Boom Lifts vs. Cherry Pickers

Boom lifts are aerial platforms that consist of a hydraulic arm connected to a platform or bucket with a grounded, movable base on wheels or tracks. Boom lifts can support 1-2 workers and have the following characteristics:

• Horizontal and vertical reach
• Platform load capacity of 500-1000 lb.
• Heights from 30-180 feet

There are two different types of boom lifts.

• Telescopic or straight boom lifts have arms with one or more sections that extend in straight lines. They have greater reach than other lifts.
• Articulating boom lifts have arms with multiple hinges or pivot points. Their greater flexibility makes them more effective at moving around obstacles than other lifts.

Boom lifts are commonly used for the following jobs:

• Building and construction
• Roofing, painting and maintenance
• Assembling and dismantling scaffolds
• Steel works
• Port and shipyard jobs

Pro Tip: Use extreme caution and all safety precautions with boom lifts in high winds or uneven terrain.

Cherry pickers, like boom lifts, are aerial platforms with telescopic or articulated arms attached to a base. Named for their original use in orchards, cherry pickers are mounted on trucks or trailers and have stabilizing legs. They are also called towable boom lifts.

Cherry pickers are commonly used for the following jobs:

• General cleaning or pressure cleaning buildings
• Painting buildings
• Trimming trees and parks maintenance
• Installing signs or billboards

Pro Tip: Operators should attach safety harnesses when working in any kind of aerial lift.

Boom lifts and cherry pickers can be mistaken for each other, but their primary difference is their propulsion method.

Boom lifts are self-propelled heavy equipment vehicles with wheels. They usually need to be towed or transported to a location but once there, they can be driven around a worksite on their own power. These lifts can safely move short distances while the boom is raised.

Cherry pickers, or towable lifts, are pieces of freestanding heavy equipment that must be delivered to the working location on either a trailer or truck. Cherry pickers cannot be moved when the boom is raised. Instead, the boom and other components must be lowered and secured before moving the cherry picker to another location on the work site.

When making a choice for towable boom lift rental, consider the following:

• Boom lifts can finish jobs more quickly than cherry pickers and are suitable for more complex jobs. They are more expensive and can require more training to operate.
• Cherry pickers are less expensive and easier to operate than boom lifts.

Pro Tip: Learn the maximum weight you’ll need for a job before renting a lift. Do not exceed a lift’s weight limit.

Scissor lifts, also called mobile scaffolds, are aerial platforms that raise workers, tools or materials for installation or maintenance jobs. Like boom lifts, they are self-propelled and can be driven around a job site.

Scissor lifts are different from boom lifts and cherry pickers in that they only allow vertical reach, not horizontal. Scissor lifts range from 25-50 feet in lifting height, less other types of lifts.

When making a choice for scissor lift rental, consider the following:

• Advantages of scissor lifts include a wider, highly stable platform with higher load-bearing capacity than other types of lifts. Scissor lifts may be preferable for jobs that require more than two workers or heavier loads, such as raising containers to high shelves in warehouses.
• Disadvantages of scissor lifts are that they only have vertical movement and must be used on flat, solid work surfaces.

Pro Tip: Never exceed a scissor lift’s safe working angle or maximum gradient of the ground.

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