A lift For Carrie

A very dear friend, who was originally a client, had called with a unique request: She needed a lift built so that her healthcare provider could give her back a break from having to lift her into her therapeutic tub.

There were several things to take into consideration as we thought through exactly what was needed. The criteria for this lift were that it had to be easy to use, compact and low maintenance. There was nothing off-the-shelf to speak of that we could simply buy and install. I looked into different units designed for institutional use, but they were very large and extremely expensive. I checked into modifying a floor-mounted model, but that turned out not to be a good option, as the process of cutting and welding it would ruin the finish and make it very hard to maintain around the water from the tub.

After an exhaustive search on the internet and with medical suppliers, I landed on a plan. I would purchase a hand-crank hydraulic lift that I would fit to lift what I welded. It would be a wall-mounted lift that was very similar to davits I had built and used on fishing boats back in a previous life. I would have the whole unit powder-coated blue to match the trim tile in her bathroom.

I built a prototype out of wood first, then welded up square tubing that was ¼’ thick steel with gate hinges that were rated for ½ ton witch, made the ram the weak point at 350 pound capacity. Carrie, my client, weighs about 85 pounds, so it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s strong enough. I through-bolted the hinge plates through blocking in the wall through a 2x6, horizontally run across several wall studs. The hinges have grease zerks that allow for lubrication.

It took quite a few man hours to put it together, but it was really a labor of love and it works quite well. Carrie’s healthcare provider’s back is not getting any worse, and Carrie is getting her daily therapeutic bath – just what the doctor ordered!