5tonne cherry picker. License and mot requirements?

[OldGermanHeaps]

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.

[OldGermanHeaps]

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

[OldGermanHeaps]

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.

[OldGermanHeaps]

What is involved in downplating? I might stick one on a weighbridge and see if i can squeak in under 3.5t, its not as if it'll be carrying much weight other than itself and me and some light hand tools.

[OldGermanHeaps]

If i apply to downplate do they go by the ulw on the v5 or do they weigh it at a dvsa testing station? Looks like downplating would solve all the doubts and hassle, at the expense of losing the mot exemption, which i wasn't fussed about, i would be doing an mot even if it was exempt anyway for peace of mind.