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? Answering them one after the other rules out types with every answer and reliably leads you to one of seven kinds of platform, from the mast lift to the telescopic boom lift with 56.90 m working height.

The range is broader 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 therefore almost never decides. This decision guide takes you through the five questions, shows a job matrix for typical tasks at the end and names the three most common wrong decisions.

This refers to the mobile aerial work platform under NBN EN 280, not the fixed vehicle lift in a garage. You can find all types you can rent from Luibl Rental on the page Aerial work platform rental.

The working height is the platform or basket height plus around 2 m of reach height. Anyone working on a ceiling at 12 m height therefore needs a platform with around 12 m working height, not 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
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-bay 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, 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 enough: a scissor lift or mast lift. As soon as something is in the way between the standing area and the work point, such as a canopy, a row of machines, a trench or a parapet, outreach is needed.

• Articulating boom lift: the articulated arm reaches over obstacles, then the telescopic section extends. It is the choice for work points behind or above obstacles.
• Telescopic boom lift: the straight boom delivers 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: outreach depends on the load. The machine's reach diagram shows how far the basket may extend with which load. How to weigh up a scissor lift and an articulating boom lift in detail is shown in the guide Articulating boom or scissor lift.

In practice, the choice of machine fails more often on the way to the work point than on the height. Three checkpoints:

Load-bearing capacity of the floor

Self-propelled platforms put high point loads on the floor. Underground car park and basement slabs, freshly backfilled areas and paving must demonstrably be able to carry 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 four-wheel drive drive on a levelled site; for embankments, lawns and soft ground, the spider lift remains the specialist.

• Electric: no local emissions in operation and low-noise, therefore the first choice in halls, warehouses, production and occupied buildings. The prerequisite is a load-bearing, level floor.
• 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 gases.
• Hybrid or bi-energy: combines both, with a combustion engine outside and electric inside. Useful when a machine alternates between hall and yard.

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

The platform's load capacity clearly separates the types. In the Luibl rental fleet, scissor lifts carry up to 1,134 kg, articulating 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. On boom lifts, additional load also reduces the usable outreach.

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-bay scissor lift	Narrow aisles, height
Shop fitting, 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 work locations per 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 restoration, on hall refurbishment with low ceilings or on 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. Looking only at 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 work location.
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 and telescopic boom lifts to category 3b, and truck-mounted, trailer-mounted and spider lifts to category 1b. Every operator needs adequate training in line with applicable Belgian safety rules, for example an IPAF certificate (PAL Card) in the appropriate category, designation by the employer and a briefing on the specific machine. Details are explained in the guide IPAF and operator certificate.

The risk analysis for the work location is drawn up by the user; what belongs in it is shown in the guideline Risk analysis for work at height. Luibl Rental hands over the machine itself inspected by an EDTC/SECT and with an operator briefing on handover.

Send us the answers to the five questions (working height, outreach, ground and access, indoors or outdoors, load on the platform) together with the work location and rental period. Photos of the work location help. If you need a type almost every day, you should also consider buying; the guide Rent or buy an aerial work platform? shows the calculation method. You receive a recommendation for the type and an itemised quotation including delivery by low-loader to your site, throughout Belgium.

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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 an obstacle is in the way, a compact electric articulating boom lift; on difficult ground, a spider lift.

Which aerial work platform is suitable for facade work?

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 in operation. Hybrid or bi-energy machines may be driven indoors in electric mode; pure diesel machines belong outside.

Which aerial work platform suits 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" is a common term for the aerial work platform (mobile elevating work platform) under NBN EN 280. The vehicle lift in a garage is a different device.