Quick answer
Hire a boom lift when an obstruction sits between the machine and the work, so the platform has to travel up, across and back in. If the machine can park directly under the task, a scissor lift gives you a bigger platform and more capacity for less. Choose the size from three numbers: the height of the work, the horizontal distance from the nearest safe standing point, and what the boom has to clear on the way. Boom-type platforms with a boom of 11 metres or more require a WP class high risk work licence in NSW.
Boom lifts cost more to hire and carry less than a scissor lift of similar height. They earn that difference in one situation and one only: when the machine cannot stand underneath the work. Everything in this guide comes back to that.
Written for anyone specifying access for a job with something in the way, whether that is a roof, a garden bed, a conveyor line, a parked vehicle or a wall. Machine figures are quoted from the manufacturer specification sheets we hold on file.
knuckle
obstruction
horizontal outreach
working heightplatform floor plusabout 2 m of reach
Full outreach and fullheight are not availabletogether. Check theenvelope, not the maximums.
Boom lift or scissor lift, which does my job need?
Stand at the work position and look down. If a machine could sit on that spot with a clear path to it, a scissor lift wins: bigger deck, higher rated capacity, lower rate. If there is anything between the standing point and the work, only a boom can put the basket where the chassis cannot go.
Height does not decide this. A boom is not the machine for high work; it is the machine for work you cannot get underneath. There is a full comparison in boom lift versus scissor lift.
What is the difference between a knuckle boom and a straight boom?
A straight, or telescopic, boom extends in a single line. It gives the greatest horizontal reach for a given machine and it is the simpler machine to position when the path to the work is open.
A knuckle, or articulating, boom has a hinged joint partway along the arm. That joint is what lets the platform go up, across and then back in, reaching over a structure and around a corner. Our own boom is a knuckle boom for exactly that reason: on the sites we serve, the obstruction is usually the whole problem.
What does working height mean on a boom lift?
Working height is the platform floor height plus roughly two metres for an operator standing on it and reaching. Manufacturers quote both, and the model name usually refers to the platform height in feet.
Our LGMG AR11J is a 34ft class knuckle boom: 10.75 metres platform height and 12.75 metres working height. Measure to the actual task, not to the ceiling or the roofline, and choose a machine that covers it with margin rather than one you have to stretch from.
How far can a boom reach horizontally?
The AR11J has 6.78 metres of horizontal outreach and 5.32 metres of up-and-over clearance. Outreach is how far the platform can sit from the centre of the machine. Up-and-over is how high an obstruction it can clear on the way across.
Those two figures, together with the height, are what decide whether a boom can do your job. If you can measure the distance from the nearest firm standing point to the work face, we can tell you in one call whether it reaches.
Why can I not get full outreach at full height?
Because stability is a function of both. Every boom has a working envelope: the set of positions the platform can safely occupy. Maximum height and maximum outreach sit at opposite ends of it and are never available at the same time.
This is where machine selection goes wrong. A brochure lists both maximums, someone adds them together in their head, and the machine arrives unable to reach the corner it was hired for. Send us the height and the horizontal distance together and we will check them against the envelope rather than the headline.
Do I need a licence for a boom lift?
A WP class high risk work licence is required in NSW for a boom-type EWP where the length of the boom is 11 metres or more. We have confirmed that our AR11J falls above that threshold, so it requires a licensed operator.
Booms below the threshold need training rather than a licence, with the EWPA Yellow Card boom class as the accepted evidence. The full position is in the NSW EWP licensing guide.
Do I need a harness in a boom lift?
Yes. A harness with a short restraint lanyard, clipped to the manufacturer anchor point inside the platform. Boom platforms can be thrown by contact or by a sudden stop, which is the specific hazard the harness addresses and the reason the requirement is stricter than for a scissor lift.
Attach to the anchor point provided, never to the guardrail.
What ground does a boom lift need?
