What do you consider to be 'low cost'?

Compared with what, in particular?

I realize the level of expense is relative to the country's economy.

At our company we were looking into a cargo lift. to bring stored boxed documentation up from the basement where two people spent months in looking for a resolution. it was past to me and I came across these chair lifts with a cargo attachment. I was surprised at the low cost. ^{here where the cost relative comes in}

$1749.00 for a complete basic unit and you install it and a used one that has been rebuilt is about $1399.00

Remember there is always costs, unless you're looking for charity or an alternative.

What is the price for new ones?

it's listed

Very well said!

Licence manufacture is the logical way to go. Considerable cost reduction is certain and there no need to reinvent the wheel. Considering one billion population and burgeoning middle class and huge presence of people with knee related problems it will make great and logical economic sense to locally produce such a device.

It is good suggestion but now a days know how transfer fees are in millions of $.

I have one in our house for my son. We got it second hand and it was still expensive. I have thought of diy solutions as the commercial ones seem very over engineered to me. The main problem is making one narrow enough so that it doesn't obstrict the stairway for normal use.
I don't think there are any cheap ones out there because of the nature of the device e.g. low numbers heavy, time consuming installation etc.
Del

Thats just it, Del.

I hear expensive, costly, pricey. but there is nothing Quantifiable.

is pricey $75.00 or $10,000.00?

I sort of see your point, but the actual numbers are pretty irrelevant!
At the time we got one, I would have been considered reasonably paid, but the cost was probably equivalent to an average second hand car.
I can't remeber the figure.
Anyhow, price is a flexible comodity and is adjusted to suit the market... the wealthy old lady may get charged £8,000 where the poor familly will be offered a second hand one for £2,000.
The very poor just don't get a look in.
Del

but the actual numbers are pretty irrelevant!
I think it is relevent, so I understand the a reference to work with.

but the cost was probably equivalent to an average second hand car.

Did you look at the link I posted, I know its in the U.S., but I thought it was reasonable. Even with a pick of the more robust models. so with the exchange rate of £ would be about half of $

Also it does depend on if you have a landing on the stairs that would go off at a 90 degree.

But any I'll say handicap accessable add-ons such a vehicle lifts, they are expensive. But I can't quote the price of that right now.

Thanks for the info.

Average installed price is $3500 to $4000 for straight stairs....You can buy one and install it yourself for around $2000, for a budget model...ballpark figures...

prices are here #3 on my earlier link.

I believe installation was around $500.00 (Of course anywhere in the US only)

Ours came to about $3,000.00 with installation, extended stair length, with a cargo lift and on concrete

Doesn't seem like it would be that hard to fabricate one from junkyard parts, of course it probably wouldn't look as nice.....I would just move to a 1 floor house....

Doesn't seem like it would be that hard to fabricate one from junkyard parts,

really, at my company, it was talked about designing one. I never gave it a second thought and looked elsewhere.

Back to th OP, I really do not know what he is asking. Ideas? Alternatives? Bat Pole?

Well 3rd world cheap would be a chain hoist or block and tackle, a board or something on the stairs, and a chair on wheels...I would just do a hole in the floor with chain hoist, or a pulley system with a counter weight....

http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/cub_/lessons/cub_simple/cub_simple_lesson05.xml

Good reference, I have seen simular, but for freight.

As far as third world country's, I do not believe that they would put any resources at all to it's public facilities to accommadaate it's hanidcapped citizens that appear nonproductive because it appears that they can't contribute.

We're getting into social and political issues here, so have to be careful of being shut down from the CR4 authorities.

Since suresh sharma posted, it would be nice to get some feed back from him.

Actually, it's not the fabrication that is the problem. If you are going to build one for use by the general public, there are a meriad of rules and regulations that apply to the furnishing of this type of device. I have built and furnished what I called a "manlift" in several instances on underground equipment I have furnished. Here in the US, there are regulations in every state the concern themselves with the manufacture and installation of such a lift. Further, there are tests in most cases that must be performed on the manlift before the State will certify it for use. This is where the cost begins to mount. The first test is a free-fall drop where the lift is loaded to its full anticipated and rated load and the chains (or cables if it is a cable device) are disconnected and the load is allowed to drop without restriction other than the free fall stopping devices installed on the lift. Then the actual travel is measured and must be within a specified distance (inches). Of course, there are permits that must be acquired after these tests are done, and these permits must be renewed annually. So, again, the unit itself isn't the expense, it's the cost of compliance that makes them rather pricey. I hope that helps.

Actually, ..........

You have to remember this is a third world, or/and economically depressed country.

