Abstract: A lifting device for a load, such as a vehicle, includes a substantially vertical column forming a frame and a lifting device movable along the column under the action of a rotation control of a threaded ball driven by a driving unit, a reversible-type nut, such as a ball nut, for moving along the threaded rod, and a friction unit capable of creating, during a control of a down movement of the lifting device, a resistance torque of a modulus at least equal to a torque generated by the load resting on the lifting device. The lifting device also including a device capable of overcoming the friction unit during a control of an up movement of the lifting device and a load-dividing unit for transmitting, at a level of the friction unit, only a proportional part of the load lifted by the lifting device.