Snorkel trailer-mounts on the rise

15 February 2022

It has been suggested that an unexpected by-product of both Covid-19 and Brexit is an increase in demand for trailer-mounted boom lifts. 

The rapid post-pandemic bounce-back and the rise in demand for goods to be delivered led to a shortage of HGV drivers, aggravated by the fact that many had gone to Europe following the UK’s departure from the EU. 

Because many newly recruited truckers had to be trained and tested to get their licences, there weren’t enough examiners. So the government decided to relax the licensing requirements for other classes of drivers to ease the burden.

The additional test requirement for towing has been removed, which means that anyone holding a standard car licence can tow up to 3,500kg. And that’s good news for hire companies delivering equipment. 

Snorkel UK managing director Andrew Fishburn tells me that, over recent years, many hirers have migrated to supplying spider lifts on the back of a vehicle, or truck-mounted platforms. But now that more people can tow legally, the trailer-mount is making a comeback.  

“At one time this kind of lift was the tool and equipment hirer’s entry into the powered access market. But tighter regulations eventually made it too hard to tow,” he says. 

“In many ways it’s an ideal piece of equipment if you are going to be working at multiple sites and need to work at height. If you’ve got a pickup, you can take the machine with you.”

Snorkel offers a range of trailer-mounted booms with maximum working heights ranging from 12.9m to 16.7m that can be moved on trailers up to 3,500kg MAM (maximum authorised mass). 

One of these is the TL37J (pictured) which has a working height of up to 12.9m and offers 5.6m of outreach. 

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