Monitor Lifts̓ New 43T Spider Lift

Not all spiders are small, and in the case of Monitor Lifts’ new 43T Spider Lift, this elevating platform is outright enormous. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say that this new addition to Monitor’s line-up is one of the biggest spider lifts you will find anywhere.

Towering above the massive Gumtrees we had on site, the 43T is arguably the ultimate machine for both specialist arborists with the most demanding workplace situations and telecommunication workers.

With the stability and reach of a truck-mounted lift but with the manoeuvrability and ease of use of a spider lift, the 43T is achieving the best of both worlds for a range of applications. With the new 43T’s massive 43 meter working height, and up to 17 meters of horizontal outreach, this is a fully hybrid spider lift providing options of use that smaller machines just cannot achieve. Another huge bonus of this versatile performer is the huge three-man basket capacity of 330kg. Not only this machine provides the weight capacity of three big blokes and equipment, but it also offers the physical real estate in the bucket – a spacious and, above all else, safe working area – allowing this machine to tackle the biggest jobs where size really does matter!

Set up on challenging terrain
A powerful, individually expanding track drive system ensures that the 43T gets to its location with ease and enormous stabilizer leg travel allows it to setup and operate in the most challenging terrain. To guide us through this test drive we had onsite David Attrill, from Hijsen, as our chief 43T Spider Operator and Alex Penn from Northern Beaches Tree Services, who was our testing Arborist. Chatting with David during the set-up he shared: “Setting up the 43T is a surprising easy process. The stabilizer legs are as you would expect from a machine of this size, impressive with an enormous range. Large foot pads have been built into the leg system for added stability and you can also go around the machine and individually check the bar on each leg, so you know you have even distribution of weight on each leg. The inclusion of around a 1-meter ground clearance height from the individually expanding track drive system means even hilly and unlevel ground won’t reduce the 43T’s ability to level and operate safely in challenging terrain.”

Turn 3 days’ work into 1
At only 12.9 tonne, the 43T can be transported on a medium rigid truck making it an economical option for your fleet, and yet with its unique double telescopic articulated booms, this machine will allow operators to manoeuvre the basket into the work zone with fine precision. These features, when combined with the massive reach of this beast, will see previously three or four-day jobs be cut down to one or two days due to the efficiency and reach of the 43T.

Chatting with our Arborist Alex about the usability of this machine he shared: “When the 43T Spider Lift turned up there’s no denying its size. This is a real head turner, it’s a massive spider lift, yet its functionality and operating qualities are that of a much smaller machine. Its controls are the same of your smaller day-to-day still platform bucket. Even at full height on a windy day the stability of the bucket was amazing. Then, when making either small or large inputs into the controls, positioning the bucket was smooth and easy to control. Even the set I really liked! You can position and level the machine with the legs, then lift the tracks up off the ground so you’re not relying on the tracks for the auto level, it’s all through the impressive leg system.”

Alex continued: “We initially set up the 43T in the most open part of the site and the huge reach could access the required areas of the site, meaning we didn’t have to reposition the machine several times like you would on a smaller machine. To test out the stability of the Hijsen and track manoeuvrability we tracked it into a much tighter position, in between containers where the legs were all at different heights, but by ensuring the spider lift was equally distributing its weight across the well balanced stabiliser legs, we were up and working again in minutes.”

Arborist Alex’s glowing report card
Watching David and Alex work in the large basket you could notice that there was ample room for another good-sized worker in the basket and it was easy to see how the 43T is being very cleverly utilised by companies looking to fast track projects or workflows without reducing safety (if anything significantly improving safety).

Alex, our Irish Arborist, couldn’t wait to get into the 43T and put it through its paces and when we finally managed to coax him down (I think he eventually got hungry), he was glowing with the experience. When I asked him how it felt he said: “It was smooth sailing, it was really, really smooth. I’ve been up 50-meter towers and they have been wobbling, but this one was so smooth. The controls slowed down as you got close to the top. It felt as safe as anything. We had a little bit of breeze to deal with today but it’s an extremely stable machine. The reach is unbelievable and again no sway! The working diagram is a great feature, when you are at full reach it will let you know, so you can boom right back in, go back up and then go further back out. It’s a clever system indeed.

The wrap up
There’s no denying that this is one impressive set up. Not for your everyday arborist use but for specialist arborist work with testing requirements of reach and terrain, and for workers in telecommunications or other significant height and reach requirements, this spider lift configuration is going to open some amazing new opportunities.

The 43T can be purchased from Monitor Lifts or hired through Hijsen. For more information call Monitor on (02) 6755 600 or visit www.monitor.net.au

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