Australia’s major waste management companies Toxfree and J.J. Richards & Sons explain how they are benefiting from Vaclift’s versatile BoB ITK multihook height machines.
Giving due consideration to a trend of acquisitions in the Australian waste management sector, Vaclift Managing Director Jon Pament sought about distributing a new hooklift machine from its flagship BoB brand.
The BoB ITK multihook height machine, which carries one large container, was designed to cater to a mixed fleet of specifications, with 16, 20 and 26-tonne capabilities.
Released to the Australian market in 2017, the new BoB hooklifts can be quickly adjusted to three different rail widths and features a lifting hook that can safely work with 1060 , 1150 and 1180 millimetres. Vaclift has been been the sole Australian importer of BoB hooklifts since 1995 and, in that time, has installed well over 550 units throughout the country.
The BoB ITK MHH also features a lifting hook that can safely work with 1430 through to 1610 millimetres hook heights without any operator adjustment required. This gives organisations the ability to carry a mixed fleet of bins, offering them the freedom to set up a machine out of a depot with various rail widths and hook heights. They can also move them around the country to different states operating under varying hook heights.
Jon says that states such as NSW and WA are predominately operating under 1430-millimetre hook heights. Victoria tends to be 1610 millimetres, he says, as does Queensland, with a mixture in other states and territories.
“Commonly, what people have done in the past to deal with this, is have a hook that the driver can slide up and down manually. A hook weighs about 70-75 kilograms and they’re trying to set it up at the right height for a container so they can pick them up. But if they don’t get it right, they can damage the machine,” Jon explains.
“With our machine, the driver doesn’t have to adjust anything. It automatically adjusts to what’s coming on the back.”
Two of the nation’s large waste collection and disposal companies, Toxfree and J.J. Richards & Sons, have been using the BoB ITK multihook in some of their fleets since BoB came out with its latest iteration last year.
Owen Burton, National Fleet Manager at J.J. Richards & Sons, says the company is using more than 150 BoB ITK across Australia for its bulk waste collection.
“We’ve also got a significant number of liquid tankers set up to be able to run on the back of the hooklift machine,” Owen says.
He says the machines are capable of being reconfigured according to the state J.J. Richards & Sons is operating in, allowing them to shift their fleet around with ease.
Designed for the modern collection fleet, the hooklift chassis of the BoB ITK has been pre-drilled with a 50-millimetre pattern to enable quick fitment to the newer truck chassis that feature a 50-millimetre body mount pattern of holes.
“What it means for the end user is that they can get their fleet working sooner, which is particularly crucial for commencing a tender on time,” Jon says.
The machines also continue the BoB function of using hydraulic interlocking instead of electronics, which makes maintenance a whole lot easier.
“Electronics can be prone to failure as they are locked into corporate computer diagnostics – so this prevents any possible downtime.
“Hydraulic interlocking also means it’s simple for a hydraulic company to diagnose if something has gone wrong and fix it on the spot.”
Toxfree has also benefited from the versatility of multiple rail widths throughout its Sydney and Melbourne operations. Tony Burrowes, Toxfree’s Group Procurement and Asset Manager, says standardisation is of great importance as the business has grown over the years through acquisitions.
“Many of the businesses Toxfree have acquired have a fleet of bins that has various rail widths, so the BoB ITK lends itself to a wider range of bins,” Tony says.
Commenting on the BoB ITK multihook, Glen Bourdon, Toxfree Dandenong Operations Manager, says the company needed the versatility of 1150 or 1160-millimetre rail widths to carry containers and compactors in a variety of locations.
Jon adds that the machine also has a built-in option of front locking systems, which allows for four points of locking on the container.
“BoB has that built into the machine so it’s a simple add. It stabilises the container significantly more both in transit and in tipping,” he says.
“The locking system on this multi-rail lift machine gives three different indications depending on what rail width is on the back of it, so it doesn’t just rely on travelling to the narrowest point. If any one of the three rail widths is not locked on, it will tell you.”
Precision is key for Jon, who adds that the hook lift is made of high grade weldox steel, ensuring it remains robust and reliable.