Dimensions
What is a base lift?
The base lift is the lowest lift of a scaffold, between the ground and the first ledger level. It is often set at a different height from the lifts above it.
Use this diagram+
Free to use on your own site, in training material or in a course handout, as long as the credit link stays on it. Paste this where you want the diagram to appear.
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<img src="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/base-lift/diagram.svg" alt="base lift — scaffold diagram from ScaffoldOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/base-lift">What is a base lift?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk">ScaffoldOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>The base lift frequently has to clear something — a doorway, a window, a pavement, plant — so it is set to suit the obstruction rather than to match the regular lift height above.
It is also the lift carrying everything above it into the ground, through the base plates and sole boards, which makes the ground under it the most consequential ground on the job.
A base lift that has been adjusted on site to clear an obstruction is a change to the configuration, not a detail.
What goes wrong on site
- Raised on site to clear an obstruction without checking the configuration still holds.
- Bracing at the base omitted to create a walk-through.
- Ground under the base lift not prepared for the load the whole scaffold puts through it.