Quick answer
Most jobs need a fixed boom. A rotating telehandler earns its extra cost only when the machine cannot be repositioned between picks, a fixed set-up point with loads to place through an arc. If the machine can drive round, a fixed-boom 3 tonne telehandler does the same work for less.
A rotating telehandler (a roto) turns its whole upper structure on a slew ring, like a crane, so it can set up once on stabilisers and place loads anywhere through its arc. A fixed-boom telehandler drives to each load instead. Which one a job needs is a geometry question, not a brand question: can the machine drive to every point where a load has to be placed? Equip Hire supplies fixed-boom telehandlers only, so if the answer is no, we tell you and you price a roto elsewhere.
When the machine cannot reposition
Rotation earns its hire cost when moving the machine is not an option:
- One hardstand. A single engineered pad, a courtyard, a bridge deck or a congested site where the machine sets up once and stays.
- Loads over an obstacle. Picks that have to pass over a structure to a point no machine can drive to.
- A sequence of picks around one point. Where repositioning a fixed machine for every lift would take longer than the roto’s extra cost buys back. That is a calculation for your lift plan, not a rule.
- Platform work through an arc. Where a work platform attachment has to be swung rather than driven between positions.
On stabilisers a roto is a stationary machine: heavier, wider when set up, slower to relocate, and its capacity at reach is read from a stabiliser chart that is not comparable to a fixed machine’s chart on wheels. Operator competency and site set-up requirements step up with it.
Compare the lift plan and setup
Put the two machines side by side against the actual job rather than against a general claim about cost. The comparison that matters is in your lift plan.
| Question from the lift plan | Fixed boom | Rotating |
|---|---|---|
| Can the machine drive to every placement point? | Required | Not required once set up |
| Capacity at the furthest, highest pick | Read from the chart on wheels, or on stabilisers if fitted | Read from the stabiliser chart at that slew angle |
| Ground and set-up | Firm, level travel route and standing at each pick | One engineered standing with stabiliser footings |
| Time between picks | Travel time between positions | Slew time, no travel |
| Site traffic | Shares haul routes with other plant | Occupies one position for the duration |
| Crew and licensing | Trained, competent operator on forks; see the licensing note below | Higher competency and, in crane configurations, crane licensing |
If every row favours the fixed machine except one, look hard at that one row. A single pick that a fixed machine cannot make is often solved by a different attachment, a different standing or a short crane hire, rather than a roto for the whole program.
What we actually supply
Our telehandlers are all fixed boom. The figures below are read from each machine’s record when the page loads.
| Machine | Lift height | Forward reach | Rated capacity | Weight | Width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dieci Apollo 25.6 Telehandler | 5.8 m | 3.3 m | 2,500 kg | 5,100 kg | 1.85 m |
| LGMG H625 Telehandler | 5.9 m | 3.4 m | 2,500 kg | 5,050 kg | 1.86 m |
| LGMG H730 Telehandler | 6.9 m | 4 m | 3,000 kg | 6,900 kg | 2.3 m |
| LGMG H1440 Telehandler | 13.6 m | 9.2 m | 4,000 kg | 12,050 kg | 2.44 m |
Figures are read from the manufacturer specification held on each machine record. The load chart decides what can be lifted at each combination of height and reach. Fleet data last updated 10 September 2026.
The LGMG H730 is the typical 3 tonne class machine of that group: 3,000 kg close in, 6.9 m lift height and 4 m forward reach as independent maxima, four-wheel drive and steer, and frame levelling of plus or minus 5 degrees. How to choose between the four is in 3 tonne telehandler hire Sydney: how to choose; whether a telehandler or a forklift suits the load is in telehandler vs forklift.
Capacity is a curve, not a number
Every telehandler is sold on one figure, 3 tonne or 4 tonne, and that figure is the capacity at the boom fully retracted, close to the machine. The number that decides whether the machine can do your job is the capacity at the reach and height you actually need. That is the load chart, and it is the first page to ask for from any supplier, fixed or rotating.
The H730 chart on file steps down from 3,000 kg close in through 2,500, 2,000, 1,500 and 1,200 kg as the boom extends and rises, to 950 kg at maximum reach. A pallet of bricks the machine picks up easily at the truck can be beyond it at 6 metres up and 3 metres out. Take the heaviest load, the height it has to reach and the distance from the wheels, and check that point on the chart before you book.
Licensing in NSW
Licensing follows the configuration, not the brand. A telehandler on forks is operated by a trained, competent operator; a non-slewing telehandler over 3 tonnes fitted with a boom or jib and hook is a crane for licensing (CN class), and a telehandler that slews more than 5 degrees while lifting a freely suspended load is a slewing mobile crane class. A work platform attachment with a boom length of 11 metres or more brings the WP class in. Current detail is on the SafeWork NSW crane and hoist licence pages linked in the sources, and in EWP licences in NSW.
How to decide in one question
Ask: can the machine drive to every point where a load has to be placed?
- Yes: hire a fixed boom. Check the pick on the load chart and the ground on the route.
- No: price a roto, and be ready for the set-up requirements: level standing, stabiliser footings, and a chart read on stabilisers rather than on wheels.
If you are not sure which side of that line the job falls on, describe the site and the picks to us. We hire fixed-boom machines and we will tell you plainly if the job wants a roto instead.