A vehicle lift does one job. It gets your scooter, power chair or manual wheelchair into or onto your vehicle without you lifting it. Everything else about the decision comes down to four things: what your vehicle already has on the back of it, how heavy your equipment is, which small parts have to match, and who does the fitting. This guide covers all four in the order they actually matter.
Before any of that, run the compatibility calculator on our vehicle lifts page. It is the manufacturer's own tool, it is free to use, and it does the hardest part for you. You tell it what you drive and what you need to carry, and it returns the lifts approved for that combination. That one step rules out most of the range in a minute, and the same page compares the kinds of lift side by side.
This guide picks up from there. It assumes you have landed on a hitch-mounted lift, which is what most people buy, and it covers what is true of hitch lifts generally. Wherever a detail depends on the model, the product page for that lift is where it is stated, and that page is the one to trust.
Start with the receiver on your vehicle
A hitch-mounted lift bolts into a trailer hitch receiver. That is the square tube under the back bumper. If your vehicle has one, you are most of the way there. If it does not, a hitch shop fits one, and that is a separate job from buying the lift.
Hieline does not sell or fit receivers. We sell the lift that goes into yours. You can order the lift before the receiver is fitted, and plenty of people do, because the two jobs happen on different days anyway.
What matters about your receiver is the size of the square hole and how high it sits off the ground. Those two measurements decide which adapter bar fits, and they are the only two questions on our product pages that ask you to pick up a tape measure.
Hitch classes, without the jargon
Hitch receivers are sold by class, and almost nobody remembers which class is on their own vehicle. You do not have to. The class is really a statement about the size of the opening, so measure the opening instead.
| Square opening | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1.25" | A lighter receiver, common on cars and small crossovers | Check the lift's rating before you order. Some lifts accept it and some do not. |
| 2" | The most common size on SUVs, vans and trucks | Most hitch lifts are built around this size. |
| 2.5" | A heavy receiver, usually on full size trucks | Fine to use. The adapter bar steps down to fit. |
Lay a tape across the inside of the square tube and read the number. If there is a sticker or a stamped plate on the receiver, it will also give you the class and the weight it is rated to carry. Photograph it. It answers the next question too.
Weight on the tongue
This is the number people miss, and it is the one that matters most for safety.
A rear lift hangs everything it carries behind the back axle, so the receiver holds the weight of the lift plus the weight of whatever is sitting on it. That total is the tongue weight. Our product pages print the lift's own installed weight, so the arithmetic is simple. Add the weight of your scooter, power chair or manual wheelchair to the weight of the lift, and compare the total against what your receiver is rated to carry.
Check the label on your receiver before you order
Every lift is rated for the device it can raise, and our pages will stop the order if your equipment is heavier than the lift can handle. What no manufacturer publishes is a tongue weight rating for your particular receiver, because that depends on how it was fitted to your vehicle. The rating is on the receiver itself. For example, a 74 lbs. lift carrying a 300 lbs. scooter puts 374 lbs. on the hitch, and a lighter receiver is not always rated for that.
If the number on your receiver is lower than the total you worked out, you have three choices. Fit a stronger receiver, choose a lighter lift, or carry a lighter device.
The adapter that comes in the box
The adapter is a steel bar that connects the lift to your receiver and sets the height the lift sits at. A hitch lift normally ships with one in the box, at no extra cost, and for most buyers that is the end of the subject.
Which bar ships depends on the model, so the product page names the one that comes with the lift you are looking at. Do not assume it is the same part across two models, because different models ship different bars.
You need a different adapter only when your receiver sits outside the height band the included bar covers, or when a spare tire or a long bumper is in the way. That is why the page asks how high the opening sits off the ground. If the height you enter is outside the band, the page says so and offers the bar that fits. If it is inside the band, the page stays quiet, because a height inside the band is a probable yes rather than a certain one, and we would rather check your order by hand than tell you something we cannot be sure of.
A replacement adapter is charged at the manufacturer's list price. It replaces the bar in the box rather than adding to it.
Hitch post or swing away
A hitch lift normally comes with a fixed hitch post, and it holds the lift solidly in place. A swing away is an upgrade that replaces it, and it lets the whole lift pivot to one side so you can open the tailgate or the trunk with the lift still attached.
If you use the back of your vehicle for anything other than the lift, the swing away is usually worth it. If you never open the tailgate, the fixed post is fine.
There is often more than one to choose from. A lighter swing away saves tongue weight and often costs more, not less, which surprises people. If your tongue weight is tight, those pounds can be the difference. The options for each lift are on its product page.
The battery pack and the covers
Two more options come up on many lifts, and both are available on some models and not others.
The first is a battery pack. A lift is normally wired straight into your vehicle's electrical system. The battery pack powers the lift on its own instead, so that wiring is not needed.
There are two reasons to choose it. The first is simply that some people would rather not have the lift connected to the vehicle battery at all. The second matters more than most people expect: some hybrid and electric vehicles do not have a 12 volt battery able to power a mobility lift, and the pack is the answer on those vehicles. If you drive a hybrid or an EV, choose a lift that offers the battery pack.
The thing to know before you choose it is that the pack has to be charged. It becomes one more thing on the list, alongside charging the scooter or the chair.
It is not offered on every lift. Heavy duty versions in particular often go without it, so if you are weighing a standard lift against its heavy duty version, check both product pages rather than assuming they carry the same options.
The second is a weather cover, usually made in a scooter shape and a power chair shape and in more than one size. A lift carries your equipment outside the vehicle in whatever weather you are driving through, so a cover is the one accessory most people end up wanting.
Both are shown on the product page of any lift that takes them.
What installation actually involves
A hitch lift is bolted into the receiver and, unless you have taken the battery pack, wired directly to the vehicle battery, because the motor draws more current than an accessory socket will give it. Some installations involve drilling. This is not a job most people should do on their own driveway.
You have two routes. You can arrange your own installer, in which case the lift ships to you and the wiring is between you and them. Or, where the product page offers it, you can add professional installation to the order, and the price appears on the product page.
Fitting a receiver is a different job and we do not do it or arrange it. If you need one, a local hitch shop handles it, and it is worth having done before the lift arrives.
The license plate
A lift with equipment on it can sit in front of your license plate. Some states enforce plate visibility and some do not, and the rules change.
A plate riser moves the plate up above the lift. It is an option, and we never add it to your order for you. A buyer in a state that enforces the rule is told what their state expects. A buyer anywhere else is told it is not required and can still buy one. It is your call either way.
Shipping, warranty and returns
Shipping follows our shipping policy.
The manufacturer warrants the lift, and the product page gives the terms, including whether the warranty transfers to a second owner.
Vehicle lifts cannot be returned
A lift is bolted to your vehicle, usually wired into it, and in many cases drilled. Once it has been fitted it is not a boxed item that goes back, so we do not accept returns on vehicle lifts. That is exactly why we check the fit on every order before anything ships, and why it is worth spending ten minutes on the measurements now rather than finding out later.
How to decide in ten minutes
Run the compatibility calculator first. Then go out to your vehicle with a tape measure and your phone.
- Look under the back bumper. Is there a square tube? If not, your first call is to a hitch shop.
- Measure across the inside of the square opening. It will be 1.25", 2" or 2.5".
- Measure from the ground to the bottom edge of that opening.
- Photograph any sticker or stamped plate on the receiver.
- Weigh your scooter, power chair or manual wheelchair, or look the weight up on its own product page.
Those five answers are everything the product page asks you for, and they are everything we need to confirm the fit before your order ships.
