Boom lift questions.
Straight answers.

A machine that lifts workers and their tools to height on an arm (the boom) with a basket at the end. It's also called an aerial work platform, aerial lift, bucket truck or cherry picker. Ours are truck-mounted and work from 150 to 300 ft.

A boom lift with joints in the boom, so the basket can go up, over and around obstacles instead of only straight out. Our lifts add a jib at the end of the boom for up-and-over access.

Facade inspections and repairs, window and glass work, signs, telecom antennas, water towers, wind turbines, bridges, church spires, industrial plants, stadiums and construction at height.

Our truck-mounted lifts work from 150 to 300 ft, with side reach up to 135 ft. Most aerial lifts on the market reach 20 to 60 ft.

The A-300: 300 ft working height, up to 137 ft of side reach and a 12 ft basket. The truck weighs 110,000 lb. It can be rented with or without an operator.

The A-300 goes highest, to 300 ft. The A-250 reaches farthest to the side, 134 ft, and the A-210 is close behind at 133 ft.

Yes. The A-300 works down to 20 ft below the level it stands on, with up to 106 ft of outreach, so it can work under bridge decks and below docks.

The 12 ft basket holds up to 1,322 lb, depending on the lift, and up to 6 people.

24V, 110V and 220V power, a 2,000 PSI air and water line and a hydraulic tool outlet. Crews weld and run power tools from the basket.

A boom lift is built to carry people and tools to the work, not to lift heavy loads. Baskets carry up to 1,322 lb, and a hoist in the basket handles antennas, glass and windows.

Yes, within its limits. Our lifts have a built-in wind meter, and the A-210 works in winds up to 27 mph with gusts to 36.

No. The basket sits on a rigid boom and stays level, so it doesn't swing like a basket on a crane hook.

Only a small one. Wide outriggers and auto-leveling handle a slight slope, and the limit depends on the lift: about 2 degrees on the A-250 and 1 degree on the A-300. Send us photos of the site. The boom only runs once the truck is level.

Yes, if the ground is solid enough. Pads under the outriggers spread the load. Often the lift can reach the work from the road instead.

Yes. Smooth, controlled motions let the operator work close to glass, stone and carvings without contact.

No. Workers tie off to the anchor points in the basket. Never use the lift to anchor anything else.

As close to the window as possible, with the boom tip no higher than the window. Our A-300 reaches a platform height of 289 ft with 106 ft of outreach.

Yes, day or night. At Macy's in Midtown, the permits allowed night work only, so we worked 10 pm to 6 am.

The lift, a full-time certified operator, delivery and setup, fuel and insurance. We also file the street permit and bring the cones and flaggers when the job needs them.

Most rental chain lifts stop around 180 ft and come without an operator. Ours go to 300 ft with up to 135 ft of side reach, and our operator runs the lift so your crew can focus on the work.

Yes. You can book a lift by the hour, day, week or month.

Yes. One Amazon construction site kept our A-250 and operator for two months.

Yes, at no extra charge.

Usually with 72 hours' notice. In an emergency, within 2 hours of your call, day or night.

10 to 15 minutes. It can pack up and leave 15 minutes after the job is done, so it doesn't tie up the curb all day.

Our fleet runs from 150 to 300 ft of working height with up to 135 ft of side reach. Send us the address and the height, and we'll match the right lift to your street.

Our estimator checks your blueprints against the lift's working range and picks where to set up.

Our trucks are 13 ft 2 in high and have worked indoors through a 13 ft 6 in entrance. We've set up in driveways 10 to 22 ft wide, and the outriggers can stay within truck width on one side.

Across the East Coast, the South and the Midwest: 32 cities from nine branch offices. Delivery is free within 60 miles of our Brooklyn depot.

Yes. Every operated rental comes with a full-time certified operator who sets up the truck, runs the lift all day and takes it away when you're done.

IPAF certification plus manufacturer training for each lift type. Alpha Platforms is also an official IPAF training center.

Yes. Besides running the lift, the operator can help wrap the basket, set up the debris net and help with the work, at no extra charge.

In an operated rental, we insure the lift and take responsibility for running it. The basket never touches the building, so the property owner is protected too.

Yes, bare rentals are available for crews with their own certified operator. For long jobs, we can train and certify your operator at our IPAF center.

Bare usually costs less if your team already has experienced truck-mount operators and the job runs for weeks. For shorter jobs, an operated rental includes the operator, delivery, fuel and insurance in one price.

For 150 to 300 ft lifts, yes. Lifts from 92 to 140 ft need only a clean standard driver's license.

With a bare rental, the renter insures and maintains the lift, including repairs and troubleshooting during the rental.

When the lift sets up on a street, a traffic lane or a sidewalk, the city usually requires a permit. On private property, it often doesn't. Tell us the address and we'll check what your job needs.

We do. If your job site needs a road work permit, we get it, so you don't have to deal with the city.

It depends on the city and the street. Call 855-2000-855 with the address and the date, and we'll tell you how far ahead to book.

Yes. Cones, signs and a closed-off work zone come with the lift, and flaggers keep cars and people away while your crew works.

Yes, wherever our lifts work, from Boston to Florida.

New York City's facade law, run by the Department of Buildings as the Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP). Buildings taller than six stories need a facade inspection and a report every five years.

Cycle 10 runs in three sub-cycles by the last digit of your tax block: 10A (4, 5, 6, 9) by February 21, 2027, 10B (0, 7, 8) by February 21, 2028, and 10C (1, 2, 3) by February 21, 2029.

Yes. Engineering firms inspect New York facades from our basket, including Macy's Herald Square. The operator brings the inspector close to the facade for sounding, scanning and measurements, without touching the building.

Not for the inspection itself: the close-up inspection can be done from a boom lift basket that is set up for the day and leaves the same evening. A shed is required when the report finds an Unsafe condition.

Under Local Laws 48 and 51 of 2025, shed permits issued or renewed from February 2, 2026 last 90 days, do not renew automatically and cost $130 per renewal. Starting with the second renewal, repair work must be under way.

DOB lists $1,000 per month for a late report and $5,000 per year for no report, plus penalties for conditions that are not corrected.

It depends on how long the job is. With a lift, you pay for the days it's on site, with the operator, the street permit and traffic control included, and there is nothing to build or take down. For months of work on one wall, scaffolding usually makes more sense.

For inspection, maintenance, cleaning and deliveries, building managers use our lifts instead of BMUs, ropes and hanging baskets. Nothing gets rigged on the roof. Buildings taller than 300 ft still need their own BMU or a stage.

OSHA 1926.1431 allows hoisting people by crane only when conventional access, such as an aerial lift or a scaffold, would be more hazardous or is not possible. Where a boom lift can reach the work, it is the safer choice.

For one or two technicians doing a light inspection on a building with anchors, rope access is often the simpler option. When the job needs several people, heavy tools or materials, a basket that carries them all up in one trip usually saves days.