Tow Behind Boom Lifts - Genie Vs. JLG - Which is Better? 

I have used both of these lifts for residential exterior repair. I have owned a Genie TZ34 for past12 years. If the Genie had the joystick controller of the JLG, the Genie would be the perfect lift. The turret on the JLG is backwards from being practical to do work on buildings. If you back the lift up to a wall, you have to swing 180 to get to your work spot, but due the rotation stop at 180 degrees, if you want to go further in the same direction, you have to take a 360 turn in the opposite direction to get 1 foot further than where you were just working. Maybe not an issue for everyone, but for what I do, it is unacceptable. Another issue I had with JLG is that if you are working near the limit of uneven ground, the absence of manual override operation of the outriggers can be extremely problematic. I've had cases where the auto system got completely jammed up by a realitvly gently slope coming in contact with the trailer tongue as the booms were retracting. The Genie turret is orientated so the lift basket is already pointed at the work area as you back up to it, much more efficient than the JLG orientation. You can then freely rotate 180 in either direction from your initial work area. Also, the outriggers on the Genie can be manually operated individually, which I have found to be an absolute necessity on uneven ground. This allows you to continue to lift and stow the outriggers even if the trailer tongue comes in contact with the ground or the hitch of the towing vehicle. The joystick on the JLG however is vastly better than the push button controls on the Genie. The joystick gives you variable speed, which I believe is much easier on the booms, and safer to use. The push button controls on the Genie desperately need some kind of soft start / stop buffering, as their abrupt on/off operation place a lot of un-nerving strain and sway on the booms when fully extended.

I just rented the JLG, with the basket swaying 3' I can't imagine having to fumble with the button controls on the Genie. What an archaic design....

I rented the Genie from Sunbelt in Newnan, Ga, for $585 for 24 hours. Once I got used to being that high. It was great. I cut down some limb, cleaned my gutters and replaced some lights.

Excellent comparison! Touched on every topic I had questions on. Thank you!

outward reach is comparable but if you factor in the genies ability to work in very close to its swing center, it has a significantly grater range of movement compared too jlg

can i use for roof shingle repair , I have BiLevel House can it reach second floor roof , Few Shingles has been broke and fly away at high wind .

Thanks.... to me that's a huge difference. Moving each arm individually...As well as the horizontal reach.

This was a great comparison that confirmed due to the boom orientation the Genie should work best for me. One question, can these lifts be manuevered around my space using a Yamaha Kodiak 450 four wheeler, with the correct ball size of course? The weight of these lifts is my concern. Please let me know. Thanks for the very professional and thorough review.

One handed bucket operation is a HUGE advantage. JLG>Genie

No doubt in the engineering. But with the genie boom extended out it looks scary tippy. Thoughts

How much of an incline can you use these lifts? I tried a jlg T350 which the arm was too short, but I couldn't get the 4th leg to sit properly.

Most operators do not want to operate above their boom working working from the back of the boom is much safer for the boom itself so the genie has a major advantage.

Could a large atv pull these around a yard instead of using a truck

You forgot the JLG has a material hook

Which one can swivel more? The JLG doesn't have that much turn

You mention light for towing, but don't mention truck specs required to safely tow. Can these be towed with a half ton? Or nothing less than a 3/4 ton etc??

Great video, thank you. On the JLG, can you tell me what's the overall area needed to deploy the stabilizers? I'm worried I might not have enough clearance for that. Basically how big of a rectangular open area do we need to deploy all stabilizers? Thanks again

The beeping is higly annoying. I know theyll never do it, but i really wish they'd give you the ability to shut it off.

could 3 men reposition the lift by hand on level ground

Or either one of those self-propelled

Disconnect that beeping alarm!

Didn't see the self propelled feature of either machine

Great job😅

You can add a hook on the JLG and lift 500 lb

Thanks

What do these things cost brand new?

Blue to go towards the sky. Yellow for when you have to pee

Is this available in India? If yes, I would like to get contact number

Before we begin... Genie is crap.

Could a large atv pull these around a yard instead of using a truck