Rough-Terrain vs Slab Scissor Lifts: What's the Difference?
Scissor lifts come in two broad families: slab machines for smooth, firm surfaces, and rough-terrain machines for building sites and outdoor ground. Choosing the wrong one can make a job slow – or unsafe.
Slab scissor lifts
- Designed for concrete floors, warehouses, shops and offices
- Usually battery-electric and quiet
- Narrow and compact, often fitting through standard doors
- Solid, non-marking tyres to protect floors
- Many are rated for indoor use only
Rough-terrain scissor lifts
- Designed for building sites, gravel and uneven ground
- Usually diesel or bi-energy, with four-wheel drive
- Larger platforms and higher capacities, often with deck extensions
- Outriggers or levelling systems on many models
- Outdoor-rated for wind
Which do you need?
- Smooth, level, indoor floors → slab
- Unsurfaced ground, slopes or outdoor work → rough-terrain
- Mostly indoors but sometimes outside on hard standing → an outdoor-rated slab machine may cover both
Every machine we sell is fully serviced and supplied with a LOLER certificate. See what's in stock or get in touch.