If you’re paying $200/day to rent a scissor lift you’ve already used 60 times this year, you’re getting fleeced by your rental house. If you’re buying a $20,000 lift to use it twice a year, you’re wasting capital that should be in your operations account.
Most contractors and facility managers know this intuitively. The hard part is figuring out the actual break-even — and being honest about how much you’ll really use the lift.
We sell, rent, and service these machines every day at our shop in Addison, IL. Here’s the honest math.
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The 90-day rule of thumb
Quick rule: if you’ll use a scissor lift more than 90 days a year, buying probably wins.
Run the math on a 32 ft class lift:
- Renting: $240/day × 90 days = $21,600 / year, every year
- Buying refurbished: $14,500 (Win Win Fully Refurbished) + ~$1,500/year ongoing maintenance = $16,000 in year one, then ~$1,500/year
By year two, you’ve paid for the lift. By year five, you’ve saved $90,000 vs renting.
Past 90 days/year of usage, owning crushes renting on total cost. Past 6 months a year, it’s not even close.
For 60 days/year or less, renting still makes sense.
Real numbers — Win Win rental rates vs refurbished purchase
Here are our actual numbers, side by side:
| Size | Daily rental | Monthly rental | Yearly rental | Refurbished purchase (Fully Serviced) | Refurbished purchase (Fully Refurbished) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 ft | $140 | $980 | $7,840 | $6,000 | $7,900 |
| 26 ft | $190 | $1,330 | $10,640 | $8,000 | $10,800 |
| 32 ft | $240 | $1,680 | $13,440 | $12,000 | $14,500 |
| 40 ft | $275 | $1,925 | $15,400 | $13,000 | $15,800 |
Look at the right two columns. The cost of yearly rental approaches the purchase price of a Fully Serviced unit on every size. And that’s before counting:
- The rental house’s freight charges (each delivery + pickup)
- Damage deposits and fees
- Inspection re-charges if you keep a rental on-site for over a year
- Downtime when their inventory is full and yours sits parked
If you’ll keep the lift for more than a year, owning it outright costs roughly the same as renting it for one year — and you keep the asset.
Beyond the rate sheet — what renting actually costs
The advertised daily/monthly rate isn’t the whole bill. Real rental costs include:
- Delivery fees — $150–$300 per route at most Chicagoland houses (each direction; Win Win charges $150–$300 by zone)
- Pickup fees — usually equal to delivery, billed when the lift goes back
- Insurance — required by most rental contracts; varies by company
- Damage deposits — refundable, but tied up while you’re using the lift
- Cleaning fees — some rental houses charge if the lift comes back dirty
- Late fees — if a project runs over and you can’t return on schedule
- Inspection re-certification — if you hold the rental beyond the annual inspection window, you may pay for the next one
Rental rates published online almost never include all of these. Real total cost is typically 15–25% above the advertised rate.
Beyond the sticker — what owning actually costs
Ownership has its own ongoing costs. Be honest about these before you buy:
Annual ANSI/OSHA inspection
Required by OSHA 29 CFR 1926.453 for any aerial work platform in use. $225 at Win Win’s shop or $350 on-site. One per year per lift.
Batteries
Flooded lead-acid pack typically lasts 4–5 years. Replacement runs $1,200–$1,800 including labor.
Routine service
$150/hr labor + parts for any service work. Most lifts need 1–2 service visits per year. Budget $300–$1,000/year depending on use intensity.
Tires
Non-marking tires last 5–7 years on indoor use. Replacement is ~$400–$600 for a full set installed.
Storage
If you’re storing the lift outdoors, the paint and hydraulics will degrade faster than indoor storage. Most facilities have indoor space; if you don’t, factor that in.
Freight (one-time)
Quote upfront when you buy. Win Win ships in enclosed trailers — varies by zip code.
Total ownership cost, year over year, after the initial purchase: roughly $1,000–$1,800/year for a single lift in moderate use.
The buy-makes-sense scenarios
Three real scenarios where buying clearly wins:
Scenario 1: Year-round facility maintenance team
Profile: A regional warehouse facility maintenance team running daily ceiling work — lights, HVAC, sprinklers, signage.
Usage: 200+ days/year on a 26 ft scissor lift.
Math:
– Renting at $190/day × 200 days = $38,000/year
– Buying Fully Refurbished at $10,800 + $1,500/year ongoing = $12,300 year one, $1,500/year after
– Year-one savings: ~$25,700. Five-year savings: ~$170,000.
Buying is a no-brainer.
Scenario 2: Multi-site contractor
Profile: General contractor with 4 active commercial buildouts, each needing 30 days of lift access spread across the year.
Usage: 120 days/year on a 32 ft wide-deck class.
