With 40 years in the lifting business, Johnson Crane Hire’s expansion last year into the access rental space has given customers a whole new range of access solutions, according to Ramona van Rensburg, sales representative at JCH Platforms.
Investing in a new fleet of telehandlers and access platforms from materials handling leaders Manitou, JCH Platforms has further augmented its value-added offering to customers, along with its vital expertise in safety and lifting regulations.
The fleet separates and enhances the platform and telehandler offering available from others in the market with access platform units ranging from 12 to 28 metre and telehandlers from a lightweight two tonner to a 9 ton unit. Each unit in the Johnson Crane Hire fleet has its own special design and unique capabilities facilitating use by customers in varying applications.
“One of our more popular smaller units is the ManGo 12 access platform, with a working height of 12 metres,” says van Rensburg. “Unlike most access platforms, this unit is designed with the same access capability as a scissor lift, making it a lightweight machine for both construction and industrial markets but with the advantage of an articulated boom to overcome any vertical restrictions that a standard scissor lift would have.”
Some of the improved safety measures that comes from the Manitou range include galvanised steel baskets making them less likely to corrode and profiled mesh floors for better traction and safety. The hydraulic pump on the machine is fitted with a retraction pump that absorbs any residual oil in the system providing a much smoother operational experience. The Safe Man System (SMS) protects operators by minimising the risk of crushing.
Another popular range is the ATJ line of access platforms which includes the 180ATJ with an 18 metre reach, the 200ATJ with 20 metre reach and the 280TJ reaching 28 metres with an access platform with a 4 metre telescopic jib that redefines the up-and-over capabilities of this type of machine.
In its telehandler range, JCH Platforms includes the lightweight M420H Buggy, which brings various benefits as it can be employed on a building slab to move material over horizontal distances too. Telehandlers will usually only reach as far as 18 metres or the third floor of an average building, where they will place material near the edge of the slab.
The Buggy provides a solution, feeding the various work areas efficiently and quickly; its low profile allows it to operate between floors, as the height restriction is less than two metres. This makes it ideal for confined areas, reducing the amount of foot traffic required to move bricks, cement and other building material.