Inspections

Scissor Lift Major Inspection

A scissor lift carries its entire load through a stack of crossed arms pinned together at every joint. Those stack pins and the scissor arms around them are under bending and shear stress every time the platform rises, and over ten years that stress accumulates in places a routine service never opens up. This page is where you book the major inspection that finally does.

A scissor lift major inspection is deliberately joint-focused. The pins are pushed and assessed for wear and ovality, the arms are examined for distortion and cracking, and the pothole protection, lift cylinder mounts and platform extension are all checked. Because the whole machine folds through one pinned mechanism, the integrity of those joints is the difference between a stable platform and a dangerous one.

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Equipment guide: Scissor Lifts Equipment Guide

Who It's For

Built For

Owners of electric and rough-terrain scissor lifts
Warehouse, retail-fitout and facilities crews
Construction operators running scissor fleets
Hire companies keeping older scissors compliant
Asset managers scheduling downtime for the ten-year point

Scope

Equipment & Coverage

Electric slab scissor lifts
Rough-terrain and diesel scissor lifts
Scissors with roll-out deck extensions
Narrow-aisle and compact scissor lifts
Scissors fitted with pothole protection systems

How It Works

The Process

Strip the scissor stack

The stack pins are assessed and, where needed, driven out so each pin and bore can be checked for wear and ovality — the joints that carry the machine's entire load.

Assess arms & pothole protection

The scissor arms are examined for distortion and cracking, and the pothole protection bars and linkages are checked for correct deployment and damage.

NDT & cylinder mounts

Non-destructive testing is applied to critical arm welds and pin bores, and the lift cylinder and its mounts are assessed for integrity and leakage.

Rebuild, test & recertify

Worn pins and bushes are replaced, the deck extension and guardrails proven, and the unit stability and load tested before recertification with documentation.

Compliance & Standards

Scissor lifts are designed to AS/NZS 1418.10 and maintained and inspected under AS 2550.10, and the ten-year major inspection is the recognised deep structural assessment for these machines in Australia. On a scissor lift the assessment centres on the pinned scissor stack, the arms, the lift cylinder mounts and the pothole protection system, because the entire load path folds through those joints. A scissor run past its major inspection due date can void compliance and expose the duty holder.

Why EWP Australia

Stack pins assessed for wear and ovality where the whole load concentrates
Scissor arms examined for distortion and cracking, not just surface rust
Pothole protection and deck extension proven for safe deployment
Lift cylinder mounts and welds NDT tested for integrity
Stability tested and recertified with audit-ready documentation

FAQs

Common Questions

Why are the stack pins the focus of a scissor lift major inspection?

A scissor lift transfers its entire platform and payload through the pinned joints where the crossed arms meet. Those pins carry shear and bending load on every lift, so wear and ovality there directly affect stability and structural integrity. Assessing and, where necessary, replacing the pins and bushes is the heart of a scissor major inspection.

What is pothole protection and why check it?

Pothole protection is the system of bars or plates that drop down as the scissor rises, reducing the ground clearance so the machine cannot tip into a hole or drop-off while elevated. Because it is a safety-critical stability device, the major inspection confirms the bars and their linkages deploy correctly and are undamaged.

When is my scissor lift due for a major inspection?

At ten years of age, with further major inspections periodically after that under AS 2550.10. The trigger is time, not hours, so even a low-use warehouse scissor is due once it reaches the ten-year point.

Do you inspect both electric and rough-terrain scissors?

Yes. Both share the same pinned scissor-stack load path, so the joint and arm assessment is common to both, while rough-terrain units add the drive, tyre and levelling components to the scope. All makes and models are covered.

What if a scissor arm is found cracked or distorted?

The finding is documented with its location and severity, and we investigate before any repair. Arm and structural repairs with re-testing can then be arranged, or we give you an honest assessment if the damage makes recertifying the unit uneconomic.