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 is wider today than ever, and the types overlap strongly in height: a working height of 20 metres is reached equally by Scissor Lifts, Articulating Boom Lifts, Telescopic Boom Lifts, Spider Lifts 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.

This refers to the mobile elevating work platform under SN EN 280, not the stationary vehicle lift in 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 of 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	Load capacity
Mast Lift	10.00–12.65 m	200 kg
Scissor Lift electric	6.30–33.00 m	227–1,000 kg
Scissor Lift diesel	9.70–34.00 m	363–1,134 kg
High-rack Scissor Lift	18.50–33.00 m	450–1,000 kg
Articulating Boom Lift electric	10.89–28.00 m	150–280 kg
Articulating Boom Lift diesel	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 about 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, as well as Spider Lifts up to 39.50 m.

If the work point 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 point — a canopy, a row of machines, a trench, a parapet — lateral reach is needed.

• Articulating Boom Lift: The knuckle boom reaches over obstacles, and the telescopic section then extends. It is the choice for work points 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 stabilised on outriggers before lifting; they combine reach with special access (road or difficult terrain).

Please note: the 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 Lifts 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 point than because of the height. Three checkpoints:

Load-bearing capacity of the ground

Self-propelled platforms put high point loads on the ground. Underground car park and basement ceilings, freshly backfilled areas and paving must be proven 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 courtyards and existing buildings. Articulating Boom Lifts need not only the passage 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 all-wheel drive drive on prepared construction site ground; for embankments, lawns and soft ground, the Spider Lift remains the specialist.

• Electric: no local emissions during operation and low-noise, therefore the first choice in halls, warehouses, production and occupied buildings. A load-bearing, level floor is a prerequisite.
• Diesel: for outdoor work, rough terrain and long working days without charging facilities. In enclosed spaces it is not an option because of the exhaust fumes.
• Hybrid or Bi-Energy: combines both — combustion engine outdoors, electric indoors. Useful when a machine alternates between hall and yard.

The drive also changes the costs: electric platforms incur no fuel costs but need charging time. The detailed comparison is contained in the guide Diesel or electric aerial work platform. For outdoor work, the machine's wind limit also applies — what applies here is explained in the guide Wind speed and tipping stability.

The load capacity of the platform 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 onto the platform: people (usually 80 kg per person for planning), tools and material. Two installers 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	Scissor Lift electric	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	Articulating Boom Lift electric	Obstacle, indoors
Facade above a canopy or extension	Articulating Boom Lift	Obstacle
Steel construction with a lot of material, outdoors	Scissor Lift diesel	Load, terrain
Roof, parapet or industrial facade above 30 m	Telescopic Boom Lift	Height, reach
Several sites a day, street lighting	Truck-Mounted Platform	Road travel
Courtyard, church, lawn or paving	Spider Lift	Ground, access

For special cases there are in-depth guides, for example on church renovation, on hall renovation 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 training 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 training under VUV Art. 8 or a PAL Card with the appropriate category, an appointment and a machine-specific briefing. Details are explained in the guide IPAF and operator card.

The hazard identification for the site is prepared by the operating company — what it must contain is shown in the guide Hazard identification for height access equipment. Luibl Rental hands over the machine itself inspected under VUV 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 a type almost daily 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 10 metres of working height?

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 facades?

For a clear 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 produce no local emissions during operation. Hybrid or Bi-Energy machines may be driven indoors in electric mode; pure diesel machines belong outside.

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

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

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

None, when it comes to work at height: "lift" is the everyday term for the aerial work platform or mobile elevating work platform under SN EN 280. The vehicle lift in the workshop is a different device.