Scissor or articulated? A practical way to choose the right platform

Most of the machines we hire out are scissor lifts and articulated boom lifts. The choice between them usually comes down to one question: is there room to stand directly below the point you need to work on, or do you have to reach over an obstacle?

Scissor lift: vertical reach, spacious platform

A scissor lift moves only vertically. Its platform is spacious and its capacity is high, so several people and materials can go up together. That makes it the default machine for maintenance work in warehouses, factories, shopping centres and other facilities.

• If you can get directly beneath the working point, choose a scissor lift.
• Indoors, battery-powered models leave no marks and produce no emissions.
• Rough-terrain scissor lifts (diesel, 4×4) also work on uneven sites.
• If materials are going up, a spacious platform and high capacity are an advantage.

Articulated boom lift: reaches over obstacles

Thanks to its jointed boom, an articulated boom lift can go up and then reach sideways. It is the answer when you need to reach a point the machine cannot be parked beneath – over machinery, beyond the edge of a roof, or across a production line.

• If you need access over obstacles such as production lines, pipe racks or conveyors, choose an articulated boom lift.
• On facade work, horizontal outreach saves time.
• Platform capacity is more limited than on a scissor lift; bear this in mind when planning for heavy materials.

What about telescopic and vertical mast lifts?

With their straight extending boom, telescopic boom lifts offer the longest horizontal outreach and the highest working point among self-propelled platforms, and are generally preferred on large sites such as construction sites and power plants. Vertical mast lifts are single-person machines with a very narrow chassis: they get into places a standard scissor lift cannot, such as shop interiors and narrow corridors, and can be moved between floors in a passenger lift.

If you can't decide

A photo of the site is often enough. Send us a few shots showing the working point and any obstacles in front of it, and we will tell you which class will do the job. Where there is any doubt, we carry out a free site survey – the wrong machine means a lost working day.

Questions? +90 216 999 95 99 · WhatsApp