Lift drive types compared

• Hydraulic

  An electric pump pushes oil into a cylinder and a ram lifts the car. It lowers under its own weight as a valve lets the oil back. Modern designs like the Vector Pro need only a small pump cupboard, with no machine room.

  Oil: Uses hydraulic oil in a sealed system. Suits: Homes of up to a few storeys, including retrofits with irregular structures.

  Lift Ease models: Vector Pro, RB150 (hydraulic variant)

• Traction (including MRL and VVVF)

  A motor turns a sheave that moves ropes or belts, usually with a counterweight balancing the car. Machine-room-less (MRL) designs put the drive inside the shaft, and VVVF control smooths acceleration and braking. Our Zenith DDA and E1 are both MRL.

  Oil: No hydraulic oil. Suits: Commercial, apartment and multi-storey buildings, and higher speeds.

  Lift Ease models: Zenith DDA, E1

  All Lift Ease commercial passenger elevators are electric traction. We don’t offer hydraulic passenger elevators for commercial buildings, because traction has a superior duty cycle and long-lasting reliability in high-use settings. Hydraulic is fine for low-duty lifts like the RB150.

• Belt drive

  An electric motor moves the car using flat belts instead of steel ropes.

  Oil: No hydraulic oil. Suits: Quiet home lifts, from luxury glass cabins to shaft-less compact lifts.

  Lift Ease models: Zenith Ultra, Levare Compact, Levare Plus

• Screw drive

  A motor turns a long threaded screw, and a nut on the car travels up and down it. No ropes or counterweight.

  Oil: No hydraulic oil. Suits: Retrofits needing a shallow pit and a fully contained drive, and low-duty access lifts.

  Lift Ease models: Atlus, RB150

• Pneumatic (vacuum)

  A pump changes the air pressure above the cabin inside a sealed tube, and the pressure difference raises or lowers it.

  Oil: No hydraulic oil. Suits: Small homes wanting a compact, usually round, tube-style cabin.

  Lift Ease models: none.

  We don’t sell or install pneumatic lifts, but our technicians service and repair them. Lift servicing →

• Myth A home lift needs a deep pit.

  Fact Most modern home lifts need only a shallow pit. The Vector Pro needs just 120 mm, the Atlus 50 to 150 mm and the Zenith Ultra 150 to 300 mm, and the Levare Compact and Levare Plus need no pit or shaft at all.

• Myth Lifts are too expensive to run.

  Fact Every Lift Ease home lift runs on standard single phase 230VAC household power, and a lift only draws significant power while it is moving. Trips are short, and the motor sits idle the rest of the day. The hydraulic Vector Pro draws around 14 A depending on configuration, less than the standard 32 A typical of electric traction. Your actual cost depends on how often you use it and your tariff.

• Myth Every lift needs a machine room.

  Fact Many modern lifts are machine-room-less, with the drive inside the shaft or lift tower. Every Lift Ease lift is machine-room-less. The Atlus is a fully contained screw system, and even our hydraulic Vector Pro needs only a small cupboard for its pump, with no machine room.

• Myth Hydraulic lifts are noisy and smell of oil.

  Fact Not a modern design like the Vector Pro, one of the quietest hydraulic lifts in the Australian market: our showroom unit measured 42 dB. Its submerged worm screw hydraulic motor runs with no loud noise, and its leak-proof ram design means zero leaks, spills or odours, so there is no oil smell.

• Myth Hydraulic lifts always leak oil.

  Fact A hydraulic lift is a sealed system. Leaks come from worn seals or fittings, which is what regular servicing checks for. The Vector Pro adds a leak-proof ram design built for zero leaks, spills or odours.

• Myth You can’t add a lift to an existing house.

  Fact A large share of home lifts are retrofitted. Shallow-pit and shaft-less designs such as the Atlus and the Levare range are made for existing homes.

• Myth If the power goes out, you are stuck.

  Fact Home lifts have a battery backup that brings the car to the nearest landing and opens the door. The Atlus also has a backup battery drive.

• Myth A commercial lift always needs three phase power.

  Fact Not always. The Zenith DDA commercial passenger elevator and the RB150 platform lift run on single phase 230VAC. The E1, built for higher speeds and loads, uses three phase power.

• Myth Installing a lift takes months.

  Fact Once the site is ready, a Lift Ease home lift typically installs in 1 to 2 weeks, a Levare in about 2 days, an RB150 platform lift within a week, and a commercial passenger elevator in 2 to 4 weeks. Design, approvals and building works come first and vary by project.

See all home lift myths →