Cherry picker is what most people call the machine and boom lift is what the yard has it listed under. They are the same thing: a platform on an articulating or telescoping arm that reaches up and out over an obstacle. Asking for a cherry picker in the United States will get you a boom lift, and knowing the yard's word makes the quote quicker.
What it costs
Published national ranges for the boom lift class run about $250 to $700 a day, $700 to $1,650 a week and $1,675 to $3,425 a month. Working height is the main driver inside that range, followed by whether the machine is an electric narrow unit for indoor work or a diesel rough terrain machine for a site. Transport is quoted each way on top and is a real part of the number on a short hire.
Articulating or telescopic
An articulating boom, the knuckle boom, bends in the middle and reaches up and over things, which is what you want for work behind an obstruction or above a roof edge. A telescopic boom, the straight stick, gives the greatest horizontal reach for a given height and is faster to position in the open. Tell the yard what is in the way rather than only how high the work is, because that is the question that picks the machine.
Where it can stand
Rough terrain machines on pneumatic tires with four wheel drive will cross a site; electric machines on solid tires need a finished slab. Either way the ground has to carry the machine's weight through its wheels or outriggers, and slope limits are narrower than people expect. Underground services, basements and soft verges are the usual reasons a machine that arrived correctly still cannot get to the work.
The harness rule
OSHA's aerial lift standard requires occupants of a boom supported platform to wear a body harness with the lanyard attached to the boom or the basket, not to an adjacent pole or structure. That is the rule that separates a boom lift from a scissor lift in practice, and it is the one most often ignored on short hires. Confirm the yard supplies a harness and lanyard rated for the machine or bring your own.
Questions people ask about cherry picker hire
Is a cherry picker the same as a boom lift?
Yes. Cherry picker came from orchard work and stuck as the everyday name in Britain and, less formally, in the United States. US rental yards list the machines as boom lifts, articulating or telescopic.
Is it different from a scissor lift?
Yes, and the difference matters. A scissor lift only goes straight up and OSHA treats it as a mobile scaffold. A cherry picker reaches out as well as up and is an aerial lift, with the harness requirement that comes with that.
What height should I ask for?
Give the yard the working height you need, the horizontal distance from where the machine can stand to the work, and what is in between. Those three answers pick the class. Platform height alone will get you the wrong machine about as often as the right one.
Can one be hired for a single day?
Yes, though the transport quoted each way often makes a one day hire poor value against the week. If the job might run over, price both before booking.