23
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
In its fourth year, the
M
20 list shows growth
and decline, amongst
both large and small
companies.
ALH
reports.
Mixed results
ALH
M20
MASTS & HOISTS
W
hile the construction market continues
to gain momentum after the brutal
economic shutdown a few years ago,
the annual
MASTCLIMBER
20
list is a mixed bag
of results, with some companies seeing solid
increases in total drive numbers while others
declined considerably.
The
MASTCLIMBER
20
list is comprised of
companies that rent mast climbers and hoists
and is tallied by total number of drive units in
the company’s fleet.
Overall, the total number of drives amongst
the 28 companies listed on our M20 list
increased 5.49 percent from last year’s total of
2,693 drives to this year’s 2,841. Our top five
companies represent 1,023 units of that figure,
or 36 percent.
The largest gainer on the M20 top 5 is
Atlanta-based Mastclimbers LLC, who jumped
more than 30 percent from last year’s 110
units to today’s 144.
Mike Pitt, owner of Mastclimbers LLC, says
global markets offer a range of opportunities
but that some areas are still grasping at
straws. “Canada has been booming but is
getting ready to slow,” Pitt says. “The USA is
the biggest potential market and is showing
signs of recovery - fragile but still growing.”
Kevin O’Shea, director of safety and training
at Canadian-based Hydro Mobile, says
refurbishment, large industrial projects and
infrastructure development are providing
significant opportunities in the mast and hoist
sector. Hydro Mobile is one of the largest
producers of mast climbing work platforms,
transport platforms and the like.
“Transport platforms are a rising star in our
industry and the uptake of the product in all
sectors is very encouraging,” O’Shea says.
For example, the TP transport platform is a
derivative of Hydro Mobile’s popular F series
and, as such, shares a many common parts
with the F series. The TP can be used as a
standalone platform or can share the mast
with the F series to reduce cost, cut down
installation time and improve productivity.
Mast climber fleet numbers
2014
2013 2012 Percent change
from 2013-2014
Top 5
1,023
932
940
9.74%
Top 10
1,603
1,506
1,466
6.44%
Top 20
2,415
2,335
2,267
3.42%
The manufacturer’s latest product, the
S series, is a new rack and pinion unit,
featuring twin drive motors with independent
centrifugal brakes, either of which is sufficient
to support the unit. Lift capacity is almost
6,000 pounds with a platform length of 60
feet on single mast. It is suitable for stucco,
glass, refurbishment, demolition, and masonry.
The company will debut the unit at World of
Concrete (see our Show Guide on page 36).
For Mastclimbers, a new opportunity lies in
a new product. Late last winter, Mastclimbers
invested in 12 PowerMast units. The
PowerMast is manufactured by Reechcraft.
It works with swing stages and walkboards
and features 1,500 pounds of capacity. The
PowerMast can support platform dimensions
up to 30-inches-wide and can be configured to
any length within the system capacity of 1,500
pounds (750 pounds per mast). Maximum
height is 200 feet and tie spacing is every 15
feet. The PowerMast is assembled by hand and
can fit in the back of a truck or van.
“Main features will be easy to use, simple to
install with minimum tools required, lightweight
but heavy capacity,” Pitt says. “In the future
someone will design a new unit, based on the
Dunlop
jumped two
spaces,
from 15th
to 13th, on
this year’s
list.
CMC Scaffolding, pictured here, took a dip
on the M20, but the company sees brighter
horizons for 2014.
Atlanta-based Mastclimbers LLC had one of
the largest gains on the M20. It increased its
number of drives by more than 30 percent.
MASTCLIMBER
20
