Electric slab scissors have small, solid, non-marking tyres and almost no ground clearance. They’re built for concrete, warehouse floors, finished car parks — anywhere flat and hard. Put one on soft or lumpy ground and it bogs, marks up, or refuses to elevate. Diesel RT scissors have big lugged tyres, real ground clearance and four-wheel drive, so they shrug off rutted site ground that would strand an electric machine.
Electric is the cheaper option every time it’s viable. Our 19ft electric is $100/day, and the 40ft electric tops out at $200/day. RT machines start at $200/day for the 26ft and run to $350/day for the 53ft. Transport follows the same pattern: $165 each way for electric (they’re lighter) versus $180–$240 each way for RT. Full pricing is on the rates page, and there’s a deeper cost breakdown in our hire cost guide.
| Electric scissor | Diesel RT scissor | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily rate (ex-GST) | $100–$200 | $200–$350 |
| Ground | Finished, hard, level surfaces only | Dirt, gravel, grass, unfinished sites |
| Indoors | Yes — no fumes, quiet | Never — exhaust fumes |
| Noise | Near silent | Diesel engine noise |
| Tyres | Solid non-marking | Big lugged tread — will mark floors |
| Fuel | 240V overnight charge, costs almost nothing | Diesel at $4/L as used |
| Transport (≤50km, each way) | $165 | $180–$240 |
An electric scissor charges overnight off a standard 240V power point — the power cost is close to nothing, and a full charge covers a normal working day. Diesel machines are refuelled and billed at $4/L as used, which is fair but adds up over a long hire. If the job runs past a week, call us — weekly rates aren’t published, but we’ll beat the rate you’re currently paying.
Browse the full range on the scissor lift hire page or match a machine to your height on hire by height.
No. Diesel exhaust in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space is a serious health hazard, open doors or not. If the work is indoors, it’s electric — no exceptions from us.
Compacted, level gravel that a car would drive over comfortably is usually fine. Loose, soft or rutted gravel isn’t. Describe the surface when you book and we’ll give you a straight answer.
No high-risk licence for any scissor lift in Victoria — we recommend the EWPA Yellow Card. Details in our licence guide.
Just a standard 240V power point overnight. No three-phase, no special gear — the same outlet you’d run a battery charger from.
Tell us the surface and the height — we’ll pick the cheaper machine that actually works. Quotes in 60 minutes.
Call 1300 806 577