AERIAL ACCESS -All aboard?
March 1st 2004

What can the modern van- or truck-mounted platform do for the industrial user? Steve Kellett of Versalift, explains

Powered access, in the form of the self-propelled platform, is well established in the industrial sector. Yet its close relative, the vehicle-mounted platform, tends to be overlooked despite offering benefits for maintenance. So what are the advantages and how does the user select the right vehicle-mount ?

First and foremost, establish what performance you want from the boom ie, height, outreach, safe working load (SWL), to suit your applications. Units with 12-13m working height will be ideal for work up to roof level on security lights, CCTV installation, ducting, gutter cleaning, window cleaning, general maintenance - of typical industrial units and warehouses. More height will be needed for silos, towers, boilers, and high level venting and extraction ducts.

Assess the outreach you need with care, as external process, extraction and venting plant and pipes incorporate deep recesses and awkward niches that you may want to reach. Outreach will be effectively reduced if obstacles on the ground, such as low level pipelines, prevent the vehicle from being stationed close to the structure. Some heavy duty models come with useful options such as a jib and winch. Look for units with user-friendly warning devices and safety interlocks, that keep personnel within safe operating limits.

Telescopic main booms

Models with telescopic and articulating boom combinations give horizontal outreach to penetrate awkward recesses and negotiate irregular structures. Boom designs differ widely. Some platforms have only a basic folding mechanism that has limited reach in the upper zone. They may claim good maximum outreach but this is low down and of less practical use. Versalift machines offer telescopic main booms, that give much better outreach in the upper zone where it is most useful, especially for irregular structures. An additional short articulated main boom, such as on the Versalift EST46NF, gives up-and-over capability for even greater versatility in positioning.

Flybooms and bucket rotation add to aerial efficiency. If they are offered as options, beware of the cost they will add to the price you are quoted. A 3-stage telescopic boom, 180 flyboom and 360 continuous rotation are all standard on the Litetel L63NF and LT69NF chassis cab platforms (21m and 23m w/h respectively).

Regular licence

There are limitations on the vehicle size and working height you can operate on a regular licence. Drivers that qualified before 1997 can operate up to 7.5t commercial vehicles, but newly qualified drivers can only drive van-mounts at 3.5t and under. Fortunately, fully featured telescopic platforms are now increasingly available on 3.5t and 2.9t vans. The Eurotel ET36NF platform, for example, has a telescopic main boom and 110 action fly boom, giving 12.9m working height and 7.3m outreach. All this aerial versatility can be mounted on the 3.5t Ford Transit, which can be driven by even recently qualified drivers. Where working height is concerned, a regular licence holder can operate a van-mounted platform to 13m w/h - the ET36NF on a Transit complies here as well. You can go to 21m working height on a chassis cab with a regular licence. Good suppliers will provide IPAF-accredited training to ensure operators can use the unit safely and efficiently.

Spare payload

Crucially, vehicle-mounted access provides payload for carrying equipment. Not all vans of the same GVW give the same spare payload. Transit and Movano 3.5t vans are among the better models, but many other 3.5t vans do not have adequate spare payload. Spare payload will also be affected by the platform-mount; so is storage space depending on the pedestal arrangement inside the van. On a 3.5t Ford Transit, the Eurotel ET36NF 13m w/h platform has over 300kg of spare payload and its neat presentation inside the cab preserves storage space for any additional racking, for example. The need for spare payload and aerial reach usually means compromise on vehicle size. You may end up with a heavier vehicle that creates ground load problems in certain areas. You may have to use stabilisers that add to footprint. You may have to have a vehicle with a longer, less compact wheel base. So check specifications carefully to see if the aerial reach and payload you need are harnessing you with an over-sized, impractical and more costly vehicle.

Speed

Speed is a big plus of the vehicle-mounted platform, especially when maintenance tasks are spread over large sites or between sites. With a self-propelled boom lift, top speed is typically around 4-5 km/h. Trailer-mounts can be hooked up and moved over longer distances relatively quickly, but the time advantage is lost as they need to be set up with outriggers, mainly manually, in each new work position. The outriggers also take up extra ground space. You can even use some vehicle-mounts inside, such as a space-saving pick-up with auxiliary battery pack to power internal work quietly and fume-free. The Versalift Skyhigh 1100 on a Ford Ranger 4x4 has 10.5m w/h, 4.5m outreach and 200kg 2-person lift capacity. Stabilisers combined with 4WD allow work to be staged off-road and on uneven ground.

Check for other useful features. Ground controls on a wander lead, rather than on the console inside the van, allow you to move around the vehicle with full view of the platform an advantage in emergency situations or for training and demos. Look for CE marking, good residual value of the van-mount, the availability of a dependable, nationwide parts and repair service, and free technical advice, preferably before, during and after purchase. Make sure the vehicle comes with a good warranty you can get 3 years on most vans.

With increasing numbers of vehicle-mounts available for hire, there are more opportunities for industrial users to try them out. However, choice and availability of rental units is still relatively limited, so those looking to buy could even make money from their kit by hiring it out to neighbouring companies when not in use.

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