Apr. 14, 2025
Boom lifts are versatile and essential equipment in various industries. These hydraulic-powered machines feature an extendable arm or "boom" with a platform at the end, enabling operators to access hard-to-reach heights safely and efficiently. With their ability to maneuver vertically and horizontally, these lifts offer unparalleled flexibility, making them indispensable for all kinds of maintenance tasks, construction projects, and emergency response situations, among other applications.
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Boom lifts enhance productivity, reduce the need for scaffolding, and ensure a safer working environment at elevated levels. Their design and features make them a valuable asset for any project requiring precision, accessibility, and elevation.
Boom lifts go by many names, including:
When comparing boom lifts for sale, there are several factors to consider:
In this definitive guide to boom lifts, we’ll focus on the three main hydraulic boom lift equipment categories that are on sale on LiftsToday.com today:
But first, a short primer on boom lifts and their general characteristics.
Boom lifts perform a variety of lifting tasks on construction, commercial, residential, tree care, forestry, oil and gas, and other jobsites. These types of lifts use a hydraulic boom and linkage to elevate workers and their tools on a platform for:
Self-propelled boom lifts come with tracks or tires; wheeled models often have selectable two-wheel drive (2WD), four-wheel drive (4WD), or full-time all-wheel drive (AWD). Many such boom lifts are suitable for use outdoors, including on rough terrain, while others can be used indoors with low or zero emissions and the ability to fit through garage doorways. Tracked and wheeled boom lifts require a trailer to transport them.
Boom lifts may be powered by:
If you’re considering buying a used boom lift, check the number of hours it has accumulated and obtain any available service records.
Articulating boom lifts extend their worker platforms by unfolding multiple hinged sections of their hydraulic booms, like an old-fashioned folding ruler or a pantograph.
Because of the flexibility of their joints, articulating booms can maneuver a work platform into tight spaces, including up and over obstacles such as tree branches, vehicles, low buildings, and girders, and under gym ceilings, air ducts, bridges, and utility lines. Virtually all lifts can rotate their turret, but articulated models that can also rotate their platform and jib can bring workers up to even more difficult-to-access jobs at height.
On hard ground, wheeled articulating boom lifts can easily steer into cramped work spaces, especially models with crab steering. Tracked lifts, on the other hand, excel on soft surfaces and when more traction is required. Battery-electric and hybrid-powered systems are more common in the articulating boom segment than in the telescopic category.
Although articulating lifts are more dexterous than telescoping boom lifts, they generally can’t lift as much weight or reach as far horizontally. A typical articulated boom lift might have an unrestricted (fully extended) lift capacity of 500 pounds (227 kilograms), a horizontal outreach of 25 feet (7.6 meters), and a vertical platform height of 45 ft (13.7 m).
Because one or two workers can stand on the platform to perform their work, a boom lift’s work height is said to be the platform height plus 6 ft (1.8 m). Note that many articulated boom lifts have a telescopic upper boom for greater height and reach.
Boom lifts of all types may come with safety features such as obstacle detection around the work platform, tilt sensors and alarms, and motion beacons with audible alerts. Popular options include air, water, and power lines to the platform that allow workers to use tools or clean building fascias.
Notable manufacturers of articulating boom lifts and other elevated work platforms include CMC, Genie, Haulotte, JLG, Monitor, and Niftylift.
Also known as “stick booms” or “straight booms,” telescoping boom lifts are named for the way they extend their booms. The smaller, inner sections of the boom slide out from the larger, outer sections, like the segments of an old-timey ship captain’s spyglass telescope.
Telescoping boom lifts don’t have as much “up-and-over” agility as articulating lifts, but both wheel and track models can be quite offroad-capable with good traction on rougher terrain, slope compensation, and the ability to climb grades. Wheeled models may have solid rubber wheels or pneumatic or foam-filled tires, often with four-wheel or all-wheel drive. Crawler boom lifts are more capable on mud, snow, and sand.
Telescopic boom lifts can have longer horizontal outreach, greater platform height, and more powerful lift capacity than articulated boom lifts. Some key figures to look for in a telescopic boom lift are its maximum vertical platform height, such as 85 ft (26 m), and its horizontal outreach, such as 45 ft.
A lift’s lifting capacity is similarly important. An example is 750 lbs (340 kg) of unrestricted capacity, meaning that the lift can handle that amount of weight even with its boom fully extended. Every telescopic boom will be able to lift greater amounts with its boom partially or fully retracted, known as its “restricted lift capacity.”
Internal combustion engines—diesel, gasoline, LPG, and dual-fuel—are prevalent in the telescopic segment, with fewer battery-electric and hybrid-powered examples than in the articulating boom category.
