JC Plant has manufactured a range of machines using Cat Lift Trucks supplied by Briggs Equipment.
The company, which specialises in designing and manufacturing bespoke materials handling equipment, has developed the Skyhook 3.3, which is specifically designed to work in hazardous environments and confined spaces while providing optimum safety for the operator and bystanders.
By rolling a number of features into one machine JC Plant claims the truck reduces the risks associated with using multiple equipment and manpower for certain jobs.
Jamie Cooper, managing director of JC Plant, said: “We identified that some of our customers were having difficulty handling smaller loads in restricted areas and in some cases were manually handling items when machinery should have been used.
“We therefore designed and built the Skyhook 3.3 to assist with the handling of items such as motors, pumps and valves, thus reducing the risk of manual handling injuries.
“As a basis we needed flexible and durable forklift trucks for this operation; ones that could easily adapt to bespoke modifications yet maintain the highest levels of safety and reliability.”
Briggs supplied Cat diesel models to JC Plant before each one had its chassis and hydraulic systems re-engineered to accept a specially designed sub-frame and stabiliser structure, onto which JC Plant then mounted a compact lifting arm.
The Skyhook 3.3 is able to pick and carry over 1,000kgs at 1.5m within a 90 degree restricted slewing arc over the front of the machine, and with the stabilisers in place, it can be increased to 520kgs at 6m, while keeping the working head room down to 2.5m.