Genie® Scissor Lifte - a Great Match at Roland-Garros, France

Within days of the closure of the latest edition of the prestigious Roland-Garros tennis tournament in France, the refurbishment of the site has already resumed. The objective: To deliver a fully modernized complex between now and 2020, despite twice-yearly interruptions for championships and their organization, lasting two months a time. As part of the project, two of the most spectacular changes involve the Philippe Chatrier centre court that is being equipped with a retractable roof to cater for variable weather conditions and a new building dedicated to the venue’s organization. It is on the latter that two Genie^® GS™-4390 RT scissor lifts are currently at work.

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The two machines were recommended by Pas-de-Calais-based rental company Duma Rent France to its customer ASF Facade Alu, who was looking for true 4WD, high capacity all terrain scissors lifts. The company also needed machines with a stable double back/front extension deck that provides sufficient space to work comfortably and elevate up four floors.

For the first part of their mission, the machines worked together to help trace the outline of the position of the windows that they were later to help install. To do so, each machine was positioned at opposite ends of the front of the building to allow their operators on the right as well as on the left to trace together a precise perimeter by pointing the laser beam at the target. For the second step, the two scissor lifts worked independently to lift and hang the windows, each weighing up to as much as 220 lb (100 kg) — a job that was performed with ease thanks to the machines’ maximum lift capacity of 1,500 lb (680 kg) and maximum working height of 14.75 m (48.4 ft). The 3.98 m (13 ft) long platform, extendable up to a length of 5.34 m (17.5 ft) with the single deck, up to 6.57 m (21.5 ft) with the dual deck, or 7.38 m (24 ft) with the “Super Deck” extension, also proved practical in fitting the 300 glass panels and windows according to schedule. For specific applications, such as the installation of cable sheaths or air conditioning, these extension decks are a considerable advantage in terms of productivity as they provide sufficient space for up to seven people to work together on the platform.

As construction continues at Roland Garros, including a new tennis village, reception and leisure areas, shops and more tennis courts, Genie scissor lifts will be a perfect match to complete a variety of applications thanks to their versatility and efficiency.

About the Genie GS-4390 RT rough terrain scissor lift

Powered by a 3-cylinder 36 kW (49 hp) air-cooled Deutz diesel engine, the Genie GS-4390 RT offers the benefits of four-wheel drive and positive traction control, and is equipped as standard with the exclusive Genie Active Oscillating axle system. Drive enabled at full height it offers a drive speed of 1.1 km/h (0.68 mph), (8.0 km/h / 5 mph stowed) and a gradeability of 50% to take on rough terrain with ease. Proportional controls ensure precision and flexibility of movement.  For operator safety, a tilt level sensor with audible alarm, descent alarm and platform load sensing system are standard. Featuring a factory installed telematics connector and an onboard diagnostics system, operators are able to troubleshoot on the fly and make adjustments in the field to optimise uptime. Easy to service, the swing out engine tray provides ease of access to components. To reduce storage space and simplify maintenance, the Genie GS-4390 RT unit shares commonality of components with all other Genie scissor lift models.