Some of the more popular manufacturers of telescoping boom lifts are Genie, Haulotte, JLG, Skyjack, and Snorkel.
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Trailer-mounted or towable boom lifts come in both articulating and telescoping configurations. They’re very popular as rental boom lifts, as many can be towed behind a pickup truck or SUV, and they offer easy setup and operation.
Towable boom lifts are also known as:
Besides the usual specs to check before you buy or rent a tow-behind boom lift—platform height, lift capacity, horizontal reach, and so on—you’ll need to determine vital specs such as its towing weight.
For example, many towable lifts are light enough to pull behind a standard half-ton pickup truck, including models weighing 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) or more. Heavier boom trailers may include self-contained hydraulic surge brakes, or electric brakes that require a tow vehicle with a brake controller.
Also look closely at the lift trailer’s maximum safe towing speed, such as 65 mph (105 km/h), and the lift’s height, width, and length when stowed for transport.
Towable boom lifts generally have excellent jobsite mobility. Boom trailers must be stabilized by extending their outriggers, which look a little like spiders’ legs. Some have an auto-leveling feature for faster setup.
Many towable boom lifts run on battery power or an electrical outlet on the jobsite, but some have gasoline, diesel, LPG/natural gas, or bi-energy setups.
A natural rental item, today’s articulated boom lifts offer fleet owners a versatile machine that can fit into almost any situation. More and more electric and hybrid models are making these machines ideal for use indoors or in residential areas. Here’s what leading industry experts had to say.
The first step is to know your customer and understand their applications and jobsite needs. Beyond that, rental houses can make sure their employees know and understand the benefits of an articulating boom lift, so they can help recommend applications where an articulating boom lift might be able to increase productivity and efficiency.
The second is to consider the total cost of ownership, rather than just the initial purchase price. That includes how much it will cost to maintain the machine over its lifespan, as well as the cost of repairs and lost
rental revenue if the machine breaks down. TCO also includes residual value, and how much you can expect to get for the lift on the secondary market when you’re ready to replace it.
The third pertains to electrified machines in particular: Making sure that the battery solution is a well-tested, quality product, especially with lithium-ion.
Lithium-ion refers to battery chemistry, but the batteries themselves can be vastly different, and quality can vary dramatically. A high-quality lithium-ion solution should be designed specifically for the equipment it is being used in, so you can be sure it can withstand the conditions it will face on jobsites. Likewise, whether the equipment was purpose-built as an electric machine or a converted diesel model can also impact battery performance. Finally, it’s important to understand what testing occurred to ensure longevity and reliability, and what certifications, if any, the battery has received.
Take into account the total cost of ownership over the equipment’s lifespan, including maintenance, repair, and operating costs. Opting for a higher-quality, more reliable model might entail a higher upfront investment but could save you money in the long-term by reducing downtime and repair expenses.
Understand your applications; evaluate the specific requirements of projects and understand the needs of different products which will increase the working efficiency.
Consider future scalability; anticipate potential growth or changes in your operations and choose a boom lift model that offers scalability.
Invest in telematics and connectivity. Select lifts with integrated telematics for real-time monitoring and data analysis. This technology helps you track equipment usage, schedule maintenance proactively and optimize fleet management, ultimately reducing downtime and operational costs.
Second, prioritize advanced safety features. Look for machines equipped with enhanced safety features such as immobilizers, load-sensing technologies and live load management information. This technology reduces accident risks and ensures maximum protection for operators and nearby workers.
When equipment owners are looking to purchase new articulating boom lifts, we suggest following these three tips before making their decision:
1) Look at more than just the purchase price of the machine. Fleet managers should consider everything from their budget to the specific tasks that must be completed with the machine. For example, having too much — or too little machine — can present challenges. It’s important to evaluate the available options based on machine specifications like stability and capacity, as well as the brand’s reputation for reliability and safety.
2) Calculate the machine’s total cost of ownership over its lifetime. Fleet managers should account for factors like financing the purchase, parts availability, maintenance intervals, service and warranty work, telematics and digital tools to manage the equipment, operator and technician training, and the brand’s resale value.
3) Ask what else the brand provides to support its products. Fleet managers should understand what accessories, options, tools, and technologies the manufacturer offers to enhance the users’ experience with its equipment. They should also be able to access the information they need to know to successfully own and operate an OEM’s articulated boom lift.
Consider when the machine will be used on improved or rough-terrain surface applications. Is up-and-over clearance height more or less important than outreach? Would the premium for an electric/hybrid machine in application flexibility be the wiser choice over traditional diesel engine power?
Are you interested in learning more about Electric Articulated Boom Lift? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
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