Around Chicago a boom lift is priced by reach first and by how awkward the delivery is second. An electric articulating unit under 45 feet sits near $300 to $450 a day, a 60 foot rough terrain machine nearer $450 to $700, and an 80 foot telescopic past $900. The metro has no shortage of fleet; the alley, the permit and the weather are what actually bite.
City access chooses the machine before reach does
Downtown and the older neighborhoods put the work over a sidewalk, an alley or a narrow gangway, so the machine has to arrive on a truck that can stop there and pass what is left. Narrow electric booms and towable units exist for that reason. Measure the gate, the gangway and the overhead wires before naming a class.
Standing on a sidewalk or a lane needs permission first
Occupying a public sidewalk or a traffic lane is a permitted activity in the city, and the permit takes longer to obtain than the lift takes to deliver. Settle early who applies, when the closure runs, and how pedestrians are routed past. A machine parked on the sidewalk waiting for paperwork bills its day rate all the same.
Winter is a real line on a hire here
Diesel machines start harder in a Chicago January, batteries on electric units lose capacity in the cold, and frozen or thawing ground changes what a rough terrain boom can cross unaided. Ask the branch about cold weather packages and block heaters, and budget ground protection where a soft lot or a lawn is the only place to stand.
Suburban work prices differently
Out in the collar counties the same elevation is usually reached from a finished lot with room for a lowbed, which means an electric machine, a shorter haul and a cheaper ticket. Transport is charged by distance and truck size in both directions, so a branch fifteen miles closer often beats a lower day rate further out.
Questions people ask about boom lift rental chicago
How far ahead should I book a boom lift in Chicago?
For a common electric class, a day or two is usually enough outside the peak. For a 60 foot or larger rough terrain machine in the summer building season, allow a week or more, because the tall units in any one branch number in single figures and go out on long hires.
Can I tow a boom lift on the road myself?
Self propelled booms are not road legal and travel on a trailer or lowbed sized to the machine. Towable booms are the exception and can be pulled behind a suitable vehicle when the hitch rating, brakes and lights match, which the branch will check before releasing it.
Do I need a harness in a boom lift?
In a boom supported platform, a body harness with a lanyard clipped to the anchor point in the basket is the expected practice. That differs from a scissor lift, where the guardrails are the system. The aerial lift rules set out which platform falls into which category.