Bil Jax 55xa vs nifty Lift SD50 vs others

[MA Arborist]

first post here,i rented lifts pretty extensively before i bought my sd64, including tz50 genie, 45xa biljax, 18.90pro platform basket (tracked spiderlift).
imo the tz50 genie was the worst of the bunch because it was a towbehind that had hydraulic friction drive to the main trailer tires and was really only good for flat paved surfaces.



the 45xa followed after that, its biggest drawbacks were; shortest working height of the bunch, and its gas over electric over hydraulic controls which were single

function at a time and slow and complicated, but it was 4wd, light and had a jib which made it nice in the canopy.

the 18.90pro would rank next, it was my first experience with a lift that had live hydraulics which was a game changer, it allowed me to move multiple functions at the same time and it could shrink down to fit through a standard 36in door which was pretty cool,it had the smallest bucket and a jib which made it the easiest lift to maneuver in the canopy that i have used yet. it was also the tallest of my rentals at 60ft. being on tracks also made it zero turn but, even in the wider configuration the tracks werent far enough apart to generate alot of turning torque and it was also very unstable in both front to back and side to side directions. traveling cross grade was very sketchy and i had to put 400lb in weights in the basket to keep it from flipping backwards while climbing my trailer ramps, it had the ability to level on the steepest grades you just couldnt safely drive it there. the outreach limiting system was pretty lame, it started limiting outreach @185lbs, i weight 190-200lbs so plus saw, rigging, clothing etc the horizontal reach was not great and it was scary grabing 50lb chunks of limb to drop them knowing i would be over wieght. it also barely had enough engine hp to drive up grades and drive controls were very susceptible to damage.

the sd50 was my favorite of the rentals, it had live hydraulics, full outreach at max wieght, drive from bucket controls(which are poorly placed and easy to damage), it had the fastest drive and setup speed. it was also the first i used with a diesel engine it had plenty of power and got great fuel consumption. gradeability wasnt great and maneuvering wasnt great with single axle steering but in my market the ease/speed of use was more important than fitting through a gate and turning tight.

i love my sd64...4 wheel steering is awesome more maneuverable than much smaller machines much more powerful drive system than sd50, easily climbs steep trailer ramps, independent suspension makes curbs/bumps a breeze. way faster function speeds. wide tires give floatation comparable to 45xa. fits in 16ft dump trailer
some issues though, cylinder drift in outriggers($30 hydraulic lock), operator controls layout in bucket kinda sucks, levers spread too far apart, button type, and locations are super prone to getting ice and saw dust in them. outrigger down sensors get frozen in place when outriggers are up in icey conditions.

sorry for long post, some pics of old setups

You said that the outriggers had cylinder drift. Are you saying that the outriggers would move when you were aloft???

Excellent post by the way. Very informative and appreciated

 

[Lumberjack]

I've heard silicone lubricant spray can help with the freezing outrigger switches... I've never had that problem with my SD64s in balmy Mississippi.

 

[Lumberjack]

You said that the outriggers had cylinder drift. Are you saying that the outriggers would move when you were aloft???

Excellent post by the way. Very informative and appreciated

Sounds like his load holding valve was leaking, possibly from a piece of debris in it.

 

[DupreeLLT]

one or more of the outriggers would slowly leak down causing the machine to need releveled probably 1/2hr in the air and it would need reset. it actually did it when it was brand new and dealer wouldnt take care of it. dont deal with pro power equipment in pa

 

[MA Arborist]

Sounds like a dangerous situation to be in
There should be more than one lock
Valve per cylinder

 

[DupreeLLT]

the leakdown was slow and easy to fix. its a pretty solid piece of equipment i would and do trust it with my life everyday.

 

[cody willard]

I have about 200 hours on a Nifty SD64. Superior machine compared to the Bil-Jax. Nifty is super fast and can cover ground like a car, more stable then a spider lift when your moving it. It will start to have problems when it hits the 1500 hour mark. Crab steer is fun, and the elevator rocks. But for a $96k machine, why the hell does it not have auto level and semi permanent outrigger pads? A winch on it would be cool too,

 

[Lumberjack]

one or more of the outriggers would slowly leak down causing the machine to need releveled probably 1/2hr in the air and it would need reset. it actually did it when it was brand new and dealer wouldnt take care of it. dont deal with pro power equipment in pa

That's silly. Let me know if you need any help from the dealer level. Replacing a load holding valve takes maybe 2-3 minutes including getting and putting the tools away.

I have about 200 hours on a Nifty SD64. Superior machine compared to the Bil-Jax. Nifty is super fast and can cover ground like a car, more stable then a spider lift when your moving it. It will start to have problems when it hits the 1500 hour mark. Crab steer is fun, and the elevator rocks. But for a $96k machine, why the hell does it not have auto level and semi permanent outrigger pads? A winch on it would be cool too,

What kind of problems at 1500 hours? My first SD64s I've sold have around 4k hours on them now. Outside of the warranty period, the cost of repairs has been under $1/hr.

Autolevel is pointless for the SD64, it takes almost no effort to level the machine within the required 3*. Adding auto level would mean adding computer controls and sensors, complicating a remarkably simple machine.

Having fixed pads would be nice, I've thought of that as well. I include 24" outrigger pads with the SD64 I sell, it'd be nice to just pull up and drop the outriggers vs having to place them.
.

 

[DupreeLLT]

it was a very easy fix, spin out old lock valve cartridge with 1" wrench and install new one. cartridge was $27. took niftylift corporate 3min to diagnose over the phone.
but thats why i was so upset with pro power equipment. anybody that has experience with them would have known. i tried to buy from a brick and mortar local business...just irritating, i paid more for that lift than the house i was living in at the time and they cant even verify functionality before i pick it up or return my calls when it has a simple problem from the gate. oh well they won't sell me my next one.