A shingle lift, also sold at the counter as a ladder hoist, rents for about $70 to $150 a day and carries roughly 250 to 400 lb a trip to a roof 28 to 32 ft up. It exists so bundles do not go up on shoulders, and on a re roof it pays for itself before lunch.
What a ladder hoist actually is
A track that leans against the eave like a ladder, with a powered carriage that runs up and down it carrying a platform or a shingle hook. Sections extend the track for taller walls. The motor is small, the frame is light, and one person feeds the carriage while another takes the load at the top.
Height, pitch and where the base stands
The track has to lean at the angle the manufacturer specifies, and the base needs firm level ground back from the wall. Soft lawn, a flower bed or a sloping drive all push the base out of position. Measure eave height first: hire the section count for the wall you have rather than the one you remember.
How much goes up in one trip
The carriage rating is the limit, not the roof. Two bundles of asphalt shingle is a normal trip on a light hoist, more on a heavier machine. Overloading is what bends carriages and what stalls the motor half way up. Plan the trips against the square count and the working day rather than the maximum.
Where a conveyor or a telehandler wins
A ladder hoist is a good fit for a single family re roof within reach of a driveway. Tile, slate and any commercial deck load quickly outgrow it, and then the hire is a conveyor or a telehandler placing pallets on the roof. Fall protection duties on the roof itself are unchanged by either choice.
Questions people ask about shingle lift rental
How many shingle bundles can a ladder hoist carry at once?
Commonly two bundles on the lighter hoists and more on the heavier machines, but the carriage rating on the machine is what governs. Weigh the trip rather than the day: bundles vary, and wet bundles weigh more than the label.
Can one person run a shingle lift?
Yes for loading and lifting, but somebody has to take the load off the carriage at the eave, and doing that alone from a roof is where people get hurt. Two is the sensible crew, and the person on the roof still needs their own fall protection.
Does a shingle lift need power at the base?
Most run on a standard household circuit through a heavy extension lead, so a nearby outlet or a small generator does it. Check the amperage draw with the yard, because a long thin lead is the usual reason a hoist stalls part way up.