“Manlift” covers several machines that lift people and their tools to work at height: telescopic booms, articulated booms and vertical mast lifts. Choosing the wrong type is the most common reason a platform arrives and cannot reach the work. UAE Equipment Rental does not rent manlifts; this guide is general information to help you describe the job to a specialist access supplier.
Three main types
- Vertical mast lift: a compact platform that rises straight up. Suits indoor maintenance where the machine can stand directly below the work.
- Articulated boom: a jointed arm that can reach up and over obstacles such as walls, canopies or pipework.
- Telescopic boom: a straight, extending arm that gives the longest horizontal reach and height, for facades and large structures where the machine must stay back from the building.
Working height is not platform height
Suppliers quote platform height and working height. Working height is usually taken as the platform height plus about 2 metres, the reach of a person standing in the basket. Measure the height of the work point, then check the outreach: how far the platform must extend horizontally from where the machine can stand.
Ground and access
Booms are heavy and need firm, level ground. Rough-terrain models work on unpaved sites; others are designed for smooth surfaces. Check gates, doorways, floor loading inside buildings and overhead obstructions on the route.
Operator and safety
Operators should be trained for the machine type, and many UAE sites ask to see training certificates such as IPAF cards. Occupants wear a harness attached to the basket’s anchor point. Check the platform’s rated load for people, tools and materials together.
What affects the cost
Working height and outreach, the machine type, the hire duration, delivery and collection, whether an operator is needed, and any out-of-hours work.
Questions to ask an access supplier
- Which type and working height do you recommend for my work point and obstacles?
- What ground conditions does the machine need?
- Is an operator included, and what training does the operator hold?
- What does the quote include for delivery and collection?