The different types of aerial work platforms.
When building the new offices for your company or new houses, you might have to operate on a tight budget.
Therefore, you look for all ways to avoid extra and unnecessary costs.
Say you want to excavate the area. You will only use an excavator for a limited time. When you look into buying one, you might end up wasting a lot of cash.
That is why we advise all our clients, that if possible, to hire this equipment. If you have a small project that will use these machines one time, then what is the point of buying them? At Rent a Tool, we not only offer the best equipment for the job, but we also offer to dispatch them with a machine operator.
Do not let your lack of equipment be the reason for not achieving your goals.
Renting a tool in most cases is cheaper than actually buying the machine itself.
Aerial platforms, for instance, are expensive to purchase, and you might only require them once in a while.
Renting them is always a wise way to get your project completed. Among the many aerial platforms that exist, here are those that every operator should know about;
- The spider
- Articulated boom lifts
- Telescopic boom lifts
- Aerial lifts
- Scissor lift work platforms, and so much more.
The spider
The spider is a common name used to refer to the boom lift. It gets its name from the close resemblance to a spider when sitting outside a facility. It is effortless to confuse the spider with a cherry picker. This aerial platform was initially designed to be used in orchards to pick fruits at higher levels. Today, the spider is utilized in construction sites and in maintaining an overhead line. Firefighters always use it to put out fires in tall buildings and difficult areas to access. At the near end of a boom lift is a bucket where the men can stand while carrying out an operation to access the area. Boom lifts have durable tires that make them suitable for use in rough terrains.
Articulated boom lifts
Also known as the knuckle lift, the articulated boom lift has a work platform on its extended arm, enabling the lift to go huger and across obstacles. It resembles a human arm when bent. This lift has a turntable at its base, making it possible for it to rotate in a full circle. Articulated boom lifts are prominent in maintenance works and sites that have many obstacles making them hard to access. They can even be useful in repair works, outside a building, or those involving piping. As opposed to scissor lifts, this lift is convenient in inaccessible and uneven terrain areas.
Telescopic boom lifts
This lift helps to access very high grounds. Its work platform is on a long straight arm that is mounted on a movable turntable. Telescopic boom lifts are useful when it comes to window washing, electrical repair activities, and other maintenance jobs that take place on elevated platforms.
Scissor lifts
Scissor lifts only move vertically. This is possible by applying pressure to the outside lowest supports, which elongates the crossing patterns and propels the lift vertically. Of all the other lifts, the scissor lift is the least popular since they have to be underneath themselves to operate and thus cannot reach high heights. For this reason, scissor lifts are conventional in indoor maintenance tasks and painting.
Aerial lifts
Aerial lifts are a popular choice when working on elevated grounds. Although there is a close resemblance of this lift to the boom and scissor lift, initially, aerial lifts were designed to drive to outdoor jobs to access the electrical line and trees.
Aerial platform safety
Safety is key when operating any aerial platform. Massive training is ideal before a businessperson hires a person to operate the lifts. Ensure that you see their licenses and credentials that indicate that the person is qualified to run this equipment. Also, it is good that you take the person on a test and assess his experience practically. Offering time-to-time training to your employees will be great to keep them knowledgeable about this equipment.