News

Fairfield Manufacturing Co., Lafayette, Ind., announced it has been purchased by Switzerland-based Saurer AG, a $1.8 billion global manufacturer of textile machinery and power transmission solutions with 8,800 employees worldwide. Fairfield will become part of Saurer's Transmission Systems segment, which also includes Graziano Trasmissioni, an Italian manufacturer of gears, axles, transmissions, and complete drive line […]

Snorkel International, Elwood, Kan., will introduce the TB85J fixed-axle telescopic boom lift at The Rental Show. Preliminary specs provided to industrialliftandhoist.com show the TB85J fixed-axle boom lift operates at a maximum width of 8'6". Plans do not call for this machine to replace the expandable axle TB85J. The TB85J features an 85-foot platform height with […]

Waco, Texas-based Manitou recently announced new options for its new MT 6642 and MT 8044 telescopic handlers. Added to the existing options is a new remote boom control option and 180-degree swing carriage. Using frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum (FHSS) technology, the new remote control consists of a wireless hand-held transmitter, which can be used to raise, lower, […]

After more than a decade of traffic shifting, detours, and dead ends, Big Dig officials recently opened what they said is the project's last major piece of roadway, said an Associated Press report on www.Boston.com. The opening of the Albany Street off-ramp from Interstate 93 south marks the moment when the $14.6 billion highway project's […]

Teupen America, Reading, Mass., recently redesigned its LEO 25T spider lift to include several enhanced features. Improved and faster fly by wire aircraft technology hydraulic proportional controls ensure dependable, smooth movement. The control system monitors lifting 60 times per minute and keeps the operator inside safety parameters, automatically stopping the unit if it detects improper […]

In recent years, telehandler users have sought after a tighter turning radius to accommodate jobsite restrictions. Older telehandlers offered a 27-degree turning angle while today's telehandlers provide 55-degree turning angles. However, when telehandler manufacturers began reconfiguring machine designs to provide a tighter turning radius, proper wheel steering alignment was sacrificed for this feature. Proper configuration […]

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the widows of the three ironworkers who were killed in the July 1999 collapse of the Big Blue Crane at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis., will receive about $30 million under the terms of an out-of-court agreement. In December 2000, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court jury attributed 97% of the […]

Further expanding its crawler crane product line, Terex Cranes, Wilmington, N.C., introduces the 3,500-ton (U.S.) lifting capacity TEREX-Demag CC 8800 TWIN. Based on the 1,375-ton capacity CC 8800 model, the CC 8800 TWIN achieves an increased capacity through its unique Twin Boom System design in which the boom components are interconnected by the system to […]

Part One Two years ago, only a couple of compact telescopic handlers were available to North American buyers. Today, more than 30 models from at least a dozen manufacturers are being promoted to the construction and rental markets. During 2005, I reviewed several of these machines, including the Ingersoll-Rand VR-518, the Manitou MT 523, and […]

More than four months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, widespread recovery of the region is still underway. The nation's worst hurricane season in history not only had an effect on human life and personal property, but it also created a problem with equipment security, according to a report generated by the […]