JLG Industries celebrated 20 years of hybrid technology with the introduction of its new H800AJ boomlift, an 80-foot hybrid boomlift at ConExpo.
The hybrid model leverages the design of its standard 800AJ articulating boom, with the same controls layout, parts, features, accessories and optional equipment as its non-hybrid counterpart. The only significant difference between the two machines is the power package and batteries.
“The introduction of the H800AJ is an extension of our ongoing hybrid work, which began in 1997, the year JLG received its first patent for a hybrid product,” said Paul Kreutzwiser, JLG Industries global category director, aerial work platforms. “Since then, we have continued to develop a broad line of hybrid models that reduce emissions and noise, and minimize fuel consumption without sacrificing power or performance.”
The JLG H800AJ articulating boomlift uses parallel hybrid technology, with an electric motor/generator and a Tier 4 Final engine. The machine can run exclusively in electric mode through its battery pack located in the counterweight. The batteries are maintenance free, JLG said, and charge on demand by the machine’s generator during operation, resulting in reduced noise and zero emissions, making the machine capable of working in cities, green and low emissions zones.
The unit comes standard with the JLG SkyGuard enhanced control panel protection system, a feature activated by approximately 50 pounds of force that stops, then reverses most functions in use at the time of activation. The standard jib raises and lowers to provide additional reach, as well as up and over capacity, giving the operator the ability to position the platform independent of the main boom. An oscillating axle and four-wheel drive offer improved traction during operation on uneven surfaces and off slab. The unit has continuous turntable rotation and zero tail swing when the tower is elevated for increased productivity.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.