What Is An Articulating Boom Lift – A Complete Guide

What Is An Articulating Boom Lift – A Complete Guide

Meta Description: Discover the importance, components, uses, and benefits of an articulating boom lift in various industries. Find out how this versatile equipment enhances safety and efficiency.

This article provides an in-depth look at articulating boom lifts, covering what they are, their uses in various industries, critical benefits over other equipment, and safety features.

Analyzing their versatile design and capabilities aims to help readers understand why these aerial work platforms have become an essential rental option for completing jobs at height or in hard-to-reach areas through industries like construction, maintenance, telecommunications, and utilities.

Key Takeaways

• Articulating boom lifts are versatile aerial work platforms that use a telescopic boom on a rotating base to access overhead work areas.
• Due to their ability to reach multiple angles and heights, they are widely used in construction, maintenance, utilities, and telecommunications.
• Benefits include versatility in tight spaces, increased height and reach over ladders, and high load capacity to transport tools and materials.
• Safety features and proper operation training make them a reliable option for completing jobs at elevation safely and productively.
• Available in diesel and rough terrain models to meet different business needs.

What is an Articulating Boom Lift?

Articulating boom lifts, known as knuckle booms or cherry pickers, use a telescopic boom mounted on a rotating platform to provide workers safe access to elevated work areas. Some key components of an articulating boom lift include:

Critical Components Of an Articulating Boom Lift

• Telescopic booms: Multiple boom sections that can telescope or retract to adjust vertical reach and horizontal reach.
• Articulation points: Pivot points allow the platform to bend and reach multiple angles, providing access to obstacles.
• Controls: Levers and buttons in the work platform to operate boom movement and position.
• Chassis: Four-wheel drive or tracked for mobility at a job site and indoor use/outdoor use.
• Platform: Enclosed work area or man lifts to elevate operators safely.
• Safety features: Guard rails, fall protection harnesses, emergency controls.

Importance of Articulating Boom Lifts

Articulating boom lifts have become essential equipment for various industries due to their greater versatility and ability to provide access to complete overhead work safely.

With multiple telescopic boom sections that can bend at an articulation point, articulating boom lifts can efficiently reach higher heights and tighter spaces to work around obstacles. This gives workers close access even where traditional straight boom lifts or ladders cannot reach.

Uses and Applications Of an Articulating Boom Lift

Articulating boom lifts are widely used in various industries due to their versatility and ability to access hard-to-reach areas. Some common uses include:

1. Construction Industry

In construction, articulating boom lifts are commonly used for tasks like installing siding, painting, window washing, and working on rooftops on a work site. Their ability to reach multiple angles allows workers to easily access overhead work and tight spaces around obstacles like buildings and other construction.

With rugged models suitable for rough terrain, articulating boom lifts can efficiently work in outdoor construction environments.

2. Maintenance and Repair

Articulating boom lifts are also commonly used in maintenance and repair industries because they can safely access extensive facilities and infrastructure.

These versatile lifts allow technicians to complete tasks such as inspecting and cleaning warehouse shelves, changing lights in high ceilings of big box stores, servicing equipment, and machinery slide inside factories, and performing repairs on buildings, bridges, and other structures.

With articulating booms that bend at multiple pivot points, technicians can efficiently reach tight spaces and access areas above where obstacles would otherwise prevent close work with straight boom lifts.

3. Telecommunications

In the telecommunications industry, articulating boom lifts are relied upon to install and repair telecommunication lines and cellular towers efficiently.

With their ability to reach higher heights and extended horizontal outreach through multiple telescopic boom sections, workers can access tight spaces to complete jobs on telephone poles, rooftop antennas, and mountainous towers.

This allows technicians to quickly complete overhead work such as splicing cables, testing equipment, and performing maintenance on cellular network components while staying safe in an elevated work platform.

4. Utility

In the utility industry, articulating boom lifts are relied upon for essential overhead line work.

With their ability to reach higher heights through multiple telescopic boom sections, straight-line workers can access power lines to perform tasks such as installing new cables, repairing transformers, and checking meters, all while staying safe in an elevated, insulated work platform near high-voltage lines.

Benefits Of an Articulating Boom Lift

Articulating boom lifts offer several advantages over other types of boom lifts for aerial work platforms. Some key benefits include:

• Versatility: With their ability to bend at multiple pivot points, articulating boom lifts can access jobs in more constrained spaces and different positions or angles. This makes them suitable for indoor and outdoor applications where obstacles may prevent close access with straight boom lifts.
• Height and Reach: Using multiple telescopic boom sections, articulating booms can safely elevate workers to heights for overhead work on tall buildings, cell towers, and other structures. Their extended horizontal outreach also allows them to reach farther distances or span more significant areas than ladders or scaffolding, allowing for efficient task completion.
• Load Capacity: Articulating boom lifts also offer benefits in load capacity over other equipment. With their ability to lift to 1,000 pounds or more depending on model type, these telescopic boom lifts allow workers to safely elevate heavy tools, materials, and machinery using the work platform.

This provides efficiency for jobs that require transporting equipment to complete overhead work at height.