Hire and Rental News - Access in Action - February 2018

Matt saw the article in Genie’s customer newsletter – Blue News in autumn last year and saw opportunity for his hire access business. Already aware that within a two-hour radius of Warrnambool, on the south- western coast of Victoria, there were 15 wind farms with an average of 60 turbines, Matt started his research. “We began talking to the local windfarms about the possibility of hiring smaller access equipment. We then opened discussions about the opportunities associated with a Genie SX-180 boom lift and how we could align Hire Australia with their businesses," Matt said. It was at this point Hire Australia invested in a Genie SX-180 boom lift and immediately the response from wind farm operators was encouraging. “The feedback has been positive and we have plenty of bookings for the machine in 2018. Windfarm operators like the fact there is a Genie SX-180 boom lift available locally and they love its operational speeds. It gets up and down quickly, which is great when the wind picks up,” Matt said. The potential cost savings are another tick for the Genie SX-180 boom lift. “It’s more valuable to wind farm operators because if there is poor weather, they’re not paying for a crane to sit idly on standby all day. Then if there is an hour’s gap in the weather, the Genie SX-180 boom lift can get in and do some maintenance work,” Matt said. Moreover, the telescopic boom with ACCESS in ACTION 40 ACCESS IN ACTION • FEBRUARY 2018 The Goliath windfarm opportunity After reading about a Genie SX-180 boom slashing costs and boosting efficiencies at a Tasmanian wind farm, Warrnambool-based Hire Australia’s Matt Reeves invested in a new Genie SX-180 boom lift and opened discussions with his local wind farms. its vertical reach of 180ft (54.9m) and a horizontal reach of 80ft (24.4m) is probably 50% cheaper to hire than a crane, he said. Apart from windfarms, the Genie SX-180 boom lift is assisting with the refurbishment of Warrnambool’s landmark Fletcher Jones factory. “The boom is also ideal for telecommunications towers. These towers are around 40m – 45m high and the Genie SX-180 boom lift easily handles these heights,” Matt said. A truck-mounted boom trucked-in from Melbourne, which is more than three hours away, was previously used to service these towers. Matt has taken to social media to publicise the potential of the Genie SX-180 boom lift. In April, a local tradie, Chris Dowling, posted on Hire Australia’s Facebook page that “he’d never go up in one of those things.” “It was just your average comment on Facebook. Matt was kind enough to offer $1 for every foot that I would go up, to charity, the Royal Children’s Hospital. I couldn’t say no to that,” Chris said. Matt created an event ‘Chris versus Goliath’ on Facebook, including an entertaining video of Chris’ white- knuckled ride. The hell-raising fundraiser netted $5,500 for the Children’s Hospital. “We raised this amount via pledges from our Facebook followers and by charging $25 to those hardy souls who followed Chris’s lead and took the Genie SX-180 boom lift to the top. There was a donation from Genie Australia, as well as support from other local Warrnambool businesses and the Lions Club. The event garnered widespread media coverage. Formerly called South Coast Forklifts, Hire Australia started in 2009 as a forklift specialist. It has since focused increasingly on access equipment with Genie a prominent brand among its 55-strong fleet. Visit: www.Terex.com Featuring a total weight of 1730kg, the Athena HE fits through a standard single door or gate and is light enough to be towed behind most work vehicles. With a 7.8m working height, 250kg load capacity, 25˚ grade ability plus automatic levelling on two axes, the Athena HE scissor lift with automatic outrigger makes it easier to achieve stability in all terrains. Additional features include dual power source, a 220V electric pump for indoors and an on board power source in the basket for when power isn’t available, while the extendable and collapsible basket is quick and easy to adjust for extreme access situations. The cage walls can be raised or lowered within five minutes and the Athena HE is suitable for indoors or outdoors. Contact:  03 9796 4254 or visit website: www.aspacgroup.com.au New independent tracked compact bi-levelling scissor With independent tracks and bi-leveling technology, Aspac has released the ultra-compact Athena HE all-terrain scissor lift which is now available for hire through Kennards Hire. A Genie SX-180 boom lift is proving valuable to wind farm operators