Scissor lifts, 19 to 40 ft

Which class to name on the request

Name the height you need to reach, then the platform class. A common planning shortcut is to treat working height as roughly platform height plus about 6 feet for a person standing on the deck. Confirm the number on the machine’s data plate before the truck leaves.

19 ft electric scissors fit stockrooms, retail floors, and low mechanical rooms. 26 and 32 ft machines cover most warehouse racking and interior paint. 40 ft is the top of the usual slab-scissor class. If the work is higher than that, ask for a boom instead of hoping a scissor will stretch.

Electric slab versus rough terrain

Electric slab scissors belong on finished concrete, tile, and sealed warehouse floors. They are quiet, they have no diesel exhaust, and the tires are made for flat slabs. They are a poor choice in mud, gravel, or a site that has not been graded.

Rough-terrain scissors are built for outdoor ground. They are heavier, they usually need more room to turn, and they are the wrong machine to drive across a finished floor. If the job starts outside and moves inside as the building closes in, say so. The yard may swap the machine mid-rental rather than force one chassis to do both.

• Measure the door, the aisle, and the elevator if the machine has to get inside.
• Ask about floor loading before a heavy rough-terrain unit sits on a new slab.
• Tell the yard if the work is overnight or in an occupied building.