Would a quad be able to pull a 40 ft boom lift? The ones that are tow behind. I figure probably could get both for $20-$30K. I forget who has one Ron maybe? Trying to come up with an alternative to renting the 12,000lbs booms that tear up the lawns. I rent a nice, yet slow 40 ft track lift that is not to bad, but it is hard to get the thing. I am thinking buying a tow able lift should be a good investment. be able to take some of the lower costing jobs that I pass up because the lift rental for 10 min of work is just to cost prohibiting to the customer.

I pull a 50 ft around with my 500 honda,,,,,, Hills can get tricky

I dream of a spiderlift.

LOL My partner (my wife) and I were just talking about buying a lift. We rent a 56 ft at 1300.00 a week. It's a great lift. My question is When I rent I just transfer the cost to the owner. If I own it how do you guys charge for using it on a job? Same as the cost of a rental or hourly?

I've been wanting to buy one. The $14,000 cost is holding me back right now.

1500.00 a week charge passed to customer....

Bud is that if you own it? If so Darn right I'm buying one. It would get paid off in a bat season

Dont know much about lifts, YET. Is there alot of maintance or ohsa rules involved if you own it vs renting?

If you have employees,,,,yes lift must be certified every 1-5 year depending on state

I figure I would pass the costs on for the equipment. I think it would actually be cheaper for the customer, and still cover my costs. The cheapest I can rent with pickup and delivery right now is about $600 a day $1450 per week.

Thanks Vinke.

I bought my own towable almost 10 years ago. It was the BEST business decision I have ever made. I was spending over 10 grand a year on rentals, and many of those were not the huge, driveable lifts.

I bought a towable with a 40-foot work height, as it was the most versatile and easiest size to maneuver in lawns. Sure, I still have to rent a 50-foot towable about twice a year, and of course several of the big driveables ranging from 60 to 135 footers.

However, the smaller towables are the most useful size, considering I use it 10 times for every time I have to rent one. I wouldn't try moving it too much with an ATV unless on level ground. In almost every situation, I can use my truck to position the lift.

I get jobs constantly that others will not even bid on, which is crazy. For some reason a lot of guys will not even consider renting one as they feel the customer wouldn't want the expense. That is some twisted thinking. I did a job last year where the rental cost was over $8000 for a 135-footer. Job costs aren't something the WCO should be concerned about. It is what it is.... and the job will either be approved or it won't. Move on.

Regarding lifts, just like other vehicles, there are good and bad in each brand. I bought one with a Honda engine, as I spent 20+ years as a technician at a huge Honda shop. They make awesome products, and I can fix ANYTHING if it breaks! I also like the gas-powered with full-feathering controls, as there aren't dozens of micro-switches to go bad.

I've rented electrics in the past and towed them 2 hours to a site, only to have them fail within an hour due to bad or dirty switches. At least I was able to trouble-shoot the units and get them going. I always have plenty of tools and electrical meters on the truck.

I even sometimes use mine for squirrel work on 2.5 and 3-story structures, and of course it is super-handy for repairs on tall structures, as well as installing chimney caps on 2.5 and 3-story structures. Tree limb trimming is also an add-on probably 50% of the time on squirrel work, and gutter cleaning is an easy sell on the tall structures.

Still, about 3 or 4 times a year I'm just 5 or 6 feet short on some church jobs or other tall structures. I'm thinking about upgrading to a Niftylift TM-40. The TM-40 has a platform height 6-feet taller than mine, and the unit still only weighs about 3000 pounds. The main difference is the "jib" boom on the end. Even looking at a bi-energy model, which runs on gas or electric power (batteries). That would be a great feature for some of the jobs in canopies where the electric would be a lot quieter.

Once you get a lift, each passing day you will hate ladder work more and more. Nothing better than being able to work with both hands without worrying about hanging on. The safety factor alone is priceless.

Here's a pic from a job at a huge church. Having used the lift for so many years, you couldn't pay me to get on a 40-foot ladder anymore. The young, tough guys (physical and often mental) don't get it yet, but wear and tear on the body takes a toll. I like seeing the ladders on the ladder rack more than on a wall.

The short of this is, if you own a lift you will need to show maintenance records if there is ever a problem, you have employees or hire workers that use the lift, or if you are a corporation. These records need to include yearly, bi-annual, and monthly maintenance inspections as well as operational checks on the days the lift is used. Based on your state you may have additional inspections as well.

You will also need to show proof of aerial platform operation training programs if you are a corporation and get inspected or if anyone besides yourself as a sole-proprietor uses the lift should something happen.

I saw that title and thought some of our vertically challenged members were trying to check the weather up here where us normal six footers live.

Even as a sole proprietor, I still have my lift certification. Some of the larger cities will have inspectors, and instead of arguing with them about not needing a cert as a sole proprietor, I simply got the cert.

Eric, that was really interesting about inspections and training. I've been on lifts several times to retrieve bats, raccoons, etc. that were two or more stories up. The instructions were all pretty much the same.


Operator; "I'm not going up there. Do you know how to use one of these?"
Me; "Nope."
Operator; "Just press the buttons. You'll get the hang of it."

Heheh...that's the way I learned.

that is the way most of us old school operators learned to use a lift.Nothing like teaching yourself. However, proper training and safety is always the better course of action.