5tonne cherry picker. License and mot requirements?

5tonne cherry picker. License and mot requirements?

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OldGermanHeaps

Original Poster:

3,801 posts

177 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
I am looking at buying a cherry picker van, all the ones that fit the bill are around 5 tonnes. Several sellers tell me they are classed as plant and so are mot excempt and can be driven on a B 3.5 tonne car license, and some google results mirror this however i can't find a definitive answer on the dvla's site other than some ambiguous exceptions for tower wagons. I called the dvlas helpline twice but both operators i spoke to didn't know what a cherry picker was and if there were any spevial requrements so they said i should play it safe and get a c1 license, but they weren't confident in their answer.
Does anyone have any experience on this matter? If it makes a difference it will only be used to and from jobs where access equipment is required and will only be carrying materials directly related to the job working at height.
My mrs passed her test in 96, she should be legal to drive it for the time being to get it bback to my premesis and get it painted and signwritten but if i can drive it right away that would be great as i can't wangle the time off to sort out a c1+e for myself for at least a month or 2.
Any pointers would be appreciated.

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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One of my customers specialises in access platforms, and there is a shed load of legislation around it. Is it a boom based on a van, or is it a simple scissor lift platform on wheels that will be transported on a flatbed truck?

If it is based on a 5t van like an Iveco Daily, then you are also into O Licence, CPC, Tachograph rules. The platform needs regular LOLER testing, the operators need all sorts of working at height safety training.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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OldGermanHeaps said:
I am looking at buying a cherry picker van, all the ones that fit the bill are around 5 tonnes. Several sellers tell me they are classed as plant and so are mot excempt and can be driven on a B 3.5 tonne car license
When you say "cherry picker" and "cherry picker van", are you meaning...

or


If the latter, then it's a van. The fact it has a bloke on a stick makes no difference.
If the former, then it probably would count as plant, not least because you aren't actually going to be driving it anywhere except for a very short distance to the actual job.

OldGermanHeaps

Original Poster:

3,801 posts

177 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Got a year left on my ipaf, and one of my customers does loler inspections and lifting equipment maintenance so he is sorting me out on that front but he is unsure on licensing for the road as most of the stuff he deals in guys have all the licenses going. Is there not a tacho and o licence exemption for "vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of 7.5 tonnes or less that are used for carrying work equipment for the driver" from gov.uk site?

Just read gv74 operator license guide
"Other exemptions from Operator Licensing..... u a vehicle with equipment permanently attached to it for the life of that vehicle. Examples of such equipment include permanently xed machines or appliances. Additionally, the only other goods or burden that such vehicles are allowed to carry are those essential
for use in connection with that xed
equipment. As a general rule, loose tools, cooking equipment, foodstuffs, furniture or display units of any kind or other articles that are not a permanent xture on the vehicle would not constitute
goods that are essential for the use of
the xed equipment.
u tower wagons and any trailers that are transporting goods related to the work carried out by the vehicle;"

Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Tuesday 17th January 11:00

Will be the latter type, sprinter with an arm on the back. The rules are a minefield and so many grey areas exist i'm getting seriously pissed off with it all, its so convoluted and contradictive neither dvla nor local trafpol will give me a straight answer what i should do to be legal. I bet trafpol would give me a straight answer at the roadside if stopped though.

Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Tuesday 17th January 11:08

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Your best bet is to speak with the local DVSA/VOSA whatever they are called at the moment. They are the guys who operate the roadside checks, commercial MOT stations etc, and in the past I've found them very helpful if you approach them in advance.
They are not quite so helpful when a fully loaded car transporter is stopped roadside with power steering fluid leaking all over the A55 near Conway, leading to a 3 hour closure of the eastbound side...


There are various exemptions for various vehicles, operated in various circumstances, but in the years I've worked with commercial vehicles, these regulations change on a frequent basis.

Find your local licencing office on this list and they will be bale to direct you to the right person to answer your questions. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/traffi...

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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fk me, that some big cherries yikes

Steve57

2,159 posts

241 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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not sure if its needed but i just found a couple on plant trader and MOT checked them, all came back as MOT'd.

MarshPhantom

9,658 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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Monkeylegend said:
fk me, that some big cherries yikes
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or somilar.