Do you think safety is at the top of the list when complaining how expensive it is.

One thing to get the country to an advance country ??? such as the U.S. (another ???). We went through a period with a lack of safety also.

Is that right?, no of course not

did it advance us in safety?, of course it did through these mistakes

Can a country grow by applying safety? Good question

$10,000/- yes is pricey.

yes it is. so is $1,000,000.00

But you have yet to get us what you would consider an affordable number or range

A common man in a poor country would also be poor.

It would be unaffordable at any price as it may well be deemed to be a non self gratifying luxury. Folk seem to find money for self gratifying luxuries in any economy. When it comes to useful things, well, spending money on a party makes more sense. Go figure.

I know poor man will not live in multi storey house. Even higher middle class man living in own bunglow will find it expensive in developing country.

As part of my pension plan I've got a few properties. I am the reluctant landlord. I get to buy the chairlift that I will never use.

From my landlord haggling techniques and I know that the markup by some of the chairlift companies is very high and even more so the 'we'll back it back from you' routine. The money made on the second hand units is really high.

Need to balance this though with the service the stairlift people give.

As to design there are some very heavy people out there so this lifts need to be sort of special.

Yep, they have to be robust. safe and reliable.

Even so, they are not what one would call "rocket science". One could readily be designed and implemented at a mutually satisfactory price break to quality/functionality ratio anywhere in the normally populated world really. Provided there was a demand that is.

The poor folk understand value and if they don't see a return on an investment whether it be on assets or pleasure then they will do something else with those funds. Things like eating and bringing up children comes to mind. Appropriate technologies develop where ever there is a demand for them.

I think it would be easier to sell a sports car than a stair lift in some poor countries.

I'm having a moral crisis now....is "poor" a politically correct classification? What have I said?

I have done some research in this subject. I found that hydraulic lifting platforms mounted outside the house are most economical and safe. But in many case it is not possible to install due to many other factors.

The machine is simple enough. Like most things accommodating them is a huge part of the installation.

A hydraulic solution would require skilled maintenance. I suppose any vertical transportation solution would. Ongoing cost for these is not zero. yet another barrier.

Does anybody here have first hand experience with the maintenance requirements of stair lifts?

Suresh,are you thinking about the Indian market for these? Market is big for sure but the idea is easily copied too....You want to be the first to get in and the first to get out of a market like that...or not? Is somebody already doing the hydraulic solution in your parts?

I am not Industrialist,but retired engineer so no desire to be first to come in and out. I came across such problem and tried to search for solution for my friend who is heart patient and has to climb 4 stories as building does not have provision for installation of normal Lift.

The answer of course would be for your friend to move to a first floor apartment. Cost of move would be less than the cost of a man lift.

There is no room at 1st floor. All occupied.

Ok I get it, you want to help a mate.

Does your friend own the whole building?

No he does not own it. But landlord has given him permission to install lift. India one mfr is offering hydraulic lift. I am not sure about its performance, there could be problems with valves, pumps and leakages.

So he is permitted to build a personal penthouse elevator without a stop on each floor?

For the case you mention have a look at the building site elevators of ALIMAK. Those are based on outside beams with a rack-pinion drive and all other safety devices. The system can be placed every where where the distance between walls is large enough. For stability it is anchored to the wall and it can go for even more than only 4 floors.

The chairs mentioned by many are for 1 floor or may be 2 but not for 4.

It is very simple but it does have a cost since lifting of human beings must be a safe operation. The advantage is that it does not requires a place in the house.

I have seen hoists attached to ladders that aid construction workers in getting their materials such as shingles up to the roofs of houses. Not sure what they are called, ladder lift or hoist, but they seem quite simple and could most likely be inexpensively modified for your purposes

Suresh, If you contact the Cabin Lift manufacturers in India, you might get it at affordable cost as they are in the same business and should be in the know. I however believe that they price their wares higher than normal as I am aware that the technology involved is common and input materials as well as the electronics are easily available. A few years back I negotiated with one manufacturer from Gujarat and got installed a 4-persons capacity lift for 1.5Lakhs (3,000 US$) at probably @60% cost of other manufacturer. However, keep in mind the AMC that will be involved which is recurringly painful.

I do agree with members from other countries who have responded to this as they are unable to guess the costs that we pay here.

We get it cheap here but not necessarily of cheap quality.

How many floors did that serve? Do you have photos or a link to similar available to share?

A friend of mine here installed an elevator in his new business premises of 4 floors and it cost him around USD20,000. He looked at a USD14,000 option that was rejected for technical support and warranty reasons. It was a regular automatic passenger lift like you would find in any modern city, not a rough and ready agricultural or improvised solution.