Firm and within the rated slope. The AR11J is a four wheel diesel machine rated to 45 per cent gradeability when stowed, with 0.19 metres of ground clearance, an oscillating axle and an auto-levelling platform, so it handles an unsealed site better than any scissor lift we carry.
It also weighs 5,400 kilograms. Soft ground, fresh fill, a suspended slab, a service pit lid or a septic system under a driveway are all reasons to talk before the truck is booked. Send a photo of where the machine has to stand.
What about wind?
The AR11J is rated to a maximum wind speed of 12.5 metres per second, about 45 kilometres per hour. That figure is on the compliance plate and in the operator manual, and it is the limit for that machine, not a general rule.
A boom platform at height is a sail on a long lever. Wind is the most common reason a boom day gets cut short, so build a weather contingency into the schedule rather than into the decision at height.
How much room does the machine need to set up and swing?
The AR11J is 1.85 metres wide, 5.77 metres long stowed and 2.06 metres high stowed, with a 355 degree turntable. It needs a firm standing area, room to slew without striking anything, and a clear exclusion zone underneath the platform.
Tail swing is the one people forget. When the turntable rotates, the counterweight sweeps behind the machine. Plan the standing position so that arc is clear of pedestrians, vehicles and structures.
What does it take to deliver a boom lift to my site?
A truck, and a route that will take it. At 5,400 kilograms the boom is a tilt tray delivery, not a trailer collection, and it is not eligible for customer pickup.
We confirm entry width, overhead clearance on the way in, the ground surface and where the machine will be unloaded before the run is booked. Details are in the delivery and site access guide.
What do you need from me to pick the size?
Three measurements and one photo. The height of the work. The horizontal distance from the nearest firm standing point to the work face. The height of whatever the boom has to clear. A photo of the standing position and the route in.
That is enough for us to check the envelope and tell you whether the boom reaches, whether a scissor lift would do it cheaper, or whether nothing in the fleet suits and you would be better off with a different approach. We would rather say so before delivery than after.
Next step
Line the options up on the comparison page, browse boom lifts and knuckle boom lifts, or send us the three measurements and we will confirm the machine and the delivery together.
Boom lifts in the fleet
Every figure quoted here comes from the manufacturer specification sheet held on file for that machine.
Boom Lifts
Genie Z-34/22 Articulating Boom Lift
- Working height
- 12.62 m
- Platform height
- 10.62 m
- Width
- 1.85 m
- Power
- Diesel
- Terrain
- Rough terrain
Why it may suit: 34ft diesel articulating boom lift, 12.62m working height, 6.78m outreach, 227kg — 45% gradeability on foam-filled tyres.
Worth checking: Diesel engine — outdoor use only. Needs firm site access.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Width, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Boom Lifts
Genie Z-40/23N RJ Articulating Boom Lift
- Working height
- 14.32 m
- Platform height
- 12.32 m
- Width
- 1.50 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Hard standing / firm ground
Why it may suit: 40ft electric articulating boom lift, 14.32m working height, 6.91m outreach, 227kg — 1.50m wide, battery powered, zero emissions.
Worth checking: Electric drive with 30% gradeability — firm, reasonably level ground. Confirm slab loading before taking it inside.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Width, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Boom Lifts
LGMG AR11J Articulating Boom Lift
- Working height
- 12.75 m
- Platform height
- 10.75 m
- Width
- 1.85 m
- Power
- Diesel
- Terrain
- Rough terrain // 4WD
Why it may suit: 34ft diesel articulating boom lift with 12.75m working height, 6.78m outreach and 270kg platform capacity — reaches up and over obstacles on rough ground.
Worth checking: Diesel engine — not for enclosed indoor use. Requires firm access for a 5.4t machine.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Width, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Suitability is subject to site access, ground conditions and availability. We confirm the machine against your job before hire.
We deliver from Berkshire Park across Western Sydney, Penrith, The Hills District and the rest of NSW.