Loxam.

[BigClive]

I know there are a few UK dudes on this forum, so I wanted to know... Are Loxam access hire as crap in England as they seem to be in Scotland? Their access units are only fit for a scrapyard. Maybe we just get dumped with the old shit.

Had a problem a week ago when I got a van-mount (van mounted bucket truck) and it was dead on arrival and couldn't be fixed on site by the engineer. No problem, things like this do happen. Went in today to pick up a van-mount and was told it would be ready in ten minutes. 30 minutes later they announced that they couldn't get it working (think it was the same one as before) and offered me a flat bed lorry mount unit at no extra charge (how generous). Brought out the large flat bed unit (which I wasn't too keen to drive through rush hour traffic in a city) and gave me a quick demonstration of the controls, whereupon the radiator blew out and started spraying rusty water everywhere.

At that point I decided to reschedule the job for next week! Glad I didn't take the unit out and have it blow it's radiator in heavy traffic.

This isn't a new experience.

[Alan Mac]

Hi Clive, never heard of Loxam down south, we use platforms from Hewden Hire and have NEVER had a problem with them.

Mac

[BigClive]

We have no problem getting platforms or cherry pickers, it's just the van mounts that seem to be hard to find here. As far as the platforms go my normal preferred supplier is Nationwide. We use Hewden for our cranes, but I wasn't aware they did other stuff. Maybe it's just regional.

Umm, here's a picture of a Hewden crane. Can you work out which one is me? :)

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/3bears.jpg

[Orgnizdlbr]

We have no problem getting platforms or cherry pickers, it's just the van mounts that seem to be hard to find here. As far as the platforms go my normal preferred supplier is Nationwide. We use Hewden for our cranes, but I wasn't aware they did other stuff. Maybe it's just regional.

Umm, here's a picture of a Hewden crane. Can you work out which one is me? :)

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/3bears.jpg

You would be the gent wearing the harness......

[BigClive]

That's me. From left Ross the crane driver, Alister the "roadie" (who is standing on his toes because Ross and me are 6' 4" tall) and then me.

[Alan Mac]

I spotted you straight away Clive, you're the big guy with the beard ;->

Mac

[Alan Mac]

Don't really know about van mounts, we don't use them as the geniebooms or scissor lifts are more suited to our work. We use a company called Marsh Plant for our cranes, I don't know if they are available up your way. We occasionally use them for midspan access and we always have the same driver, either with a 60 ton or 100 ton unit. Having a guy you know and trust is a real confidence booster when you're nearly 200 feet up in a personel basket, twenty feet from a live 132KV circuit.
I'll try to find a few pics for the gallery.

Mac

[BigClive]

I think I may have discovered why Loxam gear is so bad. I was admiring a very smart access unit to day and suddenly realised it was a Loxam unit shipped up from England. That fits. It's another English company dumping their old shit in Scotland. (happens a lot)

As far as your comment about a regular driver goes. It does help greatly if they know the ropes and how you work. It saves an awful lot of time.

Of course, when some clown in the office decides to save a few quid by pricing about for the cheapest quote then you get a random selection of equipment and drivers. The office staff just don't understand the concept of false economy.

[BigClive]

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

We were told to pick up an access unit from Loxam again to do the very same jobs we had to cancel before due to their lack of working access units. We got there and were told that the unit we were supposed to get had an ABS brake problem and they couldn't put it out until it was fixed. It transpired he was lying and that it was actually the SAME unit as before that was completely inoperative. Instead they offered the SAME flatbed bucket truck, but it hadn't been fixed form the previous encounter and they brought it into their workshop and started tinkering with it.

Needless to say we just called a rival company and will pay the extra to have a unit delivered from a distance rather than deal with these assholes. It meant we had to cancel the jobs again (which makes us look bad) and wasted half a day arsing about trying to get the units. Now we have to reschedule the jobs again.

What a grind.

[BigClive]

I don't know Clive.....

All 3 of ya look like the front line of the old "Steel Curtan", of the Pittsburg Steelers!!! :-) :-)

That's an American Football team man. :-) AND a compliment.

Every time I visit America I get asked if I'm a footballer. :)

[h0tgl0v3r]

Originally posted by BigClive;

I know there are a few UK dudes on this forum, so I wanted to know... Are Loxam access hire as crap in England as they seem to be in Scotland? Their access units are only fit for a scrapyard. Maybe we just get dumped with the old shit.

Clive, I have had a few dealings with LOXAM over the years, usually hiring IADs and I have to say 'they're SHITE!!'

I've never seen a good one from them and the last one we hired was sent back without payment as it was so dire.

I've used LOXAM IADs in EDF East, EDF South, Central Networks and SWALEC - all shite!!

Hope this makes you feel better!!!!!

[BigClive]

It does make me feel a bit better. We ended up using a machine from EPL instead.

If we'd had the machine that Loxam promised then we'd have done a night shift in warm dry weather. In the end we ended up doing the job on one of the worst nights of the year. I had to dig out a Guy Cotton fishermans foul weather jacket and just brave the storm. Boy was I glad when I finished that job! The jacket kept the storm out but my hands were distinctly blue with the cold wind. :)

That's one of the advantages of the van mount style bucket trucks. They seem pretty stable in the sort of winds that would normally have you reaching for the anemometer.

(Oh look, I can spell anemometer correctly after a shit-load of cider.) ;)