Help Choosing Man Lift [Archive] - Heavy Equipment Forums

kevinw

10-11-2009, 09:32 PM

Hello, I am in need of a man lift. I can't afford a new one so used is my option.

What are the good brands and what should I stay away from? What are the particular problems with different brands? Gas or electric? 2 WD or 4WD? Are the rough terrain scissor lifts any good? Do they need to be on level ground or can you use them on slopes? What are the pros and cons of each? I need to be able to move it with my truck and a trailer so 12,000 pounds is the max it can weigh. I do not want a tow behind type. I have rented Genie and Bil-Jax boom type lifts. Both were new and worked fine. Thanks for your help. Anything else I need to know? Is there a better place in this forum to post this question?

PS Do you know of any for sale close to New Hampshire?

ATCOEQUIP

10-11-2009, 09:48 PM

Welcome to the forum kevinw.

First of all, there's plenty of used equipment out there right now, you should be able to find something to fit your needs.

Now, what are you looking for; scissor? Or boom lift? Are you working on flat ground? Or, are you working on rought terrain? Inside a building, or outside always? How high do you need to go? What kind of trailer do you have to haul the machine? As far as weight, if your restricted to around 12,000 lbs, your not going to find a self propelled lift that will put you something like 50 ft or more in the air at that weight. Tell us what your needs are and we'll see if we can figure out what would fit.

OFF

10-12-2009, 12:48 AM

And yes, level ground is important. I can't think of any arial work platforms that will allow you to work on a slope. They (all?) have level sensors that will either lock out the controls completely or just the swing, or limit the height the boom will lift unless the they are level.

kevinw

10-12-2009, 10:43 AM

I have only used a boom lift. I asked the question on scissir lifts because they seem to be less expensive. Most of my work is outside on not necessarily rough terrain but uneven terrain. As far as height 30 would be minimum and 40 would be max. I dont have a trailer yet - will need to get one.

Welcome to the forum kevinw.

First of all, there's plenty of used equipment out there right now, you should be able to find something to fit your needs.

Now, what are you looking for; scissor? Or boom lift? Are you working on flat ground? Or, are you working on rought terrain? Inside a building, or outside always? How high do you need to go? What kind of trailer do you have to haul the machine? As far as weight, if your restricted to around 12,000 lbs, your not going to find a self propelled lift that will put you something like 50 ft or more in the air at that weight. Tell us what your needs are and we'll see if we can figure out what would fit.

ATCOEQUIP

10-12-2009, 09:01 PM

Ok, 40' max height. But, you asked for advice on what machine to look for yet you still haven't told us what you want to do with it, so let's go at it this way. Scissor lifts are good for going up and down quicky. But your working area is resticted to what's directly above the lift. Whereas a boom lift work area is a 360 degree area of it's reach, as well as reaching over obstacles. Also, as OFF noted, neither scizzor or boom lifts are designed to work on slopes. All lifts have a tilt sensor that activates on a 5 degree or greater slope. But, boom lifts are more stable on sloped terrain up to 5 degree. It's not advisable to raise a scissor on any slope or the machine may fall over. Whether you choose a scissor or boom lift, if your going to be driving on rough or unevean terrain, you'd be money well spent to get a 4wd machine with articulated axle. If you don't, you'll be cussing yourself. As for which brand, I'm partial to JLG first and Genie second. There are other brands that are good machines, that's just the two I prefer. If your looking at a 40' boom lift, the JLG 40HA 4wd is around 12,000 lb, the Genie S-40 4wd is around 11,600 lb. As for scissor's; the JLG 40RTS is around 9,200 lb., the Genie GS-4390 is around 13,000 lb.

kevinw

10-12-2009, 09:57 PM

I knew i was forgetting something - sorry. I am a builder and will use the machine mostly to reach the gable end of buildings and second and third floor decks. Gas or electric? What do you think of Grove?

