A boom lift, also called a cherry picker, is an elevating work platform (EWP) that raises workers and their tools on the end of a hydraulic arm, so they can work high up and reach out over obstacles. A scissor lift only goes straight up, but a boom lift can place its platform above, beside or beyond the spot where the machine is parked. Boom lifts come in two main designs, articulating and telescopic, and the Hangcha boom lifts DJJ Equipment sells reach working heights from 11.95 m to 63 m.
How a boom lift works
A boom lift has four main parts: a wheeled chassis, a turntable that rotates on top of it, the boom, and a platform or basket at the end of the boom. Hydraulic cylinders raise, extend and swing the boom, while the turntable slews it around the machine.
The operator drives and positions the machine from the platform, and a second set of controls at the base lets someone on the ground lower it in an emergency. The platform levels itself as the boom moves, and sensors stop the boom if the basket is overloaded. On the Hangcha HZ diesel range, travel speed drops from about 4.4 km/h with the boom stowed to around 1 km/h with the platform raised.
Two height figures appear on every spec sheet. Platform height is the height of the platform floor, and working height adds 2 m for a person's reach. On every Hangcha boom lift DJJ lists, working height is platform height plus 2 m.
Types of boom lifts
Boom lifts are grouped by how the boom reaches, and that decides where each one works best.
Articulating boom lifts (knuckle booms)
An articulating boom lift has two or more boom sections joined by knuckles, so it can reach up, over an obstacle and back down on the other side. That up-and-over reach suits building facades, plant rooms, structural steel and work above pipes or rooftops.
Compact articulating booms also fit where larger machines can't. The Hangcha GTHZ120 is 1.2 m wide and turns inside 1.55 m, while the Hangcha HZ diesel articulated boom lift range reaches working heights from 14.8 m to 56.86 m outdoors.
Telescopic boom lifts (straight booms)
A telescopic boom lift has one straight boom made of sections that slide out of each other. It gives the longest reach for its height and moves to position quickly, but it can't bend around an obstacle, and the chassis is heavier to balance the longer arm.
Telescopic booms suit open sites such as steel erection, bridges, warehouses with high roofs and large building exteriors. The Hangcha HB Series diesel telescopic boom lift reaches up to 63 m working height with a working radius of up to 26 m. Some telescopic models add a jib at the tip, such as the 135-degree jib on the HB250P and HB280P, to fine-tune the platform position.
Articulating vs telescopic at the same height
Two Hangcha diesel models of about 20 m show the trade-off clearly.
| Articulating (HZ200H) | Telescopic (HB200H) | |
|---|---|---|
| Working height | 20.2 m | 20 m |
| Sideways reach | 11.6 m outreach | 15 m working radius |
| Machine weight | 8,800 kg | 9,500 kg |
| How it reaches | Up, over and down around obstacles | In a straight line from the turntable |
| Best for | Cluttered sites and tight access | Open sites where reach matters most |
If something stands between the machine and the work, choose an articulating boom. If the path is clear and you need to reach far out, a telescopic boom gets there with less repositioning.
Electric or diesel boom lift?
An electric boom lift suits indoor work and sites where exhaust or noise is a problem, while a diesel boom lift suits taller outdoor work on rough ground.
Not every electric boom is indoor-only. The narrow GTHZ models run on non-marking tyres for indoor work, but the HZ210A and the HB Series electric telescopic models are four-wheel drive with an oscillating axle for uneven ground. Electric models in the Hangcha range reach up to 28 m working height, and most come with lead-acid batteries as standard and lithium as an option.
Diesel models start at 14.8 m and reach 63 m. They are four-wheel drive, climb grades of 40-45% with the boom stowed and keep working without a charger on site. Exhaust rules them out of enclosed buildings.
Boom lift vs scissor lift
A boom lift and a scissor lift both lift people to work at height, but they solve different problems.
- Movement: a scissor lift raises its platform straight up; a boom lift reaches up and out.
- Height: the Hangcha scissor lifts DJJ sells reach up to 18.2 m working height; the boom lifts reach up to 63 m.
- Platform load: scissor lifts carry more, up to 1,150 kg on the rough terrain diesel model, against 200-480 kg on the boom lifts.
- Licence: scissor lifts need no high risk work licence; boom lifts with a boom length of 11 metres or more need one.
If the work is directly above a clear floor and you need room for a crew and materials, electric scissor lifts are usually the simpler choice. If you have to reach over something or out from where the machine can stand, you need a boom lift.
How to read boom lift specifications
Boom lift spec sheets use a handful of figures, and each one answers a different question:
- Working height: how high a person on the platform can work, which is platform height plus 2 m.
- Outreach or working radius: how far out from the machine the platform can go. Compare like with like, because brands and series measure it differently.
- Platform capacity: the total weight of people, tools and materials. Some models carry two ratings, such as 480 kg or 320 kg on the HZ320H. The higher figure applies only within a restricted working range, so check the load chart.
- Machine weight and width: these decide transport and whether the ground can carry the machine. Hangcha boom lifts weigh from 6,670 kg to 30,280 kg.
- Gradeability: the slope the machine can drive up with the boom stowed, not a slope it can work on.
Do you need a licence to operate a boom lift?
You need a high risk work licence, class WP, to operate a boom lift with a boom length of 11 metres or more. Boom length isn't the working height: it is the greater of the platform floor height at full extension and the horizontal outreach from the centre of rotation to the outer edge of the platform, taken from the original design.
Most boom lifts on the market are over that line. In the Hangcha range, the GTHZ120 has a 9.95 m platform height and 7 m reach, so on its published figures its boom length is under 11 m, while every larger model is 11 metres or more. Check the measurement for your machine with the regulator in your state, such as WorkSafe Queensland.
Below 11 m no licence is needed, but your business must still give operators suitable training, information and instruction for the machine. Industry training cards such as the EWPA Yellow Card show that training, but they are not a licence.
Using a boom lift safely
Most boom lift incidents involve falls, tip-overs, overhead crush or contact with power lines, and Australian guidance focuses on four controls.
- Harness: people on a boom lift should wear a full-body harness with an energy-absorbing lanyard, clipped to the anchor point the manufacturer specifies, not to the handrail. Keep the lanyard as short as the platform allows.
- Wind: never work above the maximum wind speed on the machine's plate. Most EWPs built for outdoor use are rated to 12.5 m/s (45 km/h), and indoor-only machines are generally not designed for wind.
- Ground: check the ground can carry the machine's weight and stay within its slope limits. The HZ diesel range limits boom movement when the machine stands more than 5 degrees out of level.
- Power lines: each state sets its own exclusion zones, commonly 3 m for lines up to 132 kV in NSW and Queensland. Treat lines as live, ask the network operator before work starts and use a safety observer if the boom could come close.
Safe Work Australia published an updated model Code of Practice for elevating work platforms in December 2025, and your state regulator's version is the one to follow on site.
How to choose a boom lift
Choosing a boom lift starts with the highest and furthest point you need to reach, and what stands in the way. Check these points before you compare models:
- Working height and sideways reach to the furthest task
- Obstacles between the machine and the work, which point to articulating or telescopic
- Indoor or outdoor work, which decides electric or diesel
- Ground conditions, slopes and the floor's load limit
- Crew, tools and materials on the platform
- Access width, transport and delivery to site
- Whether operators hold a WP licence
The right boom lift is the smallest machine that reaches every task from a safe position. The Hangcha boom lifts for sale at DJJ come in articulating and telescopic designs, electric and diesel, at Silverwater, Meadowbrook and Bayswater. Tell us the height, reach and site conditions, or call 1800 355 388, and we'll suggest the models that fit.
