Which aerial work platform for which job? The decision guide in five questions

Which aerial work platform suits your job is decided by five questions in a fixed order: How high? How far to the side? Which ground and which access? Indoors or outdoors? How much load on the platform? If you answer them one after the other, each answer rules out types, and you reliably end up with one of seven platform types — from the Mast Lift to the Telescopic Boom Lift with 56.90 m working height.

The choice today is wider than ever, and the types overlap strongly in terms of height: a working height of 20 metres is reached equally by scissor, articulating boom, telescopic boom, spider and truck-mounted platforms. Height alone is therefore almost never decisive. This decision guide takes you through the five questions, shows an application matrix for typical tasks at the end and names the three most common wrong decisions.

What is meant here is the mobile elevating work platform in accordance with DIN EN 280, not the stationary vehicle lift from the workshop. You can find all types that you can rent from Luibl Rental on the page Rent an aerial work platform.

The working height is the platform or basket height plus around 2 m reach height. Anyone working on a ceiling at a height of 12 m therefore needs a platform with around 12 m working height — not with 12 m platform height. Plan in some reserve so that the operator does not work overhead and at the limit.

The working heights in the Luibl rental fleet:

Type	Working height	Platform capacity
Mast Lift	10.00–12.65 m	200 kg
Electric Scissor Lift	6.30–33.00 m	227–1,000 kg
Diesel Scissor Lift	9.70–34.00 m	363–1,134 kg
High-Rack Scissor Lift	18.50–33.00 m	450–1,000 kg
Electric Articulating Boom Lift	10.89–28.00 m	150–280 kg
Diesel Articulating Boom Lift	11.91–48.15 m	227–450 kg
Telescopic Boom Lift	14.00–56.90 m	227–454 kg
Spider Lift	13.00–39.50 m	200–400 kg

This results in three height bands: up to around 12 m, all types are possible, including the compact Mast Lift. Between 12 and 34 m, Scissor Lifts, Articulating Boom Lifts, Telescopic Boom Lifts and Spider Lifts compete — here questions 2 to 5 decide. Above 34 m, only Articulating Boom Lifts, Telescopic Boom Lifts and Truck-Mounted Platforms remain, plus Spider Lifts up to 39.50 m.

If the work location is directly above the standing area, a platform that lifts vertically is sufficient: a Scissor Lift or Mast Lift. As soon as something is in the way between the standing area and the work location — a canopy, a row of machines, a trench, a parapet — lateral reach is needed.

• Articulating Boom Lift: the knuckle boom reaches over obstacles, then the telescopic section extends. It is the choice for work locations behind or above obstacles.
• Telescopic Boom Lift: the straight boom provides the greatest reach in height and to the side, but needs a clear path. It is the choice for great heights without obstacles.
• Truck-Mounted Platform and Spider Lift: both work with a boom and are set up on outriggers before lifting; they combine reach with special access (road or difficult terrain).

Please note: lateral reach depends on the load. The machine's reach diagram shows how far the basket may extend with which load. How to weigh up scissor and articulating boom lifts in detail is shown in the guide Articulating boom lift or scissor lift.

In practice, the choice of machine fails more often because of the route to the work location than because of the height. Three checkpoints:

Load-bearing capacity of the ground

Self-propelled platforms place high point loads on the ground. Underground car park and basement ceilings, freshly backfilled areas and paving must demonstrably be able to bear the load. Where this is not certain, the Spider Lift is the solution: it weighs a fraction of a self-propelled platform of comparable height and distributes the load via outriggers.

Access width and height

Compact electric Scissor Lifts fit through standard doors. Spider Lifts get through narrow gates into inner courtyards and existing buildings. Articulating Boom Lifts need not only the access opening but also slewing space for the superstructure.

Terrain and slope

Electric Scissor Lifts need level, paved surfaces. Diesel Scissor Lifts and diesel Articulating Boom Lifts with four-wheel drive drive on graded construction sites; for embankments, lawns and soft ground, the Spider Lift remains the specialist.

• Electric: locally emission-free in operation and low-noise, therefore the first choice in halls, warehouses, production and occupied buildings. A prerequisite is a load-bearing, level floor.
• Diesel: for outdoor jobs, rough terrain and long working days without charging facilities. In enclosed spaces it is not an option because of the exhaust gases.
• Hybrid or bi-energy: combines both — combustion engine outdoors, electric indoors. Useful if a machine moves between hall and yard.