ATCOEQUIP

10-12-2009, 10:37 PM

If your a builder working on the exterior of buildings that have unfinished terrain around the building, I'd go for boom lift as opposed to a scissor. A scissor is handy for a builder for doing something like installing siding sheets on a steel building where your driving straight down a wall. But reaching gables and decks, I'd choose a boom lift because of obstacles on ground and above that are generally in your way. And, again, in this application you would be money well spent to get a 4 x 4 with articulated steer axle. Then you have to choose between a straight boom or an articulated boom. The articulated boom is handy for reaching up and over something, but they are generally heavier that straight boom lifts. If you can do your jobs with a straight boom lift I'd go with that. If you need to reach up and over things, then do look into an articulated boom. As for Grove, I don't necessarily have a problem with them. I've worked on several of their models, they do build a good machine. The MZ66A that I worked on was as strong as a crane, and just as darn heavy (in weight). A lot of Groves have a complex electrical control systems that are not easy to troubleshoot, as compared to a JLG 40H or Genie S-40. Grove made an MZ46 which is comparable to these machines, but I haven't been around one so I know nothing about it.

kevinw

10-13-2009, 09:33 PM

Any thoughts on gas vs electric?

If your a builder working on the exterior of buildings that have unfinished terrain around the building, I'd go for boom lift as opposed to a scissor. A scissor is handy for a builder for doing something like installing siding sheets on a steel building where your driving straight down a wall. But reaching gables and decks, I'd choose a boom lift because of obstacles on ground and above that are generally in your way. And, again, in this application you would be money well spent to get a 4 x 4 with articulated steer axle. Then you have to choose between a straight boom or an articulated boom. The articulated boom is handy for reaching up and over something, but they are generally heavier that straight boom lifts. If you can do your jobs with a straight boom lift I'd go with that. If you need to reach up and over things, then do look into an articulated boom. As for Grove, I don't necessarily have a problem with them. I've worked on several of their models, they do build a good machine. The MZ66A that I worked on was as strong as a crane, and just as darn heavy (in weight). A lot of Groves have a complex electrical control systems that are not easy to troubleshoot, as compared to a JLG 40H or Genie S-40. Grove made an MZ46 which is comparable to these machines, but I haven't been around one so I know nothing about it.

ATCOEQUIP

10-13-2009, 10:08 PM

Any thoughts on gas vs electric?

With what your doing, work on exterior of buildings at construction type sites, no debate...gas or diesel. Engine powered machines use hyd drive motors. Electric powered machines use electric drive motors. The hyd drives are more tollerant of construction type terrain. And, I'm not sure if anyone makes a 4wd articulating steer axle electric. Electric lifts are generally designed for slab applications, concrete floor, pavement, things like that. My two picks would be JLG 40HA or Genie 40-S.

kevinw

10-15-2009, 10:24 PM

Thanks very much for your input.

With what your doing, work on exterior of buildings at construction type sites, no debate...gas or diesel. Engine powered machines use hyd drive motors. Electric powered machines use electric drive motors. The hyd drives are more tollerant of construction type terrain. And, I'm not sure if anyone makes a 4wd articulating steer axle electric. Electric lifts are generally designed for slab applications, concrete floor, pavement, things like that. My two picks would be JLG 40HA or Genie 40-S.

ATCOEQUIP

10-15-2009, 10:36 PM

Thanks very much for your input.

No problem, I hope you find something that suits your needs. ;)

LoL...I just looked at my last post. I meant to say my pic would be JLG 40H, not 40HA. HA is an articulated boom lift. :tong

But, like I said before, you might want to look at an articulated boom, it might suit your needs better than a straight boom. Only you know the kind of work you need a boom to do. I remember you said you've used straight booms before, how about renting an articulated boom for a week on one of your jobs so you can get a feel of how it would fit your needs. After all, if your going to spend the bucks to buy a machine, might as well make sure it's a machine that will do what you need. :)

Dualie

10-24-2009, 10:34 PM

My only peve with the articulated booms is their SLOW operation. You can only move ONE joint at a time. But if you need an articulated lift YOU NEED an articulated lift.

mowork

12-06-2009, 10:06 AM

I have a gas jlg40h does anyone know how far I can drive it befor it overheats or has trouble, the thing weighs 12k and I want to drive it to do work near by, around .50 miles

ATCOEQUIP

12-06-2009, 11:06 AM

I have a gas jlg40h does anyone know how far I can drive it befor it overheats or has trouble, the thing weighs 12k and I want to drive it to do work near by, around .50 miles

.50 miles? You mean "one half a mile"?

