Specifications
Working height vs platform height
Understand the difference between MEWP working height and platform height, and compare manufacturer figures correctly.
Two different numbers, often confused
Platform height is a physical measurement: how far the floor of the basket sits above the ground when the machine is fully extended. It's fixed by the machine's geometry and doesn't change no matter who's standing in it.
Working height is a convention, not a measurement. It's platform height plus an assumed reach above the operator's head, usually around two metres, meant to represent how high someone standing in the platform could plausibly reach. That allowance isn't standardised precisely the same way everywhere, which is exactly why two manufacturers' 'working height' figures for similar machines don't always compare cleanly.
Why the gap matters in practice
If you need to position a platform floor at a specific level, say, level with a mezzanine or a fixed piece of plant, working height is the wrong number to plan against. You need platform height, because that's what actually determines where the basket floor sits.
If instead you're trying to reach a point above you with your hands or a tool, working height is closer to what you want, but it's still an assumption baked in by the manufacturer rather than a guarantee for a specific person's reach.
How to compare machines properly
Pick one measurement, either platform height or working height, and use it consistently across every machine on your shortlist. Mixing the two, or trusting a working-height figure from one source against a platform-height figure from another, is the most common way a comparison quietly goes wrong.
For the actual task, work out the platform-floor level you need first, then check the current manufacturer document for that exact model and configuration; conventions can shift between markets and even between model years. If horizontal outreach matters too, check that at the same time rather than after you've already committed to a machine on height alone.