The specialist in working at height

By Oil & Steel SpA

Oil&Steel is a dynamic company established in 1995 which, thanks to the extensive experience of its personnel, has gained in few years the complete confidence of the Italian and European markets reaching important market shares of 40% in Italy and 15% in Europe. Oil&Steel launched, in 1996, for the first time ever, a compact tracked access platform ( called Octopussy ) which has been gaining an enormous success in every market it has been sold. In 2003 Oil&Steel was acquired by PM Group ( former Autogru PM ), a leading manufacturer of hydraulic truck mounted cranes, to form one of the first group in Europe specialized in working at height. In the last 3 years Oil&Steel has boosted is growing process, doubling its annual turnover and expanding its sales organization by opening 2 new sales branches and starting to export in new areas. Oil&Steel is associated to IPAF and ARA organizations and is certificated ISO 9001-2000 quality system.

Oil&Steel platforms are already exported throughout a growing part of the globe; recently, trough Al Laith Scaffolding, the company just appointed as official distributor for Middle East, Oil&Steel sold an Eagle S 4230 ( 42 m height and 30 m of outreach ) to Dubai International Airport. This important goal underlines how Oil&Steel is expanding to these growing markets.

Oil&Steel’s product range
What characterizes Oil&Steel’s models is a series of winning elements: the quality of components, their performance, their technological content, their compactness, their ease of use and in particular the attention paid to the design.

Oil&Steel offers a full range of access platforms installed both on truck and on tracks.

Octopussy line
The Octopussy range can reach maximum working heights from 12 to 27 m and lateral outreaches from 6,5 to 14 m. It has been developed especially for working in small spaces, in fact the total width while moving is only 78 cm ( it can pass through domestic doors ) and it can be perfectly stabilized in only 2,5 x 2,5 m space. It can be transported on 3.5 ton vans and trucks and loaded by tower cranes. Octopussy TWIN models are able to load two operators and tools at the same time ( 200 kg of loading capacity ); Octopussy TWIN allows the operator to choose between the fuel and electric engine and this is really important especially when working in indoor spaces.

Snake line
The Snake articulated access platforms are available with single or double pantograph, which allows the machine to lift the articulation hinge of the working arm over high obstacles; this line is installed on 3.5 ton G.V.W. trucks. Snake aerial platforms stand out from the other manufacturers for the highest compactness and for the possibility to be stabilized in narrow spaces; thanks to its safety devices, ensures the highest safety for the operator.

The main characteristic of Snake series is allowing the operator to work safely over  a bridge or an other obstacle that prevents the platform from being stabilized closer to the place of intervention.

The Snake models are hydraulically controlled and this assures an absolute reliability and easy to use.

Snake models are able of maximum working heights ranging from 18 to 28 m and lateral reaches ranging from 9 to 16 m.

Scorpion line
The Scorpion access platforms with telescopic arms are particularly fit for urgent interventions in places which are reachable directly from the road. Scorpion platforms can reach maximum working heights from 14 to 23 m and lateral outreaches from 9 to 12 m. This platform line is installed on 3.5 ton G.V.W. trucks and this characteristic confers highly compactness to the whole machine. Scorpion is a really easy to use platform and it’s  a good choice for rental companies or for maintenance companies.

Eagle line
The Eagle articulated and telescopic platforms are able of a maximum working height varying from 24 to 56 m and a lateral outreach from 22 34 m. With an Eagle model the operator can cross obstacles at very high height in total safety thanks to the electronic control of the working area carried out by the electronic control system ( T-CAN ).The lifting capacity of Eagles series varies from 200 to 400 kg so it is specially useful for carrying out heavy works.

Eagle S line
Eagle S is a truck mounted telescopic access platform with jib, able to reach working heights up to 62 m and with lateral reach up to 32 m. Eagle S has 2 articulated jibs that allow straddling in quota of obstacles and extreme approach precision to high work areas. An important technical innovation is represented by the 2nd articulated jib, which allows the operator to perform work under trusses on in environments with obstacles in quota ( e.g. petrochemical establishments ), easily and in maximum safety. Eagle S has a new aluminium platform that guarantees the same strength and loading capacity of steel platform. The frame has been studied to confer maximum compactness ( reduced overall sizes also in movement ) and to offer total device protection. The hydraulic pipes and electric connections are mounted inside the telescopic arms in a way to prevent any damage from external factors.