No problems driving that. I've worked in industrial plants that are a couple of miles across and it's common practice for workers to drive these machines across plant area to reach next jobsite. The only reason your machine would overheat driving would be because of either an existing engine problem or a hyd problem causing excessive load on engine, which would be problems you need to address anyway. Driving it would only expose these problems. ;)

mowork

12-06-2009, 07:14 PM

very good. I did mean a 1/2 mile. I have run it all day without any problems, I just wasn't sure about driving it very far. thank you for your reply

ATCOEQUIP

12-06-2009, 07:32 PM

very good. I did mean a 1/2 mile. I have run it all day without any problems, I just wasn't sure about driving it very far. thank you for your reply

Your welcome. :)

Like I said, these machines are designed for this. It's not unusual in large industrial complexs to have to drive one a good distance. Just get her going, flip it in high throttle, flip on high drive, and lay the ears back. LoL :D

BTW, I like your handle mowork...that's better than nowork! :cool:

steponmebbbboom

01-06-2010, 11:51 AM

another consideration that has not been mentioned is capacity of the basket. with a boom lift you are typically restricted to 500lbs max and a small basket. a scissor will have a much larger platform and is often equipped with a platform extension for even more room. for a 12,000lb machine extendible to 40-50ft the platform capacity will be comfortable for several workers and related gear. if you are working mainly on exterior walls and soffits without having to extend over obstacles this is the route i would take. from a serviceability and reliability standpoint i would choose skyjack scissors over other makes.

Richard

01-13-2010, 09:02 PM

My recommendation would be a boom lift for sure. Being a contractor, through the years I've owned and used all of the type lifts mentioned here. It's rare that the ground around the jobsite is level enough for the use of a scissor lift. Although I do sometimes use my rough terrain scissor outside, the boom lift (whether straight or articulated) will be much more versatile. Also, I haven't noticed a problem using two functions at once on my JLG articulating boom as was mentioned earlier.

alanmeg

01-16-2010, 03:58 PM

hi everyone,I can't start a thread so decided to try here.I purchased a Simon Aerial Boom lift model 32/21 serial v3730 and trying to find a good wiring shematic for it.Can anyone help?

ATCOEQUIP

01-16-2010, 05:10 PM

You can download PDF manuals from Genie.

http://www.genieindustries.com/manuals.asp

Click on Parts and Service manuals, that will take you to a link for Terex parts manuals, wiring diagrams are usually in the parts or service manuals.

alanmeg

01-16-2010, 05:59 PM

I have found schematics from there, but they aren't legible. I have a mess of wiring that someone modified to make things work from the basket only, and I was hoping to find schematics with wire numbers and such that I can read and wire it back to full potential. Been working with it a while now almost hand sketched my own set of drawings, but I am still having small isues particularly with the brakes and drive motor controls).

alanmeg

01-16-2010, 06:14 PM

ATCOEQUIP

01-16-2010, 07:15 PM

If the download versions aren't legible, you probably should contact Genie or a Genie distributor and get better copies.

I saw this at the download page, haven't called this number though

Select manuals are available for online viewing only. If you require a printed version please contact Sycamore Enterprises at (812)-477-2266.

Is yours a DC Electric model? What issues are you having with drive motors and brakes?

alanmeg

01-16-2010, 09:50 PM

When I called Terex on Friday, they referred me to Sycamore Enterprises as well, but I didn't get a chance to contact them during business hours yet. For now, I re-wired the main power circuit such that everything works except some of the limit switches and the brakes. Primarily, I still need to track down which wire should control the brakes..they don't work at all yet, but they did function when I applied power directly to the solenoid...I need to isolate the circtuit and track down where it goes in the panel box.
The drive issue was simply a "brain fart" as I forgot to reconnnect the hot wire on the solenoid.

Tell you what, I was really confused for a while, since there were so many wires disconnected, obvious patches, and things were really "rigged" when I started tracking down wires. Hence, I pretty much drew up my own (temp) schematics and wired it up the way I knew things would work...at least wherever I was able to figure out where wires were terminated on both ends. Hopefully I can obtain schematics and wire things up how they should be at some point.