CTE09/06: AFFORDABLE ACCESS ON TRACK WITH CTE PLATFORM (28 April 2009)
Issue Date: 28 April 2009
Ref: CTE09/06
AFFORDABLE ACCESS ON TRACK WITH CTE PLATFORM
Romsey-based Affordable Access has recently added a CTE Traccess 170 mobile tracked access platform to its hire fleet. The Traccess 170 with its maximum working height of 17m and safe working load of 200kg will enhance the choice of rough terrain units that Affordable Access can offer its customers, including major utilities and contractors, in the south of England.
“The Traccess 170 offers great stability for a compact tracked machine,” says Tony Thornton, Managing Director at Affordable Access. “The unrestricted 200kg basket capacity throughout the complete operating area makes this machine very useful.”
Affordable Access operates a number of CTE products including two of the smaller Traccess 135 models. The CTE Traccess is an innovative track mounted mobile access platform available in versions with 13.5 and 17m maximum working height with up to 7.5m outreach. It is powered by diesel or petrol engine and incorporates mains auxiliary power for indoor use. Both models offer the most versatile boom configuration in their class with full and continuous 360o rotation for versatility and easy access to the working area. The articulated sigma boom incorporates telescopic extension and a flyboom that always remains within the footprint created by the stability legs at ground level for the best possible safety.
“The sigma boom is good and the Traccess products have a compact working envelope,” says Tony Thornton. “Products from other manufacturers are too big or too long.”
The unrestricted safe working load of 200kg is enough for two average people and 40kg of tools and equipment. Reliable load sensors provide users with a warning if the maximum load limit is exceeded. Interlocks prevent further operation until the loading is brought back within safe working limits. The fully steel chassis, sub frame and platform superstructure ensure maximum strength for robust performance, reliability and stability. Hydraulic tubing and electric cables are housed inside the boom sections to offer protection from accidental damage. This is particularly important for arboriculture because there are no external services to snag on branches.
Interlocks and safety cut-outs prevent operation of the access platform until the outriggers are fully deployed and the unit is level. All hydraulic services are designed for failsafe operation with check valves on all cylinders. During normal operations the access platform is controlled from the basket using simple controls. Proportional electro-hydraulic activation ensures all movements, including lift, outreach and rotation, are smooth and precise at all times. There is full manual override for all functions.
“From a hire point of view one of the big advantages is that the CTE models have common features and controls across the range,” says Tony Thornton. “Everyone who has one likes them.”
The unit folds down to a compact and class-leading closed dimension (780 x 1995 x 3300mm) that allows it to be carried on a conventional plant trailer. Another feature that appealed to Affordable Access was the umbilical cord remote control that is used to manoeuvre the Traccess across the ground and during loading and unloading. This ensures operators remain at a safe distance from the unit at all times.
“Our first Traccess 135 units went on hire for a whole year and apart from changing the battery we didn’t have any issues with them,” says Tony Thornton. “When we needed another unit we chose the Traccess 170 because it has a higher specification.”
Affordable Access was set up to complement Tony Thornton’s other business, Thornton Associates Tree Services, that has been established for more than 20 years. The company bought its first two CTE Traccess units in 2006 and steadily upgraded and enlarged its fleet as demand has grown. Through his work as a tree surgeon, Tony Thornton knows that precision and stability are even more important than usual when working off-road near power cables.
“The closer you are to the cables the more stable you need to be,” says Tony Thornton. “The Traccess units keep the platforms still and that makes the jobs a lot easier. Other sigma boom products I’ve looked at don’t give a lot of confidence.”
Affordable Access also has a CTE ZED26ES mounted on a conventional 7.5t commercial vehicle chassis and a unique combination comprising CTE ZED20E mounted on a six tonne Bremach four-by-four chassis. This unit, the only vehicle of its type in the UK, offers enhanced off-road capabilities.