ReachMaster Inc., Kingwood, Texas, unveiled the first new PB brand scissor lift in North America at the ConExpo trade show in Las Vegas earlier in March. ReachMaster recently became North America’s exclusive distributor of the heavy-duty, German-made scissor lifts, and ConExpo was the first showing of the new lifts in North America.
The model on display at ConExpo was the PB74-48, which stands only 4 ft. wide, yet can raise 991 lbs. to a maximum platform height of 68 ft. The lift is 14’8” long and weighs 22,686 lbs. Its platform measures 47 in. wide by 157 in. long, and can be increased to 47 in. by 215 in. when deck extension is deployed.
Lizzy Lift, Franklin Park, Ill., has purchased the PB74-48 that was displayed at ConExpo, plus a second one. Both will be delivered this summer.
The PB74-48 is powered by a 48V electric system that uses 24 2-volt batteries. The system drives the hydraulic system that powers travel and also extends the scissor stack to raise the platform. The batteries provide several days of average work from a single charge, and a 110V onboard plug-in charger comes standard. The lift can operate on 110V plug-in power while the batteries recharge, and Christensen says that properly maintained batteries should last seven to eight years.
Jennifer DuBose-Lombard, president of Lizzy Lift, said, "In our opinion, the PB Lift is the next ‘Big Thing’ in industrial maintenance and equipment installation applications.” DuBose-Lombard says Lizzy Lift has already received many inquiries for large, high-capacity scissor lifts and feels the PB lifts will serve their customers well.
Lizzy Lift prides itself on locating difficult-to-find specialty equipment so that its customers can focus on running their businesses. The company handles forklifts, scissor lifts, boom lifts, high-capacity lifts, and specialty and material handling equipment.
Ebbe Christensen, president of ReachMaster, said, “We are very excited to work with Lizzy Lift to bring the first ever PB Scissor Lifts to the U.S. market. Lizzy Lift’s business model of providing their customers with both groundbreaking solutions and the highest level of customer service has a lot of synergy with us, and we are happy to be a part of it. We look forward to working with Lizzy Lift for years to come.”
Christensen pointed out some of the PB74-48’s unique features, including the lift’s use of one double-acting hydraulic cylinder, mounted in mid stack to raise and lower the platform. “The design uses less power to raise and lower the stack, so the batteries work longer on each charge,” he says. Raising the platform to full height takes about 2.5 minutes.
Christensen also points out the PB74-48’s sturdy construction, with the bottom three links in the scissor stack being wider than the upper four for added stability, as well as the large-diameter, teflon-coated, maintenance-free steel pins that connect the scissor ends. Christensen says the pins’ large diameter distributes loadings better than smaller pins for long life and to provide extra rigidity for the stack.
The machine has controls on the ground and in the platform, and the system includes an onboard computer that has a weight/sensor control for the platform and scissor system. The computer has a data logger on it that can record and store historical data. It can also provide telematic diagnostics.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
