A scissor lift only goes up and down, which makes it the cheapest way to get a person and their tools to a working height directly above where the machine can stand. Rates move on three things: how high the deck goes, whether the machine runs on a finished slab or on dirt, and how long you keep it.
The published ranges
Across all classes the rates published for the US market are about $100 to $425 a day, $250 to $950 a week and $475 to $2,725 a month. The bottom of each band is the common 19 ft electric slab machine that yards hold in quantity. The top is a rough terrain diesel at 40 ft and above, which is a different machine with a longer minimum hire in most yards.
Deck height is the first question
The 19 ft electric unit is the volume seller and the cheapest to hire. Twenty six and 32 ft machines step up from it for high bay and atrium work. Above that you are into rough terrain territory whether you wanted it or not, because the taller machines are built with the wider wheelbase and the pneumatic tires that outdoor stability needs. Add about six feet to platform height for reach.
Slab or rough terrain
An electric slab machine has solid tires, low ground clearance and no drive to speak of, and it is specified for a firm level finished surface. A rough terrain machine has pneumatic tires, four wheel drive and levelling jacks, and it will cross a site. Booking the first for outdoor work is the most expensive common mistake here, because the machine arrives, cannot be used and the hire still started.
What the week rate does
Yards price a week at roughly three to four day rates and a month at about three weeks. That means three days at a day rate costs more than a week almost everywhere, and a job that might slip is cheaper booked long and returned early than booked short and extended. Ask what the early return rule is, because yards differ on whether an unused portion is credited.
Questions people ask about scissor lift hire
Is scissor lift hire the same as scissor lift rental?
Yes. Hire is the British word and rental is the American one, and the machines, the classes and the rates are the same. US yards will quote you whichever word you use.
Do I need training to use one?
The employer is responsible for training and authorising the operator. The yard gives a familiarisation on the specific machine at handover, which is not the same thing and does not replace it. OSHA treats scissor lifts as mobile scaffolds rather than aerial lifts.
Does a scissor lift need a harness?
Not by the aerial lift rule, because a scissor lift is a scaffold with guardrails rather than a boom supported platform. Many sites require one anyway as a matter of policy, and the machine will have an anchor point if it is designed for it.
Can it be driven while raised?
Many are designed to be, at a reduced speed and only within the manufacturer's limits, and some are not. The plate on the machine says. Driving a machine that is not rated for it while elevated is one of the main ways scissor lifts tip.