Facelift and Bronto create attachment

Facelift hire in the uk showed off its new lifting attachment co-developed with Finnish truck mounted platform manufacturer Bronto Skylift at the SED show in the UK in May. A small fixed jib at the end of the 52 XTD's main boom is used to suspend a 1,3 t capacity hoist line on which is suspended a vacuum lifting attachment to handle windows, cladding and other small loads.

Facelift's managing director, Gordon Leicester, said the attachment operates with the fly jib pointing vertically down, allowing operators to man-handle the load into its final position. “We've been doing glass installation for years”, he said, “It's quite obvious that it's needed.”

The maximum installation height on the 52 m platform is 30 m, although this will increase when the attachment is fitted to larger Bronto machines. Handling capacity falls to 1,22 tonnes when there are two workers in the cage. The attachment can easily be removed and the platform used normally on site.

Mr Leicester said other applications could include the installation of small wind-turbines; “anywhere that a crane has been used with a cherry picker up to 30 m in the air.”