By MedCare Mobility Editorial Team · Last reviewed November 2026 · Weight ratings checked against manufacturer specifications

A Hoyer lift is a mobile patient lift that uses a sling and a lifting arm to raise someone who can't stand and move them between a bed, chair, wheelchair or commode. "Hoyer" is a brand that became the everyday name, and today there are several types of Hoyer lifts: manual, electric, portable, bariatric and stand-assist.

Most families hear the word for the first time in a hospital hallway. A nurse or physical therapist says, "She'll need a Hoyer at home," and that's it. No pictures, no explanation. Then you search and find dozens of machines that look almost the same.

They aren't. The types of Hoyer lifts differ in ways that matter every single day. Some are pumped by hand. Some fold into a car trunk. Some only work if the person can still put weight on their feet. One kind isn't a lift with a sling at all, it's a cushion that inflates under someone who has fallen.

So here are Hoyer lifts explained, one type at a time: what each one does, who it's really for, the weight range it handles and a real model you can look at. If you want the mechanics of a single lift (boom, mast, base, sling hooks), our Hoyer Lift & Patient Lift Knowledge Base walks through how one works.

First, "Hoyer" is a brand name

The name comes from Ted Hoyer, whose company started building mobile patient lifts in the 1950s. It stuck the way "Kleenex" stuck to tissues. Hoyer is still a real brand, made today by Joerns Healthcare. But when people say "Hoyer lift" they usually mean any sling lift, whoever built it. You'll also see it spelled "Hoya lift." Same thing.

That's why our Hoyer lift collection includes Invacare, Protekt, Lumex and Medacure models next to the Joerns Hoyer ones. Every one of them is a "Hoyer lift" in the way people actually talk, and each fits one of the Hoyer lift types below.

Three questions that sort every lift

Before the list, it helps to know what actually separates one type from another. It's rarely the brand. All the types of Hoyer lifts come down to three questions.

Most types of patient lifts fall into two families: full-body sling lifts for people who can't stand, and stand-assist devices for people who can, with help.

Can the person bear weight on their legs? If they can't stand at all, they need a full-body sling lift (types 1 to 6, or a ceiling lift). If they can stand with help, a stand-assist device (types 7 and 8) may do the job with less equipment.

Where do transfers happen? Bed to wheelchair in one room is different from bed to car, or from the bathroom floor after a fall.

Who is doing the lifting? An adult son with strong arms, a 78-year-old spouse with a bad shoulder and a two-person facility team will each be happiest with a different type.

If you'd rather answer a few questions and get pointed in the right direction, try our patient transfer lift assessment tool.

Hoyer lifts explained: the 12 types

Below, each of the Hoyer lift types gets a two-line summary first, then the detail: how it lifts, who it suits, and a few real models with their manufacturer weight ratings. The types of Hoyer lifts run roughly from the simplest full-body sling lifts to stand-assist devices, then to the tools made for falls and for overhead lifting.

1. Manual hydraulic Hoyer lift

A manual hydraulic Hoyer lift raises a person in a full-body sling when the caregiver pumps a handle, and lowers them with a release valve. No battery, no charger, no motor. It suits occasional transfers by a caregiver with reasonable arm strength.

This is the original Hoyer design and still the most common lift in American homes. The caregiver works a pump handle on the mast, hydraulic pressure pushes the boom up, and a turn of the release knob lets it down slowly.

The trade-off is effort. Each lift takes a series of pumps, and the caregiver also pushes the lift across the floor. Fine for two transfers a day. Tiring for six.

Who it's for: someone who can't bear weight, a caregiver who is physically able, and homes where transfers are a few times a day. It's also a common backup in houses that lose power.

Examples we carry: Invacare 9805P Hydraulic Patient Lift (450 lb), Protekt Onyx Manual Hydraulic Lift (450 lb) and Joerns Hoyer HML400 (400 lb). See all manual hydraulic Hoyer lifts.

2. Electric Hoyer lift

An electric Hoyer lift does the same job as a manual one, but a battery-powered motor raises and lowers the boom at the push of a button on a hand control. It suits daily or frequent transfers and caregivers who shouldn't be pumping a handle.

Instead of a pump handle, there's a sealed actuator on the mast and a hand pendant on a cord. Press up, the person rises smoothly. Press down, they come down at the same steady speed.

The battery usually lifts off for charging. Most electric lifts also have an emergency stop and an emergency lowering option, so nobody gets stuck in the air if the battery dies mid-transfer. Check the manual for where yours are before the first use.

