An elevated work platform is also known as an aerial work platform, bucket truck, or scissor lift. It is a mechanical device that takes people or equipment to an elevated area that is highly inaccessible.
Elevated working platforms are common equipment for maintenance and construction work. They are also used by firefighters for emergency access. Although these machines are primarily designed to provide vertical transport, some are equipped with special features such as electrical outlets, air compressors, and window frame carriers. If you are looking to rent an elevated working platform, you have plenty of options with a variety of custom features and safe working loads.
Elevated Working Platforms for Rent
- Cherry pickers
Also known as boom lifts, cherry pickers are named after their original purpose – picking fruit from very tall trees in an orchard. Modern cherry pickers still operate around a limited safe working load with most baskets capable of only carrying up to 200 kilograms.
Electric powered cherry pickers are great for indoors while diesel powered models are mostly set up for servicing power lines.
- Telescopic lifts
Telescopic lifts are designed to carry much heavier loads – measured in tons instead of kilograms. Each machine comes with a load chart that the operator has to follow to the letter so the arm extension does not carry more than it should.
Telescopic lifts are more mobile than cherry pickers. They even come in 4WD models that are perfect for maneuvering around rough terrain.
- Scissor lifts
While articulating lifts spin around and telescopic lifts move around, scissor lifts are straight up and down. The pantographic design features a series of linked supports that fold in a crisscross pattern, similar to a scissor. The scissor action can be hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical. Scissor lifts have wider platforms than cherry pickers and telescopic lifts.
Perfect for transporting workers and equipment to a specific height, scissor lifts are often used for cleaning high windows, painting exteriors, changing signage, and cleaning gutters.
- Vertical mast lifts
The smallest type of elevated working platform is the vertical mast lift. Designed for indoor use, these personnel lifts often have zero-turn capability so they can work smoothly in cramped spaces.
- Safety first
If you are renting an elevated working platform, make sure that the operator is well-trained for this type of equipment. A typical training course would include hazard assessment, equipment checks, setup and operation, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and emergency procedures.
Whether you are moving people, tools or merchandise, an equipment rental company can help make your life easier. Contact your trusted solutions provider today!
Written by Lindsey Rentals. Lindsey Rentals offers the best equipment rentals in Columbia, MO.