Plant, Machinery & Equipment

From the ground up: Monitor Lifts introduces the RR14 Boomlift to the Australian market

Monitor Lifts

Monitor Lifts’ RR14 EVO Rail-Road Boomlift is providing fast and safe aerial access to the rail industry.

Introduced into Australia in 2011, the RR14 EVO rail-road boomlift has proven itself as a strong and reliable EWP.

Manufactured by Platform Basket in Italy originally for the UK market, the RR14 EVO has been designed from the ground-up as a dedicated rail boomlift. This is not a machine that has been modified to go on rail. As such, it has some very significant advantages.

Uniquely, the turret is self-levelling. This provides excellent performance and stability due to its ability to level on cants of up to eight degrees. The levelling turret means the operators always have a level platform to work in.

The levelling turret also reduces side loads on mechanical parts such as the slew motor, basket rotator, booms, and jib.

The RR14 EVO provides up to 9.3 metres of horizontal outreach, making it extremely efficient for all applications.

The large basket size is now rated to 3 persons/400kg. This basket is deeper than usual baskets, not just wider, providing good space for the operators to move. The shape of the basket is also ideal for working in and around rail infrastructure.

The tri-gauge design allows the RR14 EVO to adapt to all Australian & New Zealand rail gauges and has been approved for use in all states.

The new RR14 EVO has an option of Euro 5 engines which with the exhaust purifier are ideal for use in tunnels. A new hybrid version is also available for true “zero-emissions” applications and whisper-quiet running.

With 15 years of continuous service on Network Rail in UK and Europe, and nine years in Australia, the RR14 EVO has earnt a reputation for strength and reliability.

Monitor Lifts have certified all versions in Australia & NZ to AS/NZ 1418.10 (Mobile EWP’s) and AS/RISSB 7502:2016 (Road Rail Vehicles).

The latest models feature direct hydraulic/ hydrostatic drive and 4-wheel steer for the ultimate traction and manoeuvrability. There is also an option of an 18km/hr drive speed on rail.

An advanced diagnostic system is located at both the basket and ground controls providing operators and technicians a high level of technical data.

The rail gear has a high stowed height which overcomes the restrictions some machines have in accessing inclines, ramps on delivery vehicles, etc.

Another detail is the auxiliary diesel engine for emergency recovery. This is not just a battery-operated pump or a remote device. The emergency recovery procedure on some machines can be long and complicated. The simplicity and speed of the RR14 EVO auxiliary diesel engine wins hands down.

Manual slew lockouts are standard and allow safe operation beside a live line. There is also a boom elevation lockout to allow travel under live overhead power.

An optional pantograph is available, and uniquely this is mounted to the chassis (not mounted to the boom) which allows the booms to slew without interfering with the pantograph operation.

And as with all specialised EWPs supplied by Monitor Lifts, experienced Monitor RR14 EVO technicians are based in our capital cities and a large stock of spare parts are held in Australia for fast after-sales support.