Glossary term
What is Aerial lift?
Short answer
An aerial lift is any machine that raises a worker on a platform, such as a bucket truck or a lift mounted on tracks.
Aerial lift, explained for tree service owners
An aerial lift is a machine that raises a person on a platform to work at height. In tree work the most common type is a bucket truck, but there are also trailer lifts and tracked lifts that can reach back yards where a truck cannot go. Each type has a reach, a weight limit and rules for set-up. Workers using one need training, a harness tied to the platform and a plan for rescue. Aerial lifts can make trimming faster, but they do not replace climbing in every case, because branches may be out of reach or the ground may be too soft. A tree service owner chooses the lift that fits the jobs the company sells most often.
Related terms
- Bucket truck
A bucket truck is a truck with a hydraulic boom and a platform that lifts a worker up to the tree, so no climbing is needed.
- Friction device
A friction device is a tool, often a post or wrap fixed near the base of a tree, that lets a worker control a rope while lowering heavy…
- Outriggers
Outriggers are extendable legs on a crane or bucket truck that spread the weight and keep the machine level and steady.
- Pole saw
A pole saw is a saw on a long pole that cuts high limbs from the ground, so the worker does not need to climb.
- Rigging block
A rigging block is a pulley used in a tree to change the direction of a rope and reduce strain while lowering cut pieces.
- Throw line
A throw line is a light cord with a small weight, thrown over a high branch to pull a climbing rope into the tree.
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