This chassis concept, which gives the machines the ability to travel over the road with only overweight permits—state rules may vary—also has become the subject of a patent dispute between the two companies. Genie takes credit for being the first to design and patent the chassis, but JLG has its own patents pending. According to public records, a fresh JLG application appeared at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as recently as Nov. 6, a week after the shoot-out, for a "pivoting axle system." A Genie spokeswoman told ENR, "We are continuing to evaluate our options with regards to the JLG product."

Aside from that point of contention, the spirit of this rodeo was friendly competition. When we timed each machine's ability to go from their transport configurations to their work-ready states, again, they did not disappoint. Both did so in less than three minutes.

Shift Workers

Manufacturers require workers starting a shift to run lifts through basic functions to verify that everything is in order. After all, these machines are designed to help workers access reach and height safely. This inspection process was one of the first major differences we noticed between the Genie SX-180 and the JLG 1850SJ.

Up first to the test pad was Genie. One manufacturer representative read off each task in the manual, while another operated the ground controls. Located on the side of the counterweight, the Genie controls were simple and easy to understand, but the pre-shift inspection was quite complicated, with no less than 106 steps that took more than 45 minutes to complete.

Although JLG's ground controls were placed in an awkward location behind the counterweight, its machine had the edge on inspections. Both machines are wired with electronic sensors that control their working envelopes and help to provide slow-moving comfort at extreme heights. Tapping into this intelligence, JLG's machine can operate within a restricted working range, with up to 1,000 lb of people and materials in the basket, or a wider range, with up to 500 lb. Genie, on the other hand, offers an unrestricted 750 lb throughout its range (see diagrams).

Furthermore, the JLG envelope sensors, which continually monitor machine functions, made the startup inspection go faster—19 minutes in all, more than twice as speedy as Genie's, which required more hands-on verifications. If both machines were working on the same jobsite, the JLG crew would have a head start.

Genie scored victories in other productivity tests. When we tested the time to reach full boom extension, JLG paid a slight penalty for its speedy inspection. Initially, the 1850SJ took more than six minutes, while the SX-180 took less than four. Then, JLG engineers discovered that the machine's so-called "personalities," an electronic setting that owners can use to retard speeds for novice operators, was below 70%. When the operator used a handheld device to reset to more than 90%, JLG reached for the sky 30 seconds faster. In terms of upper-structure rotation, the orange-and-cream JLG machine had the edge by nearly two minutes.

Both machines were comfortable to ride, offering a smooth experience as we verified just how high up we were in the air. For this purpose, Hilti lent me its new PD-E outdoor laser meter (see tool review), which has a range of more than 600 ft and accuracy of 1/16 of an inch. With the platforms at their highest point, we shot a plumb beam to the ground. Performed on gravel that may not have been perfectly level, the tests naturally contained a margin of error, give or take an inch. But we were surprised to find that the JLG 1850SJ Ultra Boom, which boasts a maximum platform height of 185 ft, 7 in., came up more than 2 ft short. We measured it at an average of 183 ft, while, under largely the same conditions, the Genie SX-180 achieved one full inch higher than its nominal rating of 180 ft.

How to explain this discrepancy? JLG stated in an email that several factors could have been working against it, such as the levelness of the counterweight, platform leveling, boom shimming and boom deflection. Ramsey speculates that JLG did not account for real-world effects in its spec sheet, while Genie did. Even so, JLG still set a new benchmark and held onto its bragging rights. We also discovered an error in Genie's spec sheet, which listed its working length at 47 ft when, in reality, it was 53 ft, 5 in. The firm told us it would update its literature.