Cherry Picker vs Scissor lift – Which do I need?

Cherry pickers and scissor lifts are both mobile powered access platforms that help you work at height safely, but which one do you need?

Scissor Lifts

Scissor lifts provide height access via their scissor-like lifting mechanism.
They can be extremely versatile and are therefore a common sight on job sites and in powered access fleets.

Scissor lifts can be separated into two types:

  • Rough terrain scissor lifts: As the name suggests, these are designed to cope with the challenges of working on rough and uneven ground.

    They often have foam filled tyres which help to protect against punctures and come with 4 wheel drive to make easy work of tough site conditions.

    Both electric and diesel rough terrain scissor lifts are available to hire from JMS.
  • Slab scissor lifts: Designed to operate on slab or flat hard surfaces. Many have non-marking tyres to protect flooring.

    Slab scissor lifts are often built on compact chassis making them ideal for narrow aisles environments, like warehousing or manufacturing.

    Typically battery powered, they can be used internally and wherever low emissions are required.

When to choose a scissor lift?

Scissor lifts operate vertically so need to be situated on level ground directly underneath and as close as possible to the work area. They don’t provide outreach although some scissor lifts have deck extensions.

Scissor lifts are suitable for applications where operators need to have tools and materials with them. For example, cladding, curtain walling, and indoor & outdoor building maintenance tasks.

JMS supplies a full range of scissor lifts with working heights from 3.5m up to 34m.


For scissor lift hire enquiries, call 0845 457 0000 or email hire@jms.co.uk


Cherry Pickers

Cherry pickers, also known as boom lifts, provide height access as well as outreach over obstacles.

Cherry pickers can be separated into:

  • Articulated cherry pickers provide height access “up and over” obstacles allowing them to be situated at a distance from the work area.
    This is helpful if it’s not possible to get up close to the building or directly underneath the work area.
  • Spider boom lifts/cherry pickers provide excellent height capabilities as well as exceptional agility on uneven ground surfaces, thanks to being propelled by tracks.

    The term spider refers to the outriggers which extend to stabilise the machine and spread its weight evenly across the floor.

Teupen leo35tplus

A Teupen LEO35TPlus spider boom lift being used for building maintenance tasks.

When to choose a cherry picker?

If you need height access “up and over” obstacles, a cherry picker would be better suited to the job.

When choosing which type of cherry picker you need, it’s important to consider the amount of outreach you need, the location of the work area and the ground conditions.

All cherry pickers offer outreach, either in a straight line (telescopic) or up and over (articulated), so be sure to select the one that provides the adequate amount of outreach.

The location of the work area will influence if a cherry picker is needed. Can you position the machine directly under where you need to work? Or up against the building? If not, cherry pickers can work around these issues.

If the ground surface is uneven, there are steps to negotiate or there are differences in elevation, spider cherry pickers are a good choice.

The JMS powered access fleet includes a comprehensive range of telescopic, articulated and spider cherry pickers with working heights up to 58.57m.


For cherry picker hire enquiries, call 0845 457 0000 or email hire@jms.co.uk


Nationwide Hire

JMS is a member of Access Link, a nationwide network of professional hirers and suppliers of access equipment. Whatever access platform you need, JMS customers can benefit from a network of over 60 depots and a fleet of over 15,000 platforms.

JMS depots are located in Harpenden and Radlett (Hertfordshire), Leeds (West Yorkshire) and Dartford (Kent).

For all hire enquiries, call us onย 0845 457 0000ย or emailย hire@jms.co.uk. Our experienced hire teams can advise on all types of powered access and we can arrange site surveyโ€™s to ensure the correct access platform is chosen for your requirements.

We can also provideย IPAF Training coursesย for all powered access platforms.
To book an IPAF training course or to find out more information, give us a call onย 0845 457 0000ย or emailย training@jms.co.uk.

Cherry picker Genie Z135 on truck at Lutterworth
Wherever you need powered access, JMS can deliver