It served two floors and it is definitely like a modern city passenger lift and not a rough and ready agricultural or improvised one. It was some little more than 3Yrs back so add for the inflation. I'll take a pic whenever I visit that place next.

What I am trying to establish here is that things are really cheap here in India and please do not consider them any inferior to what you must be having. The safety factor used here is far more than what you must be having as people tend to overload here. As far as exterior is considered, all that glitters is not gold and need not be,truly so.

That is surprisingly cheap. That included automatic doors, vertical guides, hoist and ropes, control apparatus.....?

At that price every home should have one!

All included except collapsible grill door instead of automatic doors.

The building is old and during those days they did not make provision for lift for buildings upto four floors. Now if lift is to be installed it has to be installed externally, which means constructing lift shaft out side the building, that itself will cost around Rs.15 lacs ($30,000). Add to this cost of lift which is around Rs.5 lacs ($10,000). So total cost works out Rs.20 lacs. Which quite expensive for old retired person.

The price quoted here in Mumbai for the lift suitable 4 persons and for five floor building is around Rs.5 lacs. These lifts are provided with VFD drive, digital controls, motor of "Crompton" make and "Radicon" make gear box.With VFD drive you get smooth landing and hoisting. You got very low price lift which may may not have VFD drive and digital controls reputed make motor and gearbox.

In my building we have recently revamped 72 years Steigler lift by replacing complete hoisting machines, panels, doors etc. @ Rs.3 lacs.Lfit has provision for 5 persons and suitable for 5 floors.

I have treated this in the same way as the design challenge recently introduced onto CR4.

Based on the typical chair attached to a track at the side of a flight of stairs, a simple design (only 18 separate mechanical components, even allowing for multiple use, less than 70 mechanical parts), adjustable for angle and length (up to 6m) and including a safety brake, costed out at approximately £440 ($700, INR 40,000) per flight for a kit of parts (pricing at batch quantities of 10 kits). I have designed to meet a European standard for such things as trapping points. Features, the rack and pinion is replaced by a tensioned chain so it cannot have any bends. Failure of the chain applies the brake using the "Otis" lift principle. The track is a pair of tubes, the same dimensions as scaffold poles, the runners are Nylon 6 wheels with inset bearings, all steel parts are electro zinc plated. The track reduces stair width by 85mm, and 225mm where chair is parked in fold up position. Electric motor operated by a hand held remote control.

I have not costed for any certification, set up costs (minimal), overhead, or profit element.

Assembly and installation should take 1 fitter, 1 electrician and 1 labourer approximately ½ day per flight at local labour rates.

This does nothing to solve the problem of our heart patient, but it confirms what both "The Commoner" and "Wal" have said about the technology or manufacture not being the real problem.

I can make the drawings available if anybody is interested.

This seems to be interesting solution for only single storey bunglows not for multi storey buildings.It is simple solution and quite reasonably priced. It may need approval from lift inspectorate.You have not indicated power feeding arrangement,details of motor and gear box drives.Will it have VFD or soft start drives?. I suggest you should make one prototype with help of any local factory owner who is interested in developing this product as it can have vast market in U.K too.

Kind of reinventing the wheel for a niche market product.

These prices do not include things like amortisation of production design, prototyping, statutory approval costs , other capex, fixed and variable opex, marketing, logistics or a profit margin to make it worth doing.

Current pricing for extant solutions is already at the supply-demand cross over and IMO this would be a risky market to enter unless you had a very disruptive solution.

Great idea for a capable DIY enthusiast but by the time you've got to the point where you'd want to or need to build one for your self you most probably haven't got the stamina or physical where with all to do it anyway.

There are loads of tasks that I couldn't be bothered expending energy on anymore these days and I'm not that decrepit....yet.

Plan ahead and set your house up when you are young for when you are old and infirm....thinking of other things weren't we?

Youth is wasted on the young.

My Mum used to ask me for a push from behind when the stairs were getting a little difficult. My son would do that for me too when he was at home especially if I was carrying something...family traditions.

Has your friend considered moving to a different apartment?

No, at old age people get attached to place where they have spent their lives.They live there till they are alive.

I won't correct your typo. Read what you wrote in your last sentence mate. Made me laugh a bit...

...but yeh, I hear what you are saying.

Your friend owns his apartment or rents?

Moving can be very disruptive at any age but sometimes you just have to be practical. Like many changes once the inertia to make a change is overcome one starts thinking why they didn't make the change sooner.