Quick answer: Before hiring, measure the clear width of every doorway, gate and aisle on the machine’s path, the height of any opening it must pass under, and the space it needs to turn. Compare those against the machine’s stowed width, stowed height and length. The narrowest clear point on the whole route decides which machines are possible, and it is usually not the doorway you were thinking of.
Send us your measurements and we will confirm which machines physically fit.
Get a Hire QuoteThe measurements to take before requesting a quote
- Clear width of every opening on the route, measured at the tightest point inside the frame
- Clear height under every doorway, canopy, duct or beam on the route
- Aisle width at the narrowest point, including anything that sticks out
- Turning space where the route changes direction
- Steps, ramps and thresholds, with approximate heights and gradients
Door and gate width
Measure inside the frame with the door or gate fully open. A nominal 920 mm door often gives less than 880 mm of clear width once the door leaf, hinges and stops are counted. Gates sag and rarely open a full 90 degrees; measure the opening you actually get, not the opening the gate was built to give.
Aisle and turning space
An aisle that matches the machine’s width on paper is not passable if the machine has to turn into it. Check the swept path at corners: the machine’s length matters as much as its width when turning. In racking aisles, measure between the furthest protruding items, not the racking uprights.
Machine length and stowed height
Width gets the attention, but machines are refused entry by height and length just as often. Stowed height, with rails up, decides whether the machine passes under a standard doorway or an awning. Some models lower their rails for access; that takes time and is model specific. Length decides lift access and tight corners. All three stowed dimensions are on our machine pages.
Ramps, thresholds and floor loading
Small steps stop small machines. A threshold of a few centimetres can be enough to stop a compact electric scissor, and ramps have gradient limits set by the manufacturer. If the route includes a suspended slab, mezzanine or old floor, the machine’s total weight and point loading need checking by someone qualified to assess the structure. We supply machine weights with every quote so that check can happen early.
Delivery access
The route inside the building is only half the problem. The delivery truck needs somewhere to stop and unload, and the machine needs a clear path from the truck to the entry. Read how access equipment delivery works for what the driver needs on the day.
Why the narrowest machine is not always the right machine
Narrow machines give up platform size, capacity and sometimes height to achieve their width. If a standard compact machine fits your access, it is usually the better hire: more room to work, more capacity for tools and materials. Go narrow because the access demands it, not as a default. And if no wheeled machine fits the access but the work justifies it, other approaches exist, from tracked machines through different entry points; that is a conversation worth having before you compromise the job.
Recommended narrow-access equipment
Recommended equipment for this type of job
Compact options from the current fleet. Confirm your measured clear widths against the specification table on each machine page.
Narrow Scissor Lifts
Athena 850BL Tracked Scissor Lift
- Working height
- 7.9 m
- Platform height
- 5.9 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Tracked / self-levelling
Why it may suit: 19ft tracked self-levelling scissor lift, 7.9m working height, 250kg, bi-levelling crawler undercarriage for slopes and rough ground.
Worth checking: Tracked repositioning is slower than wheeled. Confirm surface rating.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Electric Scissor Lifts
Genie GS-3232 Narrow Electric Scissor Lift
- Working height
- 11.78 m
- Platform height
- 9.78 m
- Width
- 0.82 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Indoor / hard standing
Why it may suit: 32ft narrow electric scissor lift, 11.78m working height indoors, 227kg, 0.82m wide — the tallest machine that still fits a doorway.
Worth checking: IMPORTANT — outdoor rating is much lower than indoor: 5.49m platform height outdoors versus 9.78m indoors. Non-marking tyres, hard standing only.
Matched on verified fields: Working height, Platform height, Width, Power, Terrain. Site access, ground conditions and dates still need checking against your job.
Electric Scissor Lifts
Haulotte Compact 8N Narrow Electric Scissor Lift
- Working height
- 9.8 m
- Platform height
- 7.8 m
- Width
- 0.81 m
- Power
- Electric
- Terrain
- Indoor / hard standing
Why it may suit: 26ft narrow electric scissor lift, 9.8m working height, 250kg, 0.81m wide — 26ft of reach through a standard doorway.
Worth checking: Non-marking tyres on a narrow chassis — firm, level surfaces only. Machine weight and stowed dimensions are published on a combined Compact 8N/10N sheet; confirm against the machine plate for transport planning.
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.
Downloadable site access worksheet
Use the checklist version of this guide on site: the access equipment site access checklist covers every measurement above in a form you can work through in ten minutes, with a printable version on the page.
FAQs
How much clearance should I allow beyond the machine’s width?
Aim for a comfortable margin rather than a paper fit. A machine that clears an opening by a few millimetres is slow and risky to move; site conditions, operator line of sight and door hardware all eat into theoretical clearance.
Can rails be folded to reduce height?
On some models, yes. It is model specific and takes time on each pass. Tell us the height restriction and we will confirm what the specific machine can do.
What if I cannot measure the site before quoting?
Ask the site contact for the tightest door and any steps on the route, and send photos. A quote can be updated; a machine that will not fit through the door cannot.