J Todd Plant Services

Industry: Biogas plant maintenance Manufacturer: Hinowa

Challenge: 

J Todd Plant Services was awarded a contract to maintain three biogas plants in Fife, in East Scotland. Tasks it needed to carry out included routine inspections and maintenance of pipes, valves, mixers and pumping systems, some located at height. The company needed an access platform that could be effectively operated in an agricultural off-road environment, where both access and operating space could be restricted.

Solution: 

The company compared the advantages of different makes of access platform. This resulted in it selecting a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 Performance IIIS tracked spider lift. It has a maximum working height of 17.06m and a maximum outreach of 7.5m. Its unrestricted basket capacity of 230kg was a valued feature when there was a need to carry heavy tools and parts. It has a low-emission diesel engine or can be operated on 110v mains electricity, so can be used outdoors and indoors. Smooth controls and a one-touch set up and stow feature enhance safety and maximises working time.

Outcomes: 

The Hinowa LL 17.75 turned out to be the “perfect” choice. J Todd Plant Services will also use the platform to deliver other maintenance services, including tree surgery. At other times, it will hire it out to building contractors and local authority maintenance departments.

“The Hinowa is an ideal machine for manoeuvring around biogas plants. Its two-speed tracking system gets us to lift locations quickly, so we make most productive use of our time.

“It can be towed easily to site which are located on out of the way places on farms. I used to hire platforms when I needed them. But now I have the Hinowa, there is no waiting for a machine to become available. I can just hitch up and get going.

“The process from start to finish with APS has been great, with good communication and service. APS sourced me a very good skeletal trailer, which makes it easy and quick to transport, offload and load.

“Our new Hinowa LL 17.75 will be a good financial investment. There is a lot of demand for spider platforms in our area, and hire rates are healthy. It’s making a massive difference to our business.”

Jamie Todd, Director and company owner, J Todd Plant Services