Visitors to the JLG booth at World of Concrete were doing a double-take at some of the surprising new equipment the aerial lift manufacturer was displaying.
Along with the company’s well-known telehandler and boom lift models were a tracked mini dumper and a pallet jack, also on tracks.
Both products are the result of JLG’s purchase last year of Italy-based Hinowa, which manufactures tracked mini-dumpers and pallet jacks, along with aerial platforms. For 11 years, JLG has had a partnership with Hinowa to produce spider lifts under the JLG brand for the North American market.
JLG was using this month’s World of Concrete to gauge interest in the new products, which the company is evaluating for market introduction here, according to Tim Morris, JLG chief commercial officer - Americas.
First, JLG must establish service, parts and distribution details before fully going to market with them. Morris explains that the quality service and performance that customers associate with JLG’s products has to be the same for the tracked dumpers and pallet jacks.
“We have units coming here, and we’ll be talking to some folks about establishing some distribution outlets,” he says, “but we’ve got to do the work.”
They are also evaluating where the products, which are more popular in Europe, would fit in in North America.
“They lend themselves to rental, but also there’s a retail component,” Morris explains. “So you’ve got to figure out, is it a construction product? Is it an agricultural product?
“And obviously we play in all those different spaces. So we're in the process of determining that now.”
Work on the products for the North American market has been occurring over the past four months, and he expects another two to four months of evaluation and preparation.
“This will be a new channel for us,” he adds. “So we’re excited about it.”
TD6400 Tracked Mini Dumper
Equipment World
One thing different about this dumper when compared to many on the North American market is its metal bed, which is more prevalent in Europe, rather than a plastic material. The bed also has a scooping mechanism.
“So they're using it a lot to take aggregate, lift it up, put it in the bucket and place it somewhere,” says Brent Miller, JLG vice president of sales administration, marketing and Latin America. The dumpers are also being used on cleanup and demolition work in Europe.
The dumper has a 6,400-pound capacity and weighs about 6,000 pounds. It runs on a Kubota 50-horsepower diesel engine and has a max speed of close to 7 mph. It also features a hydrostatic transmission.
The bed rotates, and the operator can reverse the seat position for facing forward when driving in forward or reverse. The bed has a rated volume of 52.6 cubic feet.
The JLG TD6400 has a metal bed with a scooping mechanism.Equipment World
Miller says the number of dumper models to bring to market here is still being determined, but current talks are focusing on three different models.
He sees a lot of versatility for rental customers and purchasers. “I think it could be everything from a guy building pools in the backyard to small quarry applications. There's a number of places that it can be used.”
The interior of the JLG TD6400Equipment World
TF4000X Tracked Pallet Jack
You don’t often see forklifts on tracks, but JLG’s new TF4000X pallet jack is designed for going anywhere.
It has a 4,000-pound capacity and a 6-foot lift height. It runs at a top speed of about 2.5 mph with 21.6-horsepower Kubota diesel engine. It has a 5,180-pound operating weight.
“Applications for this that I primarily see are landscaping contractors, also a yard machine where it's loading trucks, unloading trucks,” Miller says. “Small jobsites and cities is another one we've heard a lot about – congested jobsites.”
Equipment World
Equipment World
