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The Equip Hire Advice Centre

Access Equipment Advice

Work out which machine the job needs, whether it will fit, what the ground has to carry and what the hire involves. Written from the machines we actually hire out across Sydney and New South Wales, with the limitations stated beside the benefits.

This searches advice guides only. Looking for a machine? Browse the fleet or let us help you choose.

Start here

Start with your problem

Most hire decisions come down to one of these. Pick the closest one and we will take you to the guide that answers it.

I need to work directly overheadWhat Size Scissor Lift Do I Need? Working Height ExplainedRead the guide I need to reach over an obstacleBoom Lift vs Scissor Lift: Which One Does Your Job Need?Read the guide It has to fit through a doorwayScissor Lift Width and Site Access: What to Measure Before HiringRead the guide The ground is soft or unevenWhen a Tracked Lift May Suit Soft or Sensitive GroundRead the guide I need to lift materials, not peopleTelehandler vs Forklift: Which Machine Fits the Job?Read the guide I am working in an occupied buildingChoosing Access Equipment for Indoor MaintenanceRead the guide I need to know about licencesDo You Need a Licence for an EWP in Australia?Read the guide I need to estimate the hire costScissor Lift Hire Cost in Sydney: What You’ll Actually PayRead the guide I want to tow or collect it myselfPicking Up a Scissor Lift with a Plant Trailer: Rules and RequirementsRead the guide I am deciding whether to hire or buyShould I Hire or Buy a Scissor Lift?Read the guide

The decision most people start with

Choosing and Comparing Equipment

Boom Lift vs Scissor Lift: Which One Does Your Job Need?

A practical comparison for builders, electricians, maintenance teams and first-time hirers — with real spec-sheet numbers.

5 min readReviewed August 2026

Read the guide
New to hiring access equipment?Choosing an EWP: A Practical Guide to Access Equipment Selection Would rather be asked the questions?Help Me Choose

The library

Browse by topic

Eight topics, each with a starting guide. Pick the question you are trying to answer and start there.

Choosing and Comparing Equipment

31 guides

Which machine type the job needs, and how the realistic alternatives compare. Scissor against boom, electric against diesel, tracked against rough terrain, mast against scissor, telehandler against forklift.

Start with: Boom Lift vs Scissor Lift: Which One Does Your Job Need? Related tool

Heights, Reach and Dimensions

5 guides

The numbers that decide whether a machine reaches the work and fits the space: working height against platform height, horizontal outreach, up-and-over clearance, machine width, stowed height, turning space, platform size and rated capacity.

Start with: Working Height vs Platform Height: What Is the Difference? Related tool

Site Access, Ground and Delivery

16 guides

Getting the machine onto site and standing it somewhere safe: gates and doorways, corridors and lift cars, floor loading, soft or sloping ground, wet weather, delivery vehicle access, unloading space and trailer pickup.

Start with: Access Equipment Site Access Checklist Related tool

Power, Charging and Work Environment

8 guides

Charging an electric machine on site, battery runtime, diesel refuelling, working in enclosed or occupied spaces, engine exhaust, noise, non-marking tyres and outdoor ratings.

Start with: Charging an Electric Scissor Lift: The Overnight Rule

Safety, Training and NSW Requirements

11 guides

General NSW and Australian requirements for elevating work platform work: when a high risk work licence applies, what Yellow Card training covers, harness guidance, wind limits, powerlines, pre-start inspections and operator competency. General information, not legal advice.

Start with: Do You Need a Licence for an EWP in Australia?

Hire Planning, Costs and Off-Hire

15 guides

Planning a hire that covers the whole job: hire duration, what actually drives the price, delivery and collection, extensions, off-hire and pickup, who is responsible for what during the hire, and the information we need to quote accurately.

Start with: How to Plan Your Access Equipment Hire Duration Related tool

Buying, Condition and Ownership

7 guides

Buying used or ex-hire access equipment with your eyes open: service history, hours, battery and engine condition, tyres, hydraulics, inspection records, manuals and the honest hire-against-buy comparison.

Start with: What to Check Before Buying a Used Scissor Lift

Job and Trade Guides

10 guides

The same decisions applied to a specific kind of work: warehouse and racking maintenance, retail fit-outs, electrical and data, HVAC, painting and signage, commercial solar, industrial shutdowns and facility maintenance.

Start with: Access Equipment for Electricians: Safer Options for Overhead Work

Essential planning guides

Work through these before you ask for a quote. They are the four things we ask about on every job.

Site Access, Ground and Delivery

Access Equipment Site Access Checklist

Ten minutes with a tape measure and a phone camera answers almost every question we will ask.

Read guide3 min · Reviewed Mar 2026

Hire Planning, Costs and Off-Hire

How to Plan Your Access Equipment Hire Duration

Plan the period around when the machine can start being useful and when it can genuinely leave site, then confirm off-hire

Read guide3 min · Reviewed Apr 2026

Site Access, Ground and Delivery

How Access Equipment Delivery Works

Give the driver somewhere safe to stop, space to unload and a clear path in.

Read guide3 min · Reviewed Mar 2026

Guides by machine type

The same decision, machine by machine. Each one states where that machine does not suit the job as plainly as where it does.

Guides by job and trade

Written around the work rather than the machine, for the trades we hire to most often.

Do the arithmetic

Tools and calculators

Where a guide explains the decision, a tool does the arithmetic with your numbers.

Working height calculatorTurn the height you need to reach into a machine class. Doorway and access checkerCheck a machine against the narrowest point on its route in. Help Me ChooseAnswer a few quick questions about the job and get a shortlist with the trade-offs stated. Compare machinesPut two machines side by side on the numbers that matter.

Recently reviewed and updated

Ordered by when we last checked them against the fleet, the manuals and the current NSW requirements.

Editorial standards

How these guides are written and checked

Three rules, applied to every guide on this page.

Figures come from the paperwork

Machine figures come from the manufacturer spec sheet or operator manual we hold for that machine, not from a brochure headline. Where a figure is not published, we leave it out and say so rather than estimating it.

Safety content is reviewed by a person

Anything about licensing, training or safety is written against SafeWork NSW and Safe Work Australia material, is reviewed by a named person before it is published, and carries the date it was last checked.

Unreviewed guides stay unpublished

If a guide has not been reviewed, it stays off the site, we do not print a reviewer name that does not exist. Found something wrong, out of date or unclear? Tell us and we will check it: 0472 721 234.

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Tell us the working height, the ground surface and the suburb. We will match a machine and quote delivery with it.

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