A scissor lift is priced by the day, the week or the month, and three things decide the number: how high the platform goes, whether it runs on a finished slab or on dirt, and how far the yard has to truck it. The 19 ft electric unit is the common one and the cheapest to hire. Everything above it climbs quickly.
What a scissor lift costs to rent
Electric slab scissors in the 19 ft class commonly run about $95 to $160 a day and $300 to $450 a week. A 26 to 32 ft machine sits nearer $150 to $250 a day. Rough terrain diesel units at 40 ft and above are a tier of their own, often $400 to $600 a day, and yards usually put a longer minimum on them.
The week rate is nearly always the right one
Three days at a day rate costs more than one week almost everywhere. Yards price a week at roughly three to four day rates and a month at about three weeks, so a job that might slip is cheaper booked long and returned early than booked short and extended twice. Ask what the early return rule is before signing.
Delivery is quoted each way, not once
Transport is charged out and back, and it is priced on distance and on the truck the machine needs. A 19 ft electric rides on a small trailer; a rough terrain 40 ft needs a proper lowboy and a longer slot in the yard schedule. Budget $75 to $250 each way in most metros, and more where the nearest yard has no aerial fleet.
How close the nearest lift really is
The Census Bureau counts 5,830 equipment rental establishments across 544 counties in all fifty states. That is how many, not which. In a metro county several yards will hold scissors in more than one deck height; a rural county may have one general rental center whose tallest machine is a 19 ft slab unit, and the next size up gets trucked in.
Questions people ask about scissor lift rentals near me
Do I need a certificate to operate a scissor lift?
There is no card you buy at the counter. The employer is responsible for training and authorising the operator, and the yard hands over a familiarisation on that specific machine, which is not the same thing. If you are a homeowner working on your own property, read the manual in the platform before you raise it.
Will a scissor lift drive on grass or gravel?
A slab scissor will not. Its small solid wheels and low ground clearance need a firm, level, finished surface, and yards write that into the contract. Soft ground, slopes and rutted fill need a rough terrain unit with foam-filled tyres and outriggers, which costs several times more per day.
What does a scissor lift cost for a month?
Most yards price a month at roughly three week rates, so a 19 ft electric commonly lands between $900 and $1,400 plus transport. If the job is longer than about three weeks, ask for the monthly rate up front rather than letting weekly renewals run.