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Boom lifts are construction vehicles that offer a stable work platform with adjustable elevation and reach for extended vertical and horizontal maneuverability, allowing work to be performed in positions where suitably stable footing might be otherwise impossible to obtain. The platform is attached to an arm that can maneuver it either by extending in a telescoping manner or by articulating at joints like an elbow-and-shoulder arrangement.

Boom lifts are very versatile, high utility machines and excel at tasks that require extensive vertical reach. They are employed in a wide variety of construction and maintenance applications, such as painting in elevated, hard to reach locations, trimming tree branches, constructing billboards and signs, changing bulbs inside lamp posts, accessing utility and telecommunications boxes, repairing phone and power lines, establishing scaffolding to provide further accessibility for more extensive work. Due to their extreme versatility, boom lifts are one of the most widely utilized construction and maintenance vehicles.

There are many different kinds of boom lifts that offer a variety of features and configurations. Boom lifts can offer various platform sizes depending on the amount of work area required. Larger platforms offer more room for gear or movement while working or even multiple workers but might be unable to manoeuver appropriately into tighter work situations. The platform can also be replaced or augmented with a bucket, material carriers and various platform attachments.

The arm design can also vary in a number of ways based on application, in height, reach, joint count, maximum load capacity and mechanism. Jointed articulating boom lifts provide more versatile 3-dimensional maneuverability whereas telescoping boom lifts are focused on providing extended vertical reach and can achieve a given maximum elevation in a significantly smaller footprint than an articulating lift. Articulating lifts can vary in number of articulations, which may allow for increased maneuverability.

Boom lift bases can also come equipped with different locomotion options to fit varying work environments including tires (the best all-round option for common work situations), treads (where traction is a concern) and even crawler legs (for striding through dense, immobilizing, marsh and muck). They can also be mounted directly onto other vehicles such as trucks and vans to serve additional utility functions. They can be diesel or electric powered. Diesel offer higher, more portable power density but electric boom lifts are more suitable for indoor environments where engine fumes can be a serious concern.

Articulating Boom Lifts

Articulating boom lifts, also known as knuckle lifts, are known for their distinctive arm shape. The base of the arm is mounted to a turntable, allowing it to make a full circular rotation. The arm itself features multiple joints that allow it to bend in various directions. The flexible design bends around and over obstacles, lifting the worker so they can access tight and hard-to-reach areas.

Companies with busy, crowded work sites often choose an articulating boom because it not only reaches high and far but also masters angles and reaches to get around people and equipment. That makes it the better choice for tight and confined spaces such as an apartment building project in a dense, urban area.

An articulating boom would be the preferred choice for applications that require agility to reach over or around objects, such as chimneys, ceiling joists or roof trusses, HVAC or electrical fixtures, the floors of a building under construction, or warehouse shelves. Some models can also reach down to a certain degree, such as to a lower level or into a gravel quarry, utility hole or another kind of excavated area.

Telescopic Boom Lifts

A telescopic boom operates similarly to a telescope, since it can become longer or shorter by having sections that slide inside one another. They fold and unfold like the cylindrical sections of a telescope or retractable antenna. A telescopic boom is often also called a straight-mast boom lift or a stick boom, since it resembles a long, straight stick when extended.

Hydraulics power the sections of a telescopic boom lift as they extend and retract, so this type of lift provides great stability and strength. As the lift extends, its adds height. Some have cabs that are fixed, while others rotate.

Because of their design, telescopic models do not offer the up-and-over ability to access work at height. This type of boom lift requires more space to operate with than articulating booms, including plenty of room around the machine’s chassis to make turns and other movements. But telescopic boom lifts can typically reach higher than articulating boom lifts, which means these models provide both maximum height and maximum outreach to access work from a distance, especially where the terrain or obstacles prevent close access.

A telescopic boom lift would be the best choice for applications that require the versatility to reach high, like multi-story buildings, or to reach far out at a lower level, like under bridges.

Towable Boom Lifts

Towable boom lifts (also known as tow-behind boom lifts or trailer-mounted boom lifts) offer many advantages on job sites, but by far, the biggest one is that these machines provide operators reach and mobility — combining the flexibility of a small utility vehicle with the versatility of a self-propelled lift and platform.

 Towable boom lifts are lightweight, simple to operate and setup and easy to transport, making these machines an affordable solution to accessing height. Their ease of transportation and setup make them ideal for projects that require frequent setup and takedown.

Equipped with outriggers that make the towable boom lifts more stable, these light machines can operate on softer terrain than traditional boom lifts. Although they are more limited in vertical and horizontal height than straight or articulating boom lift, towable boom lifts are a great option for multiple projects.

Because tow-behind models can be brought to the job site and begin working in no time, trailer-mounted machines are ideal to use to complete a wide variety of everyday home/business/municipality construction and maintenance applications, as well as seasonal tasks, like tree trimming, decorating, lighting, exterior painting and maintenance.