Operated vs self-drive cherry picker hire
Self-drive saves roughly £100 to £150 a day but requires a valid IPAF PAL card and puts the machine in your care. Operated hire costs more and buys an expert who positions faster, manages the safety side, and carries the machine-handling risk.
The two-minute answer
If anyone doing the work holds a current IPAF PAL card (category 3b) and the job runs a full day or more, self-drive is the economical choice. For everyone else, and for short jobs especially, operated hire is the better buy: the operator's speed and experience routinely saves more than the daily rate difference.
The money, side by side
| Self-drive | Operated | |
|---|---|---|
| Day rate | £150 to £300 | £250 to £450 |
| Licence needed | IPAF PAL card (usually 3b) | None |
| Machine responsibility | Yours during hire | Hire company's |
| Positioning speed | Depends on you | Minutes, by an expert |
| Best for | Trades, longer jobs | Homeowners, short jobs |
The licence question, plainly
Self-drive hire without a valid PAL card does not happen: hire companies check at booking, and the machine's insurer requires it. If the job is a one-off, buying training (£150 to £250 and a day) to save £150 on a day's hire makes no sense, book operated. If you are a trade who will use access regularly, the IPAF course pays for itself inside two hires and stays valid for five years.
The responsibility question
Self-drive means the machine is in your care: daily pre-use checks, correct setup, ground assessment, safe operation, and liability for damage (softened by the waiver, not removed). Operated hire hands all of that to a professional whose only job that day is your access. On awkward sites, over conservatories, across slopes, between buildings, that expertise is the difference between a smooth day and a stuck machine.
Jobs and the right answer
Chimney repoint, homeowner: operated. Week-long roofline refurbishment, roofing contractor with IPAF: self-drive weekly rate. Shopfront sign, sign fitter with IPAF: self-drive day. Storm-damaged tree over a conservatory: operated, with an operator experienced in dismantling. Gutter clear on a semi: operated half-day. When the quote is requested, say which way you are leaning and why, the right structure gets priced first time.