Load capacity is the first number a buyer gives us and the last one that should be fixed. Chosen too low, the lift cannot do the job it was bought for. Chosen too high, you pay for steel, machine weight and floor strength that never get used. What matters is the weight of the heaviest single trip, measured the way that trip arrives at the platform.
What actually counts towards the load?
The rating covers everything standing on the platform at one time: the goods, whatever carries them, and whatever brings them there.
- The goods themselves, at their heaviest, not their average.
- The pallet, stillage, crate or drum that holds them.
- The pallet truck, trolley or hand cart that rolls on, including a loaded one. This is the item most often left out of a buyer’s own calculation, and on a heavy load it can be a large share of the total.
- Off-centre placement: a load sitting in one corner is harder on the platform, the rails and the leveling system than the same weight spread across the deck.
One thing does not count on this class of machine: a person. A guide rail cargo lift is goods only, so nobody rides with the load.
How to work out the figure you need
- Weigh the heaviest trip, not the typical pallet or the average of a week. The lift is rated for the worst case loaded onto it.
- Add the handling equipment: the pallet truck’s own weight plus whatever it is carrying.
- Add what the goods sit in. A wooden pallet, a steel stillage and a crate are not the same weight, and the difference is usually larger than people expect.
- Round up, then check the platform. Take the next build above your figure, then confirm the load fits the deck, because a load that overhangs is a different problem from a load that is too heavy.
| Load | What to weigh | What catches people out |
|---|---|---|
| Cartons on a pallet | The pallet plus the full stack, taken from the packing list or a scale | Dense goods: the same pallet size can double in weight |
| Drums on a trolley | The drum, its contents and the trolley together | Counting the drum but not the trolley that carries it |
| Machine parts on a stillage | Part, stillage and any lifting frame left in place | Two loads at once when the next stillage is already on the deck |
| Bags or granular material | The heaviest sack or bulk bag, with the hand cart | Estimating from a previous supplier’s rating instead of weighing |
Why capacity and platform size are chosen together
Our standard CL5-2.5 carries 2.5 t on a platform of 1600 x 2200 mm, and the same lift is offered with a 2000 x 2500 mm platform. The deck is a 120 x 60 x 4 mm frame with a 5 mm anti-skid plate: stiff enough for a distributed load, but a machine foot standing in one corner is a point load rather than a distributed one.
That is why the two answers belong together. If your goods arrive on Euro pallets, the platform has to take the pallet in both directions with the trolley behind it, and the capacity has to cover the trolley as well.
Which configuration carries which load
The way the load is shared between the rails is the other half of the capacity decision.
| Configuration | How the load is shared | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single guide rail, one cylinder | One rail | Narrow openings and light loads | Most compact footprint |
| Double guide rail, two cylinders | Two rails and two cylinders | Warehouse, workshop and food plant goods transfer | Holds level with off-centre loads; wider platforms |
| Four column | Independent four post frame | Heavy loads, large platforms, outdoor and yard use | Free standing, does not rely on the building wall |
Where the capacity limit actually comes from
Capacity is not one number printed on one part. It is the sum of the components below, which is why a lift that is overloaded every day ages much faster than one that is loaded correctly:
- Two 90 x 60 hydraulic cylinders drive the lifting frame and set how smoothly the platform starts and stops.
- An LH1244 leaf chain carries the platform load and doubles the travel of the cylinder stroke. A chain that is repeatedly overloaded stretches, and a stretched chain changes the level of the platform at each floor.
- A 7.5 kW pump station supplies the hydraulic pressure, with floor by floor calling and arrival levelling handled by a PLC at 24 V control voltage.
- Four leveling ropes and pulleys keep the platform square. When a load is always placed in the same corner, this is the system that shows the strain first.
- The platform itself: a 120 x 60 x 4 mm frame with a 5 mm anti-skid plate and a guardrail of 70 x 70 x 5 mm square pipe, 1000 mm high, with travel switches at the highest and lowest position.
Cargo lift or lift table?
Both lift goods, and buyers often compare them on capacity alone; the difference is travel and duty. A fixed scissor lift table raises a load a short distance at a single level: loading a dock, feeding a machine, positioning work at a comfortable height. Our fixed tables run from 0.5 t to 4 t with raised heights from 1,000 to 1,700 mm. A cargo lift moves goods between floors through a travel of metres, which is why it is built around guide rails, leveling ropes and landing protection rather than a scissor frame. If the goods never change level, a lift table is simpler and cheaper.
Two specifications from projects we have built
We built a 2.5 t double guide rail cargo lift for a warehouse project in Bosnia on a 1600 x 2200 mm platform, through loading on two floors with 5 m of travel. That specification came from the heaviest pallet plus the pallet truck that delivered it, not from the average load of the day.
A project in Ningbo went the other way: a 1.3 x 1.3 m platform over three floors, through loading, with an added protection mesh at the landings. Smaller deck and smaller capacity, because the goods were lighter and the shaft position was tight.
Frequently asked questions
How much weight can a standard cargo lift carry?
Our standard model, the CL5-2.5, is rated at 2.5 t on a platform of 1600 x 2200 mm with 5 m of travel. Other capacities, platform sizes and travel heights are built to order, so the useful answer is the weight of your heaviest trip plus the equipment that carries it.
Do I have to count the weight of the pallet truck?
Yes. Anything standing on the platform during the trip counts towards the load. A loaded pallet truck is often the heaviest single item on the deck even when the goods are moderate, and leaving it out is the most common way a lift ends up working at its limit.
What happens if a cargo lift is overloaded?
It usually still lifts, which is what makes overloading dangerous: there is no obvious warning on the day it happens. The damage shows up later as a stretched chain, a weeping cylinder seal, or a platform that no longer arrives level at each floor. Choose capacity with a margin over the heaviest realistic trip.
Next step
Send us the heaviest load that will travel, what carries it, the pallet or stillage size, and the floor to floor height. We will confirm the capacity and platform size rather than leaving you to guess, and return a drawing for approval before manufacture. Start from the double guide rail cargo lift, compare it with the single rail and four column options, or read how freight elevator dimensions and capacity are specified if a shaft is also on the table.