Genie chooses a.c. drive on Z-40/23N

Genie Industries used the Rental Show in Atlanta to launch its first ever electric articulated boom using a.c. drive technology adapted from the industrial forklift market.

The 46 foot working height Z–40/23N is a narrow industrial boom designed for work indoors in tight spaces, and fills a gap between the company's Z–34 and Z–45 booms.

It is the drive technology that is most interesting about the new model. Phil Harvey, product manager for Genie's boom line, tells ALH that the a.c. technology is now at a low enough price to be usable. “We're not doing anything new industry–wise, but it is new for aerial work platforms,” he says.

The a.c. system drives motors on the two back wheels, and they operate without hydraulics and independently. The advantage of a.c. over the conventional d.c. drive is more power and more responsiveness. “It feels like an internal combustion machine,” says Harvey. It has a top speed of 4.5 mph – faster than a d.c. driven machine – and gradability of 40% is also higher. Harvey says battery life between charges is almost 60% longer than an equivalent d.c. design.

The Z–40 is 4 feet 11 inches wide and has a turning radius of just 2 feet 11 inches. Up and over clearance is 21 feet 3 inches, maximum working height is 46 feet 5 inches and outreach 22 feet 8 inches. It weighs 15,230 pounds.