RM Online - What you need to know about . . . Aerial Lifts

When it comes to general construction, industrial and institutional maintenance or even many of the bigger chores a homeowner may face - everybody could use a lift. Or, to twist Robert Browning's words a little: "Man's reach exceeds his grasp."

Aerial lifts are among the most requested rental items, and for good reason: scissor lifts, articulating and telescopic booms - depending on the situation - offer huge productivity gains over ladders and scaffolding.

When a customer comes in and says "I need a lift," there are a few questions that should immediately come to mind: "Where are you going to be using it?" "What are you going to be using it for?" "How high is your highest working height?"

These are pretty typical and logical questions, but always ask one more: "Have you been trained on the operation of a lift?" Lift manufacturers are required by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) to follow ANSI A92 and other pertinent regulations. Basically, it states that every potential lift operator has to be trained and a record kept of this training.

"When it comes to lifting equipment, safety is your closet friend," says Ken Zimmer, technical director at Mayville Engineering in Mayville, Wis. "Any time you elevate a platform, there are certain hazards to be aware of. According to ANSI, the user must be a qualified operator in order to rent these types of equipment.

"Qualification includes instruction and hands-on training, reading safety manuals, watching videos and the like on the different models and styles in use. The training may take three to four hours and is typically offered through the manufacturer at a dealership, or even on a job site. This is one reason why these machines are not intended for use by the casual operator or 'weekend handyman' kind of renter.

"Even though the operator may have completed instruction for qualification, the rental house representative should still take the time to do a walk-around and familiarize the user with the machine before it goes off the lot. He should know how the controls work, where the operator's manuals are located on the machine and anything else to check before the lift is operated at the start of each shift."

Vertical and scissor lifts typically have a guardrail around the platform's perimeter for user protection. On boom-type lifts, where the basket can extend beyond the footprint of the base, restraints such as lanyards, tethers, body belts or a harness are called for. If the boom lift is crossing rough terrain with the boom in an extended position, and the machine hits a bump or a dip in the ground, the basket may have a "catapulting" effect on the operator - the effect of the bump is magnified by the time it reaches the operator. The restraints are intended to keep the user from being pitched up and out.

Where the lifting device will be spending most of its time is the next big qualifier. Common terminology is to ask if the lift unit will be used "on the slab" or "off the slab." On a paved slab, most battery-powered lifts will do. This is especially true if the unit is to be used primarily indoors, where gasoline or diesel fumes from an engine-driven unit may pose concerns. On new-construction sites where uneven terrain may be encountered, a diesel or gasoline engine-driven unit with larger, flotation-style tires may be best.

Along with drop-offs and holes on the surface, the presence of overhead wires and lines and other obstructions are other safety hazards that must be considered. Articulated boom lifts, with their ability to go up and over obstructions, are a better choice than straight up-and-down scissors or vertical lifts where a lot of obstructions are present.

The presence or absence of electricity on a job site is another qualifier. Electric units use battery power to operate the hydraulic mechanisms for lifting, and motors for moving about. These batteries need to be recharged. If no electricity is available, larger units that rely on diesel or gasoline engines for propulsion and battery charging may be the only option.

Say the work site is a greenfield construction site without electrical hook-ups. Then engine-driven machines may be the only choice. Once the site has been hooked to the electric grid and a slab has been poured, the user can switch over to electric units.

Maximum lift capacity is another variable. What's being lifted where may well dictate machine recommendation. Lift equipment is rated in platform height; as a rule of thumb, you should subtract 6 feet from the ceiling to get the platform height needed. For example, if you have a 26-foot ceiling, you will need a 20-foot reach unit.

Lifts are rated by gradability, rather than horsepower. On larger lifts, besides being able to travel on rough terrain, the units should be able to get on and off tilt-back trailers or roll-back trucks easily, under their own power. Units used on a poured slab typically require much less horsepower or gradability, because they are operating on a smooth, level surface.

Most manufacturers provide some important statistics in their units' model numbers. For example, Mayville's 2033 has a 20-foot platform height and is 33 inches wide.

"The 20-foot, 750-pound capacity scissor lift is perhaps the most often used in the rental industry today," says Cheryl Brown, marketing communications manager for Genie Industries. "The capacity includes the operator, tools and material.

"The most common units in rental use today are self-propelled units, because they offer much greater productivity over units that have to be manually pushed around. They are greatly preferred for nearly all types of construction activity.

"Self-propelled lifts were introduced around 30 years ago as large-platform types. Over the years, their size has decreased while their versatility has increased. While two-man lifts were common years ago, many of the lifts in use today are one-man style.

"The worker has enough room to take his materials aloft with him, plus maneuver to the exact spot where work has to be done. Once elevated, the worker can also travel from spot to spot to complete his task. Putting in sprinkler heads in new construction is a good example. All you need is a box of sprinkler heads, a pipe wrench and off you go.