Who it's for: people who need several transfers a day, caregivers with shoulder or back problems, and anyone caring for a heavier person. Our electric vs manual Hoyer lift comparison goes deeper on that choice.

Examples we carry: Protekt 500 Electric Hoyer Lift (500 lb), Joerns Hoyer HPL402 (400 lb) and Medacure Free Spirit FS450-L (450 lb). Browse every model in our Hoyer lifts for sale category.

3. Power-base electric lift

A power-base lift is an electric Hoyer lift whose legs open and close with a button instead of a foot pedal or lever. The wider stance lets it straddle a wheelchair or recliner without the caregiver bending down.

Every mobile lift has two base legs that spread apart. On most lifts you open them with a pedal or a shifter handle. On a power-base lift, a second motor does it. Small thing, until you've stooped over a stiff pedal forty times in a week.

The wider base also helps when the lift has to reach around a recliner, a wide wheelchair or a bedside commode.

Who it's for: facilities, busy home caregivers and anyone who has trouble bending. Some models come both ways, so you can pick manual or powered legs.

Examples we carry: Joerns Hoyer HPL450 (450 lb, available with manual or electric legs) and the Joerns Hoyer Presence (500 lb, powered leg adjustment).

4. Portable folding Hoyer lift

A portable Hoyer lift is an electric sling lift with a frame that folds down, usually without tools, so it can ride in a car trunk or tuck into a closet. It suits travel, two-home families and small apartments.

Standard lifts are big and don't fit in a sedan. The mast and base collapse, the battery comes off, and the whole thing goes into a trunk or a closet.

The trade-off is size. Many folding models have a narrower base and a lower weight rating than full-size lifts, so check the numbers against the person you care for. For the heaviest users, a standard or bariatric lift is still the safer pick.

Who it's for: visits to the family cabin, splitting care between two homes, apartments with no room to park a lift, and short-term needs after surgery.

Examples we carry: Protekt Take-A-Long (400 lb, folds to fit most trunks), Protekt All-In-One 33350 (350 lb), Joerns Hoyer Advance (340 lb, folds without tools and stands upright for storage) and Invacare Birdie Evo XPLUS (463 lb).

5. Bariatric Hoyer lift

A bariatric Hoyer lift is built with a heavier frame, stronger motor and wider base to safely lift people above the 400 to 500 lb limit of standard lifts. Ratings commonly run from 600 to 850 lb.

Bariatric doesn't just mean "rated higher." The whole machine is bigger: a thicker mast, a longer and wider spreader bar, a broader base and casters made for the load.

Two practical notes. The sling has to be rated for the same weight, because the safe limit of any lift system is the lowest rating of its parts. And measure doorways and the space beside the bed, since these lifts take more floor.

Who it's for: people over about 400 lb, or anyone whose weight is close to a standard lift's limit and may go up.

Examples we carry: Invacare Reliant 600 (600 lb), Medacure Free Spirit FS660-L (660 lb), Joerns Hoyer HPL700 (700 lb) and Medacure Free Spirit FS850 (850 lb).

6. Hoyer lift with a built-in scale

A Hoyer lift with a scale weighs the person while they hang in the sling, so you get a weight reading during a normal transfer. It suits anyone whose care team wants regular weights but who can't stand on a scale.

Weighing someone who can't stand is hard. A lift scale sits between the boom and the spreader bar (or inside the lift itself) and reads the weight while the person is already in the air for a transfer.

Some lifts are built around the scale. Others offer it as an add-on when you order, which is often the simpler route.

Who it's for: people whose doctor or nurse is tracking weight closely, plus facilities that weigh residents on a schedule.

Examples we carry: Joerns Hoyer Calibre (850 lb, built with a scale). The Hoyer HPL700, Hoyer Presence and Protekt 500 Electric can be ordered with a scale.

7. Electric sit-to-stand lift

An electric sit-to-stand lift brings a seated person up to standing with a strap around their back, a knee pad and a footplate. The person must bear some weight and hold on, so it isn't a full-body Hoyer lift.

Here the person stays partly in charge. They place their feet on the footplate, their shins rest against a padded knee support, a stand-assist sling goes around their back and they hold the handles. The motor draws them up and forward into a standing position.

It's faster than a full-body transfer and keeps the legs working. The catch is that it needs some leg strength, trunk control and the ability to follow directions. If someone's knees buckle or they can't hold on, a full-body lift is the right type.

