Key takeaways
- Match the boom lift type to the obstacle in front of the platform: telescopic for straight reaches, articulating for up-and-over work, towable for occasional use, compact crawler for tight indoor sites.
- A used 50 foot towable boom lift typically runs $15,000 to $40,000 depending on hours, age, and condition.
- Hours on the hour meter matter more than model year: under 2,000 hours is light duty, past 5,000 expect wear on booms, cables, and hydraulics.
- Price-check any listing against MachineryTrader asks, IronPlanet auction closes, and local rental rates before negotiating.
- Buying beats renting when you put 200 or more hours a year on the lift and your jobs repeat.
Shopping for a boom lift for sale comes down to your job profile: telescopic lifts reach straight out, articulating lifts bend around obstacles, towable models suit occasional use on a budget, and compact crawlers fit tight indoor sites. This guide matches each type to real jobs, then covers evaluating listings, inspection, and pricing.
Which Boom Lift Type Fits Your Job?
Match the lift to the obstacle in front of the platform, not to the number on the spec sheet. Straight up-and-out work calls for a telescopic stick. Work that has to reach over piping, walls, or rooflines calls for an articulating knuckle. JLG's own spec charts split the lineup this way by platform height and horizontal reach (JLG boom lift specifications).
| Type | Best fit | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Telescopic | Steel erection, façade work, long straight reaches at height | Needs clear swing room; no up-and-over |
| Articulating | Mechanical work over obstructions, HVAC, framing | Shorter max reach per platform height |
| Towable / pull behind | Light-duty maintenance, fence lines, moving between small sites | Slower setup; lower platform heights |
| Compact crawler | Finished floors, interior fit-outs, tight doorways | Lower capacity; higher price per foot of height |
Telescopic boom lifts win when the job is one clean line from the chassis to the work area, which is why they dominate yellow-iron-heavy sites. Articulating units trade raw reach for the ability to drop the platform down and over an edge, saving reposition cycles on congested jobs.
Towables make sense for dealers and buyers whose work changes site weekly and who already tow a skid steer or dump truck. Compact crawlers are the pick when the floor cannot take scuffs or the entry is a standard double door.
Browse current inventory by type on BigEquipCo's boom lift listings before narrowing to a single machine.
What Should a 50 Foot Towable Boom Lift Cost?
A used 50 foot towable boom lift typically runs somewhere in the $15,000 to $40,000 range depending on hours, age, and condition. New units sit well above that. Treat these figures as illustrative brackets, not quotes: towable lifts hold value unevenly, and two machines with the same platform height can differ by thousands based on what's under them.
What moves the price up or down
Hours on the hour meter matter most, followed by engine type (electric versus gas or diesel), tire condition, and whether the boom has been stored indoors. Brand reputation and a recent annual inspection add value; a missing load chart or dead batteries cut it. A trailer-ready unit with working outriggers commands more than one that needs hauling on a flatbed.
Before you commit, compare the listing against what's available on a scissor lifts category page or elsewhere in your market. If a 50 footer is priced like a 40 footer, ask why, and check the inspection section of this guide before you wire anything.
How to Evaluate a Boom Lift Listing in Two Minutes
Hours, year, and platform height: the three numbers that matter
Read these before anything else. Hours tell you how hard the machine worked: under 2,000 hours on a diesel unit is light duty, past 5,000 expect wear on booms, cables, and hydraulics. Year matters less than hours, but a pre-2010 machine may face parts delays. Platform height decides whether the lift fits the job at all, so confirm it matches what your quotes need. Cross-check the asking price against recent auction results on IronPlanet's used equipment listings before you call.
Red flags in photos and descriptions
Watch for: no photo of the hour meter or undercarriage, "runs good" with no service records, rust streaks down the boom, and listings that hide platform height in the text. Vague descriptions usually mean the seller is hiding something or doesn't know the machine. If a listing gives you none of the three key numbers, skip it and filter by listings that do, the same way you would when browsing our forklifts category.
Inspection Checklist Before You Buy a Used Articulated Boom Lift
Boom structure and wear pads
Start at the knuckle. On an articulated boom, every cycle works the pivot points hard, so check the wear pads and bushings at each joint for slop or visible steel-on-steel contact. A loose pad is a cheap fix; a worn bore machined into the boom section is not. Look for cracked welds around the knuckle plates and any paint bubbling that hides rust on the inside of the boom.
Cycle the boom through full extension and full articulation with nobody on the platform, and watch for binding or a jerk partway through the range. If the machine has a jib, extend and retract it under a light load.
Hydraulics, controls, and function test
Run every function from both the platform and the ground controls, because a fault that shows only at one station points to a switch or harness problem. Watch the boom for drift while it holds a load; creep over a few minutes means a leaking cylinder seal or a stuck valve. Check hoses for weeping at the crimps and look under the machine for fresh oil. Test the emergency stop, the tilt alarm, and the lanyard anchor points.
