26.02.2014

JLG breaks boom record

JLG will unveil a 185ft self-propelled boom lift - the 1850SJ - at Conexpo next week, topping the current largest lift, the Genie SX180, by almost two metres with a platform height of 185.7ft and a working height of 58.5 metres.

The 1850SJ features an all new chassis with X type axle configuration, that looks quite similar in concept to the chassis design used on the Genie SX-180 and ZX135/70. Overall stowed width is 2.49 metres, which extends to around five metres in working mode, extension takes around 60 seconds.
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The JLG 1850SJ

The lift/boom configuration comprises a five section telescopic boom and a two section 6.1 metre long telescopic articulating jib. Maximum outreach is 24.4 metres with a platform capacity of 227kg, maximum platform capacity is 454kg good for up to 21 metres of outreach at a height of around 11 metres. An LCD screen at the platform controls shows the machine status and platform position within the work envelope.
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Unlike Genie, JLG decided against incorporating any jib rotation function into the 1850SJ (The SX180 offers 30 degrees either side of centre), preferring to keep it simpler, but more to do with the fact that its jib is considerably longer and combined with the higher capacity would impose substantial twisting forces on the main boom. The jib does however fold back for transport. Platform rotation is 180 degrees.

The unit weighs 27 tonnes and when fully stowed can be transported on a regular truck without the need for oversize permits. Overall stowed length is just under 14.6 metres, while the overall height is just over three metres. The machinery covers follow JLG’s latest thinking and are made of steel, rather than fibreglass.
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The new boom is aimed at applications such as petrochemical plants and shipyards

Vertikal Comment

You wait 22 years for a bigger boom to come along and then two appear at almost the same time!

The new JLG will certainly help boost the market for this size of boom and help encourage their adoption. They are likely to steal some business away from larger truck mounted lifts used in refinery and petrochemical plants, but more importantly should prove a safer and more economical alternative to the use of cranes and suspended platforms for routine work at this sort of height.

While the JLG does offer more height than the Genie, the general specification is close enough for most rental buyers to place the two machines on an equal footing.

The key features on the JLG include a longer jib and a higher maximum lift capacity, but it is around two tonnes heavier and over a metre longer. It will be interesting to see how the market divides between them. Most likely it will be along traditional brand preference lines and the financial nature of the deal, rather than on pure specification, although each will have some applications to which it is best suited.

You can compare both machines at Conexpo where they will almost be alongside each other.