Many of the Lifters described have been shown to use a push or pull method to apply the force required to tilt. Using this method, the ratio of the base to the height has a very large impact on the initial Mechanical Advantage.

Note: I am not an engineer nor a math expert. These calculations are pretty basic. The method used to calculate the force needed to tilt comes very close to actual test results and it is what I use in my planning.

If a see-saw method is used to tilt the Carriage and is applied by using an Extended Tilt Assist Arm then the height of the Carriage has a different effect. Unlike the above example, making the width greater than the height allows more of the weight to be retained on either side of the fulcrum when the Carriage is tilted, thus requiring less effort to tilt the Carriage back to a balanced position.