This year’s APF show held last week at the Ragley Estate, Warwickshire UK was plagued by strong winds and traffic problems. However once you had braved both there was a lot to see.
The heavy rain on the first day put many people off so when the sun shone last Friday the increased visitor numbers caused havoc with the revised entrance and parking arrangements. Queuing for an 90 minutes just to get into the show was not uncommon.
The show is probably the best trees and timber show in the UK and over the past 15 years there is a growing access platform presence. A growing number of exhibitors showed off their arborist related access products in particular spider lifts as well as pickup and truck mounted platforms.
A few familiar faces popped up - but not on the stands you would have expected. Craig Rooke has now joined CTE UK from Danish spider lift manufacturer Falcon which he joined as business development director last November. Rooke will take over from managing director Graeme Hill who is retiring at the end of the year.
Tony Hobbs has moved to Niftylift from French aerial lift manufacturer ATN which has recently been acquired by Fassi. Hobbs - who was with Manitou for 17 years prior to ATN - is now Niftylift customer & dealer support manager.
A more detailed show review will feature in the November issue of Cranes & Access.
The Promax Access stand with the new 27 metre Platform Basket 27.14 Hybid with modified undercarriage giving increased ground clearance and the new 13 metre 13.80 spiders
The Wilson Access Hire stand featured an X26JPlus JLG spider lift as well as a Palfinger P300 truck mounted platform
Versalift UK showed this LAT-38-135-H on an Isuzu D-Max pickup
Palfinger UK displayed the latest range of Epsilon timber handling and recycling loaders
A Hiab Loglift 108S
A Hinowa Lightlift 15.70 on the APS stand
A Hyva HV27 mounted on a two axle trailer lifting materials
A Liv 120K loader
A Socage A314 on Toyota 4x4 pickup from APS
A spider lift and truck mount on the CTE stand
A Tajfun Liv 120ZX
Allen Freeman of Alfa Access Services with the new 30 metre Teupen Leo 30T Plus
Craig Rooke has recently joined CTE UK and will take over from Graeme Hill when he retires at the end of the year
Hazlewood Trailers stand
Hiab and its HiVision remote-controlled camera operating system on a Loglift F118 crane owned by James Jones & Sons - the first UK customer.
Niftylift showed several platforms including the 170SD, 150T and 210SD
Nugent showed a new flatbed and tipper trailer
One of Nationwide Platforms' Multitel SMX300HD which features a 400kg backet capacity
Palfinger P150 AJTK on the CPL stand. A new 21 metre spider will be launched soon
Part of the Alfa Access Services stand
Part of the APS stand with Niftylift and Hinowa platforms
Promax modified Platform Basket 27.14 undercarriage specifically for rental company Easy Reach Access Hire
RSL Engineering showed a Unimog with this 'muck away' loader crane
The Access Industries/Multitel stand with a selection of new and used tracked and truck mounted platforms
The Exc@v8 Total Plant Solutions had two Higher Access Teupen 42GTX spider lifts
The Ifor Williams Trailers stand
The new Platform Basket 27.14 Hybrid
There were several Ruthmann truck mounted platforms including this City Steiger TU285
This Effer 525 was on the M Large Forestry Equipment stand
Tony Hobbs - has joined Niftylift from ATN as customer & dealer support manager
Toyota Hilux Tipper from CPL with 1,150kg/three cubic metre capacity
Tmayes
Was anybody brave enough to go near the CTE lift??