Height and reach
PLATFORM HEIGHT is the height of the platform floor, and it is what manufacturers quote. WORKING HEIGHT is platform height plus about six feet, being where a person standing on it can reach. HORIZONTAL REACH is how far out from the machine the platform goes. UP-AND-OVER CLEARANCE is how high an articulating boom can lift over an obstruction before reaching across it.
Capacity
LOAD CENTRE is the distance from the fork face at which a forklift capacity is rated, usually 24 inches. A LOAD CHART is the table showing what a telehandler or crane can lift at a given boom angle, extension and radius. For those machines it replaces a single capacity figure entirely. RATED CAPACITY is the maximum, under the conditions stated on the chart and nowhere else.
Machine types
SLAB means designed for a finished, improved surface. ROUGH TERRAIN or RT means four-wheel drive with lugged tires for unimproved ground. TAILSWING is how far the counterweight swings past the rear of the machine when it rotates; ZERO TAILSWING keeps it inside the track width. MEWP, mobile elevating work platform, is the current ANSI term for what used to be called an aerial work platform.
Charges
MOBILIZATION is the cost of getting a crane to site and back, quoted separately in each direction. RPP, the rental protection plan, is around 15% of the rental and limits your liability for damage. It is not insurance. The ENVIRONMENTAL FEE is around 2% of the rental, commonly capped. A TRANSPORT or FUEL SURCHARGE is indexed to the diesel price and reset monthly. BARE RENTAL means without an operator; OPERATED AND MAINTAINED means the supplier provides one.
Time
A rental DAY is usually eight operating hours rather than twenty-four; running a machine on a double shift can attract additional charges. A rental WEEK is seven calendar days and costs roughly two and a half day rates. A rental MONTH is four weeks, or 28 days, and costs roughly five day rates.