Skyjack back in booms

Production versions of the 40/45T booms will be available in North America by the third quarter of this year, with the 60/65Ts following before the end of the year. Availability in the rest of the world is likely to be the beginning of 2007. The articulated machines, including the narrow electric 45AE, will be available by the end of 2007.

Dave Stewart, Skyjack's vice president of sales and marketing, said; “Skyjack is officially in the boom market... The concept behind the boom was to carry on with the Skyjack tradition of machines that are reliable, serviceable and with low life-cycle costs.”

Chris Dossin, Skyjack's director of marketing, told AI that the company had used its old boom designs as a starting point for the new 45T, but had made significant changes. The base is less boxy; the canopy is a single-piece fibreglass construction; a double-entry 8 ft (2.4 m) platform is standard; and there is an easy-to-maintain swing out engine tray. The power source is Deutz, and a GM dual-fuel engine will be an option.

Mr Stewart said the introduction of the booms was part of a “very aggressive growth strategy”, with a four- to five-year plan to become a full-line manufacturer and plans to expand in the European market, “where we have some glaring holes”. He said Skyjack would add some larger scissor lifts to its range by the end of 2007. The company said it would also add other lifting equipment to its range, which could be telehandlers, although Skyjack would not confirm this.

&Design targets' for the 45T boom, meanwhile, include a weight of 14100 lb (6387 kg) and a stowed width of 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m). See also our scissor feature for news on Skyjack's new compact RT scissors.