Who it's for: toileting, dressing and changing, rehab after a stroke or surgery, and anyone who can stand with help but not alone. A hydraulic version exists too, like the pump-powered Invacare Get-U-Up (350 lb). Our sit-to-stand lift buying guide covers who qualifies in more detail.

Examples we carry: Protekt 500 Sit Stand Lift (500 lb), Protekt STS Compact 500 (500 lb) and Joerns Hoyer Elevate (440 lb). See all sit-to-stand lifts and stand aids and the matching sit-to-stand slings.

8. Non-powered stand aid

A non-powered stand aid is a rolling frame the person uses to pull themselves up to standing, with knee pads for support. The caregiver then rolls or pivots them to the next seat. No motor and no sling.

There are two common designs. On the first, the person grips a central bar and pulls up while their shins rest on padded supports. Once they're up, two seat pads swing in behind them, they sit, and the caregiver wheels them to the commode, chair or bed a few feet away. The second is a pivot aid: the person stands on a small base holding a handle, and the caregiver turns the whole base to face the next seat. That takes the risky shuffle and twist out of a standing transfer.

These are the lightest, simplest transfer devices in the family. They only work for people with good upper body strength and some ability to stand, so they're the step before a sit-to-stand lift, not a replacement for one.

Who it's for: short transfers like bed to commode, people regaining strength, and small bathrooms where a full lift won't turn.

Examples we carry: Protekt Dash (500 lb), Hoyer Up Stand Aid (440 lb) and Lumex LF1600 Stand Assist (400 lb) use seat pads. The Medacure Assist and Turn AT440 (440 lb) is a pivot aid.

9. Patient transfer lift chair

A patient transfer lift chair is a wheeled, electric seat that opens from behind so a person can be scooted in from a bed or chair, raised, rolled and set down elsewhere. Many families use it instead of a sling.

Some people hate slings. A transfer lift chair skips them. The seat splits or swings open, the chair backs up to the person, and the seat closes under them. An electric column raises them, you roll the chair to the toilet, shower area or recliner, and lower them down.

The person needs to sit upright with some support, so this type isn't for someone who can't hold their head or trunk. Weight ratings are usually lower than full-size Hoyer lifts.

Who it's for: families caring for someone who can sit but not stand, frequent toileting, and people who simply won't accept a sling. Our patient transfer lift chair guide compares the designs.

Examples we carry: VOCIC AY06 Power Lift Chair (330 lb), Med Mobility MED113 Electric Transfer Lift Chair (350 lb) and MED112 Electric Patient Lift Transfer Chair (350 lb). See every patient lift chair we carry.

10. Inflatable lifting cushion

An inflatable lifting cushion slides under someone who has fallen and fills with air from a battery compressor, raising them in stages to a seated height. It is built for getting an uninjured person up off the floor.

Floors are where a lot of caregiving goes wrong. A full-body lift can reach the floor with the right sling, but it's awkward in a narrow bathroom at 3 a.m. Lifting cushions were made for exactly that moment. The person is rolled or shuffles onto the flat cushion, and a compressor inflates it section by section while someone steadies them from behind.

One rule matters more than the equipment. If the person might be hurt, call 911 and don't move them. Cushions are for falls where nothing is broken and the only problem is getting up.

Who it's for: people who fall at home, spouses who physically can't lift them, and care homes cutting down on manual lifts. For someone who must be lifted lying flat, there's a supine version, the Mangar Rhino (1,100 lb).

Examples we carry: Mangar Elk (about 990 lb, or 450 kg, inflates to a 22-inch seat height), Mangar Camel (700 lb, with a supporting backrest) and HelpUp Fall Recovery Lift (300 lb). More options in patient transfer devices.

11. Floor lift chair

A floor lift chair is an electric seat that lowers to just a few inches off the ground, lets a fallen person scoot onto it and then raises them to a normal sitting height. Think of it as a chair-shaped elevator from the floor.

Instead of a sling or a cushion, a padded seat on a stable base drops almost to floor level. The person scoots back onto it, a backrest and armrests give them something to hold, and a motor lifts the whole seat to chair height. From there they can stand with help or move to a wheelchair.

It still requires the person to scoot or be guided onto a low seat, so it suits people who can move their upper body. Like a lifting cushion, it's for falls without injury.

Who it's for: people who fall more than once, and caregivers who want something sturdier and more familiar than an air cushion.

Examples we carry: VOCIC AX15 Patient Floor Lift Chair (440 lb). Its seat lowers to about 2.7 inches from the floor and rises to about 22 inches.

