Snorkel starts 2007 with two big booms

Snorkel has launched its first ever 25.9–meter (85 foot) articulating boom, the AB85J, as well as a slightly smaller 24.4–meter (80 foot) model, the AB80J. Both are zero tailswing machines, with the larger of the two having an 18.3–meter (60 foot) outreach and a rotating jib.

The maximum outreach on the AB85RJ is 18.9 meters (62 foot), it has an overall width of 2.6 meters (8 feet 6 inches) and will weigh around 17.6 tonnes (39,100 pounds). Standard features include 4WD and 4WS.

Frank Scarborough, Snorkel's vice president for sales, says the company will have a new 15–meter (45–foot) articulating boom at the Rental Show next year and says the company would “absolutely” go higher than the 38.4–meter (126 feet) telescopic boom the company currently makes.

Scarborough says Snorkel is forecasting another “major year... I expect significant amount of growth in Europe in 2007.” The company is now selling significant numbers of machines to United Rentals and Hertz Equipment in the US, and also to Japan, including, for the first time, telescopic booms. Scarborough says sales to Japan will quadruple in 2007.

The company also used the Rental Show to exhibit one of its New Zealand manufactured rough terrain scissor lifts. The SR3370 (pictured) weighs 7,964 pounds, has a platform height of 39 feet 9 inches and 990 pound cage capacity. It has a 48 inch roll–out deck as standard and has stowed dimensions of 5 foot 9 inches (width), 11 feet (length) and 8 feet 10 inches(height including guardrails).