Parts of a Boom Lift – Labeled Aerial Lift Diagram

All 13 parts on the diagram

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Whole machine 8

Platform The railed floor at the end of the boom. The workers stand here. It is also called the basket.
Boom The long arm that raises the platform. This one is telescopic: one section slides out of the other.
Jib A short arm between the end of the boom and the platform. It moves up and down on its own.
Turntable The upper body of the machine, with the boom mounted on it. It rotates on the chassis to swing the boom.
Ground controls A second set of controls low on the machine. They can override the controls in the platform.
Counterweight A heavy block at the back of the turntable. It balances the weight of the boom and the platform.
Chassis The base of the machine, which carries the wheels. The turntable sits on it.
Tires Four tires carry the machine. On some boom lifts they are filled with foam, not air.

Platform 5

Guardrails The posts and rails all round the platform. They keep the workers in.
Gate The part of the guardrail that opens. It lets workers step in and out.
Toe board The low solid strip round the edge of the platform floor. It is under the guardrails.
Platform controls The control box in the platform. From here the operator moves the boom and drives the machine.
Lanyard anchor point A fixed ring in the platform. The lanyard of a worker's safety harness is attached to it.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) A maker's operator's manual for a self-propelled boom lift, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-459843 (its legend: platform, platform controls, lanyard anchorage point, jib boom, boom, ground controls, tires; and in the text turntable, counterweight, drive chassis, guard rails, toeboards, entry gate). (2) A second maker's manual for a towable hydraulic boom lift, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-620792 (basket, boom, jib boom, ground control station, chassis, guardrails, gates, tires). (3) Aerial Lift Manual, a training text for lift operators, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5889988 (platform, platform or upper controls, ground or lower controls, guardrails, toe boards, gates, turntable, boom, tires, the platform attachment point for a lanyard). (4) Wikipedia, Aerial work platform, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_work_platform (platform, guard rails, harness anchor point, the telescopic boom, counterweights). No maker is named. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; own work, no maker's model copied. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a boom lift of the self-propelled kind, with a straight telescopic boom. The first view is the whole machine from the side. The second is the platform, close up, with its rails, gate and controls.

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The machine

The chassis rolls on four tires and carries the turntable, which turns to swing the boom. The boom raises the platform, and the jib between them moves on its own. A counterweight at the back of the turntable balances the load. The ground controls are on the side of the turntable.

The platform

Guardrails run all round the platform, with a toe board along the floor and a gate for stepping in and out. The platform controls are on the top rail. A harness lanyard is attached to the lanyard anchor point.

Two sets of controls: platform controls up top, ground controls on the turntable.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a boom lift?

A chassis on wheels, a turntable that rotates on it, a boom, often a short jib, and a platform with guardrails. There are controls in the platform and a second set at ground level, and a counterweight at the back.

What is the platform on a boom lift called?

Makers call it the platform; many people call it the basket, and on a truck-mounted lift it may be called the bucket. It has guardrails, a toe board, a gate and the platform controls.

What is the jib on a boom lift?

The jib is a short arm between the end of the boom and the platform. It moves up and down separately from the boom.

What is the difference between a telescopic and an articulating boom lift?

A telescopic boom lift has one straight boom whose sections slide out. An articulating boom lift, also called a knuckle boom, has a boom in hinged sections that bend, to reach awkward high places.