The drive also changes the costs: electric platforms have no fuel costs, but need charging time. The guide Diesel or electric aerial work platform contains the detailed comparison. For outdoor jobs, the machine's wind limit also has to be considered — what applies is explained in the guide Wind speed and stability.

The platform capacity clearly separates the types. In the Luibl rental fleet, Scissor Lifts carry up to 1,134 kg, Articulating Boom Lifts and Telescopic Boom Lifts 150–454 kg depending on the model, Mast Lifts 200 kg.

Add up everything that goes on the platform: people (usually 80 kg per person for planning purposes), tools and material. Two fitters with board material for drywall construction quickly exceed the basket load of an Articulating Boom Lift; on a large scissor platform they work side by side. With boom lifts, additional load also reduces the usable reach.

The following matrix summarises the five questions for typical tasks:

Job	Recommended type	Decisive factor
Ceiling installation, lighting, ventilation in the hall	Electric Scissor Lift	Load, indoors
Maintenance in the high-bay warehouse	High-Rack Scissor Lift	Narrow aisles, height
Shopfitting, offices, narrow corridors	Mast Lift	Access, low height
Installation above machines in production	Electric Articulating Boom Lift	Obstacle, indoors
Facade above a canopy or extension	Articulating Boom Lift	Obstacle
Steel construction with a lot of material, outdoors	Diesel Scissor Lift	Load, terrain
Roof, parapet or industrial facade above 30 m	Telescopic Boom Lift	Height, reach
Several sites per day, street lighting	Truck-Mounted Platform	Road travel
Inner courtyard, church, lawn or paving	Spider Lift	Ground, access

For special cases there are in-depth guides, for example on church restoration, on hall refurbishment with low ceiling height or on the question of whether scaffolding or an aerial work platform is the better choice.

1. Confusing building height with working height. The working height already includes the reach height. Anyone who orders the building height plus a safety margin often rents one class too large — and pays the daily rate and transport for a machine that is heavier and wider than necessary.
2. Only looking at the height. The platform reaches the height, but not the spot behind the canopy, or it does not fit through the yard entrance. Always answer questions 2 and 3 before ordering, ideally with photos of the site.
3. Comparing the daily rate instead of the total costs. An Articulating Boom Lift is more expensive per day than a Scissor Lift, but saves repositioning on facades with many work points. How to calculate the total costs properly is shown in the guide Rental costs for aerial work platforms.

The choice of type also determines which qualification the operators need. Scissor Lifts belong to IPAF category 3a, self-propelled Articulating Boom Lifts and Telescopic Boom Lifts to category 3b, Truck-Mounted Platforms, Trailer-Mounted Platforms and Spider Lifts to category 1b. Every operator needs a qualification in accordance with DGUV Principle 308-008 or a PAL Card with the appropriate category, a written assignment and a machine-specific briefing. Details are explained in the guide IPAF and operator card.

The risk assessment for the site is prepared by the operating company — what it must contain is shown in the guide Risk assessment for access equipment. Luibl Rental hands over the machine itself UVV-inspected and with a briefing.

Send us the answers to the five questions — working height, lateral reach, ground and access, indoors or outdoors, load on the platform — together with the site and rental period. Photos of the site help. Anyone who needs one type almost every day should also consider buying — the calculation is shown in the guide Rent or buy an aerial work platform?. You will receive a recommendation for the type and an itemised quote including transport from Passau or from the network of more than 200 locations.

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Which aerial work platform do I need for a working height of 10 metres?

For purely vertical work indoors, an electric Scissor Lift or Mast Lift. If there is an obstacle in the way, a compact electric Articulating Boom Lift; on difficult ground, a Spider Lift.

Which aerial work platform is suitable for work on the facade?

For an unobstructed facade and a lot of material, the Scissor Lift; for canopies, balconies or extensions, the Articulating Boom Lift. Above 30 m, the Telescopic Boom Lift is an option.

Which aerial work platform may be used in enclosed halls?

Electrically powered platforms, because they are locally emission-free in operation. Hybrid or bi-energy machines may be driven indoors in electric mode; pure diesel machines belong outdoors.

Which aerial work platform is suitable for sensitive or soft ground?

The Spider Lift. It is light, distributes the load via outriggers and gets over lawns, paving and embankments as well as through narrow access routes.

What is the difference between a lifting platform and an aerial work platform?

None when it comes to work at height: "lifting platform" (German: Hebebuehne) is the everyday term for the aerial work platform or mobile elevating work platform in accordance with DIN EN 280. The vehicle lift from the workshop is a different piece of equipment.