ForConstructionPros.com

"When a contractor/operator doesn't have a direct line of sight to the work area, or when physical obstacles prevent the use of a telescopic boom, articulating booms are the appropriate choice of equipment for the job," adds Phil Harvey, product manager, Genie Industries.

"Articulated booms are generally appropriate for industrial plants, manufacturing settings, power stations," says Joe Conley, sales and marketing manager, Aerial East Region, United Rentals, Inc., "any area where you need to get up and over substantial structures in order to perform the work."

Their smaller chassis and 360° turntable rotation provide added maneuverability in narrow passageways or congested work areas. "Normally, smaller articulating booms are more compact than their telescopic 'kin.' Therefore, their applications are usually industrial and maintenance," says Harvey. "The larger booms are built for outdoor, rough-terrain applications and large complex structures."

"Their main limitation," says Conley, "is that most articulated boom models do not have the extended reach capacity of a stick boom."

Mohn clarifies, "Whenever you have a telescopic boom and an articulated boom in the same height class (e.g., 60 ft.), the telescopic boom will always have more horizontal outreach."