Rent Aerial Work Platforms and Construction Machinery in Fribourg

Fribourg is built on two levels. Down in the loop of the Sarine river stands the medieval old town built from Molasse sandstone, reached via narrow, steep lanes and stepped paths; up on the plateau lie residential and commercial buildings, the university, and the bridges that connect both parts of the city. Anyone renting aerial work platforms and construction machinery here therefore plans not the working height first, but the route to the set-up point and the space that stays clear there. Luibl rents out aerial work platforms, telehandlers, excavators and forklifts to restoration and stonemasonry firms, facade and building-services companies, construction firms, and depots throughout the city and the wider canton. We select equipment based on conditions on site: access, gradient, ground load-bearing capacity, and the required outreach.

The building fabric of the lower town is almost entirely Molasse sandstone. The material is soft and absorbent, it weathers at edges, cornices and window surrounds, and it cannot tolerate contact pressure. For joint repair, stone replacement, cleaning and roof-structure maintenance, one rule follows: the machine never braces against the facade, and the basket is guided calmly along the wall rather than driven up to it. Reaching a given position therefore depends less on height than on lateral outreach. Articulating boom lifts with 10.89 to 48.15 m working height operate from a distance and guide the basket over projections and retaining walls up to the wall.

The second issue is the ground. In the lanes, paving and slab surfaces sit over cellars, vaults and utility ducts — the surface looks load-bearing and is not always so. Load-distribution mats are standard equipment, and the permitted point load should be clarified before the first machine rolls in. Where there is no room for outriggers, spider lifts with 13.00 to 39.50 m remain the most practical class: narrow transport width, load distributed across the tracks, and a chassis that also reaches the set-up point over stepped forecourts and sloped access routes. Because the steep slope stacks retaining walls and terraces on top of each other, the permitted incline of the set-up surface also matters — this is machine-dependent and documented in the operating manual.

Above the loop, the requirements shift. Here the focus is on bridge structures spanning the river bend, residential and commercial buildings with multiple full storeys, university and administrative buildings, and the associated technical work: lighting, cabling, waterproofing, railings, drainage. Pure height is called for more often than in the lower town. Telescopic boom lifts cover 14.00 to 56.90 m working height at 227 to 454 kg basket load and work high facades, piers and abutments from a single set-up position.

For undersides — cable runs beneath the deck, bearings and joints — a machine is needed that first lifts the basket and then guides it under an edge; diesel articulating boom lifts range from 11.91 to 48.15 m at 227 to 450 kg. On paved, level ground, diesel scissor lifts with 9.70 to 34.00 m and up to 1,134 kg basket load are the more economical solution once several people need to work at height with material at the same time. On the connecting structures, traffic management is also decisive: a closed lane or a time window at the edge of peak traffic determines how long a machine may stand there. Tell us the approved window and we will schedule delivery and collection around it.

Class	Working Height	Basket Load
Scissor lifts, electric	6.30 – 33.00 m	227 – 1,000 kg
Scissor lifts, diesel	9.70 – 34.00 m	363 – 1,134 kg
High-reach scissor lifts	18.50 – 33.00 m	450 – 1,000 kg
Articulating boom lifts	10.89 – 48.15 m	150 – 450 kg
Telescopic boom lifts	14.00 – 56.90 m	227 – 454 kg
Mast lifts	10.00 – 12.65 m	200 kg
Spider lifts	13.00 – 39.50 m	200 – 400 kg

The difference in elevation between the two parts of town turns material transport into a task of its own. Telehandlers in fixed-frame design lift 1.25 to 25 t to 4.30 to 18.80 m and set down scaffolding material, stone packages or windows over walls and embankments; the Roto model with 15.42 to 38.90 m and 4 to 8 t delivers the same reach without repositioning the machine. For halls and emission-sensitive areas, electric telehandlers are available from 5.85 to 30.00 m.

In utility and civil engineering work, our fleet of excavators covers 1.8 to 30 t operating weight; in the historic core, the smaller end of the range is almost always required, because lane width and turning circle dictate the class. Add to that forklifts from 3 to 16 t for handling in depots — and where even a telehandler no longer fits, the mini crane.

Swiss occupational safety law applies in Fribourg. The framework is set by the Labour Act and its associated ordinances; operator duties when using work equipment are governed by the Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV). Implementation and oversight lie with SUVA, and EKAS guidelines set out the requirements in detail. Mobile aerial work platforms are inspected to SN EN 280. Luibl hands over every machine with an inspection certificate, CE documentation and operating manual; risk assessment, protective equipment, a rescue plan for the basket, and the visual and functional check before work begins remain the responsibility of the hirer.

One point that comes up here more often than elsewhere: the city is bilingual, and on mixed sites, German- and French-speaking teams work on the same machine. Clarify before work begins who provides the induction, in which language it takes place, and which version of the operating manual stays with the machine. The same applies to barriers, emergency procedures, and communication between basket and ground.

Transport runs from our Passau site, a distance of around 700 kilometres. Getting to the edge of the city is straightforward; the real planning starts within the city itself. Between the plateau and the loop, the streets drop steeply, hairpin bends and gateway arches limit the length and height of the vehicle, and in the lower town a single bottleneck often decides whether a low-loader can reach its destination. Tell us the width at the narrowest point, the clearance height, the gradient, and the turning space at the destination — this determines which equipment size is feasible. If your project runs across several locations in the Central Plateau region, for instance also around Bern or Lausanne, we coordinate delivery, equipment changes and collection through a single point of contact.

Rent aerial work platforms → | Send an enquiry →

Which aerial work platform is suitable for restoration work on Molasse sandstone?

One that works from a distance. The sandstone tolerates neither the basket knocking against it nor the machine bracing against the facade, so lateral outreach matters more than height. Articulating boom lifts with 10.89 to 48.15 m working height guide the basket over projections and retaining walls up to the wall. To select the right machine we need the height of the work area, the distance to a load-bearing standing position, and the available space.

How do you set up a platform in the narrow lanes of the lower town?

By clarifying three points first: where outriggers may be placed, what the permitted point load is, and what lies beneath the surface. Paving and slab surfaces here often sit over cellars and utility ducts, which is why load-distribution mats are standard. If there isn't enough space, a spider lift with 13.00 to 39.50 m is the alternative: the tracks distribute the load, and the machine fits through narrower gaps.

Which machine reaches a bridge underside above the river bend?

One with an articulating boom that first lifts the basket and then guides it under the edge. Diesel articulating boom lifts from 11.91 to 48.15 m working height at 227 to 450 kg cover most of these tasks. What matters is the standing position: load-bearing, sufficiently level, and correctly positioned relative to the work area. To plan the job we need the distance, the height difference, and the required basket load.

Must the induction be given in both German and French?

It must be given in a language the operators understand with certainty — for mixed teams that often means both. Decide before work begins who provides the induction and which version of the operating manual stays with the machine. Responsibility lies with the hirer as operator; we provide the documentation and agree the language version with you when you enquire.

How much lead time does a job with a closed traffic lane need?

As much as the permit requires — and that lead time is practically always longer than the one for equipment scheduling. Secure the time window first and plan the machine around it, not the other way round. As soon as the date, duration and location are confirmed, we schedule delivery, briefing and collection so that the time within the window is available for the work itself.

Before you enquire, it is worth looking at the designs: at Rent a lifting platform you will find all platform types from the scissor lift to the truck-mounted platform with their strengths, typical applications and operator duties.