Cherry picker, bucket lift, mobile elevating work platform: what is the difference?

“I need a zwyżka for 18 metres”: this is how most phone calls to a rental company in Poland begin. A moment later it turns out that the customer means a scissor platform for work in a hall, and not a machine with a platform on a boom. Names in the trade are colloquial and inconsistent, so it is worth sorting out once what “zwyżka” (cherry picker), “bucket lift” (“podnośnik koszowy”), “mobile elevating work platform” (“podest ruchomy”) and “MEWP” mean, and what you really need to say to get the right machine.

One machine, several names

Mobile elevating work platform (in Polish “podest ruchomy przejezdny”) is the formal name, used in documentation, manuals and technical supervision regulations. In English this same group of machines is the MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform): you will see this abbreviation in manufacturers’ catalogue sheets and in spare part catalogue numbers.

Zwyżka (cherry picker) and bucket lift (podnośnik koszowy) are colloquial names. In everyday conversation they mean a machine with a platform on a boom, that is an articulating boom lift or a telescopic boom lift. Most often “zwyżka” means a machine with a platform on a boom, but many customers use the same word for a scissor lift, which is why we ask about the height and the place of work rather than the name. Formally both belong to the same group of equipment.

Nożyce, nożycowiec and “platform” are in turn colloquial names for a scissor lift, which raises the whole platform vertically upwards.

Four types that are really rented out

• Scissor lift — a large platform travels vertically upwards. No sideways reach, but the most room and capacity. Electric versions for halls and floors, diesel 4×4 versions for rough terrain.
• Articulating boom lift — an arm jointed in several places, so that the platform goes over an obstacle and beyond it. The most versatile type for façades, installations under the ceiling and work above machines.
• Telescopic boom lift — a straight, extending arm. It gives the greatest reach both vertically and horizontally, but it needs room to set up and does not go round obstacles the way an articulating boom lift does.
• Vertical mast lift — a light, narrow machine for interiors: shops, warehouses, public buildings. A small capacity, but it fits through doors and into a goods lift.

A broader comparison with examples of use is in the article which lift should you choose.

What to say instead of a name

The name of the type is secondary: the rental company will choose the machine from the parameters anyway. Give four things and the conversation will take a minute:

• How high you need to reach: what counts is the working height, not the platform height (the difference is about 2 m, because a person works with their hands above the platform). We describe this in the article on choosing the working height.
• Whether you need to reach sideways and by how much: if so, a scissor lift is ruled out and an articulating or telescopic boom lift comes in.
• Indoors or outdoors: this determines the drive (electric or diesel) and the type of wheels.
• What the machine will drive over: floor, paving, hard-surfaced yard or soft ground. This decides 4×4 drive and whether the ground will carry the weight of the machine.

Where the confusion in names comes from

The word “zwyżka” came from the jargon of power and telecommunications crews, where bucket lifts built onto lorries had been used for years. When self-propelled mobile elevating work platforms reached Poland in the 1990s and 2000s, the name passed to them, although it is a different design. That is why today “zwyżka” can mean both a machine on a lorry chassis and a self-propelled articulating boom lift. In documents (handover record, examination, manual) you will always see the formal name: mobile elevating work platform.

Names and formalities

Operator qualifications, technical examinations and documentation refer to the category of equipment, not to the colloquial name: operating a mobile elevating work platform requires qualifications whether you call the machine a “zwyżka”or a scissor lift. If your crew is only now obtaining qualifications, we run UDT training courses for MEWP operators with an exam at our premises (UDT is Poland’s Office of Technical Inspection), and you can test your knowledge beforehand in the online test.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a “zwyżka” and a bucket lift (“podnośnik koszowy”)?

None in the technical sense: they are two colloquial Polish names for the same machine. “Zwyżka” (cherry picker) and “podnośnik koszowy” (bucket lift) in practice mean a mobile elevating work platform with a platform on a boom (an articulating or telescopic boom lift). Formally, in documents and regulations, all these machines are mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs; in Polish “podest ruchomy przejezdny”).

Is a scissor lift also a cherry picker?

Often, yes. Most often “zwyżka” means a machine with a platform on a boom, but many customers use the same word for a scissor lift, which is why we ask about the height and the place of work rather than the name. A scissor lift raises the whole platform vertically and does not reach sideways; in Polish it is also called “nożycowy”, “nożyce” or simply a platform. Formally both are a mobile elevating work platform.

What should I call the machine so that a rental company understands me?

The safest thing is to give three figures instead of a name: the working height in metres, the horizontal reach needed, and whether the work is indoors or outdoors. Add the type of ground. From these details the rental company will choose the type itself: scissor lift, articulating boom lift, telescopic boom lift or vertical mast lift.

Do all these types need the same UDT licences?

The operator’s qualifications apply to mobile elevating work platforms as a category of equipment, not separately to a “zwyżka” and to a scissor lift. The training centre confirms the details of scope and examination when you enrol; we run training courses with an exam at our premises. UDT is the Polish Office of Technical Inspection.

Is a trailer-mounted lift also a mobile elevating work platform?

Trailer-mounted lifts and lifts built onto a lorry are a separate group of machines: they raise a platform on a boom, but do not drive themselves around the work area. For rental purposes they are treated separately from self-propelled scissor, articulating and telescopic platforms.