Lull is a brand, not a machine type. It made telehandlers with a traversing fork carriage that could reach a load forward without moving the whole machine, and the name stuck to the class the way people say a make of pen when they mean any pen. Ask for a Lull at a counter today and you will be offered a telehandler, commonly a JLG, which now owns the name.
The name outlived the badge
Lull built rough terrain telehandlers for decades and the brand became the word framers and masons used on site. JLG acquired it, and Lull branded machines are still in yards alongside JLG, Genie, SkyTrak and Cat units. If somebody tells you to get a Lull, they mean a telehandler with a reasonable reach, not a specific model.
Reading the model number
The classic numbering is capacity then height. A 644 lifts 6,000 lb to about 44 ft. An 844 lifts 8,000 lb to the same height. A 1044 lifts 10,000 lb. Once you know that, a yard's list stops being a jumble of numbers and becomes a straight comparison between what you must lift and how high it must go.
The traversing carriage is what made it different
Most telehandlers reach by extending the boom, which changes the load angle. The Lull design let the carriage travel horizontally on the frame, so an operator could set a load onto a deck without creeping the machine forward. Crews who place bundles on upper floors all day still ask for that feature by name.
What one costs to rent
A 6,000 to 8,000 lb machine reaching 42 to 44 ft commonly runs about $900 to $1,400 a week and $2,500 to $3,800 a month, plus haul each way. Day rates exist near $250 to $400 but rarely pay, because the transport happens twice whether you keep it for one day or ten.
Questions people ask about lull machine
Is a Lull the same thing as a telehandler?
In everyday use, yes. Lull is a brand of telehandler that became the generic word on many US sites. When you book one, describe the capacity and the height you need and the yard will match a machine from whatever badge is on the lot.
What does an 844 lift at full extension?
Far less than 8,000 lb. Capacity is highest with the boom retracted and the load close in, and it falls along the load chart as reach grows. The chart in the cab is the authority for that particular machine and attachment.
Can a Lull lift a load on a hook?
Only with a rated lifting attachment fitted, and once a load hangs from a hook the crane rules can come into play rather than the forklift ones. Ask the yard to supply the hook attachment and its chart, and never improvise a sling over the fork tips.