Aerial equipment is the family of machines that puts a worker and their tools in the air: scissor lifts, articulating and telescopic booms, towable lifts and one-man push-arounds. Day rates start near $95 for a small electric scissor and climb past $1,000 for a tall telescopic boom. Three things move that number: how high you must reach, what the wheels are standing on, and how far the yard has to truck it.
Height picks the family, ground picks the machine
Below roughly 40 ft on a finished slab, an electric scissor is the cheapest way up. Above that, or on dirt and slope, you are into rough terrain scissors and booms. An articulating boom folds over an obstacle and works back under itself; a telescopic boom pushes out in a straight line. Tell the yard the surface before you name a height.
What each class costs to hire
A 19 ft electric scissor commonly lands near $100 to $160 a day. A 45 ft articulating boom sits nearer $350 to $550, and a 60 ft telescopic unit costs more again. Towable lifts are the cheap end at roughly $150 to $250 a day, because you tow them behind your own vehicle and the yard skips the delivery truck.
Reach and platform load are quoted apart
Two numbers matter on a boom and a yard will give you both: working height, and horizontal outreach at a stated platform capacity. A machine rated to 60 ft up may only stretch 40 ft sideways, and less again with two people and a toolbox in the basket. Measure sideways from the ground the wheels can actually stand on.
How close the nearest aerial fleet is
Across all fifty states the Census Bureau counts 5,830 equipment rental establishments in 544 counties. That is how many yards exist, not which ones hold lifts, and plenty hold none. A general rental center often stops at a 19 ft slab scissor, so a tall boom in a thin county usually arrives on a truck from the nearest metro.
Questions people ask about aerial equipment rental
Do I need anything before the yard hands me a boom lift?
The yard gives a familiarisation on that particular machine and expects the person signing to be authorised by their employer to run it. There is no card sold at the counter. A homeowner working on their own property should read the manual stored in the platform before raising anybody.
What is the difference between an articulating and a telescopic boom?
An articulating boom has knuckles, so it can go up, over and back down behind something. A telescopic boom is one straight extending section and buys more outreach for the money. Pick articulating when an obstacle sits between the machine and the work.
Can I tow a lift myself instead of paying delivery?
A towable boom is built for exactly that, and the yard will check your hitch, ball size and lights before it leaves. Self-propelled scissors and booms are not towable and ride on a trailer or a lowboy. Ask what the machine weighs before assuming your vehicle is rated for it.