Product of the Month 2024 Roundup
Well, that was quite a year!
As the giant pick and carry crane of past achievements loads 2023 into the hopper of history and we look forward to driving across the blank page of possibilities that is 2024 (with non-marking tyres, of course), it is time, once again, to do a quick roundup of our Hird Products of the Month.
Here we go!
January – Vacuum Lifters
We started 2024 gorging on a huge topic for our January Product of the Month – glass vacuum lifters. Swiftly moving from the tasty morsel of the Wood’s Powr-Grip MT2 (SWL 135kg), we also covered the vast plateful that is the Hydraulica 8000, which can lift 8 tonnes.
Glass vacuum lifter innovation was a hot topic, as we showcased the Hird curved glass lifter fleet, including the Kappel Hydraulica 2100, which can lift glass sheets weighing up to 2,100kg.
February – Winlet 375 glazing robot
We stuck with vacuum glass lifting in February when the Product of the Month was the Winlet 375 glazing robot (SWL 375kg), the machine that takes all the pushing, shoving, squeezing and, let’s be honest, rather tasteless grunting out of handling large sheets of glass.
As we pointed out, with the Winlet 375 battery electric powered glazing robot, and any other model in the Winlet glass lifter range, the only action needed to lift, transport and install glass sheets is pressing. Some buttons. Less effort, more productivity, more safety. Enough said.
March – Valla V180RC
We left suction behind, kind of, in March. Our Product of the Month was the Valla V180RC pick and carry crane – and its 22-page-long specification sheet. Why so big? Because it can do so much.
One of Valla’s new V cranes that are taking industrial crane lifting by storm, the Valla180RC can lift 18 tonnes. It has a cab but can also be operated by remote control. And it can be combined with a vacuum glass lifter. Back again, eh?
April – Hird Service
We like to mix things up a bit at Hird, so for our April Product of the Month we went a bit off kilter, because we talked about Hird Service. Not a product, but great service is an essential component of our product offer.
It is not just offering a service with as smile. Hird’s hire and accessories sales service is backed by deep expertise and a strong can-do mentality. Also a desire to always get better, like the investment we made during 2024 in our transport fleet.
May – Valla V46R
We went back to pick and carry cranes for our next Product of the Month, the rather special Valla V46R. As we pointed out, it is as wide as a comfy chair but can lift loads weighing up to 4.6 tonnes.
The Valla V46R has a maximum working height of 7.2m and a maximum radius of 4.7m. It is exactly the same size as the Valla 36R, the next mini crane down in the range, but can lift loads up to 28% heavier. This makes it a world-beater for lifting in limited space.
June – Genie GR20 Runabout
In June, we asked the question – why on earth do people climb up ladders when there are more productive and safer ways to work at height? Especially as research shows most falls from height at work involve falling from ladders, and they can cause serious injury and death.
Our Product of the Month was the Genie GR20 Runabout mast boom. The electric-battery powered personnel mast can be used a direct replacement for a ladder or aluminium tower system for working at heights up to 8.1m.
July – Winlet Curved Adaption Kit
We threw a curved ball into the mix in July. Or did we get ahead of the curve? Whatever happened, we all agreed we like a curve. Especially if we have a Winlet Curved Adaption Kit to lift glass with.
Yes, it was back to vacuum glass lifters, as our Product of the Month fits to Winlet glazing robots to allow them to lift curved and oddly-shaped sheets of glass. This allows a whole new range of complex panels to be lifted with greater precision and safety than ever before.
August – Wienold MRC751
Regular readers will know we often like draw connections as tenuous as a Euromillions jackpot win. So, our PoTM for August was the Wienold MRC751 counterbalance floor crane, which we compared with Bruce Forsyth liking a twirl.
The Wienold MRC751 is an upgraded version of the popular MFC750K mini floor crane – and it can slew through 3600 to support the safer picking up and putting down of loads in highly constrained spaces. Its boom can also be set at 11 lengths up to a maximum extension of 160cm.
September – Genie Z60FE Cherry Picker
September’s PoTM was the Genie Z60FE all-terrain cherry picker. It’s a real sparkler of a hybrid power aerial platform, with diesel and all-electric zero-emissions electric batteries. It also represents the future of working at height from MEWPs.
In all-electric mode, it delivers a full day’s service on one battery charge. In hybrid mode, it will provide a full week of run-time on one tank of diesel. The Genie Z60FE can operate across all types of surfaces, indoors and outdoors, with a working height up to 20.2m and an outreach of 11.15m.
October – Dingli JCPT2212DC Electric Scissor Lift
Our PoTM for October also demonstrates the rapid rise to prominence of large electric access platforms. The Dingli JCPT2212DC, with its maximum working height of 22m, proves electric RT scissor lifts can outperform diesel scissors.
There are productivity, performance and reliability advantages. Electric power delivers more grunt in difficult conditions and extends operating hours in low noise zones. Then, of course, there is the smaller carbon footprint. The case is compelling.
November – Counterbalance Lifting Beams
As autumn turned to winter, we highlighted Hird’s ability to assist construction and maintenance contractors facing significant materials lifting and installation challenges, with a focus on Oktopus counterbalance lifting beams.
We pointed out the equipment has four key advantages: simplicity; safety; productivity; and flexibility. Also that Hird can provide a total lifting solution by combining them with glass vacuum lifters, mobile cranes and mini cranes from our fleet.
December – Viavac Cladding Lifters
We ended the year in the way we started it – talking about vacuum lifters. Our PoTM for December was Viavac Cladboy cladding lifters, to be precise. Newly added to the Hird hire fleet, they support lifting of many types of cladding in many configurations.
With no sign in a slowdown of the growth in the use of cladding to build new structures, our Cladboy CB5 and Coolboy 400 are already popular with cladding installers across the UK, and can also be paired with mini cranes or mobile cranes from the Hird fleet.
Find out more
All our Products of the Month are available across the UK via our three operational hire hubs. For each of the machines, Hird can deliver accredited training, so your teams work as safely and productively as possible.
Talk to Hird today about any of the machines featured. They represent a fraction of what we have to offer to support safe lifting and working at height. And look out for our exciting new PoTMs in 2025.
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