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What to Know About Operating a Spider Lift

What to Know About Operating a Spider Lift? A Spider lift is a self-propelled boom-type mobile elevating work platform which is designed to be light in weight, as compact as possible, and uses 4 stabilizer legs to achieve stability and levelling. They are used in multiple industries including tree care professionals, solar turbine maintenance, stadium maintenance, TV & Film crews, painting contractors, restoration contractors, building maintenance, construction sites and utility work.  For many applications such as tree maintenance, the light-weight design of Spider lifts is a huge advantage, as it allows them to be towed behind a variety of vehicles.

Determine if the Aerial Lift Machine you rent (or purchase) is suitable for the terrain it will operate on and have sufficient reach and capacity for the work it is intended to do. Here are some items to ask about when dealing with the rental company:

  • Weight capacity. Aerial lifts can raise a load of between 500 and 1000 pounds. If more than one person will be needed in the basket, along with their tools, a larger capacity lift will probably be needed.
  • Fuel type. Aerial lifts typically use either gasoline, diesel, or liquefied petroleum gas (propane, for example). You will want to choose a lift that you can obtain fuel for if you plan to use it extensively.
  • Terrain type. Aerial lifts come in either two wheel drive or four wheel drive, and have different tire treads (or even bulldozer-like tracks for soft or sandy soils). If your project will be done on sloping or very soft ground, an aerial lift might not be a good choice at all.
  • Reach. Aerial lifts range from 30 feet (9.1 m) to over 100 feet (30.5 m) in vertical reach. They also can extend horizontally, but telescoping out at a low boom angle reduces the lift’s weight capacity and stability.

More business owners are choosing to rent or purchase a spider lift as they offer several benefits compared to trailer mounted lifts. This includes their compact size for accessing difficult locations and their 4WD self-propulsion to move quickly and traverse terrain that would stop other heavier or more cumbersome machines.

A spider lift is the ideal aerial work platform to perform tasks at great height in limited spaces. With its four legs, a spider lift provides extra stability at every construction site. The light weight that characterizes this type of aerial platform makes the spider lift ideal for working in spaces that are easily damaged, for example when performing maintenance tasks indoors.

A spider lift is an ideal solution when working on great heights indoors, but can also be used on construction sites outdoors, in any weather condition. The lift is specially designed to access areas that more traditional cherry pickers can’t reach, and is often used instead of traditional and expensive scaffolding systems. Its light weight, flexibility, versatility and movability guarantees workers access to any small or narrow spot, effortlessly.

Aerial work platforms — or AWPs, as they are more commonly known — are economical, portable models that lift one or two workers. These machines are also known as: Aluminum products, manlifts, personnel lifts, lifts, push-arounds and mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs). They are the least expensive and most basic personnel lifts and are most frequently used for overhead maintenance work and cleaning and hanging signs or decorations.

Aerial work platforms (AWPs) and mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) are used by thousands of workers across the country every day for a near-endless list of jobs. Everything from construction to maintenance to cleaning and a million other tasks would be impossible with aerial lifts, AWPs and MEWPs.

AWPs provide alternatives to scaffolding and ladders and allow workers to complete tasks at heights. All kinds of industries use aerial work platforms and different types of construction lifts, from landscaping companies to maintenance facilities to industrial cleaning companies and more.

The main components of an aerial work platform include a base structure (typically a wheeled vehicle to move the MEWP or AWP into place), an extending structure with chassis, and a flat workspace with controls for the operator to control the lift. Keep in mind, this is a list of the major parts of an aerial lift.

About Spimerica – Spider Access Equipment North America

SPIMERICA is active in the sales of rental of a variety of industrial machines and equipment including spider platforms, aerial work platforms, elevating work platforms, mobile elevating work platforms,

Spimerica is managed by industry professional Ben Taft. Ben Taft leads Spimerica with extensive experience in the construction rental industry and in the manufacturing sector. Spimerica offers accessibility options to facilitate safer work environments and improve efficiencies within workplace productivity by providing world class spider booms and cranes to the USA Rental Industry market.

Spimerica is the authorized Palazzani dealer for the majority of the US, representing the highest level of spider booms and spider cranes in the industry. Spider booms range from 55ft to 170ft, providing the safest solution at heights you need to reach. Spimerica is committed to representing the most innovative, dependable and trustworthy solutions in our industry.

Contact Us Today with any questions about Spider Lifts or the latest Palazzani Aerial Work Platform Machine!