29.11.2021

100m Socage ready to go

Italian manufacturer Socage is ready to put its 100 metre ForSte 100TJJ truck mounted lift into production.

The company began work on a 100 metre machine back in 2008, but it never progressed beyond the drawing board, due to a combination of the economic crisis and market demand - see: Socage working on 100m platform. It has now revisited the project and displayed the first prototype at the GIS show in Piacenza.
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The new Socage ForSte 100TJJ

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Launched at GIS 2021

The ForSte 100TJJ requires a five axle 52 tonne truck chassis or larger, with the first unit mounted on a Scania chassis with an all up weight of 53 tonnes. It features a five section lower boom/telescopic riser, which can elevate to almost 90 degrees, topped by a four section upper boom, and as with other TJJ models it features a jointed articulated jib. The result is an up & over height of up to 68 metres with an outreach at this height of almost 33 metres. With an up & over height of 58 metres - four sections of the lower boom extended - the outreach is slightly increased. Maximum outreach is 43 metres at an up & over height of 14 metres with a capacity of 350kg.

Below ground reach is 26 metres at a 12.5 metre radius. Maximum capacity in the 2.3 to 3.6 metre by 900mm telescopic platform is 600kg with a six person rating, which is also available at the maximum working height of 99.5 metres. 700 degrees of slew is standard.
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The new Socage ForSte 100TJJ on test

The overall length on the road is 15 metres, with an overall height of just under four metres. The outrigger set up is variable with the company’s Multi-Zone system that allows the operator to set them to match the available space, with the automatic selection of a corresponding working envelope. Standard platform rotation is 180 degrees, but a manually rotating top jib can extend this to 360 degrees.

The platform controls are equipped with a seven inch LCD display that allows the operator to monitor a wide range of information including the actual and available working envelope and outrigger set up etc... A remote controller is also available and is used for emergency descents.

The prototype unit on the GIS exhibition stand was decaled as Sicilian crane and access rental company Levantino group, which took delivery of its first 75 metre Socage ForSte 75TJJ truck mount earlier this year. Deliveries of the first unit is expected shortly.
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The new Socage FortSte 100TJJ in the colours of Sicily’s Levantino group

Vertikal Comment

The timing of this new product launch will benefit from the growing interesting in truck mounts of 75 metres and higher, as well as the long lead times from Ruthmann, Bronto and Palfinger. First units are likely to stay in Italy and possibly France before going further afield. Currently, the only option for a machine with more than 90 metres working height is Bronto, and that is unlikely to change any time soon. Where Socage might score is with potential 90 metre customers choosing it for the additional height that is unlikely to add much to the cost or ease of transport. Socage will be well aware though that luring buyers away from the Finnish and German suppliers will not be an easy task. If it succeeds and all goes well it could create more interest in its other models above 50 metres.

Watch this space.