13.12.2014

Altalink takes first Palfinger P650i in N. America

Canada’s largest electricity transmission company Altalink, now owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy, will take delivery of the first 65 metre Palfinger P650i fully insulated truck mounted lift.

The new machine, which will go to work in January, has been purchased from the Canadian division of Houston based crane distribution group CraneWorks, located in Calgary.

The Palfinger is capable of working on live power lines and offers up to 27 metres of outreach and a 500kg platform capacity, making it ideal for working on transmission towers of up to 50 metres. The unit was mounted on a five axle Western Star heavy duty truck at the Palfinger Platforms factory in Germany.
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The first Palfinger P650i in North America will go to work in Alberta

The P650i was first produced in May 2013 as a ‘special’ for Australian rental company Lincon but was recently launched on the North American market with this being the first unit - see: Insulated Palfinger.

Chris Roberts, president of CraneWorks Canada, said: “This is the first aerial, insulated device available on the market. It’s the very first one. This was a joint project between Palfinger, ourselves and Altalink. This is technology that’s just becoming available to our marketplace. The unit was built and installed this past fall at Palfinger’s Bison Wumag facility in Krefeld Germany.”

“This is a showpiece for CraneWorks Canada within the industry. The business is evolving and both equipment suppliers along with the manufacturers have to work with the contractors to keep pace with their needs. Mike Belchos - fleet & equipment manager at Altalink - has provided a showcase for both the CraneWorks and Palfinger North America to what we have to offer the electrification and transmission business in Western Canada. If the unit works and proves itself as intended, we anticipate ready acceptance by other contractors resulting in future market growth with these machines.”
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A Palfinger P650i in action