Types of aerial lifts

There are three main aerial lift designs. Choosing the right one can be fairly straightforward, once you understand the differences: your application will define which is right for you. They include:

• Boom lifts – Buckets on the end of extendable or jointed arms. If you need to reach up and over obstacles, you'll probably need a boom lift, as other types of lifts move mainly straight up and down.
• Scissor lifts – Flat platforms that travel straight up and down. Best for moving multiple people or large amounts of equipment or product up and down, as they offer more lifting capacity and larger workspaces than bucket lifts.
• Personnel lifts – Single-user, vertical travel buckets. The most economical choice for single-user operations that only require vertical travel.

Boom lifts
Boom lifts come in two distinct varieties. Telescopic boom lifts (also called stick booms or straight booms) have long, extendable arms that can reach up to 120' at almost any angle. They're often used in construction, where their long reach lets workers get access to upper stories of buildings. For the highest and longest reach, these are your best choice.

Articulating-boom lifts have arms that bend. Sometimes called knuckle booms, they can reach over and around obstacles to position the bucket exactly where it needs to be. They're popular in utility work where power lines, trees, and other obstacles make positioning tricky, but they're also used in plant maintenance, where they allow workers to reach over immovable equipment.

Boom lifts offer the best combination of vertical and horizontal flexibility: some models can even position the bucket lower than the base if needed. Typical boom lifts fall in these ranges:

• Platform heights from 20' to 110'; most fall into the 20' to 50' range.
• Lifting capacities most commonly 500 lbs.

Many boom lifts can be fitted with a jib. This adds about 6' to the height and allows the bucket to be moved up and down (and sometimes side to side) without moving the main boom.

Another variety of boom lift is the trailer-mounted boom lift. These battery-powered lifts are towed to work locations behind other vehicles, instead of being able to move on their own. They can reach heights of 30' to 50'.

Scissor lifts
Unlike boom lifts, scissor lifts only travel vertically. However, they generally offer larger platforms and lifting capacities. The larger platforms provide more space for material and personnel, and allow workers to access a larger work area without repositioning the lift.

Many scissor lifts have a platform extension that provides a horizontal reach of 4' to 6' out from the top of the lift. While very limited compared to a boom lift, platform extensions do provide an important amount of flexibility.

Scissor lifts most often fall into these ranges:

• Platform heights from 19' to 50', with the low end being much more common.
• Lifting capacities from 500 to 2,500 lbs, most commonly 500 to 1,000 lbs.

Vertical personnel lifts
As their name makes clear, vertical personnel lifts move users straight up and down. They're less expensive than other types of lifts and are often small enough to be moved through a standard doorway in their collapsed state.

Some specialized vertical personnel lifts can handle two workers, overlapping with low-end scissor lifts, but most common specifications for these lifts are:

• Platform heights from 12' to 50'.
• Lifting capacities around 300 lbs. – enough for one worker and tools.