Skyjack – world leading scissor lift manufacturer

By Skyjack

In 1986 began the rise of a little known company named Skyjack which has since become a world leader as a scissor lift manufacturer. In many global markets, like Coke is to cola and Kleenex is to facial tissue, the name Skyjack is the synonymous brand name when referencing a scissor lift as the aerial work platform of choice.

So what advantages would there be to using a Skyjack scissor lift on your jobsite over perhaps scaffolding? Over the past 30 years aerial equipment has gained popularity around the world due to many key advantages. Aerial work platforms such as scissor lifts or boom lifts offer an easy and safe method to get people, tools and materials to elevated worksite locations. Aerial work platforms are more efficient as no set up is required saving time and money and often reducing the number of workers required to erect complex scaffolding systems. Aerial work platforms also come in a variety of sizes and forms allowing the flexibility to choose from a range of platform sizes, load capacities and working heights. Unique features such as up and over reach for hard to access areas are also available depending on the model most suitable for your application. On deck options and attachments such as generators, welders, work lights as well as material lifting attachments all increase productivity and offer flexible work solutions. Various power sources including diesel, dual fuel (gas/propane), or battery powered models offer an aerial work platform solution for any application.

Having summarized some of the key advantages to using aerial work platforms on a jobsite, you may now be asking yourself, why choose a Skyjack? Since its early inception, Skyjack’s “keep it simple” engineering philosophies have positioned Skyjack as a world class brand. Designed with serviceability in mind, Skyjack aerial work platforms minimize the use of complex or proprietary components making them easy to maintain and service, even with limited resources.

Analog based controls with relay based logic using common automotive style relays and a standard colour coded wiring system makes troubleshooting fast and easy. Resistance to vibration as well as temperature and moisture is essential for longevity of any piece of construction equipment. The rugged and reliable design attributes behind analog based controls and a standard wiring system are what Skyjack customers have become used to relying on. Every wire has a unique colour and is number coded at each end. Corresponding wire colours and number codes are used in every Skyjack model, past, present and future. For example the #14 wire is always black and consistently ties to the lift function in each and every Skyjack model. Simplicity in design and function actually allows for many service parts to be purchased at a local car part depot or hardware store.

Skyjack’s reputation was not built on serviceability alone. Robust, reliability and the lowest life cycle costs are Skyjack’s industry badges of honor. Industry media group Lift and Access wrote a feature on a customer’s Skyjack SJIII 3219 electric scissor lift.

Penny Pincher – Skyjack’s SJIII 3219 delivers on company’s low cost of ownership philosophy
Subject: Skyjack SJIII 3219 DC-powered scissor lift; manufactured by Skyjack, Inc., Guelph, Ontario; featuring a 19-foot platform height and an overall width of 32 inches. Other key features include 550-pound capacity, true pivot steering, and a 36-inch rollout deck extension.

Serial number: 237853
Date in service: September 2003
Hours in service: 211

Equipment owner: Ahern Equipment Rentals, Las Vegas – the largest independent rental company in the United States. Starting to purchase Skyjack equipment in the late 1980s, Ahern has rented and sold more Skyjack machines than any other single organization in the world. Nearly all the scissor lifts in the company’s fleet are Skyjacks. In fact, in all probability, the company owns more 3219s than any other organization.

Service location: Las Vegas and Phoenix
Date of review: 7-24-06

July 26, 2006 – Priding itself on the ruggedness of its products and engineering them to provide the lowest cost of ownership possible, the SJIII 3219 scissor lift definitely does not disappoint. Introduced in 1998 as the replacement machine for the very popular SJM (mini) 3219, which was first introduced in 1993, the first SJIII 3219 offered several upgrades to its predecessor. Key enhancements included replacing the two-speed drive with a proportional system as well as the addition of a pothole protection system. The unit I evaluated was selected at random from Ahern’s “Rent Ready” line at its yard in Phoenix. Despite the very low hour meter reading, which is not uncommon with electric scissor lifts, rental records indicate this machine has been in high demand since it was put in service three years ago.

