Articulated Boom Lift Pros And Cons

Articulated Boom Lift Pros And Cons

Meta Description: Discover the advantages and limitations of articulated boom lifts. Learn about their versatility, reach, accessibility, limited weight capacity, and stability.

Articulating boom lifts are versatile aerial work platforms used widely in construction and maintenance. This article provides an in-depth overview of articulating boom lifts, including their pros and cons.

Critical features like height, reach, maneuverability, and stability advantages are covered. The article also examines limitations such as weight restrictions, terrain suitability, and cost considerations.

Key Takeaways

• Articulating boom lifts offer excellent versatility, reach, and maneuverability for positioning workers precisely in tight spaces and around obstacles through their articulating boom design.
• They provide accessibility to complex job sites but have limitations, such as lower weight capacity and the need for rough terrain models in some conditions.
• They can operate in tight spaces where other equipment, like cherry pickers, would not fit.
• The critical differences in reach and maneuverability make them suitable for your next project.

What Is Articulating Boom Lift?

An articulating boom lift, also called an articulated boom lift or boom lift, is a type of aerial work platform with an articulating or jointed boom arm to provide horizontal and vertical reach.

The boom sections bend and extend to allow the lift to position its working platform precisely in tight spaces and around obstacles and reach higher heights than other heavy-duty equipment. This versatility makes it suitable for a job site, construction, maintenance, and more.

Pros Of Articulating Boom Lifts

Articulating boom lifts offer many advantages over other types of equipment. Their articulating boom design provides excellent versatility, allowing operators to position the work platform precisely in tight and hard-to-reach areas.

The jointed booms can extend, retract, and pivot to place the basket in the spot required, working indoors or out.

1. Versatility

The articulating booms give articulating boom lifts tremendous versatility. Because they can bend and maneuver around obstacles, they can work in narrow and confined spaces, like tight spaces, where other lifts cannot fit.

The knuckle boom design provides so much control over the placement of the platform. Operators have easy access to horizontal and maximum heights to work on many jobs, such as maintaining sports stadiums, airplane hangers, and high buildings and reaching a power line.

This makes articulating lifts the right boom lift for various construction, maintenance, and other job sites that require reaching higher heights, rough terrain, and uneven surfaces.

2. Height and Reach

Due to their articulating boom design, articulating or a telescopic boom lift offers excellent height and reach capabilities. The jointed boom sleeves can extend the work platform to maximum heights, often over 100 feet high. This allows workers to access roof trusses, wash windows of tall buildings, and perform other jobs that require working at higher heights.

The horizontal reach also increases significantly compared to straight boom lifts. Operators can position the basket in the exact spot required for any job.

3. Maneuverability

The Knuckle booms provide articulating boom lifts with superior maneuverability over rough terrain and tight spaces. Operators have precise control over the placement of the aerial platform through the articulating boom sections.

This makes the lifts highly effective for indoor jobs like maintaining confined spaces in sports stadiums, airplane hangers, and outdoor jobs in uneven terrain around obstacles.

They can easily rotate and navigate the lift in narrow spaces where scissor lifts have limitations. This makes them very suitable for various construction and maintenance applications.

4. Accessibility

The articulating boom design makes articulating or telescopic boom lifts highly accessible equipment. They can easily access difficult-to-reach areas like tight working spaces in indoor and outdoor environments. This makes them very useful for jobs that require working in confined spaces, around obstacles, and on uneven terrain.

5. Stability

Many articulating boom lift models offer excellent stability with features like stabilizers or outriggers. These enhance stability when the elevated work platform is at maximum height, providing operators with a safer working environment.

6. Multiple Functions

Some articulating boom lifts have additional capabilities, like platform rotation, which allow workers to reach various angles without repositioning the entire equipment.

This provides more flexibility and control to workers performing different jobs requiring positioning the basket in multiple orientations. Overall, the articulating booms enable many functions from a single lift.

Cons Of Articulating Boom Lifts

While articulating boom lifts offer many advantages, they also have some limitations.

1. Limited Weight Capacity

Articulating boom lifts generally restrict the total weight they can safely carry compared to an aerial lift like a scissor lift. This may limit the number of workers and heavier equipment that can be elevated together on the platform.

2. Terrain Limitations

• Rough terrain models are required for job sites located on uneven ground or surfaces with obstacles.
• Standard articulating boom lifts may have challenges operating reliably on rough or unstable terrain.
• This can restrict their use in specific outdoor construction or maintenance applications with challenging terrain conditions.

3. Higher Cost

Due to their advanced articulating boom design and high-performance capabilities, articulating boom lifts generally have higher purchase and rental costs compared to basic scissor lifts or straight boom lifts. Their versatile functions and features, which provide accessibility to complex job sites, also come at a higher price point.

4. Wind Sensitivity

Articulating boom lifts can be more vulnerable to wind conditions than other types of aerial work platforms, given their relatively lightweight and tall design required to achieve significant heights and reaches. This is particularly important for outdoor applications and job sites exposed to wind.

Operators need to exercise caution and may have to limit work during severe windy conditions to avoid stability issues at height. Proper precautions are important as wind gusts can more easily affect these lifts.