SMARTER. SPIDERS.
UNTANGLING THE WEB WHEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING YOUR SPIDER
In Australia, many industries are now experiencing the vast benefits that come with owning a Spider Lift; a machine concept offering versatility, accessibility, and transportability all-in-one. With over ten (10) brands of Spider Lifts now available in Australia, the decision can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing which Spider Lift is best suited to your business.
Considering purchasing a spider lift for your business? What is important to you? Your considerations will impact your long-term satisfaction and overall business position, so we hope you find some benefit in reading on.
“What machine can offer us the most, within our budget?”. These two key considerations, while significant, can overshadow the importance of utilisation. After all, high equipment utilisation equals good return-on-investment (ROI), right?
“Equipment utilisation is reliant on an innovative design, exceptional performance, ease of transport and superior reliability”.
It’s in the design.
So, you know how high you need the boom to extend, and you have likely worked out how far you need the outreach to go too, but have you considered weight limiting and the speed of deployment?
ZED style boom systems are by far the most versatile and productive of any other boom. The ZED style boom configuration allows a larger working envelope (range of movement), without limiting the basket weight. A design that is not weight-regulated by a limiting system will improve utilisation and productivity. But why?
If the operator is using a machine with a weight-regulated limiting system, the outreach of the machine becomes impacted. How?
The weight limiting system stops the machine from achieving its peak outreach unless it is at a drastically reduced basket weight. This is to maintain machine stability. Isn’t that a good thing?
Stability is paramount. However, when you have two workmen carrying a chainsaw in the basket, the operator will need to return a worker back to the ground and redeploy with a lighter weight, before being able to extend to maximum outreach. For example, a 200kg basket capacity is reduced to 80-120kg at max outreach.
ZED style boom systems do not limit basket weight. They also operate faster, offering quicker deployment and positioning times. This plays a significant factor in rapid repositioning, which reduces overall labour costs and increases productivity.
Performance is access.
Every worksite usually comes with challenges regarding accessibility and congestion. This is where the spider lift excels. Remembering, if we cannot access the site, we lose utilisation.
Here’s three key considerations:
Dimensions: (length, width, and height of the machine).
Gradeability: (steepest gradient a machine can climb).
Departure angles: (the smallest angle, between ground-level and a straight-line tangent to the rear/front of the tracks and touching the rear/front of the machine.) Refer to image below.
A machine with smaller dimensions and a higher gradeability equals maximum advantage when it comes to accessibility. These two considerations also assist with setting up in tighter work areas.
Here’s another three considerations:
Smaller stabiliser footprints: The stabilisers are also known as outriggers and we have even heard them referred to as spider legs! The footprint is the total physi cal space taken up by the machine, including the support structure of the equipment. Refer image right.
Zero tail swing: This allows the machine to turn in all working positions while keeping within its stabiliser footprint, ideal for confined spaces to avoid collision.
Up-and-over capabilities: The boom can be extended in sections, allowing operators to manoeuvre up and over obstacles, avoiding obstructions.
All these aspects of design and performance specifically aid in increasing a machine’s utilisation factor.
Transport made easy.
When looking for a spider lift, we have found transport to be one of the main considerations that is missed. Given that some businesses complete multiple jobs per day, at various locations, transport has a significant impact on a business’ operating costs.
The weight and dimensions of the equipment will impact the required trailer design, braking, load limitations and the towing vehicle’s GVM.
Assessing these areas prior to purchase will assist in avoiding any unplanned costs when it comes to effective transport solutions.
Simply, reliable.
Compared to other machines, spider lifts are a unique style of elevated work platform (EWP), in that they are extremely compact machines with a lot going on, in a small area.
Equipment innovation is heavily dictated by technological advancements. Electronic safety controls, self-levelling sensors, complex load management systems, varied stabilisation with multiple limit switches on both the stabilisers and booms – all create a costly exercise where a technical diagnosis is required.
Manufacturers who use an electronics philosophy of ‘simplicity’ will increase reliability, reduce downtime, and lower the service cost associated with their spider lift. This ensures significant advantages to ROI.
A fixed envelope system gets the job done effectively and efficiently and is far more reliable. Hydraulic and electrical services are housed in the boom section are preferrable, for less accidental hook-ups and deterioration. A superior, fixed 200kg weight capacity with full work envelope is excellent for reliability.
These factors impact the total cost and the ROI, over the term of ownership.
Smarter Spiders.
One manufacturer has considered all these requirements and delivered on every exceptional benefit available in a single machine, through their Traccess machine range (up to 23 metres) Since 1981, CTE has been engineering spider lifts that make working at height easier, safer, and more rewarding than ever. With production of more than 1,000 aerial platforms per year, and a network of dealers in more than 100 different countries including exclusively here in Australia with Platform Sales.
If your access requirement is higher than 23 meters, you cannot look past Palazzani, the original Spider Lift manufacturers. With working heights ranging from 25 meters to the tallest in the world at a whopping 52 meters, these giant spider lifts truly are the prime example of versatile aerial access.