Chassis, tires, and documentation
Check the hours against the wear you see, inspect the tires for chunking, and confirm the chassis is straight. Then ask for the service records and the annual inspection sticker. A dealer listing that skips the serial number and hour reading on a compact crawler or towable unit is a listing you should question before you drive out. When you are ready to compare what is actually in stock, browse listings like the CMC units on BigEquipCo and judge each one against this checklist.
How to Price-Check a Boom Lift Against the Market
Before you negotiate, put the asking price next to three numbers: what comparable machines list for, what similar units sold for, and what renting one costs. A 45-foot articulating lift with 3,000 hours is not the same market as a 45-foot telescopic with 8,000 hours and worn undercarriage. Hours, platform height, and drive type set the price band more than brand alone.
Here is a worked example of the math in practice. Say you find a 2014 45-foot articulating lift with 3,200 hours listed at $38,000. Search MachineryTrader for the same platform height and drive type and note five comparable asks, say $31,000 to $44,000. Then check closed auction results on IronPlanet and find similar units hammering between $24,000 and $33,000.
Finally, price the rental alternative: if a comparable lift rents for $1,800 a month in your market, 30 months of rent is $54,000, which means the ask sits well under the rent-replacement threshold and is not obviously overpriced. The spread between auction closes and the ask tells you how much room you have to negotiate, and the rental figure tells you whether buying beats renting at your usage level. Run this sequence on every serious candidate and the right number usually becomes obvious within an hour.
Comparing across marketplaces
Pull the same search on MachineryTrader and IronPlanet and note the spread. IronPlanet results show what auction buyers pay, which usually sits below dealer retail, while MachineryTrader skews toward dealer retail pricing on used iron. Rent-to-own math helps too: if the asking price is under 30 to 36 months of local rental rates, the machine is priced reasonably.
Where BigEquipCo falls short on price data
BigEquipCo shows you active listings and dealer directory counts, but it does not yet publish sold-price history, so you cannot benchmark against closed deals there. Use it to find the machine, then price-check elsewhere. If you need parts after purchase, the parts category on BigEquipCo lists what dealers stock.
Where Should Dealers List a Boom Lift for Sale?
Machinery Trader, EquipmentTrader, and auction houses
Machinery Trader is where serious boom lift buyers already look, and used-equipment dealers broadly treat it as the go-to for moving machines at retail or above. EquipmentTrader reaches a broader consumer audience, which suits towable lifts that appeal to contractors and homeowners rather than fleet buyers. Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet move machines fast at auction, but you give up control of price and timing.
Listing costs and capacity on BigEquipCo
BigEquipCo runs a listing-capacity ladder starting at 10 active listings, built for dealers juggling rotating yellow iron, trucks, and trailers alongside lifts. One honest gap: Machinery Trader's buyer traffic for boom lifts is deeper today, so BigEquipCo works best as a second listing alongside it, not a replacement. Free channels like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace still pull local buyers, and a featured listing on BigEquipCo adds directory visibility without per-listing fees eating the margin on a $20,000 towable.
Tree Trimming and Other Specialty Uses: What Changes
Yes. For tree work, prioritize side reach over raw height: an articulating boom clears branches a telescopic boom would push through, and you want jib capacity plus a bucket-rated platform rather than a bare deck. Ask for hours on the hour meter, undercarriage condition, and whether the machine has run a chipper or other attachments, since arborists work them hard.
Inspection adds a few checks: look for platform damage from dragging through limbs, verify boom cycle speed (slow hydraulics mean worn pumps), and confirm ground pressure suits soft soil. If the unit will resell to tree services rather than construction buyers, price it against comparable specialty listings, which move to a different buyer pool than yellow iron.
Buying vs. Renting: When a Purchase Makes Sense
Buy when you put 200 or more hours a year on the lift and your jobs repeat: orchard pruning, sign and light maintenance, warehouse work. Rental on a towable boom runs roughly $150 to $400 a day depending on market, so two or three week-long jobs can cover a payment on a used machine.
Rent when the need is seasonal, the height requirement changes job to job, or you want to test which type fits before committing. A practical middle path: rent a telescopic and an articulating unit back to back on one job, then shop listings knowing exactly what to buy.
FAQ
How much does a used articulating boom lift for sale typically cost?
Price depends mostly on hours, platform height, and drive type, not brand alone. A 45-foot articulating unit with 3,000 hours sits in a different band than the same height with 8,000 hours and a worn undercarriage. Pull comparable listings on MachineryTrader and check IronPlanet auction results, which usually run below dealer retail, before negotiating.
What hours are too many on a used boom lift?
Under 2,000 hours on a diesel unit counts as light duty. Past 5,000 hours, expect wear on booms, cables, and hydraulics, and price the machine accordingly. Hours matter more than model year: a pre-2010 machine with low hours can still be a better buy than a newer one worked hard, but check parts availability first.
Should I buy a towable or a self-propelled boom lift?
Buy a towable if you use the lift occasionally, already own a suitable tow vehicle, and work across multiple small sites. Buy self-propelled if you use it weekly on one site, need higher platform heights, or work on rough ground where outrigger setup is slow. Towables cost less up front but cap out lower on height and capacity.