A cherry picker rents for $200 to $400 a day at 30 to 40 ft and $917 to $5,000 a day once you pass 120 ft. New machines run $102,850 for a 45 ft boom lift and $309,175 for a 135 ft telescopic. Used truck-mounted bucket trucks span $18,000 to $188,200 depending on age and chassis.
The first thing to settle is which machine you actually want, because cherry picker means two different things.
| Grade / Item | Low | High | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 to 40 ft, daily | $200 | $400 | USD/day |
| 40 to 60 ft, daily | $260 | $700 | USD/day |
| 60 to 120 ft, daily | $339 | $1,500 | USD/day |
| 120 to 180 ft, daily | $917 | $5,000 | USD/day |
| 60 ft, monthly | $1,894 | $8,000 | USD/month |
| New 45 ft boom | $102,850 | $109,850 | USD new |
| New 65 ft boom | $124,850 | $132,850 | USD new |
| New 135 ft telescopic | $309,175 | $309,175 | USD new |
| Used 45 ft, 2013-2017 | $27,900 | $34,300 | USD used |
| Used bucket truck, 55-60 ft | $18,000 | $188,200 | USD used |
| Country | Typical Range | Per Tonne | Cur. |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Baseline rates shown | n/a | USD |
| Canada | About 5 to 15% above US | n/a | CAD |
| United Kingdom | About 0.75 to 0.85x US in GBP | n/a | GBP |
| Germany / EU | Broadly comparable to US in EUR | n/a | EUR |
| Australia | About 20 to 40% above US | n/a | AUD |
| India | About 30 to 50% of US rates | n/a | INR |
| UAE / Dubai | About 60 to 80% of US rates | n/a | AED |
Boom lift or bucket truck
Say the wrong word and you get the wrong machine delivered.
A self-propelled boom lift is what a rental yard means. It drives itself around a site on wheels or tracks, has no road registration, and comes on a trailer. Articulating models bend at a knuckle to reach over obstacles. Telescopic models extend straight out for maximum reach.
A bucket truck is a boom mounted on a road-legal truck chassis. Utility crews, tree services and sign companies use them because they drive to site and set up in minutes. They are usually insulated for electrical work.
They price completely differently, and the data quality differs too. Boom lift rental is well documented. Bucket truck rental barely is.
Boom lift rental by working height
| Working height | Daily | Weekly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 to 40 ft | $200 to $400 | $520 to $1,100 | $1,200 to $2,500 |
| 40 to 60 ft | $260 to $700 | $562 to $1,800 | $1,456 to $3,800 |
| 60 to 120 ft | $339 to $1,500 | $780 to $4,000 | $1,894 to $8,000 |
| 120 to 180 ft | $917 to $5,000 and up | $2,600 to $12,000 | $7,280 to $20,000 |
Two modifiers apply across every row. Articulating booms run 10 to 20 percent above telescopic at the same height, because the knuckle buys you reach around obstacles. Electric units sit 15 to 25 percent below diesel, and are the only option indoors.
The spread inside each band is geography. A 60 ft diesel articulating unit quoted at $339 a day in one metro market and $1,500 in a national high-side average is the same machine on two different price channels. Get local quotes.
Bucket truck rental
There is no current published US rate card for bucket trucks. The major national renters list 45 to 60 ft insulated units with no rates attached. The most-cited figures in circulation date to 2023 and should be treated as a floor, not a current price:
- Around $160 a day average for a bare unit
- $700 a week or $3,250 a month for a 42 to 60 ft machine
- $400 to $700 a day for a 60 ft unit with an operator
- Operator alone at $175 to $200 an hour single, about $235 an hour for a two-man crew
If you need a bucket truck, call three local suppliers. Nothing published will price it for you.
Purchase prices
| Machine | Price |
|---|---|
| New 45 ft articulating boom | $102,850 to $109,850 |
| New 45 ft telescopic boom | $105,850 |
| New 65 ft boom | $124,850 to $132,850 |
| New 66 ft rough terrain | $125,850 |
| New 135 ft telescopic | $309,175 |
| Used 45 ft articulating, 2013 to 2017 | $27,900 to $34,300 |
| Used 45 ft articulating, 2020 | $40,000 to $48,850 |
| Used 135 ft, 2014, 4,400 hours | $85,000 |
| Used 135 ft, 2024, 393 hours | $279,000 |
| Used bucket truck, 55 to 60 ft | $18,000 to $188,200 |
The bucket truck spread deserves explanation. An $18,000 unit is a 2010 boom on a tired chassis. A $188,200 unit is a 2015 boom remounted on a 2025 truck. You are buying two assets at once, and the chassis often matters more than the boom.
Rent or buy
A 45 ft boom lift at roughly $2,000 a month against $105,000 new breaks even near 52 months. That is over four years of unbroken use, which is why almost nobody buys new in this class unless they are a rental company.
Used changes it. A $30,000 machine from 2015 against $2,000 a month breaks even in 15 months. For a tree service or a sign company running one machine most weeks, that is an easy decision.
For anything above 100 ft, rent. A 135 ft machine at $309,175 new, against roughly $7,280 a month, needs 42 months of continuous work. Those jobs do not exist for most contractors.
The costs on top
- Delivery: $150 to $500 for most units. An 80 ft or larger machine can exceed $1,000 per move because it needs a lowboy trailer and sometimes a permit.
- Damage waiver: 10 to 15 percent of rental value.
- Operator training: $150 to $250 per person where the site demands it.
- Fuel: diesel booms returned empty carry a refuelling premium.
Delivery is the line that changes decisions on short rentals. A $339 day rate with $1,000 of transport each way is a $2,339 first day.
Getting the right machine
- Say boom lift or bucket truck. They are not interchangeable and the yard will not guess.
- Quote by working height, not platform height. Working height adds about 6 ft for a person standing in the basket.
- Say whether you need to reach over something. That is the articulating and telescopic decision, and it is worth 10 to 20 percent.
- Indoors means electric. No exceptions on most sites.
- Ask about ground conditions. A slab machine on soft ground will not move.
- For electrical work, confirm the unit is insulated and tested. Not all bucket trucks are.
Rates move with regional demand and fuel. Figures here are dated August 2026 except the bucket truck rental band, which is 2023 and flagged as such. Confirm before you book.