Lifts by job · 6m to 20m working height
Lifts for facades, windows and gutters
Outside a building there is nearly always something between where the machine can stand and where the work is: a bay window, a porch, a conservatory, a flower bed or a pavement. That is why booms are common on facade work. The figures to compare are working height, outreach and the width of the way in.
How high is the job?
Common working heights for this kind of work. Measure your own job to the highest point you need to reach: working height allows for a person standing on the platform, about 2m above the platform floor.
| Task | Typical working height | Machine types often used |
|---|---|---|
| Shop fronts and single-storey extensions | 4m to 6m | Small boom or trailer mount |
| Two-storey gutters, fascias and windows | 6m to 9m, more to reach over a bay or porch | Articulated boom, spider or trailer mount |
| Three-storey houses and town houses | 10m to 13m | Articulated boom or spider lift |
| Low-rise flats and commercial facades | 13m to 20m | Larger articulated or telescopic boom |
Machine classes used for this work
Articulated boom lifts
The jointed boom goes up, over a porch, bay or canopy and back down to the work, which a straight-up lift cannot do. This is what most people mean by a cherry picker. The 4x4 and diesel models handle firm outdoor ground.
Spider lifts
A boom on rubber tracks that drives through a side gate and across a lawn, then sets up level on its outriggers. The answer for rear elevations and gardens that a wheeled boom cannot reach.
Trailer mounts
A towable boom that sets up on outriggers on a drive or forecourt, for house-height work when you would rather tow it yourself.
Telescopic booms
The longest straight reach, for big facades where the machine has to stand well back from the building.
Catalogue machines in this range
Machines we hire in the classes and heights above, with their key specs, for you to compare with your job. Every figure on the machine pages comes from the maker's data sheet.
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Check the access and ground before it arrives
- Measure the height to the highest point you will work at, and how far out it is from where the machine can stand. Outreach is on each boom's machine page.
- Check the ground where the machine stands and its route in. HSE warns that trenches, manholes and uncompacted backfill can tip a machine, and that outriggers must be extended before the platform goes up, with spreader plates where the manual calls for them. Cellars, drains and soft lawns need the same care.
- Measure gates and paths for a spider lift or trailer mount, and compare them with the stowed width on the machine page.
- Fence off the area below the platform so tools and gutter debris cannot hit anyone, and keep people from walking under it.
- Working from the pavement or road needs planning. IPAF advises checking early whether the highway authority needs to give permission, and using signs, cones and an exclusion zone.
- Look up before you set up. Overhead power lines need the precautions in HSE's guidance GS6, and the boom must stay well clear.
IPAF cards and safety
Whoever operates the machine needs an IPAF PAL card, or equivalent training, that covers its category. The card lists the categories the holder is trained on, and each machine page on this site shows its category.
Self-propelled booms are IPAF 3b (mobile boom). Spider lifts, trailer mounts and van mounts work from outriggers and are 1b (static boom).
In any boom-type platform IPAF strongly recommends a full-body harness and a lanyard short enough to keep the wearer inside the platform.
HSE's hierarchy for work at height starts with avoiding it. If a water-fed pole from the ground can clean the windows, that comes first.
Book it for the days you need
You set a fixed end date when you book and pay for those days up front, so there are no open-ended charges. On delivered hires we arrange collection from your end date. Need longer? Call us before it ends and we will extend it.
Questions
- What size cherry picker do I need for a two-storey house?
- Usually around 9m to 12m working height. Gutters on a two-storey house are within reach of a smaller machine, but the boom often has to stand back from a bay window, porch or flower bed and reach over, and that takes extra height and outreach.
- Can a cherry picker go on my lawn?
- Spider lifts run on rubber tracks with low ground pressure and stand on outriggers. Wheeled booms need firm ground. After heavy rain, or over drains and cesspits, take extra care with the ground under the tracks and outriggers.
- Can I work from the pavement?
- Often, but plan it. You may need permission from the local highway authority, and you will need an exclusion zone, signs and cones so the public cannot walk under the platform. Van mounted platforms set up on their own outriggers at the kerb and come with a trained operator.
- Do I need a harness in a cherry picker?
- IPAF strongly recommends a full-body harness with a short restraint lanyard, clipped to the anchor point in the platform, in every boom-type machine.
- How long can I hire it for?
- You choose the start and end dates when you book and pay for those days up front, so the hire has a fixed end date and no open-ended charges. On delivered hires we arrange collection from your end date, so there is no call to off-hire. Need longer? Call 0333 038 4946 before the end date and we will extend it.
Sources
Safety points on this page summarise public guidance. Read the full text before you plan the work.