What is a freight elevator?
A freight elevator is used to do just what its name implies: to elevate, or lift, freight, or goods. It is built to carry goods rather than people, though some do both to allow operators and those loading goods along for the ride. Given its distinct purpose, a freight elevator is typically larger and can carry more weight than a passenger elevator. A freight elevator is often custom designed for the warehouse, shopping center or other large-scale facility it will serve. The designs are based on needed dimensions, the amount of weight it will carry and how goods will be loaded and unloaded, whether it be by hand, car or industrial truck. A heavy-duty freight elevator can hold a truck and can handle as much as 100,000 pounds (45, 359 kilograms), using a dual rope system for support. A freight elevator often has a manual door, and sometimes multiple doors, to load from the front and rear or sides. The inside may be unfinished, so that it can take a beating from goods being pushed in and o
At the risk of oversimplifying a complex product category, there are two types of elevators. Type B elevators must not go through more than one floor and are limited to a maximum height of 200’’. Then there is the other type that has no height limitation. In both cases, these elevators may carry people as well as materials, obviously within capacity (weight) limitations. Whether for one type or the other, these machines are regulated under the CSA B44 standard which is highly complex.
