Sixty-one percent of Equipment World survey participants rate telescopic booms as the most common aerial lift they rent, with scissor lifts and articulating booms tied for second place, according to May 2007 survey results. When renting aerial lifts, 45 percent say they typically rent the machine on a weekly basis, as opposed to renting on a monthly or daily basis.
When asked for tips in renting these machines, respondents recommend renting a larger lift than what you might typically think you need. As several noted, it may be smarter to rent one size larger than what you think is necessary in order to get adequate reach and height.
In general, 84 percent of respondents say their rented aerial lifts performed as expected, and 12 percent claim the lifts performed better than expected. In instances where rental machines performed poorly, survey participants noted faulty hydraulic controls and lack of spark plug and point maintenance.
National rental centers and local independent dealers were often chosen as respondents’ rental locations of choice, with 56 percent selecting national centers and 48 percent choosing local dealers.
Aerial lifts with 30- to 40-foot platform height were the most popular rental choices – with 48 percent of participants renting this size. Machines with less than 30-foot platform height were rented by 37 percent of respondents, while another 34 percent said they rented lifts in the 47- to 62-foot range.
Looking out until the end of the year, 33 percent of survey participants estimated they would rent aerial lifts at least once and 20 percent say they may rent a lift four times or more.