12. Ceiling, track and gantry lifts

A ceiling lift runs a motor along an overhead track instead of rolling on the floor. A freestanding gantry gives the same overhead lift on two A-frame legs with no ceiling work, so it fits rooms where a mobile lift's base won't.

Overhead lifts take the base off the floor entirely. No legs to wrestle under a low bed frame, no pushing a loaded lift across carpet. The motor travels along a rail, you lift, you slide the person along, you lower.

Permanent ceiling tracks need a contractor and a ceiling strong enough to carry them. A freestanding gantry skips that. It stands on its own feet over the bed and comes apart for storage or a move.

Who it's for: long-term care at home with many transfers a day, tight rooms and facilities. Availability of gantry systems changes, so call us at 585-505-6665 if the model below shows as out of stock.

Examples we carry: Joerns Hoyer Easytrack Free Standing Gantry (440 lb, tool-free, no ceiling or wall support needed).

All 12 types of Hoyer lifts at a glance

Here are the Hoyer lift types side by side, the whole family on one screen. Save it, screenshot it or send it to the sibling who keeps asking what a "stand aid" is.

*Ranges reflect the models we carry for each of these types of Hoyer lifts, per manufacturer specifications, as of November 2026. Always use the rating printed on your own lift and sling.

A quick word on slings

Most types of Hoyer lifts need a sling, and the sling matters as much as the lift. A full body sling supports the head and back for people with little trunk control. A divided leg sling (often called a U-sling) is quicker to put on while someone is seated. Toileting slings have an opening for the commode, mesh slings handle bathing, and sit-to-stand slings go with stand-assist lifts.

Sizing is its own topic. Our patient lift sling guide shows how to measure, the Patient Lift Sling Knowledge Base covers safety and compatibility, and the sling assessment tool narrows it down in a few clicks. You can also browse all Hoyer lift slings in one place.

Hoyer lift FAQ

What are the main types of patient lifts?

The main types of patient lifts are full-body sling lifts (manual, electric, power-base, portable, bariatric and scale models), sit-to-stand lifts, non-powered stand aids, sling-free transfer lift chairs, floor recovery devices and ceiling or gantry lifts.

Which Hoyer lift types work without a sling?

Non-powered stand aids, patient transfer lift chairs, inflatable lifting cushions and floor lift chairs all work without a full-body sling. Sit-to-stand lifts use a smaller sling that wraps around the back.

Is a Hoyer lift a brand or a type of lift?

Both. Hoyer is a brand made by Joerns Healthcare, but people use "Hoyer lift" for any mobile sling lift, whatever the maker. Invacare, Protekt, Lumex and Medacure all make lifts that most families would call a Hoyer.

What is the difference between a Hoyer lift and a sit-to-stand lift?

A Hoyer lift raises a person fully in a sling, so they don't need to bear any weight. A sit-to-stand lift brings a person up onto their own feet, so they need some leg strength, trunk control and the ability to hold on.

Can one caregiver use a Hoyer lift alone?

Many home lifts are designed so one trained caregiver can operate them, but plenty of agencies and facilities require two people for every lift. Follow the instructions for your specific lift and your care team's policy.

Can a Hoyer lift pick someone up off the floor?

Many full-body mobile lifts can lower the spreader bar far enough to lift a person from the floor with a full body sling. Check the low end of the lifting range in the specs. Lifting cushions and floor lift chairs are made specifically for falls.

Do Hoyer lifts come with a sling?

It depends on the model. Some lifts include a sling and many do not, so check the product listing. Either way, the sling must be compatible with the lift's hanger bar and rated for the person's weight.

What weight capacity do I need?

Pick a lift and a sling both rated above the person's current weight, with some room to spare. The safe limit of the whole system is the lowest rating of any part, including the sling.

Still not sure which type you're looking at?

That's normal. Hoyer lifts explained on a page still look different in a real bedroom. Most people we talk to have a photo from the hospital and a lot of questions. Send us a picture or a model number and we'll tell you which of the Hoyer lift types it is and what it does. Call us at 585-505-6665.

When you're ready to compare models within one of these Hoyer lift types, our best electric Hoyer lifts compared and hydraulic patient lift guide go model by model, and how to use a Hoyer lift at home covers the transfer itself, step by step. For the bigger picture on transfers, read how to transfer an elderly patient safely at home. And for the safety research behind lift use, OSHA's safe patient handling page and the CDC's safe patient handling and mobility overview are worth a look.