A duct jack, also sold as a duct lift or a panel hoist, is a wheeled mast with a cradle that raises a section of ductwork, a light fitting or a sheet of board to ceiling height so one person can position it. Tool counters hire them at roughly $35 to $70 a day and $110 to $200 a week.
What the cradle is built to hold
Common rental lifts carry 300 to 500 pounds and take a rectangular duct section, a run of round pipe in a cradle, or a sheet on the flat carriage. The load has to sit balanced across the arms, because the rating assumes a centred load. A long duct run hanging off one end overloads the mast well below its stated figure.
Reach, and the taller version
The standard unit works to about eleven feet, which covers a residential basement, a shop unit and most retail fit outs. Extended masts reach roughly fifteen to twenty four feet for warehouse and gymnasium ceilings, and those are heavier, wider at the base and worth naming when you book. Measure the finished ceiling height first, not the deck.
Getting it through the door and up the stairs
Most lifts break into three pieces, a base with castors, a mast and a carriage, so no single part is a two person carry. Total weight lands near 130 to 200 pounds depending on model. That matters in an occupied building where the service lift is small and the only route to the third floor is a stairwell with a turn in it.
It exists to replace a ladder and a friend
The alternative is two people on ladders holding sheet metal overhead, which is a lot of weight held at arm length on a surface that federal ladder rules never intended to support that work. The lift holds the section while hangers go in, so hands are free and nobody is balancing. On any run over a few sections it pays for itself.
Questions people ask about duct jack rental
Will a duct jack lift a rooftop unit?
No. Packaged rooftop units weigh well past what any panel lift is rated for, and they need a crane or a telehandler with proper rigging. A duct jack is for the connecting ductwork, the plenum sections and light fittings, all of it inside the building and all of it well under half a ton.
Is a duct lift the same as a drywall lift?
They are close cousins and some machines convert between the two with a different carriage. A drywall lift holds a panel flat and tilts it for walls and ceilings; a duct lift holds a section in a cradle and keeps it square. Ask for the carriage you need by name when booking.
How many people does it take to set up?
One person can assemble and operate a standard unit, which is the entire point of hiring it. Loading a heavy duct section onto the cradle is easier with a second pair of hands, and moving the assembled lift across a rough floor is easier still. Nobody needs to be on a ladder at any stage.