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
MarshPhantom said:
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or similar.
That's to operate it and make it go up and down etc, but my understanding is that the vehicle it is attached to is still liable for the various MOT/PMI/O Licence requirements.

Ganglandboss

8,294 posts

202 months

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
MarshPhantom said:
Monkeylegend said:
fk me, that some big cherries yikes
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or somilar.
You wouldn't get me up in one of those things.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
MarshPhantom said:
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.
You wouldn't get me up in one of those things.
I wouldn't have a great issue - but I don't think I'd want to spend all week up there. Did you take food for the week up, or did they send it up by rope? Just hang over the edge, or bucket?

S11Steve

6,374 posts

183 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
We had one on our own rental fleet many years ago, the first one we had seen so of course the rental branch manager decided he had to have a play with it.

It was all fun and laughs until it developed a hydraulic fault and stayed fully extended, about 12m above the ground. We assumed there would be some sort of manual override to lower it again, but couldn't find how to do it, so had to call their breakdown service - who was 90 minutes away...

We learned a lot that day.

It is really hard to throw an umbrella 12 metres up into a platform when it starts to rain. We learned that when you take a piss from a 12m high platform, it travels a fair distance. It can also be seen quite easily by neighbouring properties.
We also learned a few new swear words.

And our branch manager learned not to piss around with stuff he didn't know how to operate.


Cyberprog

2,186 posts

182 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
If it's a 5T GVW then you'll need a 7.5T licence (C1) to drive it on the road. Simples smile

IPAF and LOLER are not technically a legal requirement, but are a H&S requirement and most probably would be required by your insurance.

It may be MOT exempt, doesn't mean you shouldn't still MOT it to prove it's roadworthy.

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
MarshPhantom said:
Monkeylegend said:
fk me, that some big cherries yikes
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or somilar.
Just to confirm my fears, how much movement is there when you are 100ft in the air, I get seasick very easily but I think I would be pooing my pants as well.

MarshPhantom

9,658 posts

136 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
MarshPhantom said:
Monkeylegend said:
fk me, that some big cherries yikes
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or somilar.
Just to confirm my fears, how much movement is there when you are 100ft in the air, I get seasick very easily but I think I would be pooing my pants as well.
The trick is to pretty much get yourself in the position you want to be in, then extend the boom. Rather than going as high as you can and then lurching from side to side. That isn't much fun.

OldGermanHeaps

Original Poster:

3,801 posts

177 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
They are pretty stable, there is a tiny bit of movement in the breeze but you don't operate them in overly windy conditions. It's actually a lot of fun if i'm honest while you are up there you think i'm getting paid to play with an exciting toy. It feels better to be in control of it yourself, when you are in a manbasket on a telehandler you are at the mercy of the driver on the ground. It beats ladders any day.

chilistrucker

4,541 posts

150 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
MarshPhantom said:
Monkeylegend said:
fk me, that some big cherries yikes
That's nothing. I did spend a week at Stanstead Airport 100ft in the air on one of these things.

Don't you just need an IPAF ticket? Normally half a day at HSS or somilar.
Just to confirm my fears, how much movement is there when you are 100ft in the air, I get seasick very easily but I think I would be pooing my pants as well.
A bit.
When I did it for a bit, I was up in a JLG 150, (I think thats its name.) It was a huge self propelled cherry picker and at full stick 150ft it could be driven at crawler pace. I wasn't a fan.
I think Bronto did one for the Danish fire brigade, it was a huge truck mount set up, full stick just over 300ft eek

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
I assume you must be strapped in or tethered in some way, hopefully.

My legs would be like jelly.

daveenty

2,357 posts

209 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
quotequote all
Cyberprog said:
If it's a 5T GVW then you'll need a 7.5T licence (C1) to drive it on the road. Simples smile

IPAF and LOLER are not technically a legal requirement, but are a H&S requirement and most probably would be required by your insurance.

It may be MOT exempt, doesn't mean you shouldn't still MOT it to prove it's roadworthy.
This seems the most accurate assessment so far.

I've been training people on mobile platforms in the aerospace industry for over 25 years now, though we only use self propelled booms or scissor lifts and not lorry mounted stuff.

As for the sway mentioned earlier, you get used to it. Same as anything else really. Oh, and a fall arrest system, not fall restraint, should be worn at all times.