Observation highlights
Structurally, the unit has held up wonderfully.  Skyjack uses inverted U-shaped steel channels to bridge the area between the main guardrails when the deck is extended. This not only acts as grab points to roll the deck in and out, but is also robust enough to deal with a lot of abuse. Rolling out the 36-inch deck extension required minimal effort. I must confess I have never been fond of the way Skyjack pins the deck – the holes where the pins are placed to stow the deck allow for only a totally extended or totally retracted configuration. It can also be just a little difficult to pull and or replace the keeper pins if the rails are slightly out of alignment. The very robust, all-steel diamond plate deck was slightly corroded, but couldn’t have been any straighter than when the machine was new. Other than a little overspray, the aluminum control box, as shown in Image 3, was in fantastic shape. A close inspection of the unit showed no evidence of there ever having been a hydraulic leak – an observation that would be confirmed later when reviewing the service records.

This is where the hoses connect to the hydraulic drive motors. These motors pivot 90 degrees to facilitate the pivot steering. This constant bending has put a lot of stress on the hoses and is starting to show. Due in large part to design considerations and precautions throughout the unit, the remaining hoses and electrical cables showed no signs of abnormal wear. If you own a Skyjack scissor, please make sure that you keep the king pins that the drive motors ride on properly greased.  Many competitive units use grease-free pins. If you own both, you might fail to realize the different requirements.

Skyjack has a very simple philosophy when it comes to wiring its products. They are all the same, utilizing a standardized number and color-coding system throughout its entire scissor lineup. One other very helpful step the company takes to assist in troubleshooting... ...are the limit switches that work with the various safety interlocks... ...the numbers shown on each... ...correspond to the wires that complete their circuit. That way, there is no guessing which wire belongs to which switch.

Operational Impressions
It is very pleasing to get on a lift and discover your steering input translates into exactly what you intended. That was the case with this unit. Not only was it precise, but it was also balanced – that is to say it wasn’t to fast or two slow, and the speed from lock to lock was consistent throughout the entire operating range. I mentioned earlier that the SJIII’s have proportional controls, a point that I verified with Skyjack. Strangest thing is that when I drove this machine there were three distinct steps in speed: creep, slow, and fast. Although it was hard to explain why I observed this, I would later learn that one of the few breakdown repairs in the records related to a rebuilt drive controller. Ahern rebuilds its own joysticks so it’s possible that it used a different potentiometer or set it up something differently. It really didn’t matter as the operation was seamless and pleasing.

Service issues
The single biggest service issue noted for this unit involved the battery charger. In this case, it was the solid-state Bycan Systems charger that failed. These chargers did not live up to Skyjack’s rigid quality standards and have been replaced with a Signet-supplied 24V charger. As previously noted, Ahern had to rebuild the OEM-supplied joystick. I would also note that the batteries are not the originals. All Skyjack machines originally come with Interstate Batteries. You can see in Image 7 that a set of Trojan Batteries T605’s now power this unit. Trojan might be a little more expensive, but Ahern has years of success with its deep-cycle batteries, which sit in a swing-out service tray.

You can find the same swing-out tray on the other side, housing the hydraulic pump and valves. I know some, myself included, had questioned the soundness of placing so much leveraged weight on a single hinge. However, I opened and closed both sides repeatedly, and noted they were still in perfect alignment.

Owner’s opinions
It seems quite obvious that Ahern loves Skyjack machines. Once you review the computerized service records, it becomes obvious why. Total parts cost for all repair parts, tire replacement, and scheduled maintenance was less than $700. That’s just $230 a year! Back out the $293 charger, and the cost to maintain this unit is even more impressive – like pennies a day!

*Lift and Access, www.liftandaccess.com,written by Guy Ramsey. July 26, 2006.

Skyjack’s reputation as a world class manufacturer of aerial work platforms has been built on a proven track record of consistency, ease of serviceability and reliability. Skyjack not only takes pride as the preferred supplier to a number of the largest rental equipment companies in the world, Skyjack takes pride for being synonymous as the preferred brand aerial work platform of choice.

Simply put…

At Skyjack our philosophy is simple.
We engineer lift solutions that are robust, reliable
and easy to service offering the lowest life cycle costs.

Contact details:
Ron Schreurs, Sales Manager
T: +44 (0)1691 676235, E: info@skyjackeurope.co.uk, W: www.skyjack.com