06.10.2006

Huntley adds access

Geoff Huntley Plant Ltd, the Newcastle based telehandler rental company has entered the powered access rental market with the purchase of 10 Manitou 16 and 18 metre articulated rough terrain boom lifts from Russon Access.

The company, which was founded over 17 years ago, runs a fleet of more than 100 JCB Loadall Telehandlers. The company began with general plant hire, including excavators and dumpers, but after testing the market for rough terrain forklifts, soon moved on to telehandlers and around eight years ago decide to specialise and according to Steve Huntley as never looked back.
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A Manitou 160ATJ the first of 10 lifts for new entrant Huntley

With telehandlers came platform attachments, but the company has found that an increasing number of its regular customers now prefer to rent a dedicated boom lift, rather than tie up a telehandler with basket. With strong and regular demand, Geoff and Steve Huntley looked around for a supplier.

A strong respect for the quality of Manitou telehandlers, and a desire to have something different from the Genies and JLG’s that most of the access companies in the area operate. Combined with a recommendation from Guy Nicholls of Forkrent, which added Manitou booms to its fleet earlier this year, led the company to Russon’s door.

Steve Huntley told Vertikal.Net that the company aims to have 30 to 40 units in its fleet within the first year, covering and area from the Scottish border down as far south as North Yorkshire, and across to Cumbria.

The first unit has just been delivered and after being fitted with decals, including the company’s new slogan “Get Access” went straight out on rent to one of the company’s regular customers, a Munich based company. A further three units will be delivered on Wednesday some of which are already ordered.