A cherry picker is a versatile construction vehicle with a hydraulic, articulated boom lift, which can raise workers up enabling them to work in difficult to reach areas. It has had an indelible impact on the construction vehicle industry, but did you know the cherry picker comes from incredibly humble beginnings?
Why It’s Called a Cherry Picker
The articulated boom lift, or commonly known as the cherry picker, was envisioned due to frustration, like most inventions. Reportedly, in 1944 a young boy called Jay Eitel was picking cherries during his school holidays and became intensely frustrated with having to climb up and down the ladder every time he had to move to a new picking spot.
He decided to begin working on a practical solution, and came up with the first iteration of the machine, placing the foundation of what would become a multi-billion dollar industry.
The Cherry Picker Invention
Two decades later, John L. Grove took the design of the prototype and improved on it by inventing the self-propelled boom lift. At first, it had to be operated by two people, one in the basket, and another to operate and move the basket.
Over time, various industries saw the innovation that the cherry picker offered their businesses, and the industrial vehicle was continuously adapted and improved.
It even began seeing use as a humanitarian vehicle in 1958, when firemen began using the industrial vehicle to reach greater heights when using a firehose, allowing them greater efficacy in the face of raging fires.
The Cherry Picker Today
Today it can be operated by a single person, and its power source can either be diesel, or electric, expanding the it’s usefulness by an incredible degree. The cherry picker uses a hydraulic system and the modern articulated boom can now reach incredible heights, in difficult to reach places, making it one of the most effective industrial vehicles around.
If you want to find out more about our wide range of cherry pickers, or just want some advice on whether the industrial vehicle is suited to your construction project, don’t hesitate to contact us today for a quick and efficient consultation about cherry picker for sale!
