Scissor lift or scaffolding: what to choose for work at height
A scissor lift is faster and safer than scaffolding for one-off jobs at height, because it needs no assembly and can be moved in a few seconds. Scaffolding remains more suitable when the work continues for days on end on the same facade.
The choice between a scissor lift and scaffolding is not about height, but about how the job is carried out. Here are the criteria that actually matter.
When a scissor lift is better
One-off jobs. You are replacing a few light fittings in a hall, installing a sign, repairing a downpipe, cleaning a roof. Scaffolding would take a day to put up and a day to take down for two hours of actual work.
Frequent moves. A scissor lift moves in a few seconds, with the operator in the basket. Scaffolding has to be taken down and put up again.
Indoor spaces. In a hall or a shop, an electric scissor lift gives off no fumes and makes no noise.
Safety. The platform has a guardrail all the way round and rises vertically. Statistically, most accidents at height are falls from incorrectly erected scaffolding.
When scaffolding is still better
Continuous work over several days. A whole facade that is being plastered and painted needs a permanent presence across the entire surface. Here scaffolding is more cost-effective.
Storing materials at height. On scaffolding you can keep bags, tools and formwork. A scissor lift has a limited capacity.
Several people at once. A team of four works on scaffolding; only one or two people fit in a scissor lift.
Diesel or electric
The diesel scissor lift has good traction and copes with rough terrain — on site, on soil or on ballast. It is used outdoors.
The electric scissor lift is made for indoor use: it gives off no fumes, it is quiet and it has wheels that do not mark the floor. It runs on flat, hard surfaces.
The choice depends on where the machine will stand, not on how high it has to go.
What to ask when renting
- What working height it has, not what platform height — the difference is about two metres.
- How many kilograms the platform can take, including people and materials.
- How it is transported to the site.
- Whether the ground it will stand on is level and firm enough.
What we have
We have two Haulotte scissor lifts: a diesel one for rough terrain and an electric one for indoor use. Both can be rented from a single day, with transport to the site included.
Have a job in mind?
Describe it to us and get a quote the same day. Equipment with operator, from a single day.