The Athena 850 scissor lift has received the Safety Solution of the Year at this year’s Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards.
The awards recognise the safest, most efficient and innovative technologies and solutions in the manufacturing industry.
The bi-levelling compact tracked scissor lift can safely traverse slopes and terrain where access equipment previously could not operate at all.
It is believed to be the first scissor lift in the world with the unique capability to level on its axis in longitudinal and lateral directions, allowing it to operate on slopes and undulating terrain where conventional scissor lifts cannot operate.
Conventional scissor lifts are typically limited to slight inclines of 2-4 degrees, whereas the Athena 850 scissor lift handles with assurance and safety, terrain variations up to 50cm front and back and 38cm side-to-side on uneven terrain, or inclines up to 20 degrees, says United Forklift and Access Solutions’ General Manager, Sales, Marketing and Distribution, Trent Osborne.
Marketed under the headline ‘the only one of its kind in the universe,’ the compact and versatile Athena 850’s outstanding design and performance won both the international (IAPA) and Australian New Product of the Year awards (HRIA) for 2016.
With a minimum operating width of 1300mm, basket capacity of 250 kg and a maximum working height of 7.9m, the machine is ideally suited to uses including facilities maintenance, park and tree management, council operations, building and construction, industrial and commercial plant access, tradespeople, landscapers, painters, electricians, orchardists and primary production including vineyards, horticulture and agriculture.
“Tracked scissor lifts already existed before the Athena, but what makes this machine unique is its bi-levelling technology, which is found only on the Athena,” Osborne adds.
“The Athena is built tough for indoor and outdoor work, where its design and functional superiority removes limitations inherent in conventional mobile scissor lifts.
“This greatly extends the machine’s safety versatility and value in the workplace.
Safety, versatility and workplace efficiency features of the Athena 850 include:
- Two-person (250kg) basket capacity, maximum working height 7.9m (5.9 m basket floor maximum height). Compliance with AS1418.10-2011
- Grade ability of 25 degrees, side slope 21 degrees, operating and driving safely on inclines of up to 20 degrees with two-axis automatic levelling constantly monitored to ensure safety
- Elimination of concerns about machines not being operable on-site because of the slightest inclines or the machine being too big or heavy for the site conditions. Athena 850 weighs only 1700/2190 kg, depending on specification, and operates on steep driveways, disabled access ramps, footpaths and within small access corridors.
- Elimination of many safety hazards inherent in the common practice of “packing the wheels” of scissor lifts on job sites. This can create potentially lethal situations where the accidental flicking of a switch to “Drive forward” instead of “Descend” can turn into a potentially fatal mistake.
- Ground clearance of up to 350mm makes easy work of rough terrain, urban obstacles and loading and unloading without special trailers Tracks that operate independently so operators can get in close when they need to.
- Automatic accelerator, bi-levelling undercarriage, electrohydraulic proportional commands, direction control, easy drive system, automatic control of inclination
- Compact Hatz 1B40 diesel engine with 220V 2KW auxiliary electric pump and 220V 1KW power generator which makes it possible to operate the scissor lift indoors and in areas where the use of combustion engines is not allowed.
- Kit for high speed (maximum 2.2kph)
- Onboard power source in the basket for hand tools and lateral levelling for moving at heights plus/minus 4 degrees.
“The Athena is simple to control and extremely adaptable to difficult and undulating terrain and worksites, indoors and out,” Osborne maintains.
“Its structure has been designed to resist overload, with high-resistance steel lifting mechanisms.”
