Siding is a people-at-the-wall problem. A scissor on a driveway slab is the production machine for a two-story box you can drive up to. An articulating boom is for gables, wrapping corners, and working over shrubs the owner still likes. A telehandler is for palletized product, not for hanging lap from the forks.
In This Guide
Equipment for installing siding
Primary machines
Articulating boom (45–46 ft class)
Primary45–46 ft articulating is the common house size; 63 ft only if you measured.
Up-and-over for gables, corners, and walls you cannot park under.
Skip it when every wall is a straight shot from a driveway slab — rent a scissor instead.
Browse26 ft rough-terrain or slab scissor
Primary26 ft RT (~69 in wide) outdoors; 26 ft electric if you can stay on pavement.
Long, straight elevations with a decent surface under the machine.
Skip it when you must reach over landscaping or a porch roof.
BrowseOptional / nice to have
Towable boom (T350 / T500 class)
OptionalJLG electric towables we rent. Outriggers need firm ground, not wet lawn.
Punch-list peaks and a two-person crew that can hitch.
Skip it when you will move all day — self-propelled is cheaper in hours even if the day rate is higher.
BrowseCompact telehandler
Optional19 ft 5,500 lb class for most homes.
Stage palletized siding without carrying bundles through the house.
Skip it when the supplier is placing pallets where you need them and you have a small elevation.
BrowseTypical pairing
Most two-story homes: articulating 45–46 ft for the week, plus a compact telehandler for the first morning of material. Ranch with a driveway: 26 ft scissor and skip the boom.
Straight wall, straight-up machine
If the work is over the deck and the ground is a driveway or compacted pad, a 26 ft RT or a slab scissor on pavement will beat a boom on speed. Indoor 19 ft scissors do not belong in the flower bed.
Gables, jogs, and landscaping
Articulating 45–46 ft class reaches over obstacles. Towable T350/T500 class is for a small crew that can hitch and will only be at a few peaks. A Z-80 is a commercial building, not a rambler in Mapleton.
Material handling is separate
Fiber-cement pallets are heavy. A compact telehandler or a CTL with forks can stage them. Do not make the boom the forklift.
FAQ
Will a scissor work on the lawn?
Not a slab scissor. RT scissors want a firm, relatively level pad — not irrigation-soaked sod. Put down protection or stay on the driveway.
What about stucco?
Same people machines. More mess. Mask the lift or budget a cleaning charge. Wind and overspray onto cars is an HOA letter.
Can two siders share a boom basket?
If capacity allows with product and tools. Booms are smaller platforms than scissors — that is why scissors win on long, open walls.
Machines on the lot
Live inventory rotates. These are current machines in the related rental collections — not a promise that a specific used unit is still here.
Need a quote on the right class?
Call or text — we'll match height, width, and capacity to the job instead of renting you a bigger machine than you need.