countless lifts where the owners thought it was a minor issue and “no big deal” – until their lift stopped working mid-job.  Let’s keep that happening from you.

Top Signs Your Scissor Lift Needs Some Type of Service.

  Annual Inspections: You cannot remember when your last annual inspection was.  

1. The annual inspection is not only required by several contracting gov’t agencies, large corporations, and OSHA it’s also the first place any lawyer will look at if that unit was involved in any type of accident.  

2. Almost all OEMs require your unit to be inspected and serviced at a minimum of annually.  Filters, safety switches, decals, etc.  This is a good time to find any underlying issues that may cause larger problems down the road. 

1. Hydraulic leaks

1. If you see a drop of oil on the floor after your scissor lift has been sitting for a bit, it is a guarantee that 1 of the 3 things will happen.  

1. It will get worse at the worst time.

2. It will stop when your unit is out of oil and nothing else works either.

3. It will stop when the leak is corrected.  

2. Unusual Noises

1. Grinding whining, or banging noises when lifting or lowering? That is not normal. These strange, unusual sounds are yelling at you that your unit needs attention.  Common causes of these sounds:

1. Something dropped into the track of the unit, happens all the time and is usually addressed when the unit is stuck and won’t go up or down.

2. Something is worn out and now two pieces of metal are grinding together which mostly likely is causing damage to very expensive parts.

3. Low on hydraulic fluid from that tiny leak.  Even an electrically driven hydraulic pump can destroy itself in moments when it is run without or very low on fluid.  The internal parts basically touch each other for proper operation and it’s the hydraulic oil that keeps them lubricated.  

3. Platform Drift or Sinking

1. If you raise your platform and it drifts back down most people immediately assume the cylinder.  Usually this is the case, but not always.  There are valves within the cylinder that lock in the fluid and hold the cylinder up. If the valves are bad the cylinder will drift down. The drifting could be a $.15 cent O-ring that is bad.  

2. Does your lift raise up a little then stop, while most people think the pump is bad it could be the cylinder bypassing, a control valve, or relief valve.  A hydraulic system even on a small scissor lift has many components all of which occasionally need attention to maintain proper operation.

4. Warning Lights or Error Codes

1. The famous check engine light that everybody ignores until you can’t.  On board diagnostics have come a long way since the day of basic oil light.  Today they sense improper loads on electrical systems, voltages and safety switches.  Many of which indicate you have an issue developing and you can take care of it now or when it becomes a major issue.  Interpreting the engineer’s intent on these codes can be challenging at times.  That is why it’s best to call someone with knowledge and experience on these things.  

5. Weak or slow operation

1. A very often overlooked issue with scissor lifts is the batteries.  We hear it all the time, I plug it in every day, and it won’t hold a charge, or I just put batteries in it.  We look at it and the batteries are two years old and dry as a bone.  Florida heat is hard on batteries.  The levels in your batteries should be checked often.  The quickest way to kill the life of your batteries is to ignore them. 

2. Just put new batteries in your unit and it still will not work.  Did you check them before putting them in?  Many of your large chain stores sell recycled batteries as new.  We have had several times one of these batteries had half the voltage they were rated at or worse.  Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s good. 

6. Dirty, Milky, or Foamy Hydraulic Fluid

1. You happen to notice in your sight glass your oil looks more like milk.  This can be caused by several issues, none of which are good, and all are bad for seals, valves, pumps, and motor.  Even a little water in the hydraulics can scar, scratch and damage your hydraulic parts, shorting their life and costing expensive repairs.  Never, never use any oil from a bucket that has sat in the back of a pickup truck.  

2. Foamy fluid which looks close to milky is a completely different set of issues but with the same results.  Foam is air that is trapped in your hydraulic oil.  Air in a hydraulic pump can cause cavitation which can rapidly ruin a pump.  It will also act as a shock absorber in your cylinders causing them to bounce.  

Local, Reliable Scissor Lift Repairs throughout Central Florida

At Milling Technologies, we provide professional scissor lift repairs.  Whether you’re in Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Ocala, Gainesville or anywhere in between we have you covered. As an actual authorized service center for JLG, Genie, and SkyJack products we buy our parts directly from the OEM not through a distributor and then to you saving you money and since we stock 1000s’ of parts there is a good chance we may have the part you need already on the shelf for a fast repair. 

From a simple hose leak or seal replacement to full system diagnostics, if you have one unit or an entire fleet, we bring years of hands-on hydraulic experience and training to every repair.  

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