Mini Aerial Lifts

[classictruckman]

We just bought a Versalift with a 42' working height, on tracks with an overall travel width of only 35". We are getting delivery in the next couple of weeks and i was just wondering if anybody has had any experience with this model or any other model, good or bad?

 

[classictruckman]

Just to let everybody know our Versalift works very well infact we have a job for it in the city, in a small backyard that has about 5'between the houses with 3 Acer negundo trees growing at the top of a cliff. They are only about 30' tall but there isn't much holding them there and its a 100' drop if the trees fail.

 

[idnwid]

We rented a tracked Versalift last year. The upper boom extended, which I thought was a nice feature. The only real issue I had with it was that when we had been running it for a while the hydraulics seems to get weaker. But being a rental who knows what kind of abuse it had seen.

Other then that it was a nice machine.

 

[classictruckman]

I think that is the exact machine we bought, we have made more than a few modifications and we hopefully solved that problem(a hydraulic heating problem.)

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

Hey James, did you guys do any research on the tracked lifts before you decided to get the Versalift?

Just wondering because the European brands seem to be where it is at (for the moment). They will typically be lighter weight, smaller dimensions when stowed, better working height to size ratio, etc... Of course they come with larger price tags, I know.

Teupen
Italmec
Platform Basket
Reachmaster
Omme

To name a few off the top of my head...

 

[altissimus]

I know they are the ticket for many jobs , But the fact is they have a spotty safety record .... I don't trust them .... In my little town there have been two incidents involving painters .... one required ariel recue the other came all the way down resulting in a broken back .... If you are careful I'm sure they are fine ...

 

[classictruckman]

Yes we did research many other brands but there are very few that are insulated so we couldn't use them around power.

The majority of the other brands had aluminium booms and although they had a higher working height they have about the same side reach capability.

We also have a very good relationship with the dealer.

 

[idnwid]

What modifications did you make?

 

[classictruckman]

we moved all of the electrical boxes to the side with all of the gauges and guarded them, we moved the hydraulic cooler off the top of the body and internal to the body with a grill, I built a new upper boom rest which swings out of the way instead of being removable and we got the remote control working. I'll get some pics next week when I go back to work.

 

[idnwid]

Nice, I forgot about the boom rest thing, it got annoying after repeated setups.

 

[classictruckman]

ya I can't believe anybody would build anything like that.

 

[classictruckman]

The swing away boom rest which allows the basket to come right to the ground when in the away position. It used to be a pipe pinned at the bottom of the machine it was really annoying to take it out and put it back every setup.

 

[classictruckman]

The electical boxes moved and guarded and the remote control working.

 

[classictruckman]

Where the hydraulic rad used to be mounted (it had already been hit by branches) and a new step to get into the basket.

 

[classictruckman]

The new place for the rad, inside the body and guarded, and the step again to guard the rad and hoses.

 

[idnwid]

Thanks for the pics, if I remember right, there are also hoses exposed underneath the machine?

 

[classictruckman]

yes we guarded those too.