Stair Lifts With No Installation

If nothing gets fixed to your stairs, what you're really looking at is a portable chair that climbs the steps, not a lift on a rail. Lehner Lifttechnik explains it as equipment that moves a person over the stairs while nothing is attached to the home. A rail lift works differently, since its track is fixed along the steps.

Because there is no drilling or fitting involved, the chair can shift between staircases as needed. The catch is that a second person must always operate it.

Fixr points out that portable stair lifts call for an operator and cannot be used alone. Rigert presents its mobile stairlift the same way, as a machine handled by a helper. The rider stays seated while a relative or caregiver steers the unit from behind.

That means the right choice depends on who lives with you, not just on your stairs. A mobile chair only helps if a trained helper is home every time the stairs are needed, night-time trips included.

MobilityWorks recommends that operators complete training first and rehearse descents with the chair empty. Running it down with no one aboard helps the helper learn its handling before carrying a passenger.

Here are five models, with prices, listed weight capacities and stair types where that information is available. Ask the supplier what counts toward the weight limit, especially for a wheelchair stair climber.

The Genesis GO is the basic battery-powered chair in the range. The Genesis holds as much as 400 lb without rails, though it only runs on straight staircases.

The Helix is the option made for curved or round staircases. MobilityWorks puts its carrying capacity at 400 lb.

Rehabmart describes the Mobile Stairlift LITE as caretaker-operated, rated to 250 lb. All Star Medical lists it at $3,395 with a capacity of 260 lb. The Garaventa Stair-Trac is an attendant-run wheelchair stair climber rated up to 330 lb.

Certain stair-climbing wheelchairs sit in a much higher price bracket. The Caterwil GTS3, as one example, sells for $11,135.

A portable climber costs about $1,000 to $4,000. A fitted lift on a straight staircase usually costs $2,500 to $7,500, so the prices overlap more than you might expect. The big difference is that a fitted lift lets the rider travel alone. For curved stairs, fitted lifts cost a good deal more. The numbers here are ranges drawn from published pricing guides rather than actual quotes.

NCOA quotes a broader span for a fitted lift, running $2,500 to $12,000. Fitting a straight model generally takes 2 to 4 hours, and it can be ready within 1 to 15 days after ordering. A curved lift takes 4 to 5 hours to fit, but expect to wait about 3 to 5 weeks after ordering.

A typical straight rail measures 15.5 ft. Every additional foot of rail costs around $80 to $100 more.