Eagle S line may be equipped with “Live Work System” device which is a ultra-modern telecommunications system comprises an audio/video system and a removable camera in the aerial part which enables the operator to transfer in real time video material at any distance; this may be possible thanks to a GPRS transfer system and a dedicated website to which one can access through an admin page. This device is an Oil&Steel patent and has been developed to revolutionise and speed up work interventions in quota.

New Snake 2010 Compact
The new Snake 2010 COMPACT is an articulated double-pantograph platform mounted on a truck with a GVW of 3.5 tons, which represents an extraordinary technological evolution with respect to current standards in the truck-mounted aerial platform market. It’s the most compact 20 m height truck mounted platform in the World, just 2400 mm high and 5790 mm wide.

The double pantograph is activated by a single dual-action cylinder located at the base of the pantograph mechanism. The elevation and movement synchronisation are implemented by a rod system to prevent the lack of coordination that occurs in our rivals’ dual-cylinder systems.

The mechanism’s most important aspects are outlined below:
• maximum elevation of the pantograph to 87°, which means the mechanism is compact and fits neatly into the truck during transportation.
• the bars in the first and second transmission gears on the pantograph mechanism are exactly the same length; this is what enables the famous ‘plumb line’ manoeuvres, i.e. when the pantograph mechanism is manoeuvred up or down, the operator platform remains perfectly positioned and only moves vertically. As a result, the operators on the platform can carry out precision work such as  sealing prefabricated components and securing cables and drainpipes.
• to offer more compact designs, our main rivals have developed the two transmission rods with different lengths, but this means  they cannot perform proper vertical movements and so require inconvenient repositioning manoeuvres.

For the first time ever, stabilisation has become a top-priority issue in the innovation of an overhead work device.

This unusual and ground-breaking outrigger system, christened “GECKO”, embodies the company’s years of experience in the truck-mounted platforms sector, setting a new and higher standard of compliance with the safety regulations in force.
The system is protected by a range of international patents.

The GECKO system offers the following features:
• removal of all parts above the frame level which could represent hazardous obstructions when lowering the working arm to the ground, apart from making manoeuvres to return the equipment to the resting position difficult;
• minimum stabilisation position reached immediately;
• once stabilised, unprecedented working levels can be reached using outriggers with a stroke of just 20 cm;
• 300 mm load distribution plate to prevent the need to fit boards under the outrigger in 50% of cases
• one characteristic that is unique worldwide and designed to achieve high passive safety standards on the outriggers is the plastic guards fitted with reflectors which signal the component’s presence on the road. Should a light vehicle travel over them, the special shape of these guards ensures there are no consequences for either the driver of the vehicle or the operators working overhead.

The new Snake 2010 COMPACT is a fully hydraulically controlled platform with widely acknowledged and appreciated advantages in terms of ease of use and reliability.

The column rotates by 360° and is mounted on a double-row thrust ball bearing which is driven, in an irreversible motion, by worm screws. Also interesting is that, in order to make the machine even safer and less exposed to external agents, the piping/hosing that runs through the centre of the rotary column, are arranged tidily in a cable carrier chain which ensures the pipes and cables follow the column through the 360° of rotation without abrasions, accidental contact or tangling.

The frame in the most distinctive feature of this new model. The monoblock section frame is completely covered by a non-slip aluminium top, which is totally innovative with respect to the other models on the market today because it incorporates a double bend over the side sections of the equipment which protects all the devices in the truck and fitted in the frame section of the platform, leaving them less exposed.

Another new feature is the outrigger control post, which as it is located in an opening in the aluminium hood, makes machine stabilisation immediate and easy; the area above the stabilisation control areas also houses the emergency controls for the aerial structure which – also a brand-new feature – can be activated from the ground. The emergency hand pump has also been placed next to the same distributor in order to allow operation by a single person. The equipment’s spacious, clear bed is finished with lightweight alloy side panels on both sides.
The area around the platform levelling joint is designed so that it remains compact during manoeuvres to move the platform towards the work face; the tip of the arm is equipped with a special synthetic roller which prevents accidental contact or abrasions on the frame of the last telescopic arm if it has to be set down on the ground.

The telescopic work arm incorporates six bends to ensure maximum rigidity and features an extension cylinder and trunking for the cables and piping that run through it.

The arm extension system features a double-chain system and device for detecting chain slackening.

The positioning of the piping/hosing inside the metal structural work ensures:
• their protection against bad weather, UV rays and corrosive agents (such as the salt spread on the roads during the winter);
• that in certain work, such as pruning, no falling objects (e.g. branches etc) can get caught on the chain.