Quick answer
Measure five things before booking: the real working height (the task, not the ceiling), the narrowest clear access opening, the ground the machine will stand on, where the delivery truck can unload, and any site rules like inductions or operating hours. Five minutes with a tape measure prevents most failed deliveries.
Hiring the right scissor lift starts well before the machine arrives. Working height matters, but it is only one of five things that decide whether the machine can actually be used on your site. One issue we regularly encounter is a machine that meets the required working height but cannot fit through the site access gate, a five-minute measure would have caught it at quote stage.
Step 1: Measure the required working height
Identify the highest point where work will be carried out, not just the ceiling height. If you are installing services above a suspended ceiling or reaching over plant, the required working height may be higher than the room suggests. Working height is roughly platform height plus two metres, size the machine on where your hands need to be.
Step 2: Check access width
Measure every gate, doorway and corridor the machine must pass through, at the narrowest clear point, not the nominal door size. Door stops, hinges, handrails, pipework, bollards and stored materials all reduce the opening. Our compact 19ft machines are 0.79 to 0.81 m wide; if your tightest point is near 0.8 m, tell us the exact figure and we will confirm which unit fits.
Step 3: Assess ground conditions
Concrete warehouse floors, suspended slabs, asphalt, compacted gravel and turf all demand different machines. Electric slab machines need firm, level, sealed ground. Tracked machines handle lawns, pavers and soft ground. Diesel rough-terrain machines belong on unsealed sites. Suspended floors and mezzanines need the wheel loads checked against the floor rating before any machine goes on.
Step 4: Review delivery access
Confirm there is space for the truck to stop and unload safely: overhead power lines, awnings, parked cars, loading docks, driveway gradients and traffic management all matter. If the machine must travel from the unloading point to the work area, walk that route too, it is part of the job.
Step 5: Identify site restrictions
Check for weight limits, operating-hour restrictions, shopping centre or facilities-management requirements, and induction procedures. These are booking details, not delivery-morning surprises, tell us when you enquire and the delivery is planned around them.
The pre-booking checklist
- Required working height (to the task)
- Platform capacity needed: people, tools and materials combined
- Narrowest clear access width on the route
- Ground or floor the machine will stand on
- Where the truck can unload
- Collection arrangements at off-hire
- Site contact name and number
- Preferred delivery window
- Inductions, permits or special requirements
Send those details with your quote request and the machine that arrives will be the machine that works. If any number is marginal, a doorway near 800 mm, a floor rating you do not know, say so, and we will check it against the exact machine before you book.