Heavy Duty Stair Lift or Bariatric Stairlift is the kind of a stair lift that can safely transport a person whos weight is above average. Much above average.

As you can imagine, designing a heavy duty stair lift is not an easy task. There are several conflicting requirements and the model that strikes the right balance is a winner. The heavy duty stair lift needs to fit the stairs comfortably. The heavy duty stairlift should not take too much space, so one can also still walk upstairs. The chair in a heavy duty chair lift must be designed with higher tolerances and higher weight capacity in mind. Further, the higher passenger weight causes higher torques (twisting forces) on the rail, and therefore the rail has to be made extra strong. In addition, when the rail curves, the additional forces come into play due to the curve, and they have to be taken into account when designing a heavy duty stair lift as well.

Not to mention, for a bariatric stairlift, one needs a stronger electric engine with more power. So, many times, a bariatric stairlift will not be battery powered but rather AC current powered.

Despite the challenges presented to the designers, there are a few models of heavy duty stair lifts in the home mobility market. Heavy duty stair lifts would, especially in the medical literature, be termed "bariatric stairlifts" as well. And sometimes they are termed heavy duty chair lifts. Let's look at the few models that are available today on the marketplace, and see what their characteristics are.

Ameriglide heavy duty stair lift

The Ameriglide heavy duty stair lift is the most comfortable and the most powerful of the Ameriglide offering. This is a straight stair lift with maximum capacity of 500 lbs. and maximum stair length of 20 feet. Due to the heavy duty design, the passenger faces downstairs here and is on top of the stairs swiveled by 180 degrees into the top exit/entry seat position.

ThyssenKrupp Silver-Glide heavy duty stair lift

The ThyssenKrupp Silver-Glide heavy duty stair lift includes all the trappings for a safe and secure ride. Despite being a heavy duty chair lift, it offers a side-facing riding position as is customary with the light weight stairlifts. The Silver-Glide carrying capacity is up to 375 lbs. Silver-Glide is a straight stair lift.

Harmar Summit heavy duty stair lift

The Harmar Summit heavy duty stair lift is the most powerful Harmar Summit stair lift. Its capacity is 500 lbs and a full width of 23 in. seat is available. The Harmar Summit is a straight stairlift. The passenger during the ride faces downstairs. At the top of the stairs, a full 180 swivel chair motion brings the passenger into the comfortable exit/entry position. You can check out this stair lift on Amazon: Harmar Summit Heavy Duty Stair Lift.

Bruno Electra Ride III curved heavy duty stair lift

Bruno Electra Ride III is the only heavy duty stair lift on the marketplace that can be installed on curved stairs. In other words, Bruno Electra Ride III is the only heavy duty curved stairlift. It can be installed both on the inside as well as on the outside of the curved stairs, depending on your preference. The ride is facing sideways, not down stairs, and the swivel seat feature on the top and on the bottom of the stairs will provide for a comfortable exit and entry. Bruno Electra Ride III carrying capacity is 400 lbs.