Hiring powered access in the South West isn’t always straightforward — especially if you’re balancing multiple sites across Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, or even crossing into South Wales. Our Bristol depot offers flexible, road-legal cherry picker hire designed to keep your team moving and your job on schedule. Below, we’ll run through the key questions to help you choose the right machine.
If you’re staying on a single site for several weeks or months, it may be more cost-effective to use a static machine like a self-propelled boom or scissor lift — we can supply these via our rehire division, Smart Rentall.
But if you’re working across multiple sites, or only need access for a day or two, then a self-drive vehicle-mounted cherry picker is your best bet. Our 3.5t platforms can be picked up from Bristol, driven to site, and returned the same day — no delivery charges, no wasted hire days.
Our cherry pickers are designed to be easy to use — but you’ll still need enough space to extend outriggers or deploy stabilisers. We offer a range of platform options depending on your access needs:
V11T – Compact van mount with no outriggers (great for city work).
Z20i – One-sided jacking, ideal for tight roads or residential access.
S20J – Narrow jacking, perfect for urban maintenance and signage jobs.
If your site is particularly restricted — or on soft ground like grass, fields or gravel — we can also supply tracked booms (spider lifts) via Smart Rentall.
This is the big one. When choosing a cherry picker, always think in two dimensions:
Working height – how high do you need to go?
Outreach – how far do you need to reach sideways?
For example, if you’re working on rooftops, guttering or tree lines, you’ll often need both vertical and horizontal reach. Our team can advise based on your photos, address or Google Street View — and if needed, we can arrange a site survey.
Tip: Remember that outreach is measured from the turret, not the side of the vehicle. Give yourself an extra metre or two to be safe.
Depending on your job, you might benefit from:
Van mounts (V11T, V12) – include enclosed storage space.
Fly-jibs (Z21, Z23) – help you get up and over awkward obstacles.
High-capacity baskets – if two people and heavy tools need to go up.
Our machines are configured for different types of work — let us know your task and we’ll help match the spec.
Bristol and its surroundings include a mix of urban and rural terrain. If you’re working on unpaved ground, fields or uneven surfaces, we recommend our RT13 – a 13m rough terrain machine that can handle outdoor, off-road conditions. It’s still self-drive and road legal, just much more rugged.
If you’re working on a major commercial job, we also supply operated access platforms from 33m to 56m, complete with IPAF-trained operators. Whether it’s a stadium, stadium lights, roofing project or high-rise cleaning, our big truck division can help.
Self-drive hire from Smart Platforms Bristol gives you control, flexibility, and expert support. Our depot is just off the M4 and M5, so you can collect your machine en route to site and return it the same day — no wasted time, no hidden costs.
If you’re not sure which model you need, just give us a call. We’ll work with you to find the safest, most efficient solution for your job.