Quick answer: don’t start from a machine — start from the task. Define the work point, walk the access path, check the ground, count the load, then let those facts eliminate machine classes until one is left. Selection mistakes almost never come from height; they come from access, surface and load being checked last instead of first.
Step 1 — Define the task, not the machine
Write down: what has to be done, at what height (measure the work point), directly overhead or offset, for how long, by how many people, with what tools and materials. Ten minutes here prevents the classic failure — a machine that reaches the height but can’t do the job.
Step 2 — Height: working height vs platform height
Machines are named by working height (platform height + ~2m standing reach). A “19ft” unit works to about 7.8m. Don’t add your own reach allowance — it’s counted. Guide: What Size Scissor Lift Do I Need?
Step 3 — Straight up, or up and over?
- Machine can park directly under the work → scissor lift (bigger deck, steadier, cheaper).
- Something blocks the vertical line — awning, dock, parapet, plant → boom lift, checked against horizontal outreach and up-and-over clearance (our 34ft knuckle gives 6.78m and 5.32m respectively).
Full comparison: Boom Lift vs Scissor Lift.
Step 4 — Walk the access path
The machine must reach the work area before it can reach the work. Measure the narrowest gate, door, corridor and lift car; check height limits; note ramps, thresholds, kerbs and soft ground on the route. Our fleet spans 0.79m-wide 19ft electrics to a 1.85m-wide boom — access rules machines out fast. Tight access options: narrow scissors and tracked machines.
Step 5 — Floor and ground
- Finished slab → electric, non-marking tyres; check slab rating vs machine weight (1,550–2,940kg across our electric scissors) on suspended floors.
- Unsealed, uneven, sloped → diesel rough-terrain or tracked machines, within their ratings.
- Fill, trenches, voids and saturated ground need assessment regardless of machine — see Ground Conditions.
Step 6 — Environment
Occupied buildings, night work, food/health sites → electric only. Outdoor height work → check the outdoor rating (our 40ft scissor is 14m indoors, 9.5m outdoors) and the model’s wind limit. Weather planning: Wind Limits and Weather for EWPs.
Step 7 — Load: people + tools + materials
Platform capacities are hard limits: 230kg on our 19ft units, 270kg in the boom basket, up to 454kg on the 32ft RT scissor. Extension decks carry less (113–140kg). Two trades plus a box of fittings adds up faster than you think.
Step 8 — Compliance and rescue
- Licence: WP high risk work licence for boom-type EWPs with boom length ≥11m; trained, competent operators (Yellow Card recommended) for everything else — details.
- SWMS: construction work with a fall risk over 2m is high-risk construction work — SWMS explained.
- Pre-start at the start of each use; rescue plan with someone trained on base controls — rescue planning.
- Harness clipped to the anchor point in boom-type machines.
The selection worksheet
- Work-point height: ____ m → working height needed
- Offset or obstacles? → outreach ____ m, up-and-over ____ m
- Narrowest access: ____ m wide × ____ m high
- Surface: slab // suspended slab // fill // grass // slope ____°
- Indoors, outdoors, or both? Wind exposure?
- People ____ + tools/materials ____ kg → capacity needed
- Power: charging point available // diesel acceptable
- Licence, SWMS, rescue arrangements confirmed
Bring those eight lines to Help Me Choose or the quote form and the machine picks itself.
FAQs
What should I check first when choosing an EWP? The task and its location: height, offset, access path, ground and load — in that order. The machine is the output, not the input.
Is working height the same as machine size? Machines with the same working height differ hugely in width, weight and reach shape — a 19ft scissor and a compact boom are different tools.
Why is the access path as important as height? Because the machine that can’t reach the room can’t reach the ceiling. Doors, gates, lifts and soft routes eliminate more machines than height does.
Should I just hire the biggest machine available? No — oversizing adds weight, width, cost and handling risk. Right-sizing is cheaper and faster.
When should I choose a boom instead of a scissor? When the platform must land somewhere the chassis can’t sit under — that’s outreach and up-and-over territory.
When does a tracked machine make more sense? When the route is soft, narrow, sloped or sensitive — lawns, pavers, side passages, landscaped sites.
Why think about rescue when hiring? Because if the operator can’t lower the platform, someone on the ground must — pick a machine whose emergency controls your crew understands, and plan it before work starts.
Do different EWPs need different training? Yes — operators need training and familiarisation for the specific type and model, plus a WP licence where boom length is 11m or more.
Can the site override the task in machine choice? Often. Floor limits, access and ground frequently force a different machine than the task alone would suggest — that’s normal, plan for it.
What’s the simplest way to avoid the wrong machine? Use the eight-line worksheet above and give it to your hire company. Honest inputs get honest machines.
Fleet figures from current manufacturer spec sheets — specifications vary by model; confirm before you book.