| What is a cherry picker?You probably already have a | | | | They can come with larger platforms which can carry |
| basic idea of what a cherry picker is - a piece of kit | | | | several workers and heavy equipment. Popular models |
| that lifts a work platform to high areas. We've all seen | | | | of truck mounted boom's include the Ascendant 22 or |
| them being used - from Street Lighting Contractors | | | | Bronto 34, both robust vehicles which are simple to |
| repairing street lights film crews grabbing aerial shots | | | | operate. Truck mounted booms can be hired on a |
| to window cleaners working on tall city offices. | | | | self-drive basis - those under 3,500kg can be driven on |
| Sometimes called powered access equipment, access | | | | a standard driving license. Larger HGV truck mounted |
| platforms, aerial lifts, flying carpets or aerial work | | | | booms are supplied with a fully trained operator. |
| platforms, cherry pickers get workers up to high, | | | | Trailer mounted booms |
| otherwise inaccessible areas quickly and safely. | | | | Working on the same principal as a truck-mounted |
| So you think you might need a cherry picker for a job, | | | | boom, a trailer-mounted boom lift gives you the option |
| but what kind of machine do you go for? The choice | | | | of collecting and moving the lift using your own vehicle |
| in the fast-growing cherry picker hire and sales market | | | | to tow. Lightweight and versatile, they are a good |
| can be daunting -vertical lifts, boom lifts, scissor lifts or | | | | low-cost option, often used by builders on smaller jobs. |
| truck-mounted lifts... it's hard to know where to start. | | | | Specialist boom lifts |
| This guide will give you an introduction to the types of | | | | In recent years boom lift manufacturers have |
| cherry pickers out there, and help you decide which is | | | | developed some very specialised pieces of access |
| right for your task. | | | | equipment designed for particular working conditions. |
| Types of cherry picker liftThere is a huge choice of kit | | | | Rough terrain boom lifts such as the popular Haulotte |
| available in the cherry picker market, which is good | | | | HA16SPX are designed to be used on uneven ground |
| news because it means whatever the job, there | | | | outdoors, and others can feature caterpillar tracks and |
| should be the perfect machine to fit. But the variety of | | | | even non marking tyres for internal work. Another |
| machines available, and the sometimes conflicting | | | | specialist type of boom lift is the narrow access |
| terminology used by different companies to describe | | | | platform, such as the Spider FS370 or Mantis 29 which |
| them, can be confusing. So here's a general | | | | is designed to be used inside commercial environments |
| introduction to the types of machine's available, the | | | | such as shopping centres, airports or theatres. |
| types of job they are best for, and the different terms | | | | Extremely versatile when it comes to set-up, this type |
| you may see used to describe them. | | | | of lift is available battery operated to avoid fumes, can |
| Up-and-down or side-to-side?Cherry picker aerial lifts | | | | fit through a standard doorway or in narrow access |
| break down into two main groups, each covering a | | | | areas and still give access to high areas inaccessible |
| wide variety of equipment. The first group is the | | | | by ladder. |
| boom-type lift - broadly speaking, a jointed lift that | | | | Scissor LiftsMobile, practical and versatile, scissor lifts |
| raises a platform upwards, and also outwards. The | | | | use a mechanism to lift a caged platform vertically. |
| second group are generally called scissor lifts - these | | | | This might be a criss-cross scissor mechanism, or one |
| lifts simply raise a stable platform vertically, often using | | | | of several other designs. Scissor lifts are usually |
| the criss-cross scissor mechanism that gives them | | | | self-propelled, meaning the operator can drive them |
| their name. | | | | from the basket and can be either battery powered or |
| Boom LiftsBoom lifts come in all shapes and sizes, | | | | diesel powered allowing them to be used both |
| from self-propelled to truck-mounted. The main feature | | | | internally and externally. |
| of a boom lift is that it is jointed, meaning it can move | | | | Battery powered scissor lifts |
| out sideways as well as straight up and down, making | | | | These are ideal for indoor commercial use, Several |
| it ideal for extending up and over objects to reach | | | | models offer a narrow working width which allows |
| hard-to-get-to areas like roofs. | | | | them to travel along warehouse aisles making them |
| Self propelled boom lifts | | | | ideal for carrying out task's such as stock takes within |
| A self-propelled boom lift is usually a smaller unit that | | | | a warehouse, They are also ideal for work where |
| can be moved from place to place by the operator | | | | equipment is needed at height, such as Electrical |
| from the basket. This means they are quick and | | | | engineering. Because scissor lifts are compact when |
| convenient for reaching more than one tricky spot | | | | they are lowered, they can be easily stored on site. |
| without having to stop work and re-set the unit. They | | | | Diesel Powered scissor lifts |
| are ideal for hire on a long-term project on a site, | | | | These come in varying sizes from the Haulotte |
| where a cherry picker may be needed for a variety | | | | Compact 10DX which is ideal for smaller building sites |
| of work at height. Machines such as the Haulotte Star | | | | where space is at a premium to the Skyjack 9250 |
| 10 are popular for internal usage or the Haulotte | | | | which is ideal for cladder's who wish to fix large pieces |
| HA16SPX is an example of a self-propelled boom | | | | of cladding to a building. |
| which is often used on building sites or construction | | | | Scissor lifts can offer a low-cost solution for working |
| projects. | | | | at height, with push-around models at the lowest end |
| Truck mounted booms | | | | of the price range. |
| A truck-mounted, or van-mounted boom is the ideal | | | | Where should I go for more information on cherry |
| choice for work which requires access to numerous | | | | pickers? Now you have a basic understanding of the |
| high work areas in a short space of time. For example, | | | | type of access platform that might suit you, and the |
| machines such as the Ascendant 12.5VM is often | | | | questions you should be asking, the next source of |
| used for working on street lighting. Great for short | | | | information is a cherry picker hire and sales company, |
| term hire on jobs where you need to be in and out | | | | who will be able to give you expert advice on which lift |
| quickly, truck-mounted booms offer speed and mobility. | | | | is best for you. |