German aerial lift manufacturer Ruthmann GmbH & Co. KG, has teamed up with Time Manufacturing Inc., Waco, Texas, which will now market Ruthmann truck-mounted aerials in North America, along with Time’s own Versalift and Condor aerial lifts.
At the ICUEE show in early October, Ruthmann and Time rolled out the first truck-mounted Ruthmann aerial brought to America under the new partnership: the Ruthmann T 175 A, an Americanized version of Ruthmann’s T540, which is already field proven in Europe.
The new T 175 A offers 169-ft. maximum platform height and 1,323-lb. maximum platform capacity, as well as 120-ft. maximum outreach with 220 lbs. of platform capacity. It also boasts easy roadability, lightning-fast setup, and lots of advanced features.
Ruthmann says the big aerial is aimed at any high-reach or long-reach aerial application, for example building inspection, masonry work, glazing, sign work, industrial maintenance, electric transmission line construction and maintenance, or any similar kind of work.
The T 175 A displayed at ICUEE featured a Ruthmann boom lift rear-mounted on a 2014 Freightliner 114SD three-axle chassis. The unit’s overall length is 39’2”. With a full tank of fuel and a crew of two, the rig scaled out at 57,500 lbs. That configuration meets bridge regulations in all U.S. states.
The T 175 A can be mounted on a number of U.S. commercial chassis that have a minimum GVWR of 60,000 lbs. The aerial lift is manufactured in Germany and then mounted to the customer’s choice of truck here in North America. “It’s important to be able to move the unit easily and meet North American roading requirements,” said Ruthmann technician Michael Gollnhuber who demonstrated the machine at ICUEE. “We want customers to have brand and configuration of truck that they prefer.”
The hydraulically powered, telescoping, out-and-down type outriggers are controlled from the rear of the truck chassis. The controls for each side’s outriggers are located so the operator can see the outriggers as they extend and set. The outriggers can be set at any position from fully retracted to fully extended. At full width, the spread measures 29’5”.
Automatic chassis leveling comes standard. With the push of one button, the system can set all four outriggers and level the truck. Gollnhuber says that within five minutes of arriving on a site, he can place four outrigger spreader pads, let the auto-leveling feature set the outriggers and level the truck, and be in the basket at working height. The system also can retract and stow all outriggers with the push of a single button.
The T 175 A features a 118-ft., four-section, telescoping lower boom and a 33-ft., two-section telescoping upper boom, plus a 7-ft. articulating fly jib. The combination provides a maximum platform height of 169 ft.
The lower boom can work at vertical angles from 0° to 80°, the upper boom can articulate vertically180°, as can the fly jib. In addition, the basket can articulate horizontally 90° left and 90° right of center. The turret provides 500° of non-continuous rotation. Together, the turret, boom, jib, and basket provide the ability to reach difficult locations.
The aluminum work platform measures 8’x 3.2’ x 3.6’ when retracted, and it can be hydraulically extended 4.5’ for an overall length of 12.5’.
The optional in-basket material-handling jib can lift up to 600 lbs. It can be mounted or removed in about five minutes. The unit weighs about 180 lbs. and installs with four bolts, two hydraulic quick couplers, and one electrical connection. When the material handler is mounted in basket, the control system automatically adjusts the basket’s operating envelope to the appropriate limits.
The control system includes full envelope control with automatic slow down at the end of travel for soft stops. It also can remember one position, and then return to it with the push of a single button. A sensor under the cage automatically stops lowering when the cage is about a foot above the ground. The operator can then override the stop to lower the platform the rest of the way.
The T 175 A also come with “Observando,” a teleservice that lets a remote owner or see all the same things the operator can see on the control display in the basket, including sensor readings, operating hours, fault codes, and so on. The system can also be used to let a remote technician help the operator diagnose and solve any problem, potentially saving customers time and service calls.
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