What to check before you hire a cherry picker
Five checks cover nearly everything that goes wrong with cherry picker hire: current LOLER inspection, IPAF-qualified operator (or your own PAL card for self-drive), insurance confirmed, the right machine for the height and outreach, and ground and access agreed before delivery.
1. LOLER: the machine's MOT
Every cherry picker used for lifting people must have a current LOLER thorough examination, the legal six-monthly inspection for powered access. It is the machine's MOT, and asking for the certificate date is a thirty-second check that separates professional operators from the rest. Any quote arranged here comes from a company whose machines are in inspection date, and the certificate is available on request.
2. People: IPAF on both sides of the controls
Operated hire means an IPAF PAL card holder at the controls, ask for the category (3b for booms) and do not be shy about it. Self-drive means your own card, checked at booking. Anyone working from the platform should also know the basics: harness points, emergency lowering, platform capacity. The handover covers it, pay attention to that ten minutes.
3. Insurance and who carries what
Three policies matter: the hire company's public liability, the machine's plant insurance, and (for self-drive) your own liability while the machine is in your care, which is what the damage waiver addresses. All three should be confirmable in writing. If a quote cannot produce them, that is your answer.
4. The right machine for the job
Two numbers decide it: working height (platform height plus roughly two metres) and outreach (how far the boom reaches sideways, which determines whether it can stand off and come over an obstacle). A two-storey semi needs 12 to 15 metres; a three-storey Victorian terrace 17 to 20; commercial units and big trees 20 to 26. Describe the job and the obstacle, over a conservatory, across a slope, and the quote names the machine that actually fits, not just the one available.
5. Ground, access and the practicalities
Booms set up on outriggers that put serious point loads down, spreader plates handle most surfaces, but the booking conversation should cover: access width (trailer booms track through a standard side passage), ground slope, soft lawns after rain, overhead cables, and where the machine parks. Five minutes on the phone prevents the classic failed delivery. Photograph the access on your phone and mention anything unusual when you request the quote.
The one-line version
LOLER in date, IPAF at the controls, insurance in writing, machine sized to the job, ground agreed in advance. Any hire company that welcomes all five questions is one worth booking.