An aerial lift is any machine that carries a person to the work, and the three families a rental yard stocks answer three different problems. A scissor lift goes straight up on a wide deck, a boom lift reaches up and out over something in the way, and a towable boom arrives behind a pickup. Height is only half the question; the other half is what stands between the wheels and the work.
Platform height is not working height
Yards advertise both numbers and they differ by six feet, the assumed distance from the deck to a standing worker's hands. A 26 ft scissor is a 32 ft working height, and a 60 ft boom puts you near 66. Measure to the work, add nothing for optimism, and pick the class above the figure rather than the one that just meets it.
Straight up, or up and over
A scissor lift only rises vertically, so it must stand directly beneath the work on ground it can hold. An articulating boom bends around a roof edge, a parked truck or a machine that cannot be moved, and a telescopic boom trades that flexibility for raw horizontal reach. If anything sits between the wheels and the target, the scissor is the wrong machine at any price.
What the classes cost by the day
A 19 ft electric slab scissor commonly advertises $100 to $180 a day, a 40 ft articulating boom $250 to $450, and a 60 to 80 ft telescopic boom $500 to $900. Rough terrain versions of any of them cost more than the slab machines. Weekly pricing usually lands near three day rates, so a two-day job and a four-day job rarely differ much.
Guardrails or a harness
The difference matters on the quote. A scissor deck is guarded by its own rails, so the rails are the fall protection. A boom platform is not: the operator wears a full body harness with a lanyard anchored to the platform itself, because a boom can throw an occupant out. Ask whether harnesses are included, since many yards hire them separately.
Questions people ask about aerial lifts for rent
Which aerial lift works on grass or gravel?
A rough terrain scissor or a four-wheel-drive boom, both of which have flotation tires and levelling outriggers or an oscillating axle. A slab scissor is built for finished floors and will bog, tip or refuse to elevate on soft or sloping ground.
Can a towable boom lift be pulled by a half-ton pickup?
Usually yes. Towable booms are built for that, weighing roughly 3,000 to 5,000 lb with a standard ball hitch and lights. Check the yard's stated weight against your truck's rating, and remember the lift still needs outriggers set on firm ground once it arrives.
How much room does a lift need to get inside a building?
Measure the doorway, the turning space and the floor loading before booking. A narrow electric scissor comes in around 30 inches wide and fits through a standard double door; anything wider needs a loading dock or a roll-up door.