22.12.2010

Remount for last new lift

L&N Platforms of Sevenoaks in the UK has taken delivery of what may be the last new Bronto S34MDT to be delivered.

The company largely serves the commercial window cleaning market, providing cleaning services itself, while renting lifts to other cleaners. It purchased its first lift, a used 34 metre Bronto S34MDT, from Panther Platforms around two years ago.

At the time it had considered a new model, and had seen a demonstration unit that was originally built for the American market, mounted on an American truck. However a new lift of this size was too much of a ‘stretch’ for the young company.
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The S34 mounted on its original chassis

The used machine worked out exceptionally well, to the point that when they were ready to expand the two owners, Lee Roebuck and Nicky Francis, were keen to buy another one… but new this time. Bronto no longer builds the S34 but by an amazing stroke of luck it still had the demonstrator on the American truck.

Roebuck and Francis sat down with Bronto and eventually worked out a deal to buy the unit, which although it had 2,000 hours on the clock, was as good as new. But naturally they wanted it on a European truck. Bronto agreed to remount it on a new Volvo chassis and also to modify the outrigger pads from manually stowed removable pads to automatic ones.
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The lift mounted on a new Volvo truck

Roebuck said: “While we know this is not a totally new machine it looks and feels like a new unit. The S34 is perfect for what we do, it is quick, simple and totally reliable. All of our customers love it. From here we can cover a big area in terms of work, without travelling long distances as we are between the M20 and M2 have an easy run into London or around the M25.”

“We will probably be back in the market for another lift in a year or so, but guess we won’t be able to buy another new S34?”