GENIE® ZX™-135/70 makes work easier on challenging industrial job

Recently in Austria, Strasswalchen-based lift and access rental providers Rachbauer GmbH & Co KG provided Inocom Construction with a Genie® ZX™-135/70 articulating boom lift for a high precision task at a cement, plaster and mortar plant near Salzburg.

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Operated in conjunction with a 220-t crane on a site in full activity, the machine proved instrumental in completing the installation of a giant steel framework covering a 43-m high drying tower facility within a tight three and a half week deadline. The construction of the frame was part of a process aiming to preserve the facility from the elements, prior to an overlay of protective cladding.

“At Rachbauer, we place customer satisfaction and safety at the centre of our business. For us, choosing the right machines for the job is as crucial as making sure that the high quality equipment we provide is maintained according to Manufacturer recommendations to perform to the best of it capabilities,” says company owner Christian Rachbauer.

The choice of the Genie ZX-135/70 boom lift came following an on-site visit and an accurate job plan established with the help of the latest planning software.

Offering the 43 m maximum working height that the job required, a maximum horizontal outreach of 18,03 m, a fast 96-s lift speed to full working height, and a platform load capacity of 272 kg, there were also several other features that made the ZX-135/70 boom lift the right solution to rise to the challenge.

Offering an impressive maximum 23.01 m up-and-over clearance, plus a 3.66 to 6.10 m Jib-Extend™ extension and110°vertical jib, “The ZX-135/70 is ideal to access hard to reach areas with ease, notably around corners and over deep ledges,” notes Mr. Rachbauer. “When it is necessary to move the machine, instead of retracting the boom, the machine’s full height drive function enables operators to drive the machine directly to its next position with the boom fully raised. This worked out as a great time-saver for Inocom, and subsequently reduced costs for its customer.”

In addition to the same robust XChassis™ pioneered by Genie, that also provides the Genie SX-180 and SX-150 super booms their compact footprint and transportable size, the ZX-135/70 boom lift combines many other practical and innovative features that make Genie machines particularly profitable, smooth and easy to service and operate. The machine’s intuitive proportional joystick control system is one of them.

“Thanks to its proportional controls, the movements of the machine’s three-section articulating boom are impressively smooth and accurate. We find that this provides operators the confidence they need to stay focussed on their job, and helps increase their efficiency,” says Mr. Rachbauer.

In the short time it took the Rachbauer team to familiarize Inocom’s operators with the ZX-135/70, as from day one, work kicked-off to a great start exactly according to plan. As the crane hoisted each huge element of the frame separately to the required height, equipped with electric power drills, the two-man team progressed rapidly. The entire job was completed without a hitch a couple of days ahead of schedule.

Out of the 100 aerial work platforms and scissor lifts that Rachbauer owns, 75 per cent of its fleet are Genie units. As Mr. Rachbauer explains, “In the five years that we have been renting Genie machines, their track record has been excellent and, as the highest reaching model in our mobile access fleet, the ZX-135/70 boom is no exception to the rule. As a company that puts a strong emphasis on safety, we are extremely attached to the high quality and proven technology of the Genie brand, that make its machines so stable, robust and simple and easy to service. Our fleet is relatively recent, and to keep our equipment in optimum condition, the use of original spare parts is our company policy. Supporting our uptime, Genie is always prompt to provide the parts we need, even at short notice. Orders of new machines are also delivered rapidly.”