Catch apparatus for a rack lift, with a tooth wheel (2) engaging the rack and unrotatably mounted on the shaft (4), which also carries two friction members (16,18), which are spring tensioned (28) towards each other for mutual friction engagement, and of which one (16) is unrotatably carried by the shaft (4), and the other one (18) is glidingly supported (20) on the shaft but normally co-rotating through the frictional engagement, an inertia blocking mechanism (38,74) being arranged to stop the other friction member (18) at exceeding of a limit velocity of the shaft (4), for braking the shaft through the frictional engagement. The blocking mechanism includes a blocking member (54) which is suspended (44,46) for pendulum movement in a plane extending trans- versely to the shaft (4) in order to be clamped, when the limit velocoty is exceeded, between a fixed abut- ment (74) and an abutment (42) carried by the other friction member (18).