'Cherry picker' and 'boom lift' are two of the most-used phrases in access equipment, and they are used almost as if they were the same thing — which is exactly why they cause confusion. In truth they overlap heavily but come at the machine from different angles: one is an everyday nickname, the other a more precise description of a machine's mechanism. Understanding what each term is really pointing at helps an operator specify the right equipment and read a hire listing or a spec sheet with confidence. This guide unpacks the difference.
What people mean by 'cherry picker'
'Cherry picker' is an informal, widely-understood nickname rather than a technical classification. It originated from the fruit-picking machines the name describes, and in general use it refers to a boom-type elevating work platform that lifts a worker in a platform or bucket up and out to a work position.
In Australian usage the term is most often attached to truck-mounted access machines — the kind you see a technician working from beside power lines, street lighting or trees. But because it is a nickname rather than a defined class, people apply it loosely to various boom-type machines, which is precisely where the confusion with 'boom lift' begins.
What 'boom lift' actually describes
'Boom lift' is a more precise description of the machine's mechanism: an EWP that uses an extending or articulating arm — a boom — to move the platform through space, as opposed to a scissor or vertical lift that only rises straight up. The defining feature is the boom, which gives the machine horizontal outreach and, in articulating versions, the ability to reach up and over obstacles.
Boom lifts generally split into two families:
- Articulating (knuckle) boom lifts — the boom has hinged sections that bend, allowing the platform to reach up and over obstructions.
- Telescopic (straight) boom lifts — the boom extends in a straight line, prioritising maximum horizontal and vertical reach.
- Both may be self-propelled machines or mounted on a chassis or truck.
So how do the terms relate?
The cleanest way to hold it is this: 'boom lift' describes the type of machine by its mechanism, while 'cherry picker' is a popular nickname that usually — but not always — refers to a boom-type machine, most commonly a truck-mounted one. A cherry picker is, in the vast majority of cases, a boom lift; but not every boom lift is what people would call a cherry picker.
In everyday conversation the overlap is harmless. When specifying or hiring equipment, though, it pays to move past the nickname and describe the machine by what it needs to do — the reach, the mechanism and the mounting — because that is what actually determines whether a given machine suits the job.
Choosing between the machines behind the names
The real decision is not 'cherry picker or boom lift?' but 'which machine suits this task?'. That comes down to the work, the environment and the reach required rather than the label.
The factors that actually decide the machine:
- Reach — how high and how far out from the base the work sits, which points toward telescopic or articulating booms.
- Obstacles — whether you need to reach up and over something, favouring an articulating boom.
- Access and ground — the space to set up and the surface to work from, which may favour a truck-mounted or self-propelled machine.
- Mobility — whether the machine needs to travel the road between sites, favouring a truck-mounted platform.
- The task itself — line work, tree work, signage, construction or maintenance each shape the ideal configuration.
Getting the right machine for the job
Because the terminology overlaps, the safest approach when hiring or buying is to describe the job and let the machine follow. Tell a supplier the height, outreach, obstacles and environment, and the right class of machine — whatever anyone chooses to call it — will become clear. If you would like help matching a machine to a task, or want to understand how a given boom-type EWP is inspected and maintained, a qualified provider can talk it through on 0416 689 689.
How the two compare to scissor and vertical lifts
Placing boom-type machines against the simpler vertical lifts sharpens the distinction and helps a first-time hirer see where a boom earns its keep. A scissor lift or vertical mast lift rises straight up from directly above its base — excellent for reaching height over a clear footprint, but with no ability to reach out or over anything. A boom lift, by contrast, moves the platform out through space, trading some of that vertical simplicity for reach and flexibility.
That trade-off is the heart of the choice. If the work sits directly above a spot you can position the machine over, a vertical or scissor lift is often the simpler, more stable answer. If you need to clear an obstacle, reach across a gap, or get up and over something, a boom lift — the machine behind the 'cherry picker' nickname — is what the job calls for.
The same inspection regime, whatever you call it
One point that cuts through all the terminology is that the compliance obligations do not care what you call the machine. Whether it is described as a cherry picker or a boom lift, a boom-type EWP falls under AS 2550.10 and carries the same tiered inspection regime as any other elevating work platform — operator pre-starts, routine and periodic inspections, and a major inspection due against the machine's age.
So while getting the terminology right helps you communicate, getting the compliance right is what keeps the machine legally and safely working. A cherry picker and a boom lift, being the same machine under different names, are inspected and maintained to exactly the same standard. If you own or hire one, the responsibility is identical regardless of the label on the listing.
This is a useful thing to hold onto when browsing listings or talking to suppliers. A machine advertised as a cherry picker and one advertised as a boom lift may be the very same class of equipment, so the sensible questions are always about the machine itself — its reach, its mechanism, its mounting and its inspection history — rather than the term used to sell it. Judge the machine, not the name, and the terminology stops mattering at all.
This guide is general information prepared by EWP Australia and is grounded in publicly available Australian Standards and Safe Work Australia material. It is not a substitute for the current published edition of the relevant standard or for site-specific engineering advice. Always work from the current standard and consult a competent person for your specific equipment and application.