Math:
– Renting at $240/day × 120 days = $28,800/year
– Buying Fully Refurbished at $14,500 + $1,800/year ongoing = $16,300 year one, $1,800/year after
– Year-one savings: ~$12,500. Plus the lift is on standby — no rental availability worries.
Buying wins on both math and operational flexibility.
Scenario 3: Distribution center on standby
Profile: DC manager who needs a lift available within 24 hours when something breaks. Usage is intermittent — maybe 40 days/year — but unpredictable.
Usage: Variable (40 days/year) but availability matters more than utilization.
Math:
– Renting at $190/day × 40 days = $7,600/year, plus the cost of waiting on rental availability when something urgent comes up
– Buying Fully Serviced at $8,000 + $1,500/year ongoing = $9,500 year one, $1,500/year after
– Year-one cost is comparable. After year one, owning saves $6,000+/year forever, plus uptime improves.
Buying wins on availability.
The rent-makes-sense scenarios
Three scenarios where renting still wins:
Scenario 4: Single short project
Profile: Contractor doing a single retail buildout, 3 weeks of lift access needed.
Usage: 15 working days, one-off.
Math:
– Rent for 3 weeks at $190/day weekly rate ($570/week) = $1,710 + delivery
– Buying refurbished at $10,800 + freight = $11,500+ for a one-shot
Rent.
Scenario 5: Unclear height requirements
Profile: First-time scissor lift user, not sure if they need 19 ft or 26 ft.
Approach: Rent both for a week, decide which fits the work, then buy the right one.
Math: $1,500 in rentals beats $20,000 spent on the wrong unit.
Rent first.
Scenario 6: Seasonal or rare specialty work
Profile: Event production company that needs a 40 ft lift twice a year for festival setups. Otherwise has no use for one.
Usage: 6 days/year.
Math:
– Renting at $275/day × 6 = $1,650/year
– Buying refurbished at $15,800 + storage and maintenance = several thousand a year just to own it
Rent. Indefinitely.
A simple framework: the 90-day question
Three questions, in order:
-
Will I use this lift more than 90 days/year, every year?
– Yes: buy.
– No, but more than 60: consider buying — owning vs renting is roughly break-even, and ownership gives you uptime.
– No, less than 60: rent. -
Do I need the lift on standby for emergencies?
– Yes: buy regardless of usage. Availability matters more than utilization.
– No: rent if usage is low. -
Am I sure about the right height for my work?
– No: rent first to find out.
– Yes: buy if usage justifies it.
Hybrid path — buy one, rent the next size up when needed
A smart play if you do most of your work at one height but occasionally need bigger:
Buy a 26 ft Fully Refurbished ($10,800) for your day-to-day work. Rent a 40 ft when the rare big-ceiling job comes up ($275/day × 5 days = $1,375).
You get ownership economics on the work you do constantly + flexibility on the work you do rarely.
We sell and rent both — call us if this fits your operation.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the break-even point on buying vs renting?
Roughly 90 days/year of usage. Past that, owning crushes renting on total cost. Below 60 days/year, renting wins.
What if I buy and don’t use the lift as much as expected?
Refurbished scissor lifts hold value well. A unit you bought refurbished for $10,800 today will likely sell for $7,000–$9,000 in 3–5 years if maintained. The downside risk on buying is real but bounded.
Can I rent before deciding to buy?
Yes — most Win Win customers rent first, then buy when the math makes sense. Rent at $140–$275/day from our Chicagoland yard. Rental details.
Do you offer financing on purchases?
Yes — most refurbished purchases qualify for 48-month equipment financing. Monthly payments typically $200–$500 depending on size and credit. Financing details.
Does Section 179 apply to refurbished equipment?
Yes (for U.S. business buyers). Talk to your accountant about timing the purchase to capture the deduction in the relevant tax year.
What’s the difference between Win Win’s Fully Serviced and Fully Refurbished tiers?
Fully Serviced is the entry-level tier — tested + ANSI inspected with optional new parts à la carte. Fully Refurbished includes new batteries, tires, charger, rebuilt control box, and full sand-down + repaint. Full pricing →.
Can I trade in my rental house’s equipment?
We don’t typically take trades from rental houses, but talk to us — we evaluate trade-ins case by case for direct buyers.
Get a quote — buy or rent
Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll tell you which path makes sense for your math, what’s in stock, and what it costs.
[Call 773-790-7299] [Email Win Win Equipment] Get a quote →
— Win Win Equipment
Related pages
- Scissor lift price guide — both purchase tiers, all sizes
- All scissor lifts for sale — current refurbished inventory
- Scissor lift rental — Chicagoland rental rates by size
- Refurbished scissor lift buyer’s guide — how to evaluate any refurb unit
- Financing — monthly payment options
- Every model hub