No more ladders

How many workers does it take to change 250 light bulbs in an electric sign in the remote regions of Arkansas in the US? The answer is still one, but installation and maintenance company Rainey Electronics now uses a JLG Tow-Pro trailer platform instead of ladder and does the job in hours, not days.

Rainey technician John Engster says, “If I had used a ladder like we used to use, it would have taken me two days to change all the bulbs. Nasty work too, since I would have had to climb up and down a ladder with a handful of bulbs every few minutes.”

Such performance - and, let’s not forget, safety - improvements result from taking an aerial platform quickly and inexpensively as far as 480 km from Rainey’s headquarters in Little Rock. If the job is in state, Rainey rents a Tow-Pro from one of rental company Hugg & Hall’s four depots. If out-of-state, it uses its own machine, bought by owner Mark Rainey after a recommendation from the rental company, a web site visit to check specs, and then a visit to JLG’s McConnellsburg, PA manufacturing location. The boom’s access envelope and auto-stabilizing feature well suit the rough, hilly terrain of the Ozarks region. “I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to put a ladder and then moving it every time I needed to change positions on the sign,” says Mr Engster. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s the greatest tool we have in the shop.”