Cherry picker
Cherry picker turns up in 2 fields: electricians, shop slang. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Cherry picker in electricians
Boom lift or bucket truck that raises a worker on an arm to reach high fixtures, poles and ceilings.
A cherry picker is any aerial lift with an articulating or telescoping boom and a platform or bucket at the end, named after machines built for orchard work. Electricians use them for high-bay lighting, building exteriors, parking lot poles and signs. Operators need training, a harness tied off to the platform and a constant eye on overhead lines, a leading cause of lift deaths.
"Rent a 60-foot cherry picker for the warehouse lights, the scissor lift can't reach over the racking."
Cherry picker in shop slang
A mobile elevating work platform featuring a bucket or basket on a hydraulic boom.
This refers to a hydraulic crane with a bucket attached to the end of the boom, designed to lift workers safely to high, hard-to-reach areas. Originally developed for agricultural use in orchards, the equipment is standard on construction sites, in warehouses, and for utility line maintenance. Operators use ground controls or basket controls to maneuver the platform precisely where it is needed without relying on ladders or scaffolding.
"We need to rent a cherry picker to reach those broken floodlights on the warehouse roof."