Hire! Freeman expands fleet

UK-based Hire! Freeman has expanded its rental fleet of powered access equipment, after investing in new machines from Access Platform Sales (APS).

The UK-based family-run firm has purchased a new HinowaGoldlift14.70 tracked spider lift. It has also bought three Niftylifts: an HR12 self-propelled articulating boom; and two 170 trailer-mounted booms.

The HinowaGoldlift 14.70 is the most popular compact tracked boom lift in Europe, said APS. “Equally at home indoors or out, this spider lift provides a maximum working height of 14 m and outreach of 7 m. It is less than 2 m tall and 0.78 m wide when stowed, making it ideal for transport and for travelling inside buildings, added APS,” added a company spokesman.

Freeman’s new machine went almost straight out on hire at Wilderhope Manor in Shropshire, UK. The Grade I Listed Elizabethan manor house, which is now a Youth Hostel, has undergone a £500,000 restoration.

Managing director John Freeman said, “The Hinowa is a beautifully made machine, very well thought out and assembled. The way the pipes are routed, and exposed areas protected are particularly impressive for a small machine.

“The extending width tracks are especially important on small tracked aerial lifts, and smooth operation makes it a very safe and comfortable machine when crossing uneven terrain and when loading onto a truck or trailer.”

The Nifty HR12self-propelled boom is designed to provide maximum reach performance from a light, compact base. It offers a maximum working height of 12.2 m and up to 6.1 m of working outreach, from a 1.8 m wide machine.

Octagonal boom sections provide the Nifty 170 trailer mount strength without compromising on weight and the telescopic upper boom improves accuracy when positioning the platform, said APS. Fully proportional hydraulic outriggers make setting up and levelling theNifty 170 trailer mount quick and easy, even on gradients.

Based in Telford, Shropshire, Hire! Freeman was voted Best Small to Medium Hire Centre at the Executive Hire Show’s Passionate Hirer Awards 2012. Huntingdon-based Access Platform Sales (APS) is the exclusive UK distributor for Hinowa tracked products, as well as a dealer for Niftylift. The company recently announced a merger with Independent Parts & Service of Telford, creating one of Europe’s largest full-service distributors for access platforms, said the company.