Gerken first with two 100m trucks

The new 59.5 t Bronto is about 17 t lighter than the trailer–mounted Ruthmann and at 16 m in length and 2.5 m wide is also more compact.

“These characteristics make the GL 101 [Gerken's name for the Bronto] suitable for new fields of use which until now were absolutely out of bounds for 100 m platforms”, said Ludger Pottbecker, head of Gerken's truck–mounted department. “Areas which so far could not support the load of 100 m working platforms can now be used as well.”

The first job for the GL 101 was in Düsseldorf –Gerken's home town – where its 33 m outreach was used to inspect hurricane damage to a steel chimney on a building that houses one of Germany's biggest newspapers.

Gerken Bronto is the third to be built and is mounted on a 6–axle Mercedes Benz 6154. Its four steering axles make it easier to turn, according to Christian Gerken, the company's managing director. “We'll use the lift mainly in towns or industrial facilities and the other lift [the Ruthmann TTS 1000] will be deployed in the countryside and for [applications such as] wind turbines,” he told AI.

Gerken now has 11 truck–mounted platforms with working heights of over 70 m in its 1500 unit fleet. See page 27 for our special report on the new generation of ‘monster’ lifts.