"As for articulating boom-style units, one of the most popular is a boom with a 51-foot working height and 25 feet of outreach. These are used in a wide range of applications, are self-propelled and available in rough-terrain versions."

According to the manufacturers, a relatively high purchase cost makes lifts ideal for rental, especially in the larger units. Lifts are a dedicated product for certain uses, which means they may be in high demand during certain phases of a construction project, but then utilization decreases.

The combination of high productivity and limited utilization and the fact that lifts are sophisticated, expensive pieces of equipment makes them ideal for rental. Of course, some users - such as airports, schools, sports complexes and government facilities - may own their own vertical lifts for ongoing, frequent use in maintenance applications.

Use of lifts has been proliferating on work sites. "Years ago, laborers working overhead would share a machine, but today it seems everybody has to have his own," Zimmer says. "A lift is so productive that it's considered almost a tool of the trade in some construction professions. In fact, there are very few tradesmen out there who do not rely on hoists and lifts. Users include electricians, pipefitters, HVAC people, renovation experts and more."

Lifting equipment comes in mobile and non-mobile styles. Non-mobile units are simply pushed or towed to the work site. These models are more economical to purchase and so they're often found in institutional settings for occasional maintenance use. Manually propelled vertical lifts may require the use of outriggers to make them more stable.

Mobile, or self-propelled, lifts are designed to allow the user to travel when elevated. However, the speed is governed so that the unit travels faster when lowered. In the stowed, or lowered, position the lift can travel at around 3 mph; in the raised position the speed is automatically decreased to about 1 mph.

Telescopic booms (sometimes called "stick" booms) and articulating booms (commonly called "up and over" booms) are other styles of elevated work platforms. Each has its own merits and benefits to the user. In addition, many styles are available in rough-terrain versions. Larger booms may be truck-mounted or trailered to a work site.

As the name implies, the telescopic, or stick, boom's platform travels straight up in the line of sight from the base. This is unlike articulated styles, which can be swung around to reach tight spots. Typically they do not require outriggers, and some larger units are designed to reach 120 feet.

Some common applications and users for telescopic booms include utility and painting contractors; steel erection; bridgebuilding, maintenance and repair; and in manufacturing and industrial facilities.

Mayville Engineering in Mayville, Wis., one of the companies that specialize in scissor lifts, has a rough-terrain model with a platform height of 41 feet - that would get you up to the fifth floor of a building, or put you in position to change light bulbs in a gymnasium. But for some users, maneuverability in restricted spaces may be more important than height.

Some scissor lifts achieve a zero-clearance turning radius by pivoting on one rear wheel; this design gives them great maneuverability.

Besides front-wheel-drive-and-steer machines, four-wheel-drive-and-steer units are available for unique access situations. Scissors are designed to operate in tight quarters and many feature non-marking tires.

Most are electric-over-hydraulic drive systems - that is, they rely on batteries to power a DC motor, which then drives hydraulic pumps.

Certain styles use a joystick to control direction and movement. The controls can also be tilted slightly to accommodate operators of different heights.

Some units feature an optional extending platform that can be extended out of the front of the lift for up to 48 inches of increased reach and extra working area. This allows the operator to get closer to the work area. This is a popular option found on many rental units.

Applications for scissor lifts include facilities maintenance, aircraft maintenance, drywall installation, plastering, lighting and utilities installation and maintenance.

Articulating, or Z-boom, lifts come in both self-propelled versions and trailer- or truck-mounted models. These workhorses are used when extreme agility and lifting power are needed. Up-and-over styles allow the user to get up alongside obstructions and over them in order to get to the work site.

Outriggers are used in outdoor applications on uneven terrain - for example, if your customer is working next to a building on sloped ground. They are used to level the unit; of course, the machine is not drivable when the outriggers are deployed.

Articulating booms are available in both internal combustion- and DC-driven models, the latter most often used in indoor or "on-slab" applications and on medium-terrain sites.

Common applications for articulating lifts include building construction and maintenance, various tasks at refineries, sports and entertainment facilities and campus buildings, and mechanical, electrical, utility and paint contracting.

Whether for construction or maintenance, lifts enable the operator to reach anything that's up in the air. Although many contractors own their own lifts, there are times when extra units are needed during crunch periods or when temporary workers are brought in.

These machines are not typically rented to homeowners, but some of the units available are easy to use and could be successful in that market - with thorough training that emphasizes safety above all.

For example, Genie's TMC34/19, with a working height of 40 feet, could be used to hang Christmas lights or trim trees. Its easy-to-use controls are almost intuitive for the user.

But never leave anything to chance when you rent a lift to a nonprofessional user. Go over every detail of operation.

And don't assume that the professional contractor knows everything about lifts, either. Some contractors have actually tried to rig up their own lift baskets on a forklift or telehandler. Makeshift devices like these are unsafe. They're also inefficient: you need two people to make them work - a person in the basket and a machine operator on the lift truck or telehandler. You have much better answers.