I am looking for a used manlift that will reach at least 50 feet high. What are "buyer beware" things to look for.
Well, if your budget allows it: -get a diesel. A gasoline powered manlift uses about 3 times the fuel a diesel does. And avoid gasoline powered manlifts with a carburetor. Go fuel injection if you do go gasoline. -Get a Genie product. They own the market now. Their parts & service are second to none, and their machines are the most trouble free. -Avoid brands of manlifts that are no longer in production. trouble, trouble, trouble. my $0.02
Agree with the diesel. Gas engines just do not belong in construction. Around here JLG is head and shoulders above everyone else on parts and support. Genie isn't even in the same ballpark. The discontinued manlift brands can be a good option but parts are a nightmare. If your not gonna count on it every single day they aren't a bad option. You can't have one of those on a high profile job. Right now in waiting for a swing motor for a genie. Took a week to get it. I could have had that same part for a JLG the next day for half the price.
the last thing I want to do is start a brand war. The point is, stay to the major brands if you need to depend on the machine and you're not a mechanic who enjoys working on manlifts. I was always a JLG man. We laughed like hell when we saw our first Genie in about 1989. Plastic bushings, no grease nipples, boom that looked like it was made out of toothpicks. We gave it 6 months to live. Well, that machine is still running and in daily usage today. And we've done almost nothing to it other than regular maintenance. Only 2 strikes it has against it are a gas engine and a carburetor. JLG's we owned of the same vintage are either gone to heaven or parked in the weeds gathering spider webs. The company I work for isn't a dealer for either brand, but I can call up the genie tech line and get helped any time I need to. JLG won't even talk to me cause I'm not a dealer. We've had 2 different Genie area tech reps active on this site helping out with problems. I haven't seen anybody from JLG here. For that matter I've never seen a JLG tech rep or heard that one even exists. That's the reason I recommended Genie. You must have a great JLG dealer in your area Knepptune.
A brand war doesn't help anything. I came across a little rougher on genie then I meant to. Yes I have a great relationship with the local JLG guys. There are several dealers I can get JLG parts for. Most parts I order from genie have to come from Washington state. Most of the time parts are in stock. It just takes time and money to ship things across the country. I get the feeling that when terex came in and bought everything up that they just didn't have the dealer network of JLG. I think that is still one of genie/terex problems. Hopefully it will get better with time. Around here you probably see 15-20 JLG lifts for every one genie.
That's very interesting. Where I am, that big Genie depot in Washington state is "next day" shipping. When you drive through any equipment rental lot, it's a sea of blue. Around here you'll see 15 to 20 Genie lifts for every JLG lift. That goes for zoom-booms too. Wonder if that's an east/west thing? I guess the moral of all this is gmoore, look around the rental lots & job sites in your area to see what everybody is using. What ever machine there is more of (in your area) is going to be easier to obtain parts & service for.
I have to say i disagree with the whole Genie owns the market statement. It seems to me that JLG is the market leader but i would actually enjoy seeing some statistics on that to see who in reality is. I own both Genie and Jlg.... and Snorkel. They are all trouble! Always something with a manlift i swear. From an operators standpoint, i prefer a JLG, they are smoother and faster than any other machine that i have operated. From a trouble shooting/ maintenance standpoint, i whole heartedly agree that JLG is MAJORLY lacking there. They wont help you whatsoever if your not a dealer (which im not). For me at least, the ability to repair my own equipment is paramount. I know i sound harsh on JLG but they do make a good product. They just tailor themselves to the major rental cos, not owner operators. I wouldnt tell you not to buy one but i would say to line up a knowledgeable mechanic before you purchase one. As a baseline, i would be shopping for a Genie, JLG, or Snorkel. I would not even look at anything that hasnt been made in the last 10 years. Also, i prefer straight booms only. Usually the most important factor is forward outreach, which you arent going to get with an articulating machine. The other thing is that there are less moving parts which equals less to go wrong, also straight booms are much faster to operate. I would be looking at the backs of the hubs for leaks, overall condition of boom hoses and power cables. Look at the swing motors and hose rotator at the base for leaks. Extend the booms all the way out and check the machine for excessive rotation bearing wear by rocking the basket back and forth, and to sight the booms for true and straight. Check all the wear pads and look over the booms to see if theres gouging from the wear pads. Check the condition of the cable track and make sure nothings bent or badly rubbing. Make sure the booms go in and out without laboring the engine/ hydraulics. (If possible) open the lower and upper control panels and make sure everything looks in order and nothing has been rigged or hacked together, make sure theres no excessive corrosion on the electrical components. I personally think the best compromise in the size you are looking for is a straight 40' boom with a 5' jib. Light weight, good reach, maneuverable. Genie S45, JLG 460SJ, and Snorkel TB47J are all good machines. I wouldnt shy away from a well kept model from any of these guys. I wouldnt get anything other than: Diesel, 4x4, 8' basket. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Also, I have never had any issues with parts from Genie or JLG. We always get JLG parts the next day, distribution is in Ohio. Genie has never been more than two days for us.... not sure what the problem was with the extended lead time. I will say that with Snorkel we have had a problem. When they were out of business for a minute, they werent shipping parts and i had a machine down for months. I think things with Snorkel have gotten better though. I like these guys because you can call them and talk to a live person who actually knows every part and piece of every machine they build. I have never dealt with any company that takes the time to help a person as they do. Also, they sell parts direct.... and in the last year we have gotten parts next day.
and get a 4-wheel drive machine if you work in the dirt at all. 2-wheel drive is great for pavement, but that's about it.
I've got a choice JLG 450AJ. It's a 2007 with 625 original hrs. 4WD deutz diesel. Has all new hoses on it due to age. It's in Florida. Contact me if it interested. [email protected]