A Guide to Renting Aerial Work Platforms

Aerial Work Platforms, also known as Mobile Elevated Work Platforms, make the difficult-to-reach places and heights within a job site easy and safe to access. Consisting of Boom Lifts, Scissor Lifts, and Manlifts, these pieces of equipment provide a secure and efficient workspace for electrical and mechanical contractors at any height.

The range of tasks you can complete with an Aerial Work Platform is endless. They are typically used any time a project calls for work at elevated heights. Common jobs you can complete on a typical construction site with an Aerial Work Platform include erecting scaffolding, installing electrical wiring and lighting systems, installing pipes and HVAC systems, and painting walls and ceilings

To help you choose the right types and sizes of Aerial Work Platforms to rent for your electrical and mechanical installation projects, we’ve prepared this guide to get you up and running as quickly, safely, and cost-effectively as possible.

At The Cat Rental Store, we carry Boom Lifts, Scissor Lifts, and Manlifts. Below is a quick overview of their differences, and when you should consider renting one over another.

Boom Lifts

Height Range: From 30FT to 125FT

• Straight Boom (Telescopic Boom) – from 45FT to 125FT
• Articulating Boom – from 30FT to 80FT

Motor Options: Dual Fuel, Diesel, Electric

• Trailer-mount Option Available
  

There are two (2) different types of Boom Lifts available to rent at The Cat Rental Store: Straight Boom (or Telescopic Boom) and Articulating Boom. Both use a boom that extend a work platform to desired heights, but are recommended in different situations.

Straight Boom or Telescopic Boom Lift

A Straight Boom (also called Telescopic or ‘Stick’ Boom) feature a boom that extend straight out, telescopically, providing the largest combination of height, outreach, and capacity of any Aerial Lifting Platform. They are also the fastest and easiest Boom Lift to get up and into working position.

Scissor Lifts

Height Range: From 19FT to 42FT
Motor Options: Electric 2WD, Diesel 4WD

Scissor Lifts are used to elevate workers straight up, supported by crisscrossing braces that extend upward. While Scissor Lifts come with a large platform that can support multiple workers and their tools the same time, they are limited in maneuverability and maximum height, and there is no way to maneuver them over or around obstacles.

Manlifts or Vertical Mast Lifts

Height Range: Up to 12FT
Motor Options: Battery

• Self-propelled, push-around

Our Manlifts or Vertical Mast Lifts are battery-powered, self-propelled, single-person working platforms that are easy for one person to set up and use. These compact, lightweight, and highly maneuverable machines are ideal for indoor use, with the ability to fit through narrow and tight spaces, including doorways and elevators.

As an established industry leading provider of earthmoving construction equipment, Finning partners with Terex and their line of Genie lifting equipment so that we can offer The Cat Rental Store customers the same industry-leading level of quality, reliability, and durability they expect with their Aerial Work Platforms. Our customers trust that if it’s available at The Cat Rental Store, then it meets the same standards that we demand from our own Cat equipment.

Now that you have an understanding of the differences between the range of Aerial Work Platforms available to rent at The Cat Rental Store, you can begin to narrow down what type and size of lifting equipment you need for your job site.

There are many factors you’ll need to consider – including knowing what range of tasks you’ll require your workers to complete – but below are the main questions you’ll want to ask yourself to help you plan, budget, and schedule the right rental equipment for your project:

• How high will you need to reach?
• Will you need to reach up, over, and around obstacles?
• Will you require maneuvering in and around narrow or tight spaces?
• How many people will need to work on a platform?
• Are there any size or space restrictions on your job site?

If you’re unsure of how to accurately answer any of the questions listed above, you can always connect with your local Cat Rental Store branch for assistance. This includes the option to arrange for a project site visit, where one of our lifting equipment rental experts will perform a site-walk of your location to help you identify the Aerial Work Platforms that will meet your needs.

As a proudly Canadian equipment rental partner, The Cat Rental Store carries both Cat and other leading-brand equipment ready to go when you need it. With a full line of small- to mid-sized construction equipment available to rent in more than 45 locations across Western Canada, The Cat Rental Store is the ideal equipment rental partner for local contractors, where we pride ourselves on our guiding values of Availability, Reliability, and Accuracy:

Availability

With our fully stocked inventory of Aerial Work Platforms, The Cat Rental Store has the availability to get you the lifting equipment you need as quickly as possible. We have both short- and long-term rental plans for you to choose from, and locations conveniently located across Western Canada. The Cat Rental Store customers can order in-store, by-phone, or through our online portal Rental Point.

Reliability

The Cat Rental Store’s team of lifting equipment experts is available 24/7 to help all our electrical and mechanical contractors get the dedicated service they require. We partner with Terex and Genie Aerial Lifting Platforms to ensure The Cat Rental Store customers get North America’s most trusted brand in lifting equipment. Maintained in-house by our team of Finning service departments, our lifting equipment is low-hour, high-quality, and in peak working condition.

Accuracy

When you do business with The Cat Rental Store, you know exactly what you’re getting, with no hidden costs or delayed scheduling. Our team of equipment experts know the range, capacity, and ability of every Aerial Work Platform we carry, and our online portal Rental Point makes job-costing easy and accurate. And backed by our Finning service departments, our Aerial Work Platforms are carefully inspected and ready to work.

As a true partner to local contractors, The Cat Rental Store also offers unique benefits that are designed to help us get our customers the exact equipment they need, when they need it, while offering personalized service and rewards:

Our equipment rental experts have helped thousands of Canadian contractors rent the specific lifting equipment they need to complete a wide range of electrical and mechanical installation jobs on a variety of job sites. If this is your first time renting Aerial Work Platforms for your construction site, or if you have a challenging project site with accelerated timelines that require complex planning and scheduling, our equipment rental experts are available to do a site-walk with you to help you identify, order, and deliver the lifting equipment that is personalized to your needs.

At The Cat Rental Store, we know how busy you are, so we want to make your lifting equipment rentals as easy, quick, and accurate as possible. Rental Point, an online equipment rental platform by Finning, allows you to browse equipment online, request rental quotes, access your account information, and manage all of your rental needs.

Rental Point also gives you complete visibility to all of your rental transactions, including past rentals, current rentals, and job-costing, all in one convenient, centralized place. Available online, 24/7, and on any device, Rental Point is easy to navigate and the fastest way to order all of your Aerial Work Platforms to get your electrical and mechanical contracting jobs done on time and on budget.

The Cat Rental Store – Finning Canada Loyalty Program is designed to reward our equipment rental customers with attractive prizes, as a thank-you for trusting us to meet your equipment rental needs. With many prize packages available for both personal and business use, The Cat Rental Store’s loyal customers get to build a meaningful, long-lasting equipment rental partnership with Finning equipment experts while enjoying high-quality items they can enjoy on and off the job site.

And with more than 45 locations across BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, The Cat Rental Store is here to serve you at your nearest local branch, for delivery or pickup. We offer daily, weekly, or monthly rates with our online booking platform Rental Point, and you can reserve equipment 24/7.

Finning is the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, selling, renting and providing parts and service for equipment and engines to customers across diverse industries, including mining, construction, petroleum, forestry and a wide range of power systems applications. We operate in Western Canada, South America, and UK and Ireland.